Removing The Quit Option (Part 4)
“Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:62
No matter what stage of life you are in, the enemy’s goal is to make you quit. Maybe you are a young adult who is about to go off to college. You will no longer be under the scrutinizing eyes of mom and dad. If you are being forced into coming to church every Sunday and your parents are making you do right, what are you going to do when you are being tempted in a terrible environment? You have to have already crossed that bridge in your mind and said, “I’ll never quit serving Jesus Christ.” You have to remove the quit option because if you haven’t removed it, Satan will make sure he puts the temptation and the pressure on you. He knows whether or not you’re sold out and love Him with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Maybe you are someone who is struggling with an addiction right now. You also must remove the quit option because as long as there’s that option of you going back, you will never truly be free. You may be thinking, “But I’m stressed and I need my cigarettes” or “I’m too depressed so I’m going back to my drinking.” But you have to take that option off the table completely. You look at the devil and say, “I may be under more pressure than I’ve ever been, but I have removed the quit option. I am not going back! I didn’t start this thing to quit. I made up my mind that I’m through with that old life that has left me empty.”
If you are married, this principle is crucial to the success of your marriage. You can’t go into marriage with the mentality that you are trying your marriage out. Because when your spouse no longer thrills you or gives you that tingly feeling anymore you will be tempted to opt out. But a covenant marriage is not built with a quit option. It’s for better or worse, in sickness and health, rich or poor, and it’s till death do we part. When you’ve removed the quit option, you have to get over stuff because you know that you are in this for the long haul. When you have the commitment that “This person will be in my life until one of us leaves this world” you will learn to appreciate them and love them through all the ups and downs.
Perhaps you are a new Christian. Jesus put it like this, “If any man having put his hand to the plow looks back, he is not fit for the Kingdom.” Maybe you’ve been a quitter all your life. You start things and just quit halfway. But our God is a finisher, and He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Stop looking back, with God on your side, you will finish strong.
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