Why Christian Writers Give Up (And How to Keep Going When You Want to Quit)

Is it time to walk away? You dreamed of writing something that mattered—something that would inspire, encourage, maybe even change lives. You were certain God called you to this. But now… the passion has dimmed. The words won’t come. The silence—no feedback, no sales, no validation—feels like a verdict. And the question lingers: Was I ever really called to this? Should I just quit? 

If you’ve ever wrestled with that thought, this episode is for you. We’re digging into the real reasons Christian writers give up—why so many start strong but never finish. More importantly, we’re uncovering how to push past the doubt, the burnout, and the weight of comparison to keep writing with faith and perseverance.

Because what if the very thing making you want to quit is proof that your words matter more than you realize? 

Before you walk away, let’s talk about what’s really holding you back—and why your story isn’t over yet. 

👉 Listen now to learn how you can and should keep going when everything in you wants to give up!

Episode 13: 5 Biblical Ways to Break Free From Striving

Transcript

I almost quit.

More than once, actually.

Not because I didn't love writing, but because it all got to be too much. The weight of doubt, exhaustion, comparison, and the constant uphill battle felt too heavy to bear.

Because the silence. No feedback, no sales, no validation. It stings so much. And the doubts, they were louder than the calling.

Maybe that's where you are right now, wondering if it's even worth it anymore. If anyone really cares whether you're right or not. If you're just fooling yourself, thinking you were meant to do this, that maybe you heard God wrong.

Maybe it would be easier to just stop.

But what if quitting isn't the answer, friend? What if the very resistance you are feeling is proof that your words matter more than you realize, and that it is instead a reason to press in?

So before you walk away, let's talk about why so many Christian writers quit, and how you can and should keep going when everything in you wants to give up. This is episode 15.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning author of Christian fiction. It wasn't that long ago that I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, setting the course for a spiritual journey that transformed my life.

But the journey through self publishing hasn't been easy as I soon found myself obsessing over book sales rankings and getting to the top of the shelves, all the while trying to stay rooted in Christ and live out my purpose.

But God has graciously been teaching me how to navigate the spiritual pitfalls of the brutal book publishing industry, and now I'm sharing them with you. Welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast where each week I open my personal diary to share soul nourishing stories designed to inspire, uplift and equip you for your writing life.

If you're already a Christian author or one in the making trying to balance faith with business, you're in the right place. Because for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.

Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to another episode of the Anointed Scribe podcast.

As always, I am so blessed that you are here and I pray this time together not only strengthens your walk with God, but also equips you to build a thriving author business his way.

My hope is that as I share what I've walked through, you'll pick up nuggets of wisdom from the lessons the Holy Spirit taught me so that you can write with purpose, grow with confidence, and steward your author business in alignment with God's calling.

So if you're a regular listener, thank you for hanging out with me again. I've loved your emails and messages and I'm honestly so humbled by how God is using me to speak to you.

It really is awesome to see how God is showing up in your writing life. And of course, if you're new here, I want to officially welcome you to the Anointed Scribe Tribe.

I always say that I know this wasn't by accident, but by God accident as I call it. So I pray that through listening to the show, God will give you wisdom to overcome the challenges you might be facing as a Christian author and the direction to guide and show you how to build a thriving author business that puts God first.

Also, let me know how God is showing up for you in your writing, or if you're struggling with something in specific. In particular, send me a private message with a message link in the show notes.

Even if you just need a word of encouragement, I'm here for you and I'd love to hear from you.

On that note, just a friendly reminder that I have an entire library of free resources that I have created for myself, and I'm happy to share them with you to help you with many of the topics I've been discussing on the show, from Bible plans to writing templates and even playlists.

These are tools and printables I personally use in my author business and writing life on a daily basis, and it's all available to you for free. You'll find the link in the show notes.

Okay, so today we're going to talk about something most writers, especially Christian writers, face at some point. And that's the desire to give up.

Because I can tell you, I've been there many times, in fact, and it's an awful place to be, mentally and spiritually.

I call it the place where there's this perfect storm. That place where doubts, fear, comparison, imposter syndrome, anxiety over money, and all the other uglies come together to plunge you into thinking it's better to just quit this dream of serving God and His kingdom.

And I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to talk about this today. Because maybe this is where you are at at the moment.

Maybe you started with so much passion, feeling like God placed this story or message in your heart, but somewhere along the way, life got in the way, doubt crept in, or the burden is just too heavy to carry.

It's a lot.

And if that's you friend. If you're feeling like you want to quit, I want you to know you're not the only one to have ever experienced this.

Reach out to me if you need prayer and I can try to help you make sense of it. Or if you feel comfortable with anyone else, talk to them. Because keeping the storm in your head will definitely lead to the enemy using it to his advantage.

And we do not want that, okay?

Because here's the thing.

As authorpreneurs, our minds are the enemy's biggest playground. It's our Achilles heel. Do not give him the power of using it to destroy God's plan and purpose for your author business, or to take you out of that holy sacred space of being with God.

I know the enemy has you believe that it's much easier just to stop writing and to quit.

But it's not. And today I'm going to tell you why you shouldn't listen to the enemy.

But before we dive into why so many writers quit, let's ask an even bigger how do we keep going when we feel like giving up? Because let me tell you, quitting isn't the only option.

Here's something I wish more people said. Writing, especially writing for the Lord, is hard.

There's no two ways about it. It is hard. It is not just about putting words on a page.

It's spiritual, it's emotional, and it's deeply personal.

And it often feels like a battle because it is.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us of that when it says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in in high places.

And if you are writing something that honors God, do you really think the enemy is just going to sit back and let you do it? No way. He's going to fight.

He's going to push with everything he's got.

The closer you get to success, the harder he pushes.

Sometimes the biggest reason writers quit is because they didn't expect this resistance.

They thought writing for God would be easier because, well, it's for him. It's for God.

But here's the thing.

Obedience to God often comes with opposition.

Just look at Moses, Elijah, Paul.

The moment they stepped fully into their calling, the battles got harder, not easier.

But here's what you need to remember to focus on here.

Every single time God was faithful, he didn't just take them to the calling, he helped them through it.

You were called to write for his kingdom, and he's offering you this help should you choose to accept it. Mission impossible, right?

He's telling you you're not on this mission alone, though you don't have to carry the load on your own.

Give it to me. God says, let me carry it.

I'll tell you what to write in your books. I'll tell you what not to write. I've given you all the business principles to build a thriving author business. God says for free.

All you need to do is take him up on his offer.

But instead, we allow the enemy to mess with our minds to make us doubt that God called us, to lie to us by telling us we're not enough to trick us into giving up.

But here's the truth.

If you are facing resistance in your writing or in your business, it does not mean you are on the wrong path.

It actually means the opposite.

It means that you are exactly where you need to be. You heard from God. You know what you know.

As far as I'm concerned, that is proof that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.

Resistance is validation that you are doing it right. Because every good work we do to build the kingdom, to share the gospel, to glorify God will always be in God's will.

And if you continue to seek God in your author journey, he might need you to continue writing. Or he might teach you valuable experience and wisdom, revelation with it first before he uses it in a different way.

But all good things come together, right?

So don't be discouraged.

Because just like the enemy uses doubt to derail you, he also uses discouragement.

When you hear those toxic lies pop up in your head. Lies like, no one cares what I have to say. I'm not a good enough writer.

This isn't making a difference anyway.

If you've ever thought those things, I want you to pause and ask, where is this thought coming from?

Because I assure you, it is not coming from God. And I know this because it is in the word of God. In fact, God commands us to take courage.

In Joshua 1:9, God asks us, have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

That means he will be with you when you are struggling to put words on paper.

He will be with you to provide during those months when your ads flatlined. He will be with you when your sales have taken a dip.

There's no ifs, buts, or maybes. The verse is a promise. God says he will be there.

I've said this here on the podcast before. But I'll say it again.

God doesn't call us to be perfect writers. He calls us to be faithful ones. He calls us to just say, here I am, Lord. Use me. I'm showing up today.

I'm setting a timer to write for 30 minutes today. Use me.

And we do this knowing that he is right there in the battlefield with us, fighting our battles for us.

Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will. Will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

If he started this work in you, friend, he's not expecting you to finish it alone.

And here's another thing.

When you start believing that your words don't matter, that no one is reading, that this is all pointless.

The enemy wins.

Because what if just one person needed that story?

What if your words were the ones that would lead someone back to Jesus? One line, one sentence, one paragraph could lead someone back to Jesus, but they never get to read them because you gave up.

I know. We want to see impact, and sometimes in a big way. Because the world is all about big, flashy announcements, right? We want reviews, we want book sales, awards, proof that what we are doing matters.

But God doesn't always work like that. And faith doesn't work like that either.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the bridge between the unseen and the undeniable.

It's trusting God's promises even when we can't see them, knowing he will fulfill them in his perfect time.

God gave me this scripture in 1 Peter 5:7 a while back, and I just love it. It's on my wall. It's pretty much on my phone. It's everywhere. And it says this.

God's strong hand is on you. He'll promote you at the right time. So live carefree before God, because He is most careful with you. Isn't that a beautiful promise?

Okay, so now we know two reasons why Christian authors feel like quitting doubt and discouragement.

Another reason writers feel like giving up is, of course, comparison.

This is a big one and a very common one as well.

It is so easy to look at other writers, to see their success and feel like. Like we're falling behind.

Maybe their books are hitting bestseller lists over and over and over, and yours barely make a sale.

Maybe they seem to have it all together and you're still trying to figure things out.

But let me tell you something.

Firstly, all is not always as it seems. No one ever puts their real struggles on Facebook.

Most just fake it until they make it right. So don't be deceived.

Don't for one second think everyone has it peachy all the time. It's just not how life works. It's not reality.

And secondly, God didn't call you to be them.

He called you to be you.

Galatians 6:4 says, Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.

God created us. Unique, not equal.

A great verse that confirms this is Ephesians 2:10. For we are God's handiwork, creatures created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This tells me that we are God's masterpiece, uniquely created for the purpose he has set before us.

And here's the thing. With comparison, if we spend all our time looking at what other people are doing, we'll never be faithful with what God has given us. We'll miss it.

So if comparison has been stealing your joy, friend, it is time to let it go.

Run your race, tell your story. Live out your calling and purpose.

I always tell my kids, God didn't make you an echo. He made you a voice.

Own up to it.

The moment we start measuring our journey against someone else's, we step out of the grace that was specifically designed for us.

When we compare, we forget that the same God who spoke light into existence is the one who called you to write.

He doesn't duplicate callings, he crafts them uniquely, intentionally, purposefully.

Think about David. When Saul tried to put his armor on him before facing Goliath, David knew it wasn't meant for him. He said, I cannot go in these because I am not used to them.

That's in 1 Samuel 17:39.

David understood that victory wouldn't come from looking like someone else. It would come from walking with God, with a God in God who made him. Let me say that again.

He understood that victory wouldn't come from looking like someone else.

It would come from walking with a God who made him to be who he is. The same is true for you and me.

Your words, your experiences, your perspective. God entrusted them to you.

He isn't expecting you to write like someone else, sell like someone else, or succeed like someone else. He's simply asking you to be faithful with your assignment.

Ephesians 2:10 says this. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. I repeated it for a reason.

Meditate on it, read it, pray about it. Your calling was prepared for you. And when you fully embrace it, without comparison, without striving, God will do more through you than you ever imagined.

Now moving on to the fourth reason I believe Christian authors quit. And that is burnout.

So let's talk about burnout. Because sometimes we don't quit because we don't love writing anymore. We quit because we're simply exhausted.

And here's the thing, though God never asked us to run on empty, even Jesus took time to rest. Mark 6:31 says, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while, friend.

If Jesus needed to rest, so do we.

But here's what I want you to remember.

Burnout isn't just exhaustion not getting your seven or eight hours of sleep in. It's the result of trying to carry a God given calling in your own strength.

That's what exhaustion is.

When we put when we push ourselves beyond grace, striving instead of abiding, we step out of alignment with the one who called us.

Jesus didn't say, come to me, all who are crushing themselves under impossible expectations, and I'll give you more to do.

No, he said, come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. That's Matthew 11:28.

True rest isn't found in stepping away from your calling. It's found in surrendering the weight of your calling to Jesus.

Think about Elijah.

After his greatest spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, he fell into complete despair, saying, I've had enough, Lord. That's 1 Kings 19:4.

But what did God do? He didn't scold him or demand more.

He sent an angel with food, rest and restoration.

Only after Elijah was refreshed did God give him the next steps.

Maybe your burnout isn't a sign that you should quit, friend. It's a sign that you need to pause, breathe, and let God refill what's been poured out. Because your strength was never meant to sustain your calling.

Only God's strength can.

If writing has started to feel like a burden, maybe you don't need to quit. Maybe you just need to breathe. Take a step back. Spend time with God, not just as a writer, but as his child.

Let him refresh you, restore you. Because you were never meant to carry this mission alone. And if the Holy Spirit has been convicting you in the area of hustling or striving, I did an entire episode on how to recognize and break free from striving, which I will link to in the show notes.

So maybe go back to I think it was episode 13. And take a listen to that because it goes hand in hand with the exhaustion bit.

Okay, so I've given you four main reasons. There are more, but I've only highlighted the four biggest reasons that I've now faced why Christian authors feel like they want to give up.

And those are doubt, discouragement, comparison, and burnout.

So now what?

What do we do when we feel like quitting? You fight it head on. That's what you do.

First, go back to why you started. Go back to that moment God put this calling on your heart.

Because the fire might feel dim right now, but the calling hasn't changed.

Second, get in the word. Let Scripture remind you of the truth. Pray, spend time with God. I've highlighted several scriptures already, so go to the the the transcript of this episode and write them down, study them, and put them into action.

Isaiah 55:11 says, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

If he called you to write, friend, there is purpose in it. Believe it. Speak it. Do it.

Third, take the pressure off. You know, I often think we are our own worst enemies, fueled by Satan's desires. Because, listen, you don't have to write a perfect book. Did God ever tell you to be perfect?

No, of course not. He's only ever asked you to be a vessel for Him. The content of that book is what you need to be worried about the message getting that across.

You just have to show up, write the sentence and show up one word at a time, and trust God with the rest.

So, as we come to the end of today's episode, I want to give you one more reason to ponder by asking you this.

What if this season of struggle isn't a sign to quit, but an invitation to grow?

Could it be that God is refining you, stretching your faith and deepening your dependence on Him?

So often we assume that difficulty means we've taken a wrong turn. But what if the resistance you are feeling isn't meant to stop you? What if it's meant to strengthen you for something bigger, further down the way?

James 1, 3, 4 reminds us, the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything?

We are all in preparation mode all the time, for something bigger and better.

Maybe God isn't asking you to prove yourself as a writer.

Maybe he's asking if you trust him enough to keep going.

Maybe he's trying to grow your trust in him even when you can't see the outcome, Just trust Him instead of seeing this as a roadblock. What if it's a threshold, a moment where your faith in the calling deepens, your reliance on him grows, and your resolve to write with purpose becomes unshakable?

What if the struggle is shaping you into the writer he always intended you to be?

Friend I know writing for God isn't easy. I know building a thriving author business in a world that values profit and fame is hard. It's exhausting, like swimming upstream all the time.

I know there are days when you just want to give up.

But listen, this is what I've personally learned and experienced. If God put this calling on your life, he will sustain you in it. And I know this to be true because I'm an author too.

I've already been set free from the things I share with you. I'm living proof that God is faithful. If you are faithful, keep going. Keep writing. Because the world needs more of God and more of your stories that point them to Jesus.

God sees your struggles, your doubts, your weariness, and I pray that he will remind you that he is right there in the trenches with you.

Turn to God and ask him to give you fresh strength, renewed passion, and unwavering faith in his plan for you.

Because for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's Anointed Scribe.

Thanks for listening to today's episode of the Anointed Scribe podcast. I hope you're leaving feeling inspired, encouraged, and on fire to step boldly into your calling as a writer chosen and set apart to fulfill a unique purpose in God's plan.

If you found value and liked today's episode, would you stop right now and share this episode with someone else who's struggling to balance their faith with building their author career?

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And if you want more of the lessons I learned in my personal journey. Good news because I drop new episodes every Friday.

So go ahead and subscribe or follow this show so you don't miss the next one. Then head on over to anointed scribe.com for today's show notes and free access to my entire resource library to keep you rooted and on course.

There's also a link where you can shoot me a message or ask a question, or if there's a specific topic you'd like me to talk about in a future episode.

You can use the message link for that, too. I. I look forward to our next episode together. And remember, for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.

I'll see you next time.