Instead stop and think about this man.

As young man his family lost their home. He had to go to work to support them. Later, he started his own business and failed. He was convinced to enter politics and ran for state legislature and lost. Then he lost his job. He tried to enroll in law school but was rejected.

Two years later he borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

He took another shot at state politics and ran for state legislature again and this time he won. While serving his first term he meet the love of his life and became engaged to be married but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

A short time later he had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months. While recovering he sought to become speaker of the state legislature and was defeated.

He decided to run for the United States Congress and lost. He ran for Congress again and this time he won and did a great job. Yet when he ran for re-election.. he was soundly defeated.

To hold him over, he sought the job of land officer in his home state and was refused the job.

He ran for Senate of the United States and lost. He later sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention and received less than 100 votes.

He was convinced to run for U.S. Senate again and again he lost.

In what seemed like a futile effort he sought the party's nomination to run for the presidency of the United States. The election seemed to be out of his reach and yet he was elected..

As you have probably guessed.. His name was Abraham Lincoln.. arguably the best President to have served the United States!

You just can't give up.

We can't give up.

Life is full of battles. We find ourselves facing struggles and sometimes it seems like the struggles have won. The truth is that we are never defeated unless we give up. The victor is not the person that has never lost. The victor is the person who gets knocked down and gets back up again. The victor is the person who refuses to let life's defeats stop them from going on.

Maybe you feel like you can't do it? Maybe someone has even told you can't do it. Maybe they have said that you are too old, too young, not smart enough, you don't have the right education or some other reason why you can't do it. Well, God says you can do it. All you have to do is read Philippians 4:13. God says, "You can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you."

So keep on.. don't give up.. keep trying.. and you will be the one who stands the victor!!