Don't Quit
By Ryan Dawson
It’s easy to quit. Quitting something difficult doesn't require much energy. We simply stop trying. We walk away. We give up.
Persevering is different.
Persevering means staying in the fight when you're weary. It means continuing to trust when you can't yet see the outcome. It means pressing on through disappointment, setbacks, and unanswered questions. Perseverance requires grit. It requires resilience. It requires faith.
So let me ask you a question: What are you tempted to give up on?
Maybe it's a dream that seems impossible. A marriage that's been hard for a long time. Your pursuit of hearing God's voice more clearly. A health journey that feels like one step forward and two steps back. A son or daughter you've been praying will return to Jesus. A ministry. A calling. Or perhaps you're simply tempted to give up on hope.
I can relate. There are moments when quitting seems far easier than continuing.
Over the last year, the Lord has repeatedly brought this passage to my heart:
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:35–36 (NLT)
Notice those words: "Patient endurance is what you need now."
Not tomorrow.
Not when life gets easier.
Now.
But here's the wonderful news: Biblical perseverance isn't about gritting our teeth and trying harder. It's not simply about having more willpower.
It's about drawing strength from Someone greater than ourselves.
There are seasons in life and ministry when we feel completely spent. We are tired, worn out, emotionally drained, filled with fear, and struggling to hold onto hope.
Those are often the very moments when God reminds us that His strength begins where ours ends.
Paul discovered this firsthand. After pleading with God to remove his "thorn in the flesh," the Lord replied: "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT)
God doesn't promise we'll never be weak.
He promises that His grace will be enough.
His power is made perfect in our weakness.
I remember racing at the Spartan World Championships at Lake Tahoe, California in 2019. About 15 kilometres into a gruelling 25-kilometre race with 35 obstacles, we had just climbed to the summit when we faced one of the hardest obstacles of the day—a double sandbag carry.
Each sandbag weighed 75 pounds. The bags were frozen and slippery in the sub-zero temperatures.
We had to carry both bags for 500 metres, descending nearly 200 metres before climbing another 300 back up the steep mountain.
The trail was lined with exhausted racers. Some had collapsed. Others sat with their heads in their hands. Some were crying and overwhelmed. Many were wondering if they could continue.
Honestly, so was I.
Everything inside me wanted to quit.
My body was screaming, "Stop."
Then the Lord brought to mind my life verse: "The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet steady and sure like hinds' feet and makes me walk forward with spiritual confidence on my high places of challenge and responsibility." (Habakkuk 3:19, AMP)
The mountain hadn't changed.
The weight hadn't become lighter.
But my perspective did.
God wasn't asking me to find strength within myself.
He was inviting me to lean into His strength.
Isn't that true for all of us?
Imagine if William Wilberforce had abandoned his God-given vision to see slavery abolished. Imagine if Mother Teresa had decided Calcutta was simply too overwhelming. Imagine if Terry Fox had never taken another step after the first painful kilometres of his Marathon of Hope.
What if the Apostle Paul had stopped planting churches after being beaten, imprisoned, or shipwrecked?
And where would we be if Jesus had refused to entrust Himself to the Father's will and endure the cross?
History has been shaped by ordinary people who discovered that God's strength was enough for one more step.
The same God who sustained them is with you today.
Friend, whatever you're tempted to quit—don't.
Don't quit praying.
Don't quit pursuing Jesus.
Don't quit believing God can restore what seems broken.
Don't quit on your health.
Don't quit serving.
Don't quit loving.
Don't quit hoping.
Keep taking the next faithful step.
The victory isn't found in having all the answers or seeing immediate results. The victory is found in remaining faithful. We keep trusting. We keep obeying. We keep surrendering. We keep moving forward—one grace-filled step at a time—leaving the outcomes in God's hands. We “win” when we refuse to quit.
The writer of Hebrews finishes this passage with these encouraging words: "But we are not like those who turn away from God... We are the faithful ones." (Hebrews 10:39, NLT)
May that be true of us.
May we be known as people who don't trust in our own strength, but in the God who never grows weary.
Whatever you're facing today, remember this:
The Lord is your strength. He will give you what you need for today.
And tomorrow, He will give you what you need again.
So, keep going.
Don't quit.
Grace and peace,
Ryan
It’s easy to quit. Quitting something difficult doesn't require much energy. We simply stop trying. We walk away. We give up.
Persevering is different.
Persevering means staying in the fight when you're weary. It means continuing to trust when you can't yet see the outcome. It means pressing on through disappointment, setbacks, and unanswered questions. Perseverance requires grit. It requires resilience. It requires faith.
So let me ask you a question: What are you tempted to give up on?
Maybe it's a dream that seems impossible. A marriage that's been hard for a long time. Your pursuit of hearing God's voice more clearly. A health journey that feels like one step forward and two steps back. A son or daughter you've been praying will return to Jesus. A ministry. A calling. Or perhaps you're simply tempted to give up on hope.
I can relate. There are moments when quitting seems far easier than continuing.
Over the last year, the Lord has repeatedly brought this passage to my heart:
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:35–36 (NLT)
Notice those words: "Patient endurance is what you need now."
Not tomorrow.
Not when life gets easier.
Now.
But here's the wonderful news: Biblical perseverance isn't about gritting our teeth and trying harder. It's not simply about having more willpower.
It's about drawing strength from Someone greater than ourselves.
There are seasons in life and ministry when we feel completely spent. We are tired, worn out, emotionally drained, filled with fear, and struggling to hold onto hope.
Those are often the very moments when God reminds us that His strength begins where ours ends.
Paul discovered this firsthand. After pleading with God to remove his "thorn in the flesh," the Lord replied: "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT)
God doesn't promise we'll never be weak.
He promises that His grace will be enough.
His power is made perfect in our weakness.
I remember racing at the Spartan World Championships at Lake Tahoe, California in 2019. About 15 kilometres into a gruelling 25-kilometre race with 35 obstacles, we had just climbed to the summit when we faced one of the hardest obstacles of the day—a double sandbag carry.
Each sandbag weighed 75 pounds. The bags were frozen and slippery in the sub-zero temperatures.
We had to carry both bags for 500 metres, descending nearly 200 metres before climbing another 300 back up the steep mountain.
The trail was lined with exhausted racers. Some had collapsed. Others sat with their heads in their hands. Some were crying and overwhelmed. Many were wondering if they could continue.
Honestly, so was I.
Everything inside me wanted to quit.
My body was screaming, "Stop."
Then the Lord brought to mind my life verse: "The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet steady and sure like hinds' feet and makes me walk forward with spiritual confidence on my high places of challenge and responsibility." (Habakkuk 3:19, AMP)
The mountain hadn't changed.
The weight hadn't become lighter.
But my perspective did.
God wasn't asking me to find strength within myself.
He was inviting me to lean into His strength.
Isn't that true for all of us?
Imagine if William Wilberforce had abandoned his God-given vision to see slavery abolished. Imagine if Mother Teresa had decided Calcutta was simply too overwhelming. Imagine if Terry Fox had never taken another step after the first painful kilometres of his Marathon of Hope.
What if the Apostle Paul had stopped planting churches after being beaten, imprisoned, or shipwrecked?
And where would we be if Jesus had refused to entrust Himself to the Father's will and endure the cross?
History has been shaped by ordinary people who discovered that God's strength was enough for one more step.
The same God who sustained them is with you today.
Friend, whatever you're tempted to quit—don't.
Don't quit praying.
Don't quit pursuing Jesus.
Don't quit believing God can restore what seems broken.
Don't quit on your health.
Don't quit serving.
Don't quit loving.
Don't quit hoping.
Keep taking the next faithful step.
The victory isn't found in having all the answers or seeing immediate results. The victory is found in remaining faithful. We keep trusting. We keep obeying. We keep surrendering. We keep moving forward—one grace-filled step at a time—leaving the outcomes in God's hands. We “win” when we refuse to quit.
The writer of Hebrews finishes this passage with these encouraging words: "But we are not like those who turn away from God... We are the faithful ones." (Hebrews 10:39, NLT)
May that be true of us.
May we be known as people who don't trust in our own strength, but in the God who never grows weary.
Whatever you're facing today, remember this:
The Lord is your strength. He will give you what you need for today.
And tomorrow, He will give you what you need again.
So, keep going.
Don't quit.
Grace and peace,
Ryan