But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15:7
We’ve all been there. We set goals and targets we would like to meet and we put in our all and try our very best to meet those targets. But sometimes, it seems like all your efforts are not amounting to anything.
When that happens, you begin to contemplate if giving up is the right thing to do. This is a very common thing in life and one thing you should know is that you are not alone.
The truth is, it happens to everyone. But most people don’t talk about the hard and heartbreaking moments when they share their success stories.
They don’t talk about those days when it felt like there was a huge lump in their throat that was going to explode. They don’t talk about the nights they soak their pillow in tears because they couldn’t hold it in anymore.
All you hear them say is how they decided they wanted something and they worked so hard and they got what they wanted in a few months. So when you work so hard and you don’t see the same results as them, you start wondering if you have to give up.
If you are reading this today, and you are thinking of giving up on anything in life or life itself, I’m here to tell you that don’t. Don’t give up. Just keep holding on. I can’t tell you for how long but you need to keep holding on.
What to do when you feel like giving up
1. Remember why you started
Every time you feel the need to give up, sit down and think about why you started. Whatever goal it is you are trying to meet, there is a reason you started.
Whether you are thinking about giving up on a career, your dreams or a purpose. Whatever it is, just think about why you decided to start in the first place.
Sometimes, remembering why you started can be all the motivation you need to keep fighting.
2. Find strength in the Lord
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
Now that you’ve reminded yourself why you need to keep fighting, it is time to find strength in the Lord.
One mistake we sometimes make is not seeking guidance from God. When you do things yourself without involving the Lord, you won’t succeed.
Psalm 127:1 says that “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain”.
This scripture above means that if you decide to rely on your own strength and understanding, all your efforts will be in vain.
So, if all these while, you’ve been doing it all by yourself, it’s time to let God in. So seek God’s guidance in everything you do. Let him take over everything.
Tell Him your goals, tell Him your dreams, ask Him for the strength you need to keep going after your goals and ask Him how to go after your goals.
3. Don’t focus on time
For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:2
Usually, when we set goals, we add a deadline that we should reach our goals at this time. And when the time is nearing and we are not yet there, we start to worry.
When the day, finally comes and we don’t have what we wanted, we start thinking it’s time to give up. You need to realize that the deadline you set was your deadline.
But your time isn’t the same as God’s timing. Sometimes we set deadlines based on how long it took others. So someone can go like “I’ve been trying for months or even years, but still no results, so I’m giving up.
Remember that, that is your own time. So don’t think about how much time has passed. Focus on the work you are doing and in His own time, He will make everything beautiful in your life. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
4. Ignore everyone else
You take a look around you and it looks like everyone else is succeeding and everyone is happy. Your mates are married, some have started their own family already. Some have landed their dream jobs and they all seem happy.
You look at all that and you begin to feel bad about yourself because, your business is not going anywhere and you don’t even have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and you think no one loves you.
Stop looking at others. Stop comparing yourself to others. Their story is not your story. So focus on yourself and what you are doing. When you focus on others, you lose focus on what is really important.
Yes, it’s not easy to look at others especially when you have people around you comparing you to others and making you feel inadequate. If this is your problem, don’t pay attention to these people and if their voices become too loud for you, let them go.
5. Be consistent and persistent
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
When we decide to work towards something, we begin with enthusiasm and zeal that begins to fade as the days go by. The thing is, you will hardly see any results if you are not putting in the same effort you started with.
It is therefore important that you put in the same effort you started with every day. Sometimes, we are consistent until we face an obstacle, and then we begin to lose the zeal to continue.
See these obstacles as challenges to even do better than you are already doing. Instead of them deterring you from going on, let them motivate you to even do better.
Don’t reduce your efforts because you are not hitting your target. Nothing great comes easily. Be steady, focus on your aim mand keep going.
Accept that there are always going to be bad times and it’s not always going to be a smooth road to success. One thing I always say to myself when things get hard is “it gets worse to get better”
With this quote, I acknowledge that times are going to be bad and it might even get worse but I trust that because I have God, it’s going to get better eventually. So I don’t have to give up.
We all get to a point in life when giving up seems like the right thing to do, when that happens, here are some Bible verses to serve as a reminder to keep holding on.
Bible verses about not giving up
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13
One reason why we begin to think about giving up is when we start to lose faith. You’ve been trying for so long and it’s not working. So you begin to lose faith that it ever will.
This Bible verse is a reminder that you need to keep the faith and be strong in the Lord. Keep trying and don’t give up.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Isaiah 41:10
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Sometimes, we get to a point in life where we begin to wonder if God is with us and if He sees what we are going through.
When you are faced with times like that, let this scripture be your reminder that God is always with you and when you get to the point where He knows you can’t handle things, He will strengthen you and help you.
Have I not commanded you?
Joshua 1:9
Be strong and of good courage;
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.
After the death of Moses, God appointed Joshua to lead the Israelites to cross the Jordan River to the Promised Land. It is not an easy task to be a leader, especially when you don’t know where you are going and what is there.
But God assured Joshua that He is with him wherever he goes. So he shouldn’t be afraid. If you are contemplating whether or not to do something due to fear of the unknown, then don’t be afraid because God is with you.
But Jesus looked at them and said,
Mark 10:27
“With men, it is impossible, but not with God;
For with God, all things are possible.”
Our God is one who does the impossible. He is the one who does the unthinkable. So whatever it is that seems impossible for as humans is doable for God. He’s a miracle worker, so trust in Him and He will do it for you.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
James 1:12
For when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life
which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Being a Christian is not easy. In the world we live in, there are temptations everywhere you look. So it is easier to backslide than to keep being faithful in the Lord. Find strength in Christ and be faithful in the Lord.
For this Bible verse teaches that, if you are able to endure the temptations, you will receive eternal life which God has promised to anyone who serves Him faithfully.
Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down;
Psalm 37:24
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
People sometimes assume that if you are a Christian and believer in God, then bad things shouldn’t happen to you. Well, this is life. And bad things are always going to happen.
But for Christians, even when bad times come, no matter how many times you fall or how down low you fall, God will uphold you in His time.
And let us not grow weary while doing good,
Galatians 6:9
for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Just because people don’t see all the good things you do for them, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t see it too. You don’t have to stop being kind to people because you think they take your kind heart for granted.
Whatever you do for people, see it as doing something for the Lord. So God is the one who will reward you for being good, not your friends, not your boss, not your family. So don’t give up on doing good because of people.
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.
Deuteronomy 31:8
He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you;
Do not fear nor be dismayed.”
This is a reminder that you are not alone. You don’t walk alone. The Lord walks with you. He goes before you wherever you go. This means He steps where you step before you do.
Because of that, you don’t have to be afraid of what is ahead of you, so no need to be afraid. Be brave for you don’t walk alone.
Being confident of this very thing,
Philippians 1:6
that He who has begun a good work in you
will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
God has a plan for all His children. It may look like there is nothing here for you and nothing is going to work for you. But you need to trust that God is working in your life even when you can’t see it. And His purpose for you will be fulfilled.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Ephesians 6:10
Be strong in the Lord. He is the almighty, so find strength in Him and don’t give up. If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you back. Everything seems impossible until it’s done. So don’t give up. Trust that you serve a Living God, speak blessings unto whatever you are doing.
A prayer for when you want to give up
Father Lord,
I come before you in prayer this day.
Help me overcome my fears and worries.
Give me the strength to keep holding on and waiting on you.
I am weary and tired oh Lord,
My spirit is weak and my body wants to give up.
Grant me the grace to keep going on.
Cause me to have patience and trust in your process.
I want to keep trying but I can’t do it on my own.
So please be my strength and my guide.
In Jesus name, I pray.
Amen
