Do Not Give Up

“Do not give up on me, Lord! Oh please, do not give up!”

This has been the cry of my heart.

With all my might, I cling to the Lord and lift up this simple prayer... Click To Tweet

With all of my might, I cling to the Lord and lift up this simple prayer, desperately pushing back against the forces that try to diminish my faith and steal my joy.

The enemy loves to bombard me with busyness and a thousand other distractions that persuade me to live as if everything else matters just a little more than Jesus.

My eyes get fixed on a hundred worthless things, and they stray from the one thing that truly does matter: Jesus, the founder and perfecter of [my] faith (Hebrews 12:2).

A Deceived Heart

Why is my heart so easily tricked into thinking that the meaningless things in life matter the most?

Why am I persuaded to chase after the temporary trophies of this world?

A bigger, better house won’t make me happier. In fact, it might just add more exhausting work to my ever-increasing to-do list.

Signing my kids up for three more traveling sports will certainly make my family appear ultra-talented. But the constant rushing to practices, super-charged stress, and overall grumpy attitudes will most certainly make us all miserable. 

Buying those ridiculously priced brand-name winter coats for the whole family might make us all warmer (and trendier). But next month’s credit card bill will certainly make me break out in a cold sweat.

And that new cell phone that my 6th grade daughter “just can’t live without” will probably make her appear cool among her peers. But the consequent trade-off of zoned-out behavior and tech-induced crabbiness is hardly worth the price.

Oh what an exhausting place to be: caught up in the middle of worldliness where there is never enough and no one is happy.

But There is HOPE

But I praise God that His Holy Spirit can awaken me to the futility of such living and set a fire ablaze in my heart again.

I may be battle-weary and nearly at the point of giving up. But God’s Spirit has the power to ignite my heart again.

Yes, I can turn my eyes back to Jesus.

And when my eyes meet my Savior’s, the ridiculousness of the world’s values becomes glaringly obvious. Jesus is so pure, true, and holy that everything else fades away to nothingness in his presence. 

He opens my eyes to see just how sneakily Satan can twist the desires of my heart to suit his own destructive goal: to keep my family and me away from Jesus.

And I will have none of that!

Oh how thankful I am that God reveals his truth to me, so that I can protect my family from Satan’s scheming attacks. I certainly may falter, but with God’s help, I will stand back up again and again, fighting off the enemy with the power He gives me through His Spirit and His word.

Yes, there is such beautiful hope in returning to Christ again. He renews and restores me. He brings me such peace.

In the depth of my soul, He reminds me that He is my everything, and nothing else can ever compare.

I may have been a slave to the prince of this world at one time. But I praise God that Christ has liberated [me] to be free, and I will be burdened by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1) no more!

 

How Amazing Is My God!

God never gives up on me, even when I am ready to give up on myself. 

Instead, He ignites me with hope during the most desperate times of my life and proves Himself faithful when my own faith is lacking.

He brings the truth of His word to life, illustrating to me that those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength…they will run and not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31).

I may be burdened, worn down, frail, and weak. 

But as I fix my eyes on Jesus and meditate on His word, I can feel the breath of God bringing life back to my soul.

Reviving the deadened places of my heart.

Restoring hope when I thought it was lost.

Giving me peace in the midst of a chaotic world.

How About You?

Are you struggling to break free from the chains of this world?

Do not give up.

Find your hope in Christ today!

He is waiting to renew your heart.

 

7 Verses to Encourage You to Never Give Up

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:3

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Revelation 2:3

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29