Sunday, June 17, 2018

Recommit Don't Quit

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”   Psalms 77:11-12

This week I have been studying the 77th Psalm which deals with the very practical issue of discouragement and how to deal with it.

So far I have shared three of five concepts I find in this Psalm to help overcome or prevent discouragement. For sake of review those concepts are:

Concept One - Devotion Not Emotion

Concept Two - Perspective Not Panic

Concept Three - Certainty Not Speculation

This morning I will share the fourth concept for your consideration:

RECOMMIT DON’T QUIT

Aseph was faced with the very same decision as you and I face when we are discouraged, “Why not just give up?”

Discouragement can cause you to lose hope and when you lose hope you can begin to wonder, "It this worth it? Why should I keep trying? Why not just quit?"

Quitting smoking is good! Quitting drugs is good! Giving up any harmful practice, attitude, habit or relationship is good. Quitting on God is never good. If you quit on faith what are you going to believe that is better? Oprah? Dr. Phil? If you quit on God, where can you go?

"A majority of the great historic accomplishments of the past have been the final result of a persistent struggle against discouragement and failure. A man is never beaten until he thinks he is. Without perseverance, the chances of his succeeding are small indeed."

Harold Sherman, wrote a book “How to Turn Failure Into Success”. In it he gives a “Code of Persistence”

a. I will never give up so long as I know I am right.

b. I will believe that all things will work out for me if I hang on until the end.

c. I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds.

d. I will not permit anyone to intimidate me or deter me from my goals.

e. I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks

f. I will try again and again and yet again to accomplish what I desire.

g. I will take new faith and resolution from the knowledge that all successful men and women have had to fight defeat and adversity.

h. I will never surrender to discouragement or despair no matter what seeming obstacles may confront me.

Winners never quit and quitters never win! Aseph was a winner. It was his job to lead God's people, including King David, in worship. He served at the pleasure of the King, it wasn't his to decide to quit. He had made a commitment to the King and to the Lord. A commitment means he had promised not to quit. That is the nature of commitment, it eliminates every other option including the option to quit. Commitment demands that when you feel like it is time to quit you recommit!

Perhaps you have been battling discouragement and you have come to the point of wondering if it is worth it to keep trying. Maybe you are about to quit on your faith or your marriage or your job. Let me encourage you that if you have made a commitment and sealed it with a promise, you don't need to quit you need to recommit!