"And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away." Matt 13:20­21 we use the phrase "throwing in the towel" in our language to mean quit or give up. When I read this portion of the parable of the sower, this is precisely what comes to mind. I know this because there have been times in my life where I was the rocky soil. I didn't always take care of myself spiritually, and that left me vulnerable. When the devil threw his darts at me and life hit me hard, well I just got so discouraged and wanted to throw in the towel. I have since realized my dire need for God, His Word, and my family. I know this will help me stay strong and courageous.

I have been meaning to write this bulletin for some time now, because I know there are others that struggle too. We can be certain that the devil will do his best to deter us from the Faith. He will do everything in his power to discourage us, to get us to throw in the towel. Our enemy is strong and determined, but God is mightier and has promised us victory if we trust and obey. Yes we can all relate to the rocky soil, because it could be said of any of us that there are times when we are ready to just give up; just lie down in the dirt and give up. We feel like the harder we try, the greater our failure. We feel that we are powerless to affect change; that we are just "spinning our wheels". Sometimes it is specific catastrophic events that trigger this reaction in us, and sometimes it's just the pressures and frustrations of the "daily grind" that discourage us, and sap our enthusiasm, and our motivation, and our joy. In these times, we can feel adrift, alone, persecuted and hopeless. Sometimes we get to feeling that our pain and suffering is unique, unlike anyone else's experience in the world. After all, who could have troubles as serious as MY troubles? Who could possibly feel as low as I do? Let's look at just a short list of people who, maybe surprisingly, feel just like us:

Moses One of the greatest national leaders who ever walked the face of the earth; a man

handpicked by God to lead His people. God was alive and active in Moses' life, oftentimes miraculously so. Moses felt God's presence in his life physically: he felt His power, His strength, His wisdom. But in Numbers 11:15 we read he felt frustrations and pressure just as we do. Moses said to God, "if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee!" In essence, Moses was saying, "if you are gonna let life be like this, why not just end it all now!" Can we relate to feeling this way?

Joshua One of the greatest generals and military leaders who ever walked the face of the earth; a

man handpicked by God to lead Israel into the Promised Land. A man who put his faith in God unquestioningly when he surveyed the land of Canaan and reported that God would give over the land to them regardless of the level of the inhabitant's resistance. He was a confident man. But in Joshua 7:7, after a particular military defeat, he said, "would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side of Jordan" That sounds like a guy who feels like giving up, doesn't it?

Elijah One of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, a man handpicked by God to deliver His messages to His people; a man willing to challenge the idolatry of his day. He was a man who felt God's power and strength flow through Him physically when he called ire down from heaven and won a face off with the prophets of the false god Baal. But in I Kings 19:4 after it was all over, and Elijah learned that his defeat of the Baal priests had made him a man marked for death by the king and queen, he became depressed and discouraged, he asked God that he might die, and said, "it is enough now, 0 Lord, take away my life!"

Paul In Acts 18 we find Paul in his 2nd missionary journey, he was arriving from Athens to Corinth, and was experiencing a low time in his life. In I Corinthians 2:3 Paul says of that time recorded in Acts: "I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling" Paul was fatigued, and discouraged. He had been beaten and jailed in Philippi, persecuted at Thessalonica and Berea and ridiculed in Athens. Paul felt alone, and he needed to support himself in Corinth by falling back into his trade of tent making. Paul was stressed; he calls it being "pressed in the spirit" in Acts 18:5.

All these great pillars of faith, these famous servants of God, oftentimes felt just like we do: hopeless and helpless, ready to give up. But did any of these men give up? We read in scripture that all of them rallied, and rose to meet their challenges--the challenges God put before them. And we should realize that we are no different from them in that regard. We can also rise to the occasion, just as they did, with God's help. When life makes us feel like "throwing in the towel", let's remember these men, and let's remember God's message to each of them, which is the same message He has for us today: trying times are not the times to suit truing,

Eric