When you are tempted to quit

There comes a point in every great project, every great vision, where the realization of "this is going to be a lot of hard work," comes into play. Whether it is painting a house, building a porch or relocating a church, feelings of "what have I got myself into," will always crop up.

It's at those times that we must remember three things:

A. The fulfillment of a huge vision is a marathon not a sprint.
B. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
C. We do this for Jesus.

These three facts are the keys to overcoming feelings of giving up and "wanting to quit."

I think of Moses. Moses faced some difficult and shocking circumstances that would test his leadership.

Things had gotten so bad while he left his people to be along with God that the nation of Israel's relationship with God was in jeopardy.

Would he quit or stay at it?

Moses stayed at it. He begs God not to give up on the Israelites. And God didn't. Arguably, He wouldn't have anyway, but that' sup to the theologians to debate.

What we do know is that Moses didn't quit, even though quitting would have been understandable.

Instead, Moses cried out to God and reminded Him of His promises. And God, in return, gave Moses the strength to carry on.

Are you tempted to quit that which you have begun?

On December 9, 2007, Matthew Murray shot and killed Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24, at a Youth With a Mission (YWAM) training center in the Denver suburb of Arvada. He later killed two at New Life Church in Colorado Springs…

Despite the deaths, YWAM is on track with its missions training program. Training for missions will begin once again in January, and not one of the 120 who signed up has dropped out of the program.

Director of the Arvada YWAM Peter Warren spoke with Christianity Today about the shooting:

Matthew was in the building for half an hour talking with students, and then he asked to spend the night. Tiffany was called to the front because she handles hospitality. Normally, we would not have someone spend the night without knowing them or arranging ahead of time. After that, Matthew said, "Then this is what I've got for you," pulled out a gun and began shooting.

After firing a few shots, he had his foot in the door, and at some point his foot slipped and he fell back. The door slammed shut on him and automatically locked, so he could not get back in again. Right then, other staff and students were driving up and saw Matthew banging on the door, trying to get back in. When Matthew saw them, he ran away.

After [a] student performed CPR on Tiffany, she regained consciousness and asked [another trainee named] Holly, "Is it bad?" Holly said, "Yes, it's bad." Tiffany looked at Holly and her boyfriend, Dan, who was also shot, and said, "We do this for Jesus, right guys? We do this for Jesus."

Remember, this whole relocation project is about Jesus. Ministering for Jesus. We do is for Jesus.

If you are tempted to quit something you have started, why not pray this prayer:

"Father, I'm tired and ready to throw in the towel. This world just doesn't seem to get it. Following You, doing what Your Word says, is sometimes hard. Sometimes I feel like no one's listening to me. Sometimes my circumstances just knock me down. But I know that You can pick me back up. When I'm feeling sorry for myself, help me to remember that You really do care about me in all the big things and little things in my life. Thank You that You care enough to finish in me what You've started. Amen."