S o l u t i o n s G e n e r a l E d i to r Ke l i n d a
Crawford sits down with Pastor Kyle
Idleman to talk about his latest book
release and why he believes this
message is critical to the body of Christ.
Kelinda: Pastor Kyle, it’s a great
honor to reconnect with you. The last
time we interviewed you, you had
just released Grace Is Greater. Now
you have a new book, Don’t Give Up.
Why don’t you tell us a little about it?
Kyle: After 20 plus years as a pastor
I’m convinced that the message “Don’t
give up” is the message the most
people need to hear. The situations
and circumstances might be different
but what’s consistent is the need to
endure. It’s a consistent theme of
the New Testament and it often ends
up being the determining factor in
our lives. I know “don’t give up” can
sound a little cliché or somewhat
trite, but when “Don’t give up” is
rooted in faith rather than positive
self-talk or wishful thinking it is the
missing accelerant to keep us moving.
Kelinda: You talk about in your book
how there are times you need to say
“Don’t give up” like Mister Rogers and
other times you need to say it like
William Wallace. What two instances
can you share that show how you had
to “play” both roles in your delivery
of those most important words?
Kyle: I found that when someone is
struggling they often have people
around them that are offering words
of comfort but not necessarily words
of courage. Both are important,
however sometimes what we need
isn’t someone to feel sorry for us,
but someone to challenge us. Mister
Rogers might put his arm around
your shoulder and tell you how sorry
he is for what you are going through,
and sometimes that’s what we need.
William Wallace would be more likely
to grab you by the shoulders and
challenge you to keep fighting because
there is so much at stake. Sometimes
we want the blue sweater jacket but
what we need is some blue face paint.
Kelinda: Anxiety is all too common
in our fast-paced, stress-inducing
society. How would you encourage
someone to throw off that weight?
Kyle: Hebrews 12 tells us that to
run the race marked out for us with
perseverance we need to throw off
the weight that is holding us back.
A common weight that people carry
these days is anxiety. Practically
speaking, I try to help people learn
to cast the weight of anxiety on God
by changing the way they pray. I’ve
discovered that people often pray
about their anxieties by spending the
entire prayer telling God what they
are anxious about. When the prayer
is over they feel more anxious than
before. In the Psalms, David shows us
a different way to pray so that we can
cast off the weight of anxiety. Start
by telling God about your anxieties,
but then start telling your anxieties
about God. As we remind ourselves
of God’s power and promises we find
the strength to keep moving forward.
Kelinda: It’s hard to wait for God’s timing.
We want the answers to our prayers,
we want our breakthroughs right now.
We’re often like impatient children, and
“soon” is an eternity away. How do you
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