When You Feel Like Giving Up On God
Matthew 5:12
You’re at the end of your rope. You’ve been trying the ‘God-thing’ and it doesn’t seem to be working out. You feel like giving up on being a Christian. You’ve bruised your knees praying and spent thousands of precious hours attending church services but your life doesn’t get any better. You feel like giving up on God and really, who can blame you?
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Life is Pain
Life is a mixture of joys and disappointments; oftentimes unevenly blended. Because we live in an imperfect world, horrible things sometimes happen to us, even if we are Christians.
There is this fancy idea floating around that when you give your life to Christ, things should automatically get better. The expectation is that accepting Jesus as your loving Savior is a quick fix to all life’s problems. Well boy…you’re in for the shock of your life!
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In actuality, many Christians confess the exact opposite. After having given their lives to God, that’s when the real suffering began. And sometimes you reach a point where you feel like giving up.
The enemy doesn’t attack those he already has but actively seeks to destroy those who’ve committed their lives to Christ. He tries to make life difficult to the point that you think about giving up on God altogether.
So as Christians, we must expect trials, tribulation, and suffering to come.
“Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:12
“But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;”
1 Peter 3:14
“For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
1 Peter 3:17
The Perception of God
There is a perception of God that He is our heavenly A.T.M. machine. Whenever we want something, we go to God and He will quickly grant it to us.
This perception is dangerous because it paints an impersonal picture of God rather than someone who wants an actual relationship with us.
I think the great advantage of the Christian life is the belief and faith that there is a God who truly loves us and has a plan for each person’s life.
We have a hope that we will obtain eternal life and that this world is not just a product of random chaos.
When we want to give up on God, it’s usually because God didn’t provide what we asked for, when we wanted it. Trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve been at the point of wanting to give up on God because I thought He was being totally unfair.
The truth is that sometimes God answers our prayer rapidly; other times, it may seem like He’s nowhere to be found.
Related Post: 8 Reasons for Unanswered Prayer
His Ultimate Plan
God’s ultimate plan for us, is that we are saved in His kingdom and live forever with him (John 3:16). Because sin exists, suffering exists. The enemy doesn’t want God’s plan to be fulfilled in our lives, so he constantly attacks trying to weaken our faith.
God uses trials and pain to build our character. At every step in our Christian journey, God is trying to teach us lessons to draw us closer to Him.
Even if you’re thinking about giving up on your Christian faith, God won’t give up on you. God still loves you anyway and doesn’t want you to suffer eternal death.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
The choice is yours to accept the gift of salvation and to continue trusting in God. God doesn’t force people into His kingdom. He never promised that life would be without difficulty but He does promise that all pain will eventually be wiped away.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
Jesus came to give us life more abundantly; a life of hope for a brighter future.
Prayer for Today:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am grateful for your mercy and grace towards me. Lately, the enemy has been tempting me to give up on you. Help me to hold onto you, even amid trials.
Amen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article today. If you have a question, query or story you’d like to share with me, please leave a comment or email me using the form below.
