Never Give Up--You're Stronger Than You Think

John Mason

• Publisher: Revell
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780800727116
• eBook ISBN: 9781493405961
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Personal Success

Everything worth doing is going to have some obstacles. Some people look at setbacks as evidence that whatever it is they've been striving for just wasn't meant to be. But according to bestselling author and master motivator John Mason, the moment most people give up is the moment of their greatest opportunity.

In this inspiring book, Mason gives readers fifty-two keys to never giving up on their dreams. He shows them how to ask the right questions when they are on the verge of quitting, how to avoid unnecessary trouble, and how to keep their energy level up in the face of setbacks. Whether readers are building a business, a family, a portfolio, or relationships, they'll find the strength and motivation to go on, break through, and claim the prize.

Part 1
Looking Inward

Nugget #1
When God Sees Someone Who Doesn’t Quit, He Says, “There’s a Person I Can Use”

God does not quit. It’s impossible for Him to do so. In Philippians 1:6 the apostle Paul wrote about “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” There are several important points in this verse. The most crucial is the fact that God doesn’t quit. Therefore, we can have great confidence that He will complete the good work He has begun in us. He will see us through every step until we reach our ultimate destination.

The majority of people quit. And that’s where they stay, in the majority. The massive majority. Successful people want to be a part of the minority who would not quit. Before any success comes, there will be opportunities to give up too soon.

Luke 18 records the story Jesus told about a persistent widow. Verse 1 says, “Jesus told his disciples [this] parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” The psalmist David tells us, “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Ps. 37:5 NKJV). In Galatians 6:9 we are told, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What an incredible promise.

One of the best scriptural examples of a person who did not quit is Joseph. He had many reasons to justify giving up. When he was trapped in the pit where his jealous brothers had thrown him, I’m sure he said to himself, “This isn’t the way I dreamed my life would work out!”

Later, when he was thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he had an enormous opportunity to become discouraged and quit. Again he could have said to himself, “This is not right! I’m not supposed to be here.” Although Joseph did not understand the steps the Lord led him through, he remained faithful to his God. Despite the trials he faced, he did not quit. Eventually, the dream that God had given him became reality. Joseph was elevated from a prisoner to a prime minister in one day!

Keep your feet on the rock when you reach the end of your rope. The only way we can lose is to quit. Quitting is a decision we make that can keep us from reaching God’s goals in our lives.

It isn’t always easy, but there’s no greater life than that of following the Word and the will of God. Most people quit when they’re on the verge of success, often when fulfillment is at their fingertips. There is only one degree of difference between hot water and steam. Don’t stop one degree from your destiny. Hang on, press on, and never give up!

Nugget #2
No Gift from God Is Insignificant

I’d like to ask you an important question: Is God finished with you?

You may feel as if He’s given up on you or that He could never use you like you once thought He could. Yet there’s something deep inside of you that persistently says, “God has put me together a certain way, on purpose for a purpose, at this exact place in time.” You’re the most uniquely qualified and equipped person on the face of the earth to do what God has created you to do.

Don’t neglect the gifts God has placed within you. It’s amazing how people can devote their entire lives to fields of endeavor or to professions that have nothing to do with their inborn talents. In fact, many spend their lifetimes trying to change who God has made them. They ignore their God-given composition while constantly seeking to change their natural makeup. Instead, each of us should recognize our innate gifts, talents, and strengths and do everything in our power to build on them. You’ll find that growth comes from building on talents, gifts, and strengths—not by solving problems.

One of the most important facts you can discover about God’s gifts and calling in your life is that they are permanent and enduring. Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (KJV). The Greek word translated “repentance” in this verse literally means “irrevocable.” Really grab ahold of this. Let it fully sink in. God will never recall the gifts, talents, and strengths He has given you. Even if you’ve never done anything with them, even if you’ve failed time and time again, God’s gifts and calling are still resident within you. They are there this very day. Choose to do something with them, beginning right now.

God has not made us all the same. He planned you exactly how you are. His plan was for you to be different, with unique capabilities. And when it happened, it put a smile on His face! “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Cor. 12:18 NKJV). It pleased Him to make you . . . you. Your individual mixture is important and valuable.

Gifts and talents are God’s deposits into our personal accounts, but we determine the interest on them. The greater the amount of interest and attention we give to them, the greater their value becomes. God’s gifts are not loans; they are always deposits. As such, they are never used up or depleted. In fact, the more they are used, the greater, stronger, and more valuable they become. When they are put to good use, they provide information, insight, and results that cannot be accomplished in any other way or attained from any other source. The Bible tells us this encouraging news: “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well” (Rom. 12:6 TLB).

Each of us should make full use of all the gifts and talents that God has bestowed upon us so that we do not abound in one area while becoming bankrupt in another. There is a saying, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything like a nail.” Don’t make that mistake; use all of the gifts God has given you.

Never underestimate the purpose of the gifts within you. There are souls attached to your gifts. Gifts and talents are given to us not only so that we can fulfill His purpose in our own lives, but also so that we can affect people God wants to reach through us. There are people whose lives are waiting to be affected by what God has placed within you. So evaluate yourself. Define and refine your gifts, talents, and strengths. Choose today to look for opportunities to exercise your unique, God-ordained gifts and calling. Our goal at the end of our lives is to have lived so we don’t have any gifts or talents remaining because we used them all.

Nugget #3
Persistence Is a Habit—So Is Quitting

Persistent people begin their success where most others quit. Here’s a simple key to success in any area of your life: be known as a person of persistence and endurance. One person with commitment, persistence, and endurance will accomplish more than a thousand people with interest alone. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1). The more diligently we work, the harder it is to quit.

In 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (15:58 NKJV). Peter tells us, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Pet. 3:14 NKJV). And wise Solomon points out, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings” (Prov. 22:29 KJV).

Many times our dreams and plans appear to be faltering. We are tempted to give up and quit trying. Instead, let’s continue to water and fertilize those dreams and plans, nurturing the seeds of the vision God has placed within us. We know that if we do not quit, if we display perseverance and endurance, we will also reap a harvest (Gal. 6:9).

Far Easterners plant a tree called the Chinese bamboo. During the first four years, they water and fertilize the plant with seemingly little or no results. Then the fifth year, they again apply water and fertilizer—and in five weeks’ time the tree grows ninety feet in height! This begs the question, did the Chinese bamboo tree grow ninety feet in five weeks or five years? The answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years. If at any time during those five years the people had stopped watering and fertilizing the tree, it would have died.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” And Winston Churchill said that “the nose of a bulldog is slanted backwards so it can continue to breathe without letting go.”

Never worry about how much money, ability, or equipment you start with; just begin with a million dollars’ worth of determination. Remember this: it’s not what you have; it’s what you do with what you have that makes all the difference. Many people eagerly begin “the good fight of faith,” but they forget to add patience, persistence, and endurance to their enthusiasm. Josh Billings said, “Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists of the ability to stick to something until it gets there.” We can learn a lot from that little ole stamp.

Nugget #4
We Can Grow by Our Questions as Well as by Our Answers

A simple question changed the entire course of my life. Maybe the right question can change yours also.

I was a senior in high school trying to decide where I was going to go to college. Because of some successes that I had in high school, a school in the state where I lived was offering me a full scholarship just to attend their college.

There was another school that I was interested in attending that was out of state, but was offering me zero scholarships. I had attended a visitors’ weekend at this university and was very impressed, and I felt that maybe there was something special there for me. But I was going to have to pay my own way, and it was also a long way from home.

The school offering the scholarship was very interested in me attending there. They called me many times asking me to commit. I was even brought there for a “recruiting” trip and was treated very well. They set it up so I could stay overnight in the dorms and experience campus life.

I’m glad that they exposed me to what it would be like to attend that college. It was probably like most other colleges, academically proud and very secular, offering most of the temptations that would get the attention of an eighteen-year-old male.

Time was of the essence, and I needed to make my decision. The college that was offering the scholarship wanted to know what I was going to do. I vividly remember walking on that campus and thinking about what I should do with my life and where I should go for college. A question came to me that was about to change my life. I remember simply asking myself, What kind of person am I going to be four years from now if I decide on this university or the other? After I answered that question, it became abundantly clear where I should go.

That one question and my answer changed my life. I chose the school offering no scholarship. I later received an excellent education at this university, met lifelong friends, grew spiritually, and most importantly met my wife.

I sincerely believe that God has important questions for you to ask yourself. Here are some that have helped me:

1. Am I on the path of something absolutely marvelous or something absolutely mediocre?
2. What impossible thing am I believing and planning for?
3. In what areas do I need personal development?
4. What outside influences are causing me to be better or worse?
5. Am I running from something or to something?
6. What one decision would I make if I knew it would not fail?
7. Has failure gone to my head?
8. What one thing should I eliminate from my life because it holds me back from reaching my full potential?
9. If everyone in the United States of America were on my level of spirituality, would there be a revival in the land?
10. If I’m ungrateful for what I have, how can I be happier with more?
11. Does the devil know who I am?
12. What can I do to make better use of my time?
13. Who do I need to forgive?
14. Would I recognize Jesus if I met Him on the street?
15. What good thing have I committed to do that I have quit doing?
16. Am I known for the promises I don’t keep?
17. Am I becoming ordinary?
18. What is my favorite Scripture for my family, my career, and myself...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: Looking Inward
• Part 2: Looking Outward
• Part 3: Looking Upward
• About the Author
• Books by John Mason
• Back Ads
• Back Cover