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What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

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Pastor, the mission God has given you isn’t easy. Ministry is filled with delayed answers, slow progress, and seasons that test your endurance. When you’re discouraged, your vision blurs. That's why learning to resist discouragement is absolutely essential for finishing the race God has set before you.

Discouragement may feel like it just happens to you—but it’s more than a feeling. It’s a choice. And with God’s help, you can choose a different path. Here are five truths to help you keep moving forward in faith, even when your situation feels unfair.

1. Discouragement is one of Satan’s greatest tools.

If Satan can’t get you to procrastinate on your mission, he’ll try to get you to quit altogether. Discouragement neutralizes leaders. It’s the opposite of faith. When you say, “It can’t be done,” you’re no longer trusting what God has already said he will do.

Galatians 6:9 says: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good” (Galatians 6:9 NLT). That’s hard sometimes, because the right thing is rarely the easy thing. But that’s the kind of perseverance that God honors and uses.

2. Discouragement is always a choice.

It might not feel like it, but you can choose what you focus on. Will you focus on your problems or your purpose? On your weakness or God’s power?

You can’t always control what happens around you, but you can control what you think about. Discouragement begins with discouraging thoughts—and those thoughts can be replaced.

As Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV). Faith starts with optimism. And that optimism isn’t naivety, but trust that God is still at work even when you don’t see it.

3. Endurance turns ordinary people into great ones.

Great people aren’t born—they’re shaped through persistence. Think about a sculptor chiseling stone. The first strike of the hammer doesn’t reveal a masterpiece. It takes repeated effort. That’s how God shapes your life too—slowly, steadily, through faithful steps of obedience.

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. You need spiritual endurance to keep going when you feel like giving up. When you feel like quitting, remember this: You’re not a failure until you quit.

4. God’s delays are not his denials.

Maybe you’re praying for something and it still hasn’t happened. That doesn’t mean God has said no—it might just mean “not yet.”

In the Living BIble paraphrase, Habakkuk 2:3 says, “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!”

At Saddleback, we waited 13 years without a building of our own. But God had a better plan—one that wasn’t even visible when we started. That’s true for your ministry, too. Be patient. God is never late.

5. God tests your patience to grow your faith.

Spiritual maturity means learning the difference between a “no” and a “not yet.” God doesn’t test you so he can learn something new—he tests you so you can learn something new. He wants to reveal your commitment and his faithfulness in the process.

You won’t be tested just once. You’ll be tested over and over again—not to discourage you, but to build endurance in you. And you can take it. Why? Because God is with you. He will strengthen you.

Don’t give up!

You may feel like you’re at the end of your rope. But you’re not alone. God is with you—and he’s not finished with you.

Don’t drop out of the race. Keep pressing forward. Resist discouragement and finish what God called you to do.

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Guarding Your Mind in Ministry

Your mind is a special gift from God. It can store a staggering amount of thoughts and information. And it’s a tool God wants to use in your ministry to fulfill his purposes. But your mind is also a battlefield. People are constantly fighting for your attention, working to capture your thoughts. That’s why you must be choosy about what—or who—you allow into your mind. What’s true of computers is true with people: garbage in, garbage out. Paul tells us, “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NCV).The Bible gives us five specific areas where we need to guard our minds.1. Guard against false teaching.First, watch out for doctrinal errors that divert you from the true gospel. Scripture urges us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3 NKJV). I often tell people, “If it’s new, it’s not true.” The message of biblical faith has already been handed down from the saints.How to do it: Know the truth. Treasury agents don’t learn to spot counterfeits by studying fake money; they study the real thing. When you know God’s truth, you’ll instantly recognize a lie.2. Guard against temptation.Temptation usually begins with what we allow our eyes to see. That’s why Psalm 101:3 teaches, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless” (ESV). That’s a good verse to put on your television or phone. Sin always starts in the mind: You sow a thought, you reap an action. You sow an action, you reap a habit. You sow a habit, you reap a character—and character shapes your destiny.How to do it: Be careful about what you watch, read, or dwell on. When temptation comes, pray and put on the “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17 ESV). Ask the Lord to cover your mind with his protection.3. Guard against counterfeit spiritual experiences.Not every spiritual impression is from the Holy Spirit. Paul warns in Galatians 1:8 that even if an angel tells you something different from God’s Word, don’t believe it. The Holy Spirit works calmly and deliberately, never in contradiction to Scripture.How to do it: Test every impression against God’s Word. Don’t be misled by emotional highs or unbiblical claims. Stay rooted in the Bible.4. Guard against pride.Pride is the sin God judges most quickly. It’s what got Satan thrown out of heaven. Leaders are especially vulnerable here. Compliments can puff you up if you’re not careful.How to do it: Stay humble. Confess your sins quickly. Share credit. Remember that every good gift in your ministry comes from God, not from you.5. Guard against overload.Pastors often strain their minds by overwork—constant study, reading, and caring for people. This mental strain lowers your ability to make sound judgments.How to do it: Take a Sabbath. Build rest into your schedule. If you don’t get away, you’ll come apart. Rest isn’t optional; it’s God’s command.Pastor, your thought life will shape your ministry. What fills your mind will eventually fill your church. Guard it well. Stay rooted in God’s truth, resist temptation, test spiritual impressions, walk in humility, and make time for rest. When you protect your mind, you not only protect yourself—you also protect the people God has entrusted to your care.

Jesus Is Inviting You to Rest

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What to Do with the Weakness You Can’t Shake

You have weaknesses. We all do. They may be physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual—but they’re real. And more often than not, we try to hide them. We deny them, excuse them, defend them, or resent them.But God has a different plan.He wants to use your weaknesses for his glory. A weakness is any limitation you didn’t choose and can’t easily change. And while you might be tempted to think, “God could never use me,” the truth is, he delights in putting his power in ordinary people—fragile, flawed, and easily broken.That means you’re exactly the kind of leader God can use.Sometimes God doesn’t just use your weaknesses. He actually creates them—or allows them—so that you’ll rely on him. Sometimes he even turns your greatest strengths into weaknesses.That’s what happened to Jacob.Jacob was a schemer. He manipulated and deceived to get what he wanted. He spent much of his life running—from his brother, from consequences, and even from God. But one night, Jacob wrestled with God and said, “I won’t let go until you bless me.” God agreed—but then touched Jacob’s hip and dislocated it.It seems like an odd way to bless someone—by wounding them. But it was exactly what Jacob needed.God touched Jacob’s strength and turned it into a weakness. From that day forward, Jacob walked with a limp. He couldn’t run anymore. He couldn’t rely on himself anymore. He had to lean on God—literally and spiritually.That’s where transformation began.Pastor, if you want God to bless you and use you, you must be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life. Because God uses weak people.When you stop hiding your weakness and instead allow God to work through it, you become a living testimony of grace. The world doesn’t need perfect pastors—it needs pastors who are surrendered. That’s where God’s power shows up.Paul experienced this firsthand. He had a weakness that he begged God to remove. But God didn’t take it away. Instead, he reminded Paul of a deeper truth:"But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).That same grace is available to you today. Lean into it. Let your limp lead you closer to God’s strength.

The Light You Need for Monday Morning

“I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” John 8:12 (TLB)Every pastor walks through dark days.There are dark days of disappointment—when your sermon doesn’t seem to land, your people seem disconnected, or your leadership efforts fall flat.There are dark days of discouragement—when criticism cuts deep, when relationships in the church feel strained, when people you've invested in walk away.There are even dark days of doubt—when you wonder if you're really making a difference, or if you have the strength to keep going.In moments like these, you don’t need a new strategy. You don’t need to chase the next ministry trend or polish your systems.What you need is light. Not just any light—the Light of the World.Too often, when ministry feels unclear or heavy, we instinctively reach for "flashlights" of our own making.We try to power through with experience, education, energy, or effort. We tweak the schedule, attend a conference, overhaul the programming, or imagine that a fresh start somewhere else will fix the fog.But these are dim lights, and they burn out quickly.What you need isn’t a flashlight—it’s a floodlight.Jesus doesn’t offer a flicker of inspiration. He is the blazing, unwavering Light who sees the path before you even when you can’t. He doesn't promise to remove every valley, but he promises you’ll never walk through one alone.Pastor, if today feels dark—if Monday feels heavier than usual—remember this:Your calling didn’t begin with your qualifications, and it won’t be sustained by your talent. It rests fully on the light of Christ.So flip the switch of faith. With Christ’s light, you may not see five miles down the road, but God will give you just enough light for the next step.Trust him again today.

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