“Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
― Winston Churchill
If we were always on the mountaintop, we would never need the motivation to press forward. Fact is, as people we fail. Though the failure seems epic, total defeat is only possible when we stop trying. Many people have left the faith, not because The Lord has left them, but because they feel defeated. Thus, feeling the weight of such failure they miss the truth that the anchor holds despite failure. Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8: 35-37). This is not a testament to the idea that we will never fail, but an encouragement that even when we fail we can still win.
Abraham, the father of the faithful, found this to be true in his own life. In Genesis chapter 20 he found himself faced with what he felt was sure death at the hand of Abimelech king of Gerar. So, in order to save himself, he lied to the king and told him that his wife was his sister. Interestingly enough, when the King took Abraham’s wife, thinking that it was his sister, it was the King who came under the judgment of God. In fact, even though Abraham failed to trust God by offering the King his wife, God stood up for Abraham (Genesis 20:7). The moral of the story is, God stands up for those who he has bought with the price of His Son. Those who have been born again need not run and hide. Some may not believe in you, some may give up on you, some may say your usefulness to the kingdom is passed, but until God says it, keep pressing toward the mark. Keep praying, fasting, and studying the Word. And while you’re at it, “never give in — never, never, never, never!!”
Just sayin!