How To Quit [Part 2] with Jennifer Greene

You’ve probably seen that billboard with John Wayne in his large cowboy hat.  The words next to his ruggedly-handsome face say “Don’t much like quitters, son.”

This quote elicits a wide array of responses in my brain – the spectrum swings from a Tim “The Toolman” Taylor manly grunt of agreement on one side, to a scream of offended indignation (with steam rising off my head like Anger, the red emotion from Disney Pixar’s movie Inside Out) on the other.

This feeling of wanting to quit is something we will all experience at some point, and I’m not a fan of making a person feel un-liked because he/she has it.  What is astonishing is that I’ve recently discovered that this desire to quit can be beneficial.

I shared about that in Part 1 of this series, which you can catch up on here.  

So as a super-fast review, it is at that moment when we throw up our hands in surrender to the Lord, letting go of our own expectations, plans, and desires when our lives can take on a supernatural source of power that we otherwise could never access.  

When we quit, God can start.  He starts working in us, through us and for us in the most amazing ways.  In one of my favorite passages of Scripture, the Apostle Paul tells us about the glorious and unlimited resources at our disposal:

Now all glory to God, who is able,

through his mighty power at work within us,

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20

So God is able to do more than we might ask or think, and he’s going to accomplish this through HIS power.  But His ability to work in us is directly tied to OUR willingness to QUIT telling God what we want Him to do and how we want Him to do it.  

We must give Him the permission and authority to work in each of our lives, especially in those quit-worthy areas.  

I’m a list nerd.  I love making lists and following them.  I know, I know, it’s a little obsessive. But lists can be so practical when we don’t know where to start or what to do next.  So I’ve started a list for you here about how to do this whole “quitting” thing. It will be continued in Part 3, so stay tuned.  

1. Throw up your hands in surrender. Quit doing it (whatever “it” is) in your own strength.

2. Invite God into your situation. Ask him to intervene, welcoming His plans and purposes.

3. Don’t limit his working by your own imagination/plans. Resist the urge to tell God how to do it.

Prayer:  Father God, I’ve thrown up my hands in surrender to you.  I invite you into my situation to accomplish more than I can think or imagine.  I trust Your good plans and purposes. I will pray fervently and watch expectantly for what You will accomplish.  Thank you for loving me and working on my behalf. You are good to me all the time.

(c) 2018 by Jennifer Greene