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 (NIV)
Feel like giving up? Well, you’re not alone.
It’s almost like the more you hold on to the word of God and fight the good fight of faith, the harder the enemy strikes.
Remaining true to our faith is becoming difficult by the day, and many believers are walking away from the faith.
While there are times when giving up is the right thing to do, it is not the best step in other situations, especially in matters concerning faith.
In this article, we will talk about what Christians should do when they feel like giving up.
Let’s get started:
What should you Do when You Feel like Giving Up
1. Find out WHY you Feel that Way
To know what to do next, you need to understand why you feel like giving up. Finding out why is important because it will help you to know where you are and where you should be heading from this point on.
WHY will enable you to know what is happening in your life as opposed to guessing.
It might not be easy for some of us to find out why we want to give up. So ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. He understands us and knows us more than we know ourselves.
2. Persevere
This may be the last thing you want to hear right now, but you need to persevere in whatever you’re going through instead of just giving up. In the Bible, those who persevered to the end were used mightily by God, and they finished the race well.
The early church went through a lot of suffering.
They were persecuted, and some had to run away to other cities for their safety. But here’s the thing: they never gave up. They learned how to persevere through it all and to rejoice amid their suffering (1 Peter 4:12-14).
It could be that something terrible is happening in your life, and it’s the reason why you want to give up. Maybe you have been diagnosed with a particular disease, and the doctors have not given you any hope. You don’t have to give up and rely on doctors’ reports alone. If God has not said that this is the end for you, then it is not.
Cooperate fully with God so that you can walk fully in the abundant life that He has given you.
3. Remember God’s Goodness
We need to be intentional, especially in those times when we are on the verge of giving up. One of the ways that we can do this is to remind ourselves of God’s goodness.
God’s goodness will help you to remain strong even when you have fearful thoughts and doubts.
4. Pray
Many of us act like we have got everything under control and think God cannot handle what we feel in our hearts or are going through. We may go to our prayer closets, but we leave out how we feel because we think God is not too concerned about our feelings during prayer.
But God cares about everything that is happening in our lives. Including those times when we feel like giving up.
It would help if you were willing to be vulnerable, especially when you feel hopeless and things seem not to be working out for you.
Praying as you usually do at this point may not work. If you want to cry before God, just do it. It’s okay to tell God about all your complaints, doubts, and fears; He’s not going to punish you for doing that Ephesians 6:18.
5. Practice Gratitude
Saying I’m grateful for when you don’t see a way out of your situation is very difficult. But it is the best thing that you can do for yourself because it means that you are focusing on the small things God is doing in your life.
The truth is even if you’re going through a hard time, there are those small things that God is doing in or through you. It takes determination to focus on those things instead of what is happening, but with God’s help, you can do it.
These small things will encourage you to keep on going each day when it’s the last thing you want to do.
The more you focus on the small good things, the easier it becomes for you to take your eyes off the bad and focus on the good. And with time, you’ll develop the courage to fight the good fight up to the end.
Find one thing that you’re grateful for each day and start thanking God for it until you start seeing a difference in your life.
6. Meditate on the Word of God
We need to start organizing our thoughts. Your thoughts built up from past experiences, the words of other people can attack your mind and encourage you to give up.
They may be reminding you of all your mistakes and the bad things other people have done to you to push you to quit. The wrong words, thoughts, attitudes of other people towards you may even be convincing you that God does not care about you, so there is no need to keep holding on.
If you continue to focus on those lies, it’ll be easy for you to give up. You need to not only study the word of God but also meditate on it day and night.
The Bible may be the last thing that you want to open and read. Or maybe you try reading it, but nothing seems to happen, and it’s just like you’re passing through it. Do not give up. Take one verse that speaks to your situation and make it a point to meditate on it.
The more you focus on it, the more your faith grows in that area. Please keep reading and thinking about what the word says until it becomes alive.
You can do scripture mapping. That is, focus on the keywords and themes in the verse you’re meditating on. Find out what they mean and also read different versions of the Bible to compare the text. And remember to ask the Holy Spirit for help during this time.
7. Focus on Jesus, not Self
I am such a bad person; I will never amount to anything. I made a big mistake, and I don’t know how to recover from it. Will God ever forgive me for this? What do other people think about me right now? They will never forgive me.
Most times, wrong thinking is the reason why we feel like giving up. We have wrong thoughts about ourselves, other people, or God.
The truth is the more we focus on ourselves, the more we want to give up.
Let’s say you did something terrible, and now things have gone wrong in your life, and you’re suffering the consequences of your actions. The more you focus on your mistakes, the easier it becomes for you to give up. At times you may find yourself wanting to give up on the very thing God has told you to do.
You are an imperfect being, and that means you make mistakes. But Jesus, our Lord, and Savior is PERFECT, and it is in Him that we find our perfection.
When you focus on Him, and you see yourself through the lens of Jesus, you can be transformed in your heart. Fixing your eyes on Jesus will also help you to see your situation from a different light.
Focus on Jesus, and He will help you to find solutions to your problems – Hebrews 12:2.
8. Journal
Some of us struggle to verbalize how we feel, especially when we are going through difficult times. Journaling your thoughts is an excellent way for you to describe how you feel.
Do not just write them down. Present those thoughts to God in prayer. As you keep on journaling, God may start to reveal things that will help you deal with what is going on in your life.
Journaling will also make it easy for you to open up to God and allow Him to deal with your fears and doubts.
9. Turn the Problem into an Opportunity
Instead of quitting, how about you turn that challenge into an opportunity. You can turn your problem into a message and use it to encourage others.
For example, Paul did not just quit because he was being beaten and imprisoned. He used the opportunity of being in jail to write the books that we read in the Bible.
He also used his situation to encourage others who were going through challenges Philippians 3:8.
Challenges and not meant to put us down. Sometimes God allows them in our lives so that we can use our experiences to encourage others.
You don’t have to limit yourself to just encouraging others. Some of the best businesses in this world were started when someone was on the verge of giving up.
So maybe this is your chance to start your business or ministry. Don’t be quick to make a decision of giving up when you could use it as an opportunity to make a big difference in the world.
10. Forgive
When we talk about forgiveness, we mostly look at it from the point of forgiving others. But we should also learn to forgive ourselves because we disappoint ourselves more than the way other people disappoint us.
If you can’t bring yourself to face what you’ve done, go to God and ask for forgiveness. You need to be kind to yourself because love is kind, and it does not keep wrong. Be patient with yourself and let go of all the past mistakes that you have made.
If someone has hurt you, forgive them not because they have apologized but because God tells us to. And because forgiveness frees us from the chains of bitterness. Romans 12:17
11. Talk to Someone
When was the last time you shared your feelings with another person? It is good to come online and check up for solutions to what you’re feeling. It is okay to watch videos of other people encouraging you. Praying is the best decision you will make in such a time. But it would help if you also talked to others about what you’re going through.
When we open up to others, God can minister to us through them, especially when we are not seeking Him, the Lord, but a busy wallowing in self-pity.
Other people will also share their testimonies with you. You will also learn how other people overcame the challenges that they were facing and learn how to go on with life from this point on.
12. Be Intentional about what you Think about
The word of God encourages us to be intentional about what we think about. We are told in Philippians 4:8 to think about things that are:
❖ True: You can only find truth in the word of God. That is why we need to read and meditate on the word.
❖ Honest: Is giving up the right thing to do at this point? Or are you just acting out of fear, doubt, or anxiety? Has God told you to give up on that situation? Or are you doing it because someone is discouraging you? Be honest with yourself.
❖ Pure: Are your thoughts pure, or do you want to take that step because of the evil thoughts that are racing through your mind?
❖ Lovely: Instead of focusing on everything that will go wrong, how about you focus on everything that will possibly go right.
❖ Good report: Align your thoughts with what God has promised you. And before you give up, ask yourself if telling God you are quitting will be a good report.
❖ Praise: Will giving up bring honor to God? Will the testimony you share with others about giving up cause them to praise God?
❖ Virtue: Will giving up help shape your character? Or will you regard yourself as someone of virtue after giving up that thing?
Final Thoughts
We have all wanted to give up at some point.
And the enemy has had a field day pushing us to do so.
But we do not have to give up, especially when we know that whatever we are facing is just God’s way of dealing with our hearts, or maybe He’s allowing it for one reason or another.
When you feel like giving up, turn to God in prayer and the word, talk to someone, practice gratitude, think positive thoughts, and forgive yourself.
Things will not work out automatically, but you’re going to see a big difference when you keep at it. In the end, you’ll understand why you had to go through what you’re going through right now. Trust the process and put God first in every decision that you make.
May your faith remains strong, even while surrounded by life’s difficulties, and continue to experience the untold blessings of God! Believe that you have received the victorious crown of life! (James 1:12)
Shalom & Blessings,
Haly
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Thank you Haly. It’s really a good article. Encouraging and helpful.
Thank you, Iryna.
You are blessed! You are the head! You are above only! God CAN do anything!
Do not give up!
Haly