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Very often we find ourselves in situations where we do not see a way forward in our lives. In these situations, we find ourselves letting our emotions take the lead in our lives and because of this we start to doubt what we are doing in life and the future ahead of us. It is obvious that the enemy (the devil) celebrates such moments because he knows that God has big plans to prosper us. When we give up, it only makes him feel good because he has managed to distract God’s plan for someone’s life. In today’s sermon titled ” Too Grown To Give Up” Pastor Steven Furtick (PSF) explores the book of Hebrews 11: 23-29. In this scripture, we are briefly re-introduced to the story of Moses. The scripture in this chapter stresses the significance of having faith in all circumstances. Verse one of the chapter describes faith as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (NIV).

Have you ever been in a situation where you doubted yourself but had that one person believe that you can achieve great things? I have been there. In many cases, these people are our parents. They raise us up with a hope that we are destined for great things. It is the most satisfying thing to have someone believe in you even when you do not believe in yourself, this gives you the courage to face anything. This scripture tells us that Moses’s parents believed he could be something great. The circumstances around them were really tough. You see, the Pharaoh had commanded the midwives to kill Israelite boys at birth but Moses was born anyways (Exodus 1: 15-17). According to PSF, Moses’s significance was hidden so his potential could be protected and that it is at the initial stages that people with significance purposes experience or go through the hardest times. The key point here is to not give into the temptation to quit on your purpose. Even when the purpose you are protecting is for someone else. Moses’s parents where chosen vessels to bear a great prophet. They had enough faith to do everything in their power to save their boy. Had they given up, Moses would not have saved their people.

In a similar way, Moses (when he had grown up) illustrated faith in his life. If you have ever been in a situation where pretending to be someone you are not is the only way to avoid conflict or trouble, you would understand that being yourself at any moment can cost you a lot! It takes great faith for you to be yourself in a situation similar to that of Moses. He was raised as a royal after being adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter therefore, identifying himself as an Israelite would mean that he would end up in forced labor and suffering. To put this into our contemporary social context, I would say (for some), being your true self on social media would mean you lose all the followers, likes, recognition, and social advantages that come with this. Or, being your true self in your marriage, or at your workplace, would cost you your marriage or job respectively. Moreover, people get stuck in a fake reality that they end up feeling like imposters. It would take great faith for you to come out of this situation and be yourself. Pastor Steven refers to this as choosing what you are to be defined by. There are moments when we have to take that step of faith and be who God has called us to be, no matter how uncertain it is. In my experience, the holy spirit will convict you, make you feel so uncomfortable until you give in to your purpose. However, many ignore this conviction and keep moving into the wrong purpose simply because they do not want to face the uncertainty along God’s path. Pastor Steven calls upon us to outgrow these things and our past and become who God has called us to be. He says, Moses “made a decision in the moment (when he identified himself as an Israelite) that I will not be defined by something that I have become bigger than.” He believes that Moses outgrew his past childhood trauma (the very exact traumatic experience that God used as a tool to get him to his purpose) and what he knew and chose to not be defined by it because he believed that there was a purpose bigger than his experiences. PSF points us to the fact that Moses chose loneliness, to be hated and misunderstood by his people and by Pharaoh, only because he dared to believe God and his purpose for his life. He was definitely tempted to quit on his purpose a number of times as it is illustrated in the book of Exodus, but he didn’t let his fears take control.

Furthermore, PSF warns us against letting other people’s opinions drive us from our purpose. He encourages us to keep at it, cry if we have to but never give up on our God given purpose. It may mean giving up things that (to the human eye) seem significant like Moses did when he gave up his title. I am sure some people encouraged him to not do this, but pastor Steven tells us that Moses was big enough to discern that his purpose was worth more than this title. PSF also contends that it is a sin to give up. He additionally believes, “the more tempted that you are to quit, the greater the significance.” Like I said in the beginning, the devil will fight what is destined for greatness. PSF describes this as the devil hiding your price tag and adds that he (the devil) “highlights the benefit and hides the expense.” Therefore, the more fear you feel that tempts you to give up, the more you should be driven to go harder at what is in front of you, that is if you feel it is from God because giving up will cost you more than trying. PSF asks us to avoid questioning God and thinking that we are in control of our lives but rather trust God and his plans. He also asks us not to let our past mistakes blind us from who we shall become because God has given us grace and he will use us just like he used Moses who is demonstrated as a murderer. Additionally, he reminds us that God can meet all our needs in a much better way in comparison to the way we are meeting these needs in our current states of manipulation and sin.

“You don’t get to quit!” says PSF. God hasn’t given up on you. He calls upon us to be confident in what we know about God and to hold onto this knowledge with commitment so that we will not give up no matter how much we believe it is costing us. Instead of giving into the devil’s plans to make us quit, PSF encourages us to shift our strategy or focus. Moses (along the way) learnt how to shift his focus in circumstances where he felt strained or burdened by his calling. When he felt burdened by his task, he took his father-in-law, Jethro’s advice and appointed judges to handle the cases being brought to him (see; Exodus 18). The burden in our daily tasks is explained by PSF to be one of the reasons we get tempted to quit.

I know you may be under a lot of stress in your current circumstance, you may be a mother who feels like this role was not meant for you because of the challenges that you are facing or a student who is at the verge of giving up because you think you cannot achieve your goals. We all have those moments. I would encourage you to not only keep going but to surround yourself with people who will speak life into your situation. Words of affirmation positively influence our attitude towards our goals. The word of the Lord is one of the tools you can use to affirm yourself. I previously mentioned that gospel music does this for me too. There is a purpose bigger than your circumstance, therefore, do not let your past experiences or your current struggles dictate your future. By faith you can conquer it. Believe in yourself as much as God does. PSF says, “don’t quit before you get to see it.” You have got to persevere until the end, you have come too far to give up now.

I pray that God may give you strength to go after your purpose with faith and determination. AMEN!

With love and prayers,

Resty Kansiime

Here is today’s sermon from PSF, Too Grown To Give Up | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church – YouTube