I know how it feels to want to give up.

Especially on those days when we want to throw our arms up in the air and yell “I can’t take this anymore!”,  just like I expressed I experienced in my Proverbs 31 devotion today.  Days when we want to crawl under the covers and hide from the world. Days when we secretly wish we could run away from our life and begin living someone else’s life; someone whose life seems more easy to love than our own. Days when trying to keep a smile in our heart and on our face seems like an impossible task. Days when we just can’t find a single reason to feel joyful, even if there are plenty, much less muster up the strength to even try. Days when we’re just tired from the fight.

Maybe this is where you find yourself today, and if so, don’t take another step until you look up to God instead of around to your problems. These are the days when you are going to need to God-up with all the strength you have in Him.

Ever heard the term man-up? It basically just means to be brave and courageous, or to tough it out when an unpleasant situation pops up.  It means don’t quit or give up, but instead keep pushing through.

The term ‘God-up’ means to do exactly the same thing except do it in the power of Jesus Christ alone.

Trying to just man-up (or woman-up) and do life in our own power will always lead to discouragement, exhaustion, burnout and sometimes hopelessness. But when we are at our weakest, God is at His strongest, as we’re told in 2 Corinthians 12:9a which says. “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (MSG)

If you’ve been feeling like giving up, will you take a deep breath today and adjust your focus? Intentionally look at what God has done in your life, rather than what you feel He has not done yet. Commit to trust Him, instead of doubt His ways.  Surrender your burdens and stop trying to fix everything on your own or wishing that you could. Instead, refocus on trusting the only One who actually can.

It’s okay to feel mad at God for a time, rant about our feelings and frustrations. It’s okay to feel unfairly treated by life and desperate to see God do something. It’s okay to doubt if God cares about what we’re going through. It’s okay to feel sad, to mourn or to grieve. In fact, it’s okay to not be in love with our life every moment. It’s even okay to feel like giving up. All these are natural, human emotions. But it’s not okay to stay stuck in that mindset. It is also possible to be filled with peace and joy that surpasses understanding and to find the strength to keep pushing forward, through the power of Jesus within us.

Giving up doesn’t get us anywhere, in fact, it keeps us stuck in the place and the mindset that is causing us to want to give up. What will bring change into our lives is intentionally determining to God-up instead of give up.

Look up to God. Seek His face. Ask for joy and hope. And get ready to receive them.

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If you need some motivation to God-up and not give up, you might consider purchasing my book Unsinkable Faith: God-Filled Strategies for Transforming the Way You Think, Feel and Live. We can’t always change our circumstances but we can always change how we think about them. We can always change our mind and ask God to change our heart.  I’d love to walk alongside you in your journey to find joy again. Click here for more information.