09/02/2026
THREE THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO QUIT
Discouragement, negativity, and criticism tend to arrive right when we start moving on something we believe God is calling us to do. Three responses meet that moment. All three are simple. All three are hard to do consistently.
First, we pray. We get honest with God about the discouragement, honest about how uncomfortable the whole thing feels, and we ask Him to empower us to do what we believe in our hearts He's calling us to do.
Threats surrounded Nehemiah when he prayed it. His life was in danger, plots were forming against him, and people were telling him he was too weak to finish. Nehemiah 6:9 records his prayer: "Now strengthen my hands."
Underneath that prayer sits everything he didn't say out loud. I want to quit. I don't think I'm good enough. I'm not sure I can do what You're leading me to do, but I want to. So, make it happen. Help me tune out the negativity.
Second, we set some boundaries. When people are critical, when they're feeding the negativity, or when they're pulling us back into old habits, healthy distance protects what God has put in front of us. Relationships may change, and so may how we spend our time.
Sanballat's crew kept inviting Nehemiah to meet, and every invitation was cover for a plot on his life. Nehemiah 6:4 tells us how he handled it: "Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer." He posted guards, and he gave his critics none of his time.
Third, we push through. Setbacks come. Frustration comes. Tiredness and the urge to quit come. We keep taking the next step anyway, a little more each day, even when people question our motives and it costs us something.
Nehemiah's workers landed in the same place. Nehemiah 4:15 says that once their enemies' plot was exposed and frustrated, "we all returned to the wall, each to our own work." People mocked them, doubt found them, and they kept doing the work. What has God put in front of us that's worth praying over, protecting, and pushing through?
Need prayer or want to speak to a pastor? Send us a DM.
