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Last August, I had the awesome opportunity (thanks to my amazing parents) to attend the Shawn Mendes concert in Pittsburgh. It was my first concert and my eardrums were nearly gone, but I loved every minute of it. He hasn’t created a lot of new music since then, but he came out with a new single called “In My Blood”. One of the main chorus lines in the song is

Sometimes I feel like giving up

But I just can’t

It isn’t in my blood

I was listening to it for the 900th time and I started to think about how the Holy Spirit is in us and giving up just isn’t in our blood because the Holy Spirit is in our blood! I was so excited that I made a crazy connection! Also, God has put the Holy Spirit in us and He does not want us to give up. No matter how hard it gets, no matter if you feel like quitting, no matter if everyone around you is telling you call it, you always get back up and start again. It is kind of like when you are in the gym and you see a woman not be able to lift the weight she wanted to and then when she tightens her ponytail, you know it is about to go down. She tightens that ponytail, and she lifts that weight above her head and throws it down and she’s done it—she’s succeeded by NOT GIVING UP. She was knocked down, but she just couldn’t give up, so she started again and succeeded.

Sometimes we are going to be knocked down and are going to think it’s over. But what we need to realize is that God is bigger than these failures. God is bigger than these disappointments. God is bigger than every hardship you have had to face, and every hardship that you are going to face in the future. He will NEVER let you down. He will NEVER call a quits. He will NEVER let go of you. And He has put the Holy Spirit in your blood, so you will not give up.

No one is greater than God. No one is more mightier, more powerful, or more stronger than the Lord above. He has already proven His greatness by dying on the cross for our sins. He has already showed you how much He loves you. Do you know how much God loves you? A lot. Like a lot a lot. Like a TON. In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul prays for us to understand God’s love. It is a little long, but please read it and understand.

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

One of the parts of this verse that really resonates with me is when Paul says, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” God’s love is what keeps you moving each and every day and keeps you in line with His plan for you. The hardships are what makes each and every one of you a Christian. Just because you are known as a Christian does not mean you are not going to experience any tough times and hard moments. What it means is that God is going to put you through trials in order for you to learn to cling to Him in the worst moments. He is constantly teaching you that if you allow Him in, He will change you and help you and create a beautiful life on earth, before you live for eternity with Him in heaven.

Giving up is easy if you don’t have God’s love. If you realize how much He loves you, anything is possible and you can accomplish anything you have in mind. His plan for you is all unknown, but is beautiful, He promises. “…as He promised.” —Deuteronomy 26:19

Psalm 57:7 — “My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident.”