Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts

It was Churchill who said, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 

It was also Churchill who encouraged the boys in a speech given at the school he attended to never give up. In ministry it can always be tempting to come to a point where you just want to throw in the towel and quit. Rick Warren shares some encouraging thoughts about  dealing with discouragement and the desire to quit.

Originally published by Rick Warren

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Failure is never final. 

You’re never a failure until you quit, and it’s always too soon to quit! 

You can’t determine the greatness of church leaders by looking at their talent, wealth, or education. 

You determine their greatness by what it takes to discourage them.

So what does it take to discourage you from going after your dream? 

It may be as simple as a friend or family member telling you, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

Or maybe it’s a few church members who simply refuse to get on board with the dream God has given you. 

The Bible says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).

Many pastors wake up every Monday morning with a desire to quit. If that’s you, you certainly are not alone.

But God says this to us during those times: “Just keep on keeping on.” 

God works in your life according to your faith. 

The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV), “Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin” (Romans 14:23 GNV), and “According to your faith . . . it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 AMP).

So what are you doing in faith? 

You need to ask every day when you wake up: “God, what can I do today that will require faith?” 

Spend your day listening for and obeying God’s answer to that question.

There are a lot of things in your life you don’t have control over. 

You can’t control who your parents are, when you were born, or what your race or nationality is. 

You can’t control what gifts and talents you were given.

But you do have complete control over how much you choose to believe God.

God uses people who expect him to act, who never give up, who take risks in faith—who go after the dream God has given them. 

It’s your choice whether you want to be the kind of person God uses to accomplish his purposes.