Never give up

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. - Luke 18:1

Jesus never wasted his words. When he spoke, it was for a purpose. The lessons he gave, he gave to us because he knew that one day, like that money put aside for a rainy day, we would need them.

Let his words settle in your heart right now. "Never give up." Tuck that coin safely away into the pockets of your heart. Save that thought into the memory banks of your mind for future withdrawal on the day you need it. Keep praying. Never give up.

You see, God has a plan for you. Always has, still does. But calling it quits, throwing in the towel, giving up, will guarantee the thievery of your future. Without a doubt.  

"But I don't have the strength," you say. "Do you have any idea how long I've been battling this?" I understand. Let me bring you back to a time when hope was a vapor in my life and discouragement a close friend. Call it a dark night of the soul. As Thomas Paine once said, "These are times that try men's souls." My soul was being tried. But know that these testings were not without purpose.

Fear had gripped me; anxiety had surrounded me. David's words in the psalms became greatly relate-able. And while I was surrounded by many good friends and while they played a crucial part to my eventual ascent from darkness, I had to make my own decision. I had take Jesus' words to heart to pray and not give up. And so it is in our darkest battles. God sends shimmers of light through friends and words of encouragement, but the decision to continue on lies with us alone.

So, as one who has walked through the valley of the shadow of death, may I encourage you? Look for the shimmers of light he sends your way. Cling to those who carry that light. They are messengers from God.

On one dark night, probably one of the darkest I had ever faced, after being granted little sleep, I finally dozed off. Music was playing on my iPhone to help my mind rest, to help me sleep. But I was awoken. And as I pulled out of my slumber, the words of the song playing on my iPhone sliced through the darkness with brilliant light,

I am the Lord your God
I go before you now
I stand before you
I'm all around you

He was speaking through the music. He was speaking to me. Listen to Him speak to you.

Keep praying my friend, and don't give up. 

 



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 24, 2015 at 6:09 AM

    Great encouragement, Joe! I'm thinking that since the Bible says "pray unceasingly," we can assume we're always going to need to pray about one thing or another, haha! Thanks again for sharing from your heart. -Deb

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Promises of God If God makes a promise, can you depend on it? Does He have the power to carry out what He says He will do? Is His word trustworthy? Those of us who know God will quickly answer yes. We know that God is not only powerful, He is also faithful. So what about that cold that we’ve been battling for the past two weeks, or what about the glaucoma, the cancer, the emotional issues, the mental hangups? The anxiety. Doesn’t God promise that He will heal all of our diseases? I know of Christians that have been healed, but I also know of those who have gone to their grave with their disease, and even at times, because of it. Why the disconnect? Has God forgotten some while healing others? Why does tragedy strike some who have faith in God while skirting around others? Before I answer that question (it’s really one question), let’s look at the Scripture to see what it has to say about the promises of God. Here are three things we can say about His promises - The promises of God
Read more
Image
Sometimes dreams must die. Dreams never realized can be heartbreaking, but there's nothing that leads to that craggy road called discouragement more directly than dreams realized and then lost. The hope of marriage broken on the rocks of disappointment and conflict. Booming investments in the market tail spinning into oblivion on the comment of a high political official. God's promises realized seemingly put to bed for good.  Seemingly.  I want to give you hope. She is just sleeping. The young vibrant female we call hope is not dead. She is just sleeping. But she needed to lay her head down into a lifeless slumber, lest, we come to trust in her instead of Someone greater. There's a story of a rich woman, a childless woman. Her lifelong and dormant dream was to give birth to a child. It was a hope for her, a dream; a good dream. Many of us are like her. We hope, but never get our hopes too high, lest they be disappointed; lest we be let down into the overwhelming mir
Read more
Image
Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights in whom there is no shifting shadow. Salvation is a gift from God. But can your salvation be lost? Is it that fragile? Is it not a gift? You didn't earn it, did you? Is it not by His doing that you abide in Him? "But", you may ask, "I could lose a gift, couldn't I?" Let me ask you a question, when was the last time you misplaced your house?  Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." God has gifted you a house, a dwelling place in His heaven. That is salvation; living with Him forever. Salvation is a gift from God, and it is a good gift given by a good Giver. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. How could there be any flaw in His gift? Is He one to deceive or mislead? Does God mis-ma
Read more