Stop Giving Up — God Hasn't Quit on You

The church has a quitting problem.

We've raised an entire generation of believers with no spiritual backbone. No perseverance. No endurance. No ability to push through hard times. The moment something gets difficult, we spiritualize our laziness: "Well, if the Lord meant it to be, it would have happened."

No. Sometimes it didn't happen because you quit.

Look at Elijah in 1 Kings 19. This is a man who just called fire down from heaven. He stood alone against 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He watched God consume a water-drenched altar. Then he took a sword and slaughtered every one of those false prophets.

And then Jezebel — one woman — sends him a message. Not a soldier with a sword. A messenger with words. And this mighty man of God tucks his tail between his legs and runs.

Sound familiar? You come off a spiritual high on Sunday, and by Tuesday you're hiding under the juniper tree of self-pity. You saw God move in your life, and three days later one threat has you ready to quit everything.

Here's what I tell people: if you're hitting the snooze button 22 times, you're not trying to get up. You're trying to go back to sleep. Quit lying and saying you're trying to overcome when you're really trying to find a way to lay there a little longer.

You'll never break through until your desire to be free is greater than your desire to quit.

The Children of Israel had a 10-day journey to the Promised Land and turned it into 40 years. How? Complaining. Bellyaching. Whining about everything God did for them. And we do the same thing. We wonder why our circumstances won't change while we can't stop talking about how bad they are.

But here's what God did with Elijah. He sent an angel to say "Arise and eat." Not just wake up — GET UP. And eat the Word. Feed yourself. You can't fight on an empty stomach, spiritually or physically. You want to go to the gym and get stronger? You have to add weight to the bar. You want spiritual strength? You have to go through resistance.

The wilderness isn't punishment. It's preparation.

I think about Todd Hoose — a man from our congregation who was paralyzed in a severe automobile accident. He refused to let that define him. He got himself off disability and went back to work. Paralyzed. Working. If that man can do that, what's your excuse?

When Elijah called Elisha, Elisha didn't just leave his farm — he burned his plowing equipment. Left nothing to go back to. No Plan B. No safety net. That's the level of commitment God is looking for. Stop keeping escape routes open. Either you're all in, or you're planning to quit.

Your screw-ups aren't strong enough to stop what God called you to do. A righteous man may fall seven times, but he gets up every single time. The only thing you need to learn how to quit is quitting itself.

*Watch the full sermon: https://youtu.be/TC_kH2HOt30*
*U-Turn World Ministries — Chico, TX | Thursdays 7 PM | Sundays 10:30 AM*