A Word for Those Who Feel Like Quitting — Carter Conlon

Next Sunday morning the Lord has given me a prophetic word I'm going to be speaking in this church called revival is coming and what it's going what it will look like. I want to encourage you to come be part of the service if you can.

Persevering When Faith Meets Opposition

This morning I want to speak a word for those who feel like quitting. You are so close to something in God you are so close to the victory that your heart has really aspired to know. This is not the time to quit.

2nd Corinthians chapter 1. If you'll go there please with me. A word for those who feel like quitting. Father destroy the devil. Destroy his works. Destroy his plans. Destroy his lies. Destroy his voice.

Destroy him. Destroy him Lord in this sanctuary today. Destroy him Holy Spirit. Destroy him. God your word is truth. Your word is power. Your word is victory. Your word is glory. Your word oh God. Who can stand against your word?

Who can resist what you've spoken? God give us an understanding today and destroy everything that would destroy the people of God. Father I thank you for the anointing that breaks every yoke. I thank you for taking nothing and making something out of it.

I thank you God for coming on this frail body and letting your glory one more time be revealed. Oh Jesus the Son of God give strength. We ask it in your precious name. Amen. A word for those who feel like quitting.

Paul's Despair and Dependence on God

2nd Corinthians chapter 1 beginning at verse 8. The words of the Apostle Paul. For we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were pressed out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life but we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God which raises the dead who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us ye also helping together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Paul says I don't want you to be ignorant of this. We were serving the Lord. We were living for God. We were on a divine commission to bring light, life, liberty to many people who needed to understand that there was a heaven and a hell and a Savior.

When sudden trouble came to us so powerful so much against us that we could not stand against it. We didn't know what to do. Pressed out of measure means it was it was so much stronger than any resource that we could find within ourselves of without God that is in ourselves.

We were pressed out. We didn't know how to handle this. It was stronger than we were and brought us to the point that dying looked better than living. Have you ever been there? Have you ever gotten to that place?

I know I'm speaking to quite a few people in this sanctuary today. There are people here today that could say I started out with such hope and optimism. Things around me seem to be changing for the better and for a moment the future seemed to be filled with such promise.

In other words I I came to Christ two years ago, three, six months ago, five years ago and everything started to change and the promises I found to be true. I was given a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit and suddenly without warnings things seem to grow dark.

Circumstances changed. Threatening voices from without and within grow so loud that I could hardly hear the promises of God anymore. I'm afraid to go on. I can hardly see hope ahead of me anymore. Have you ever been there?

When as a Christian and you know you should you should know better and and deep down you know that the things that you're facing, the fears you're fighting, the walls that the devil has set before you, you know there's no truth to it.

You know it can't stop you but yet inside you feel like a dead person. How am I ever going to get through this? Where will I ever find the grace to forgive? How will I ever forget? How will I ever go on?

How am I going to how am I going to get through such opposition, such fear, such difficulty? Not just within but without. It seems to be everywhere all around me. Why is this happening to me? A legitimate question.

You know serving Christ you and I may suddenly and inexplicably face violent opposition. Now sometimes we understand and sometimes we don't. And it looks like it will but in reality it cannot conquer you.

It just looks like it will. It's like walking through a dark alley and there are a lot of really mean junkyard dogs there but their chains have them stop on the left and the right just short of being able to really hurt you.

The devil's whole tactic is to convince you somehow that this evil around you is going to get through to you. It's going to overpower you. It's going to overcome you. That's really all he has left is the threat that you are not going to make it and if in your heart you embrace that threat that's the only power he has.

He has really no physical power to stop the work of God in your life. He was defeated on Calvary. You know that. His reign, the law of sin and death and everything that he had, all the power that he had was canceled on Calvary.

There's nothing he could do but stand on the shores and watch the people of God literally go through the seas of impossibility into every promise that is given to us in Christ Jesus. He couldn't stop it and he knows he can't stop it.

His only weaponry is to convince you that he can stop it and the only power that the devil has is when you and I fall into line and agreement with his reasonings and we begin to agree. You know I don't think I can make it.

I don't think I will ever change. I don't think that I'm going to get through. Now Paul the Apostle could write these words, these incredibly famous words that we read frequently in the church, but I want to suggest to you that only somebody who had come through everything that we have to face today could write these words.

Let me read it to you. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Now it's only a man who's had to come in total bankruptcy to God. Is that to come to God with an understanding that I can't get through this. This is stronger than I am. This is more powerful than I can ever hope to be.

I don't know how. The only recourse I have in myself is quitting and to get through what I see ahead of me I'm going to need God, but I have to come to him as a dead man. And Paul says if God gave his son for us, how will he not with him give us all the things that we need?

Who will lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. In other words, who dares try to tell a child of God that you're not going to make it when God said you are? Who tries to tell you you're dirty when God says you're clean?

Who tries to say you're going to go down and defeat when God says you're going to go over in victory? Who brings this accusation? Paul is saying this rhetorically. Who has the power to do this? It's God that justifies us.

Who is he that condemns? It's Christ that died rather than has risen again who's even at the right hand of God who makes intercession for us. Now that intercession is not that he's saying, Father I really hope John or Sally or Susie or whatever your name is makes it.

That's not the intercession. The intercession is the fact that he is in a completed victory seated at the right hand of Almighty God and the intercession is simply the fact that he speaks your name and God accepts you as the righteousness of his son just the fact that he speaks your name.

That's all he has to do. That's all he has to say is your name is on his lips and God the Father accepts that as the completed work. God the Father does not look down at your frailty. He does not look down at your struggles.

He looks to see if you are in Christ and as long as Christ is confessing your name at the right hand of the Father you have nothing to be afraid of. Paul says who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Tribulation? That means trial or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written we're all for thy sake we're all killed all the day long. We're accounted as sheep for the slaughter but in all these things Paul says we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

I am persuaded Paul says that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor power nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am persuaded. Folks you're not persuaded until you have to be persuaded. Easy to be persuaded on the mountaintop but it's about being persuaded in the valley that that's where you find the difference.

The Ephesian Revival and the Coming Uproar

Now go with me to the book of Acts chapter 19 please if you will that's what most commentators agree. Our opening text Paul said a trouble came to us in Asia. Trouble so fierce so powerful that it threatened to overwhelm us and most agree that this is Acts chapter 19.

I want to take a quick look at Acts chapter 19. What was that trouble and how did it come? Now Acts chapter 19 verse 5 and 6 now you see Paul ministering in this area of the world Ephesus Asia let's just consider that's what we're talking about today.

And when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and when Paul laid his hands on them the Holy Ghost came on them and they spoke with tongues and they prophesied. So under the ministry of Paul and his associates people are being water baptized and filled with the Spirit of God.

Now that's what's happening here at Times Square Church. Every month or two we're baptized at least 50 to sometimes 80 or 90 people are being water baptized people are constantly being gripped and filled with the Spirit of Almighty God.

That's why people are going all over the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 10 says and this continued by the space of two years so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks.

So Paul has experienced at least two years of unimpeded preaching. People are receiving this there seems the walls are down as it is people are receiving the Word of God and unprecedented measure. In verse 11 says and God brought special miracles by the hands of Paul.

The Lord is not just doing the supernatural but he's doing the super super supernatural. Scripture says that handkerchiefs were being taken from Paul and unable physically to travel to certain locations.

He was giving them to people and they would go into homes and people who are deathly ill would be healed and people are demon possessed would be set free. Two years of these miracles and like happening.

Verse 18 talks about the people coming and believing and confessing and showing their deeds as it is. There's there's there's no religious deception here. People are being honest with God. They've come into the understanding of the depth of Christ and Calvary.

The depth of their forgiveness. The fact that they can be real. We're experiencing that in this church in the testimonies on Sunday night. I'm astounded at the honesty and the rawness of the testimonies and the people's willingness to be vulnerable for the sake of others that they can come through to the safety of Christ.

Verse 19 says that many of them which use curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all men and they counted the price of them and found it to be 50 ,000 pieces of silver. So the Word of God so they mightily grew the Word of the Lord and it prevailed.

That means they're putting away evil practices and the idols that accompanied these evil practices. Now it's an amazing thing. This has been an incredible revival. God has come. I think most of us would be happy to live through these times.

To see the things that Paul saw and those administered with him. In verse 21 there was a season that came when it was evident of the Holy Spirit that that particular moment was passed and it was time to move on.

It says after these things were ended, verse 21, Paul purposed in the Spirit when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia to go to Jerusalem saying after I have been there I must see Rome. And so he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

I think Paul was just relaxing. I think Paul was saying it's just so awesome what God has done and there seems to be civility in the streets and people have put away evil and even society has been affected.

Obviously it had to have been affected all around. I think Paul just took a moment to just relax and enjoy. Have you ever done that? Have you ever just put your feet up gone home one day and said God what a journey this has been.

I've been three years a Christian. I've been four years a Christian and you can think of all the miracles that have happened and all the things that have been put away and how you really do have a new value system inside that you know is supernatural.

You know it's God living his life out within you. You're flowing in the giftings of the Spirit. There are words of knowledge and wisdom and you find yourself with a compassion you once didn't possess.

And there's just so much happening and you put up your feet and you just draw a deep breath and say oh God you are so good. You're so good. It may be Sunday night after church and maybe that's if you can just picture Paul doing that.

Lord you've done so much. I mean you said we'd lay hands on the sick but you know God you've gone beyond that. You've actually sent handkerchiefs to people and and they've recovered. It's been phenomenal.

And so Timothy you go ahead and I don't need you to minister to me. Thank you for having done an Erastus. You go ahead. I'll join you short. I'm just gonna sit back. I'm just gonna savor the moment. It's been an awesome journey.

When Revival Provokes Economic Opposition

And so you can see Timothy heading out on whatever vehicle he goes and Erastus with him and then Paul just sitting back maybe on a Sunday night and then on Monday all hell breaks out. And what breaks out is what our opening text is all about.

What breaks out is what Paul describes as we are pressed above our strength. We despaired of life. We didn't know how we were going to get through it. Now that's after this incredible work of God in Asia.

Paul encounters this and there were certain craftsmen and they were they were making idols and the people were worshipping these idols. And it seems like society tolerated this move of God until it affected their livelihood.

It's amazing. You become a Christian and you know you go to work and everyone around you tolerates the fact that you're a Christian. Even somewhat interested in what you have to say until it begins to affect their livelihood.

Until maybe you're walking honestly when others around you are not. You're putting honest figures in the books and people around you are not putting honest figures in the books. It begins to affect their livelihood and now all hell begins to break out all around you.

They were drawn some of Paul's associates into an arena. And in that arena the people in such an uproar for two hours straight shouted great is the Anna of the Ephesians. Could you imagine being a Christian in the midst of that?

The roar of these voices as if they could shout down the Word of God. Shout down the working of God. It'd be difficult to be a Christian. It's difficult to serve God when you're in the midst of that roaring in your ears.

That something else is greater than the God that you serve. That's the tactic of the devil. That's what he tried to do to Paul and his associates by convincing them that there is a power greater than the God that they had been walking with and had began to manifest his glory in that society.

And this uproar lasted for quite a season and Paul was in the midst of it. And we don't have all the details. We just know that it was violent. We just know that society some suddenly turned. And the turning point seems to be when their God of gold was touched.

Their God of income. Their God of wealth. Their God of prosperity. Their God was touched. And when their God was touched it seemed that this great revival that lasted about two years suddenly turned inward and turned against them.

And at this time Paul the apostle says, I don't know how we were going to get through. We don't want you to be ignorant of the trouble that came to us. We were pressed out of measure, above strength, in so much that we despaired even of life.

The only way we could see out is that we had to have a sentence of death in ourselves. You see folks you and I are going to experience opposition from a kingdom that's being overthrown by the presence of God in you.

You're going to know and I'm going to know victory for a season. We will and there be seasons of victory. But keep in mind that that you and I are standing for God in a world that is against the ways of God.

A world that is against the worship of God. A world filled with people who in their own ignorance are opposing their own salvation. A world that will profess tolerance towards you until their sense of well-being comes into question.

Until they don't feel as righteous as they once did. Until suddenly you're standing up. Until suddenly the church is becoming a force to be realized in the nation. Then you'll find yourself, we'll find ourselves at the end of this incredible roar.

Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Great is Dow Jones of the United States of America. Great are our corporations. Great is our image of ourselves. I don't know what it is that you're facing. I don't know what kind of a voice is coming against you.

But I do know there's one thing that you cannot be overcome by any of it. You cannot be overpowered by it. You are walking in a kingdom not made with the hands of men. This is a kingdom that's fashioned by the hand of God himself.

The Storm Against the Free Gift of Christ

Think about the Apostles heading across the sea after having seen the miracle of provision on the mount where there were loaves and fishes were multiplied and multitudes were fed and they they're heading to the other side and suddenly a violent storm arises.

It's as if the whole world stands in opposition. You want to know what one of the reasons why that storm may have come? Commerce. God is giving for free what bakers are baking. And the enemy knows that the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ is something that he has to oppose with everything he's got.

It's as if the world itself tries to throw off the testimony of Christ. It's not just a chance storm. It's a storm that will come against every believer. Everyone here in this room today. If you find yourself in a storm where you are losing strength, you are just a partaker of what others before you have not been strangers to.

Search the scriptures and you'll see those that have walked with God have ended up in dens of lions. They've ended up fleeing from wicked kings. They've ended up in all types of opposition. And so don't think it's a strange thing, Peter said, that's come your way.

Don't think this is something odd. If you are following Christ and you are being reproached, Jesus himself said you have reason to jump for joy. You have reason to give thanks to God because you are truly standing for Christ in an evil time.

If you were of the world, the world would love you. See, the world will pretend to love you, but only to a point. Even David, the mighty king of Israel, with all the anointing that came on his life and the worship that he knew and the victories that he won, suddenly found himself sitting on a ground in one season of his life all alone.

Nobody around except those that were against him. And he did what you and I need to do in this season that we're walking through and the seasons that you'll be walking through in the days ahead. The scripture says he encouraged himself in the Lord.

You've got to go back in your mind if necessary and remember how good God has been to you. Now some here today, you're going through the valley of the shadow of death. You're going through one of the worst times in your entire life.

But might I remind you that had it not been for the goodness of God, you would have committed suicide and you'd be in hell today. But you didn't because God came into your life. He opened your prison door and he let you out.

Remember Lazarus. Lazarus was called out of the grave. He's sitting at the table with Jesus and the next thing the scripture says, and the Pharisees were plotting how they might kill him because the testimony of life was in him.

The testimony of a life other than his own was flowing through his veins and people came to hear it and it was such a threat to the world, was such a threat to the world's religion that is powerless, can't do anything for anybody.

And David thought on these things and David remembered how God's anointing had come upon him. David remembered no doubt the season as a child when he fought the lion and the bear and as a teenager when he ran into the valley to face Goliath.

David would have remembered that when he just picked up his instrument of music and sang that the devil himself was bound and could no longer operate in the life of Saul. He would have known these things but now he's on the ground all alone and he thought about these things and he encouraged himself in the Lord.

Then he sent one of his associates and says, go get me that garment that men who and women who are seeking you put on to seek you. In other words, David went back into the closet of prayer and David didn't go back there to find a way out but God showed him a way through.

Not necessarily a way out but David I'll show you a way through. That's why he could write though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me.

God said I'm not going to take you out immediately I'm going to take you through. I'm going to show you where strength is, where power is. And David took his few men and went and pursued what he had lost and even though the odds were overwhelming against him he was back again where he started.

Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord. Hallelujah. I'll not get through this by reasoning it. I'll not get through it by figuring a way up over or around. I'll get through it just the way I started.

I'll get through it by the Spirit of Almighty God. By the supernatural power of God working in the people. Hallelujah. When we get to the end folks we're going to have a song and that song is not how I figured it out.

That song is Jesus took me through. Jesus saved me. Jesus carried me. Jesus walked with me. Jesus defeated my enemies. Jesus took me over the finish line. I am more than a conqueror. Hallelujah. Glory to God.

Glory to God. There's no prison door can hold you. There's no roaring voice can drown out the voice of Almighty God. No plan of hell formed against you that can prosper. You are a child of God and Jesus said I'm taking you through to the other side.

Hallelujah. Let me read to you Paul's words from the new living translation. I think you ought to know dear brothers and sisters about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed and we thought we'd never live through it.

In fact we expected to die but as a result we learned not to rely on ourselves but on God who can raise the dead and he did deliver us from mortal danger and we are confident that he will continue to deliver us.

He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us and as a result many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered. Now I want to just focus on that last verse again.

The Church's Ministry of Mutual Prayer

He will rescue us Paul said because you are helping by praying for us and as a result many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered. Folks I think one of the greatest victories we're going to know in our time is just the awareness that we're not walking this journey alone.

It's not just about me and it's not just about you it's about everybody who's here and we spend so much of our time praying for ourselves don't we? Lord help me, Lord bless me, Lord keep me, Lord why me and the Lord says would you let me just expand your thinking a little bit.

There are maybe 3 ,000 or so people here today, sanctuary, annex, overflow rooms. Safe to say, safe to say I'm speaking to at least 600 people here and do you realize that you may not be in a season right now of being overwhelmed as I'm speaking but others are and as you pray for them and God brings them through then when your time comes they'll pray for you and there will be great rejoicing the scriptures as many will give thanks to God and when we get to the finish line what do you think our story is going to be?

How did we get through? How are we going to get through the days ahead of us? How are we even going to get through the time we're living in now? Oh yes we're going to get through because we're going to pray.

We're going to get through because we're going to care for one another. We're going to get through because we're going to believe the promises of God. We're going to get through because we're going together as a body.

No body is going to be left behind. That was the cry of Moses. No young, no old, no nothing is left behind in this place. After the rapture of the church anybody that's left it's all yours, enjoy, but the church is going to be gone.

The bride of Christ, we're heading out of here, we're going home. Praise be to God. I want to give an altar call. Now listen to me, this is not a chant, this is not the time to just try to be first to the parking garage.

I'm going to invite to this altar everyone and it's included, who this message is applied to. You just don't know how you're going to get through. You are in a place where you're pressed down above your own strength.

You just don't know how you're going to get through and as you come to this altar the rest of us are going to pray for you. We're going to have a season of worship, then we're going to have a time of prayer and we're going to pray for God's grace and strength to be given to those in our midst who need it.

Let's stand together please and make your way down those that this applies to and the annex make your way here too as well we'll wait for you. We're going to take a moment to worship. My Lord, God please just help.

Thank you Jesus. Just make your way here. Lord's going to meet you here at this altar, I promise you that. We're going to pray and God's going to meet you. The balcony can go to either exit. See we've all worshipped together but Times Square Church have you realized there's there are this many people that are in a battle that they they don't know how they're going to win it.

They don't know how they're going to get through. I know some of the battles here. I know some of the people here. There are those that have lost children. There are those whose marriages have fallen apart.

There are those who just don't know where their next meal is coming from. There are those who are fighting for their sanity. I want you to know that we're standing with you. You're not going to fight this fight alone.

We're going to fight it with you. So help me God we're going to fight this together. You're not going to be overwhelmed. You're not going to go down. Hallelujah. Let's start to worship for a little while please.

Prayer for Strength, Hope, and Deliverance

Lord you've said in.

Your Word the Apostle Paul said when I was so pressed down, when Lord when I faced hell, Lord when I even despaired of life, Lord I felt the quickening power of the prayer of the Saints and we made it through.

I made it through because you were praying for me and Lord we acknowledge the truth in the power of these words and Lord we thank you for every person that has come to this altar because Lord we are praying now for every single soul.

We are praying for every single person that has come to this altar and we ask you now Lord we ask you now to just begin to break the powers of darkness. Lord you are stronger than anything that faces them in their mind.

You are stronger than anything is facing them in their spirit. You are stronger than anything that is upon their body oh God and we thank you Lord you hear this prayer because you say that's how your church goes forward is Lord we learn to pray one for another and Lord we thank you that those that have come despairing without strength Lord facing the darkest time in their lives that Lord you say that when we pray in your mighty name that Lord you come and you bring life as you quicken the Apostle Paul you will quicken every soul that is brought to this altar that Lord you have spoken us today you are the same yesterday today and forever.

You have delivered and you are delivering and you will deliver. And I thank you Lord that you are touching now and bringing your life to every heart that has come here and Lord you are making a way because you are the way you are the way the truth in the life.

Lord come now by your spirit and do what only you can do. Lord Jesus is a privilege to pray for our brothers and sisters and we pray in faith. We pray believing Lord you are touching them now supernaturally by your spirit you are lifting their head you are flitted filling them with hope.

Lord you are making a way because you are good because you love us Jesus because you said pray a prayer of faith and you answer that prayer. Lord we thank you we can pray for our brothers and sisters.

We thank you we pray for the family of God and you are hearing this and we thank you Lord they will leave this place changed they will leave this place strong in you Jesus and they will pray for us in our time of need.

We go together. Oh God that's what glorifies you as a body as a family here we go together and we thank you Lord that no one at this altar needs to hang their head for you have come Jesus to do and strengthen us and to give us hope.

We just thank you you hear our prayer. Our hands are stretched forward now to everyone at this altar. And we pray the peace the power and the anointing of God upon your lives. We pray the enemy's power broken in the mighty name of Jesus.

We pray the Spirit of God come in to every dark place and Lord quicken you to life quicken you to love Jesus. Oh God we thank you you have heard this prayer and Lord you're touching every life in this place.

Lord we do thank you for it. We thank you Lord you hear this prayer. And we thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ that have come to be touched by you. You will not disappoint us. So God. And we thank you for this in.

The mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah Hallelujah. Now everybody who's not at the altar lift your voices with me. Lord we come to you today and we thank you that the works of Satan are bound. We thank you that he and all his lying leaflets are going to spend eternity in hell.

But these people at this altar are not going with him. We thank you Lord for redemption. We thank you for power. We thank you for light in a darkened place. We thank you for comfort. We thank you God for words of strength.