**What have you done at a time in your life when you felt like giving up?:? http://talk.thelife.com/2006/07/28/the-grace-to-keep-going
Please open your Bible and read:
(Romans 16:1 – 20)
I can?t take it.? ?I give up.? ?I quit.? These are powerful words which, when we act on them, deeply impact others? lives as well as our own. Let?s look at three key reasons which cause us to express these sentiments.
Satan and his fallen angels? influence is one reason that we walk away from the Lord?s plan. Through their involvement in our goings – on, we can be tempted to stop waiting on God for solutions and instead seek a way out now. Running ahead of God is the same as declaring that His promises do not hold true. This is something the Devil wants. Discouragement is another of his tactics – he tries to redirect our focus away from hope in Jesus Christ and onto our negative emotions. His aim is to make us feel helpless and hopeless. His strategy also includes getting believers to copy the methods of the unbelieving world and ignore any future consequences of quitting.
A second reason we stop following God?s plan is the influence of our culture. Ungodly people are always ready to give believers advice. We need divine wisdom to set ourselves apart from their thinking and yet stay close enough to be able to share God?s viewpoint and message of hope with them.
Our own ?natural self? – also known as ?the flesh? – is the third reason we might want to bypass God?s way. Sacrifice isn?t comfortable; our natural tendency is to do what feels good and benefits us or those we love.
God declares that His grace is sufficient to keep us going through every situation. That means we need never give up. How does this apply to your life today?
About the Author
This devotional was written by Dr Charles Stanley. Read more about him here: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/charles-stanley/
Related Reading
Believing the lie:
http://www.familylife.com/devotionals/default.asp?id=324
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