Never Quit

(2nd Sam 23:11,12) Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

Yesterday I discussed the lives of David and Joseph, focusing in on the fact that although they faced major challenges, when it was all said and done the Lord was able to get maximum glory from their lives. Most of us want to see God move mightily in our lives, but very few of us welcome the situations that require His intervention.

Sure, we are still speaking of Joseph’s amazing adventures thousands of years after they happened, and many of us “say” we would like to experience things like Joseph did, but very few of us really want to go through what he went through. Remember, Joseph had to endure a pit and a prison before he made it to the palace. David spent years on the run, surviving countless attempts on his life, before he was able to take over the throne as king. It’s easy to say that we want to be like David and enjoy the pleasures of being a king, but the average believer does not want to do what David did to get there. However, you will never know God as a healer if you are never sick, you will never know God as a deliverer if you are never in a bind, you will never know God as a provider if you never need anything, and You will never know God as an overcomer if you don’t have anything to come over.

Every person (and I mean every last one) in scripture that was used mightily of God endured their fair share of challenging situations. In this series we have been looking at Shammah, one of David’s mighty men. The text says that Shammah “Held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines.” Remember this was one man against an entire Army. But he never gave up hope, he never lost heart, and he never quit! Shammah kept trusting in God and he kept fighting, even after every one else had fled, and his perseverance paid off.

The Apostle James was looking back at the Old Testament and all the examples we have in it and said: “Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end” (5:10,11). The heroes of scripture were not people who did not face anything, but rather those who faced their challenges head on. David, Joseph, Elijah, John, Peter, Paul and all the others in scripture that are worthy of emulation all had “STAYING POWER!” What made these guys special? Did they have superpowers? No. Could they leap tall buildings in a single bound? No. So what made them special? The simple truth is that the only thing that separates these from the average believer is that they NEVER QUIT! That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. They refused to quit and they are in God’s Hall of Faith.

So what does this mean to you? It means that you must be determined to face whatever you have to face, with God, in faith, and with a determination to never quit. If the enemy knocks you down seven times, then get up eight! Never let the enemy give you a knockout blow. I will close with the words of Paul: “So 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” (Gal 6:9).

Father, I thank You for giving me countless examples in scripture. These are men that were just like me. They were not perfect and they did not have anything that I do not have. I can identify with them and the more I study their lives, the more I see myself with the ability to maintain my faith until the end. I declare, by faith, that I have STAYING POWER. My faith is being stirred up. I refuse to quit. I refuse to give up. I refuse to lose heart. I know that my breakthrough and my harvest will come, just as long as I don’t quit; and I won’t. I am a believer and not a doubter, a winner and not a loser, and I enter this day with great expectations. My trust is in You Daddy and I believe You will manifest Your glory in my life! In Jesus’ name. Amen!