Are You Tempted to Quit?
The Key to Happiness Could be Inside Your Gut
Jesus experienced the frailty of human life and was tempted to give up; we, therefore, will experience the same temptation to give up. We are often tempted to give up on life, our marriages, our child/children, our relatives who live so recklessly, and people who have done us wrong! Here are 3 reasons why we quit:
1. The temptation to quit is found first in DESPAIR.
Despair is to be without hope. When a person feels there is no hope, he/she is well on the road to surrender. If he/she genuinely believes that no matter what they do and no matter how hard they try the outcome will be the same, they quickly weary and look to take what they deem as the easy way out. (See Proverbs 13:12.) One is likely to surrender to despair and simply give up if one does not find a glimmer of hope to cling on to. Hope – Confident expectancy; Hope does not arise from an individual's desire or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believer's hope.
2. FEAR is another reason which compels people to quit.
When we allow doubt to overwhelm us, we are an easy target for the voices of Hell that encourage us to quit. Doubt is to be uncertain. In fact, our primary defense against such a voice is faith. A person who gives up has failed to remember God’s words to Moses, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6, KJV). Who could quit while quoting that promise to themselves?
3. Every decision to give up also has DOUBT as one of its roots, whether that is doubt in our own abilities and strength or doubt in God’s.
Fear is to be afraid of an unknown or anticipated thing or event. John wrote that fear hath torment! (1 John 4:18.) Can you imagine the fear that most assuredly plagued Jesus as He prayed in the Garden that night? Knowing what was to come, His body responded just like ours will. Adrenaline flooded His system which caused His heart to race and His breathing to become rapid. The “fight or flight” instinct would have been in full effect, but He could do neither and complete redemption. Fear and its cousin worry have driven many people to give up. “What if I try and . . . " “I’m scared that if I keep going . . . .” These are the words that come from defeated lips just before they utter their own epitaph, “I give up!”
The pattern for perseverance throughout your life! Here are 3 ways to push forward. Perhaps no one has ever overcome a greater opportunity to give up than Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane that night, but He had a firmly established pattern of perseverance throughout His life. Jesus provided for us an excellent life study of weapons to use to overcome the temptation to give up! Each of these habits was preparing Him for this moment.
1. The weapon of PRAYER.
We would do well to learn that lesson in our lives. Prayer is not something simply reserved for our weakest moments. Prayer is the source of spiritual strength throughout our lives. If we have populated places of prayer before our hour of temptation, we will be more apt to turn toward prayer for strength at that moment also.
2. The weapon of the WORD.
Jesus also demonstrated to us the power of the Word of God to overcome temptation. When previously confronted with the temptation of taking the easy way out—“bow down and worship me, and I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world” was surely less arduous than Calvary—Jesus defeated Satan with the Word. “It is written” preceded His every refusal of temptation. We must be well-versed in the Scriptures to withstand temptation resolutely, for they help us to truly see the temptation for what it is. Temptation is deception! Deception is defeated by a strong scriptural foundation. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11, KJV).
3. The weapon of GODLY FELLOWSHIP.
Jesus also showed us the value of godly fellowship in standing strong when tempted to quit. Though He was God, Jesus Christ recognized that He could withstand this hour better if the disciples would accompany and assist Him. The fact that they did the former but not the latter does not negate the principle being taught here. We are stronger in the company of fellow worshippers. All too often, when we get discouraged and the enemy begins to whisper that one should just quit, his default reaction is to pull back from the church. In reality this is the moment he needs the church the most! Stay connected to brethren to stay strong!