NO GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP.

NO GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP 

Gbolahan felt down in the dumps. How on earth did he let such a thing happen to him? How had he taken a wrong turn? Now it looked like he was heading absolutely nowhere. He was on an emotional roller coaster.

Anger!

Fear!!

Disappointment!

Discouragement!!

Confusion!

Anxiety!!

Fear again!!!

More anger!!

Trauma!

Doubt!

Fear all over again.!!!

And then silence. He was still.

He became quiet. He waited. Then suddenly there was light.(the proverbial one at the end of the tunnel.)

The Holy Spirit had come in and brought illumination.

Now Gbolahan could see clearly.

There was no need for the anger and fear again. All the negativity was draining him.

Though he had taken that wrong turn, he knew God was ready to rearrange things for him to get back on track.  God would sort this out.

Gbolahan listened as the Holy Spirit began to school him; “Even the best of them made mistakes and God did not leave them there. It is not about you. It is all about Yeshua and the victory He has already won. Stop beating yourself up.”

With that, Gbolahan remembered a scripture. “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” Proverbs 24:16 NLT

So it was alright to make a mistake. And Gbolahan thought about some more of God’s promises to him in scripture. God would always stay with him; he had no doubt about that now . “Don’t fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.” Hebrews 13:5 CEV  No matter how bad he thought it was, God would not put him to shame if he remained focused on Him. “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” Psalm 34:5 KJV He knew God wanted him to stand tall and walk tall. And to remember that at the cross. Jesus took all his sin, shame and pain away. He is our righteousness and our glory. “But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3 NIV

And Gbolahan began to see clearly that God is forever faithful. Though he had taken a wrong turn, the GPS did not leave him stranded there but kept recalculating his trip.

Likewise when we make mistakes and make a mess of things God does not leave us to wallow in that mess. Neither should we leave ourselves there to wallow in self-pity. We must get up and keep going already.

Sometimes pressure and being in too much of a hurry will let us take a wrong decision and the devil will take advantage of that and look for every way to derail and distract us. But we must not let him keep us stuck in a rut.

If the Israelites had stopped at the edge of the Red sea, they would have been killed there by Pharaoh and his army. And would never have made it to the Promised Land. They moved forward.  Exodus 14:15

If Hannah had kept silent at Shiloh , she would never have been a mother or the mother of Samuel. But she moved to pray so much so that Eli the Priest thought she was drunk with wine. 1 Samuel 1: 12-13

If David did not pick himself up after the death of his first child by Bathseba, he would have died with that child. But instead he got up and carried on and he still fathered other children by Bathseba including Solomon and Nathan. 2 Samuel 12:16-20

If Elijah the prophet had committed suicide because of fear when Jezebel threatened to kill him, he would never have handed his mantle over to Elisha who inherited a double portion of his anointing. He arose. He got up to go. 1 Kings 19: 1- 8

Dear friend, life goes on even when we stumble and fall. We must learn our lessons and move on. We are slowly but surely counting down to the end of 2025.

It is always nice to take stock. But if the year has not played out the way you planned, please do not give up. I am sure the Israelites thought Moses would just lead them easily out of Egypt. And so at the first sight of an obstacle they began to fret. But God walked them through it. Let us not fret when we come up against obstacles. We should allow God to walk us through them. It is always better.

And just like Hannah, David and Elijah, did not give up when things were not looking great, so should we not give up when it’s not all roses.

Please cheer up.

There is no good time to give up.

Giving up is not an option.

Remember if you give up in the day of adversity your strength is small.

Let God walk the terrain with you.

When Jesus walked the road with the two on the way to Emmaus they were not tired. Rather they were so energised they walked all the way back to Jerusalem! What energy!

Hold firm and do not let go.

God still works miracles and yours could very well be the next one.

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©