Are You Going to Give Up, or Keep  Going On?
By Ann Kinyua


I have come to know that many Christians are at the breaking point. Many who talk about giving up, are not talking about giving up on their relationship with Jesus. I am finding that most Christians are ready to give up on themselve. I hear it many times, things like: “I just can’t go on anymore. OR “I can’t make it!” OR “I try so hard, it is hopeless, why try anymore?”

Then I begin to wonder why. I hear many of the TV preachers preach only a positive message (that in itself is not bad, but we must have balance). To hear these preachers tell it, it is as though everyone receives miracles, everyone receives instant answers to prayer; everybody is feeling good. I love to hear that kind of preaching, it builds faith and hope and I want to see everyone succeed. However, that is not the way it is all the time! It hurts my heart that these preachers are not preaching the other side of the coin or the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus became poor, died a failure and was rejected by all!

We have become so materialistic in our approach to the Gospel, that serving God has become some kind of Olympic race in which we must all get Gold medals and there is no pain and sadness, no loneliness and no defeat. How untrue of the Gospel! No wonder young believers give up in defeat. They cannot live up to the image created by religion of a happy-go-lucky, rich, successful, positive thinking Christian. Their world is not idealistic. Many Christians look in the mirror and do not like what they see: financial crisis, horrible family situations, mistakes of the past and turmoil. Many Christians have an uncertain, frightened future.

 Positive thinking won’t make their problems go away. And “believing” these problems do not exist will not change the situation. Let us just ponder about the garden of Gethsemane experiences of life? The cup of pain, the hour of isolation and the night of confusion that Jesus Himself had faced for us?

What I see in Christianity is this: in many churches today, the Bible has become a catalog, with unlimited order blanks for life’s goodies with no one left to pay the bill! And I have seen Christianity being portrayed as so glorious and positive that anything to do with Bro. Job-like pain and suffering is considered negative living.

The secret struggles of the Christian’s personal life are just as staggering and critical. Many of these God fearing, God loving people are in situations too hard to comprehend. Paul, the apostle of faith said in 2 Corinthians 5;4: “we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened” down. There are millions of Christians around this world who are groaning because of the burdens they carry….you are not alone!

I believe that if you pulled back the facade of every great preacher, you would find moments of deep depression and loneliness. We all have seasons of despair, accompanied by feelings of failure. We have all thought about quitting and about giving up.

Why do we feel this way? Mostly because we feel that God has forsaken us. I do not believe that we really doubt His existence or reality or even His ability. But our prayers seem to go unanswered, our giving unnoticed, and our obedience forgotten.                                                     

In those moments, I still believe that GOD IS GOOD! I still believe that those who give receive abundant blessings. I believe that we should be thinking on those things that the BIBLE declares us to be thinking about; but that does not change the fact that poverty, pain, lack and suffering has come upon the most saintly of individuals.

Yet, we cry out for help, and He seems not to hear. We struggle along, making one mistake after another. We are left empty and unfulfilled. The promises of God almost haunt us for we cannot seem to grasp them.

Doubt creeps in and the devil whispers in our ears, “See...nothing works. Faith in God doesn’t produce results.” The devil continues: “In spite of your tears, prayers, and trust in God’s word, nothing ever changes. How many days, weeks or years has it been and still your prayers, dreams and visions are unfulfilled and unanswered.” If Satan shouts at me, “QUIT PREACHER, GIVE UP!” I should shout back “No, a thousand times NO!”

The greatest men in the Bible faced these things…David felt it: Psalms 44:23-24: “Awake, why sleepest thou O Lord? Arise, cast us not off forever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgetest our affliction and our oppression?”

In other words, “God have you forgotten us?” Doesn’t it amaze you that the great men of the Bible faced the same things you and I face today? 1 Peter 4:12-13 declares: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened unto you: But REJOICE, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings: that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

 DO WE GIVE UP OR GO ON? We MUST go on! But how? How can we learn to hold on one day at a time? Start by forgetting all of the shortcuts and magic cures! You messed it up, it is going to take some time to fix it! Then stop blaming the devil for everything! And also, stop struggling with your dilemma and give it to GOD!

Let me get you back to the Basics: Two simple basic facts that will help you not to GIVE UP and instead to GO ON! First, You need to Know that God LOVES YOU! This must be your first absolute! Understand that God is with us even when we fall! God does not fall in to our sin, but the God of all Heaven comes down to our fallen condition and does not abandon us on our way down! God never abandons a crippled child!MATTHEW 10:29 refers to a sparrow falling to the ground and it declares: “and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” - (praise God, you and I are that sparrow!!) Have you fallen? Are you wounded and hurt, feeling alone and lost? It is only when we hit bottom that we can find ourselves in need of such a great love! Many of you reading this think you have hit bottom…let me ask you this: Are you living on the street in a cardboard box? Are your children unclothed? Are you starving day after day, with no food in your stomach? If you answered no, you’re not at rock bottom YET! You ought to praise GOD! Have you been tortured, and I am talking about PHYSICAL TORMENT for your faith? Have you been shot, spit upon, beheaded and sawn in two for JESUS? Then you are not at rock bottom! You can go on knowing that GOD LOVES YOU! The saints of old did, and that is all that kept them on the pathway to 
 
second, You need to Know that It is Your faith that Pleases God! The second absolute is found in Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him. God wants so much to be trusted by His children, yet we second-guess Him just as our children second guess us. Parents know what I am talking about. I know some very committed Christians who walk the straight and narrow. They would never do “this” or never do “that;” they think they are so holy and upright. Our children don’t do this or do that…and that is great…but their greatest sin is doubting God!
What do I do when my inadequacies overwhelm me and I see the reflections of my weaknesses? DO I GIVE UP? Do I quit? NEVER! I must bring to God all I have left and that is MY FAITH IN HIM! I may not understand everything and don’t know why it is seemingly taking so long, but I know he will come through for me! I know He will keep His Word! I TRUST HIM!

I am convinced that Satan only needs to rob ONE THING from me for him to be successful, and that is MY FAITH IN GOD! Satan does not want my possessions, morals or good deeds or even my dreams, HE WANTS MY FAITH TO BE DESTROYED IN THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN HELP ME!

A fall is never fatal to one who keeps their faith intact! Let’s keep our faith intact! And let us remember what Isaiah 26:3 declares: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”