I stood in front of the bank attendant, my complaint already fully formed in my mind. You know the particular kind of frustration that comes with Nigerian banks, the kind that makes you rehearse your grievances on the way there, anticipating the excuses you’ll hear: network issues, system updates, come back tomorrow.
If you’ve ever wanted to give up on God, on His promises, His calling, His timing, I understand.
This is the story of how I almost forfeited a blessing because I quit too soon, and what God taught me about faith and perseverance through something as ordinary as a bank account.
My NYSC allowance account, the one they opened for us at orientation camp last October, 2025, had been malfunctioning for months.
Every attempt to log into the mobile app resulted in the same error message: BVN not connected. I tried for two weeks, then did what seemed most logical to me: I abandoned it entirely.
October. November. December. Three full months.
But that day in January, after my Community Development Service assignment, something prompted me to stop by the bank. Perhaps just to confirm it still didn’t work. Whatever the reason, I went.
What happened there shifted something fundamental about how I approach God, ministry, and persevering in faith when nothing seems to be working.
The Unexpected Discovery: When I Almost Gave Up
I approached the counter ready for argue.
"The account you opened during NYSC camp hasn't been working. The BVN hasn't been linked. I haven't been able to access the app since October."
She checked the system and looked up, her face wearing that familiar, exhausted patience of a worker who spends their day correcting customers’ assumptions with simple facts.
“Your BVN is already connected. Everything is in order. Your account is functioning properly.”
I replied her with absolute certainty that their app was simply faulty, insisting that the constant error messages were proof that the system was broken.
She asked to see the error message. I pulled out my phone, fully prepared to demonstrate the problem that had plagued me for weeks.
It opened smoothly. No error. Just my account, waiting patiently for me to return.
The account had been working the entire time. It was likely fixed within days of my last attempt. And I had abandoned it for three months without checking again.
When God Started Speaking
As I walked home through the afternoon heat, past the usual chaos of Oja Oba Market, a quiet realization hit me: My problem wasn’t a lack of prayer; it was a lack of persistence in action
I have a pattern of praying fervently but retreating too soon when it’s time to move.
I start projects with enthusiasm, but the moment an obstacle arises, I talk myself out of the work. I check my resources, find them lacking, and conclude that I must have misheard God, so I stop showing up.
How many God-given assignments have we abandoned, not because He stopped working, but because we stopped taking the steps to meet Him there? How many breakthroughs are waiting on the other side of an action we were too tired to take?
Why We Give Up on God So Easily
1. We Expect Immediate Results
We live in an age of instant everything. And somewhere along the way, we’ve begun expecting God to work on our timeline too. But Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Not what we see immediately.
2. We Mistake Silence for Absence
When God doesn’t answer immediately, we assume He isn’t listening. But God’s silence doesn’t mean His absence. Sometimes He’s working in ways we cannot yet perceive, preparing us for what He’s already prepared.
3. We Forget Past Faithfulness
When present circumstances overwhelm us, we forget how God showed up before. We forget answered prayers. We forget the times He made a way. The Israelites did this repeatedly. So do we.
4. We Try Twice, Then Withdraw
We bring requests to God. We fast. We believe. When results don’t manifest within our expected timeframe, we gradually stop asking. We assume God isn’t listening, our prayers aren’t working, perhaps this wasn’t His will.
But what if the breakthrough is already in motion? What if the answer has been prepared, waiting only for us to check again, to persist in faith?
When we ask God, we must believe without doubting, because the doubter is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by wind. Such a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord
James 1:6-7.
We cannot give up on God at the first sign of resistance and expect to witness His movement.
5.We Wait for Perfect Conditions
We wait for adequate finances, complete clarity, sufficient resources, unmistakable confirmation. But God frequently asks us to move before conditions are perfect.
Moses tried to deliver Israel and failed spectacularly (Exodus 2:11-15). Forty years later, God sent him back. Moses tried again. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus still entrusted him with kingdom keys (John 21:15-17).
What if the very thing you’ve abandoned is what God wants you to resume?
We Forfeit Opportunities Through Premature Surrender: Consequences of Giving Up Too Soon.
Here’s the painful part: because I abandoned my account for three months, I also misplaced the ATM card. Now, even with a functioning account, I cannot access my money. I’ll need to pay for a replacement, an unnecessary expense from giving up.
I lost access to something already mine because I quit.
How many blessings have we forfeited because we stopped pursuing what God had already granted? The door was open. The blessing was available. But we walked away.
What to Do When You Want to Give Up on God
1. Return to What You’ve Abandoned
Whatever you’ve stopped pursuing; the prayer, the calling, the project; retrieve it. Try again. What if the breakthrough already occurred and you simply haven’t looked? Paul writes in Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Notice: if we do not give up. The harvest is assured only for those who persist.
2. Stop Waiting for Perfect Alignment
You don’t need every element in place before you obey God. God often works with what’s in your possession, not what you wish you had. Moses had a staff. David had a sling. The widow had oil. God multiplied what they offered.
Begin with what you have. Move with what’s available. Act before you feel ready.
3. Choose Consistency Over Perfection
The problem wasn’t that my account malfunctioned. The problem was I stopped checking. Your breakthrough might not arrive the first day or week. But if you continue showing up, continue praying, continue attempting, you will see results.
Consistency in faith outweighs perfection every time.
4. Don’t Let Setbacks Dictate Surrender
Yes, I lost my ATM card. Yes, there are consequences. But that doesn’t prevent moving forward. Perhaps you’ve lost time, opportunities, momentum. That’s finished. God is a restorer. He redeems lost years (Joel 2:25).
Don’t allow past mistakes to prevent trying again today.
5. Remember God’s Past Faithfulness
When tempted to give up, recall times God already showed up. Write them down. Speak them aloud. Let past faithfulness fuel present faith.
The God who provided before will provide again. The God who made a way before will make a way again.
Frequently Asked Questions
My Challenge to You
This week, identify one thing you abandoned too quickly. That prayer request, business idea, calling, ministry project, spiritual discipline.
Try again. Not because you have all answers or perfect conditions, but because God instructed you, and abandonment isn’t how we walk by faith.
Return. Check again. Knock again. Ask again. Attempt again.
You might discover what you believed was broken has been functioning all along.
Let’s grow together 🤍
