“Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
Many different things can keep you from completing your life mission. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is discouragement or procrastination. If Satan can’t get you to quit your life mission, he’ll try to get you to delay it.
The apostle Paul teaches that you need to resist discouragement: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT). Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing. But that’s exactly when you must refuse to be discouraged.
When you’re discouraged, you become ineffective. When you’re discouraged, you work against your own faith. When you’re discouraged, it’s as if you’re saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because of what he said.”
As you consider how well you resist discouragement, ask yourself these questions:
How do I handle failure?
When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?
When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?
When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?
Do I finish what I start?
How persistent am I?
If you’re discouraged, it’s time to resist. Don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.
When an artist creates a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away, revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting and hitting, chipping away at the stone.
That’s true of life too. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. You want to keep hitting it and going after it, and little by little your life becomes a masterpiece of God’s grace.
The fact is that great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit. The next time you feel discouraged, remember God is with you and God is for you and you will reap a harvest of blessing if you don’t give up.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
God has dreams for your life!
In Pastor Rick’s book "Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith," you’ll learn how to discover God’s custom-made dream for your life—a dream that is bigger and better than anything you could ever dream up on your own! And you’ll find practical help for navigating challenges, delays, and detours that stand in your way.
We’d love to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your generous gift below to help take the hope of Jesus to more people through Daily Hope.
Request yours when you give today—and thank you for your partnership!
*All gifts will be doubled up to the full amount of the grant. Thank you for your generous support! *The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
