2Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I was talking with a young man who had fallen off the wagon of his sobriety and was lamenting the fact that he could not win this battle with his addiction. I said, “Start over, quit again because God loves a quitter.” God finds joy when we turn our lives over to Him to help us quit being irresponsible and sinning in any area of our lives that is causing torment to ourselves and interrupting fellowship with the Lord. Quitting is not a negative process, especially when quitting something destructive. If, by the grace of God, you have quit participating in harmful addictions and devastating self-harm, then quitting is a good thing. 1Cor. 15:34a Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning.

When we change our minds, we change our focus. When our focus is on the addiction or the sin that so easily besets and trips us up, we will continue to fall. Heb. 12:1b  Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. It can be difficult to get our attention back to where it should be when we keep focusing on all the problems. When our attention is on the problem, we create within us the inability to focus on what is needed for victory, and we end up with an attention span of a puppy, all over the place and stumbling and tripping over our ears and feet. It is when we are drawn away in different directions that we lose the strength to resist the sin we tend to fall for. When we quit the cycle of returning to the addicted thinking, there will be a different result in our lives.

Paul, the Apostle of renown, was once a persecutor of those who were accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. The Lord confronted Saul on the road to Damascus and asked him a question that would change Saul’s life and focus for the rest of his life. Acts 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”  After this clear encounter with God, Saul quit fighting God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. God had a plan for Saul, but he had to quit being a Christian persecutor. Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

It is an interesting turn of events that Paul, who once was a terror to those who believed in Jesus Christ, had become the voice of reason for believing Jesus Christ is Lord. Paul took off the old man and identity that was wrapped in it and put on the new version of who God revealed Paul had become through his transformation in the new birth. We can see through Pau’s life experience that it is possible to quit being irrationally obstinate and become a spokesman for truth, grace, and eternal salvation through Christ Jesus. We truly can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us to quit doing the things that destroy us and start doing the things that give us life. Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Onisumis was a useless runaway slave who had made his way to Rome. Through a divine encounter, he became known to Paul and became a Christian brother. Paul was now interceding for Onisumus by declaring he could be counted on because he quit being who Satan wanted him to be. Paul was making a case to Philemon that Onesimus had become, through Christ, a brother in the Lord, who could now be useful to Philemon’s life and estate. Philemon 1:11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. Runaway slaves had an automatic death sentence on their heads, and Paul saw the difference in Onesimus once he had become an eternal slave to Christ. Onisumus quit being useless and became a servant of God and man.

2 Chron. 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. If God is going to heal our land, then we need to position ourselves to first be healed within our hearts so that we see clearly where and what to pray for that is needed in our land. We need to quit, stop, and refrain from destroying ourselves through our poor choices in life. We have to quit trusting in the arm of man and put our trust in the delivering power of the Holy Spirit. Jer. 17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

What has happened in your life that you need to make a focused decision to quit entertaining destructive behaviour? Do you need to quit doom-scrolling for hours on social media, poisoning your soul day after day? Do you need to quit using the excuse of not participating in the call that God has placed on your life because someone from the church offended your ego? Matt. 5:23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Now is the time to become a quitter of nonsense and sin, because God wants everyone growing in their call and relationship with Christ.