Table of Contents

Introduction

1. A Personal Pit
2. From the Pit of Rejection to the Peak of Acceptance
3. From the Pit of Retaliation to the Peak of Restraint
4. From the Pit of Brokenness to the Peak of Wholeness
5. From the Pit of Aimlessness to the Peak of Purpose
6. From the Pit of Deception to the Peak of Truth
7. From the Pit of Self-Direction to the Peak of Obedience
8. From the Pit of Denial to the Peak of Progress
9. From the Pit of Self-Pity to the Peak of contentment
10. From the Pit of Doubt and Despair to the Peak of Trust and Hope
11. From the Pit of Lack to the Peak of Plenty
12. From the Pit of Whining to the Peak of Winning
13. From the Pit of Defeat to the Peak of Victory
14. From the Pit of Addiction to the Peak of Freedom
15. From the Pit of Unforgiveness to the Peak of Reconciliation
16. From the Pit of Injustice to the Peak of Promotion
17. Key Choices to Get Out of Any Pit
18. Climbing to the Next Level

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Don’t Quit in the Pit
Power to Turn Any Situation Around!

Subject matter includes, but is not limited to:

Don’t Quit in the Pit
Whether you’re in a storm the size of Texas or looking up from a dark pit with no ladder in sight, this chapter extends a rope of hope to the discouraged, desperate, and weary. The author explains how your rope of hope is directly tied to the Word of truth – the Bible. Panic in the pit only takes you deeper, but a resolve to pray in the pit will bring you out of the pit and up to the pinnacle. Danette introduces various pit experiences from her own life that will be discussed in the chapters that follow. When we find ourselves at the edge of a deep dark pit, reacting out of our flesh is the worst thing we can do. But when we act out of our spirit, we can successfully come through any pit dangling that dares to come our way.

Feel and Deal
People who’ve experienced setbacks, trauma, abuse, or devastation often don’t know how to handle such emotions so they develop defense mechanisms to survive difficult life circumstances. Suppressing feelings or denying there’s a problem at all can be devastating to the emotions. Oftentimes fear creeps in and if fear is not dealt with immediately, it will lead to a pit of depression. The author shares how she personally picked up these shovels of suppressing emotions, rejections, and going into denial, shovels that only dug her pit deeper—and at the bottom of the pit was depression. If depression is not addressed, it can lead to thoughts and intentions of suicide. Danette encourages the reader to identify the lies that are attached to the spirit of suicide such as, You’ll be better off. There’s no way out. Everyone will be better off without you. Once the lies are identified, the believer can take authority over that spirit. Danette states, “The truth is, you have a rope of hope just waiting to airlift you out and Jesus is holding the other end.”

Peace, the Umpire that Calls the Shots
Peace is a covenant benefit that we are entitled to in the Kingdom of God. A child can’t determine the atmosphere in which he is being raised, but as he gets older, he can choose to live life in a peaceful atmosphere. The author points out that if we were raised in chaos, often we grow up “addicted” to chaos. It’s the only way that we know how to function. A person can get to the point where they feel like they are “losing their mind.” Without the peace of Christ, anyone could feel that way because it’s the peace of God that guards our hearts and our minds. Danette shares her struggle with abandonment issues resulting from her parents’ divorce. Her cry for acceptance thrust her into a lifestyle of perfectionism. This chapter goes deeper into the afflictions that can steal peace from our soul--- the power of hurtful words, rejection, and feeling emotionally detached from a parent.

Time to Unpack the Bags
God created man with the need to feel loved, to feel significant, and to feel secure. After the fall of man, those needs went unmet due to the broken relationship with God. To this day, people look to things such as jobs, relationships, money, positions, or accomplishments to meet their God-given need for significance and security. Once we come to Christ through salvation, we must allow the Holy Spirit to unpack the emotional baggage that we have carried around for years. Danette shares how the Lord lovingly unpacked her emotional baggage after her salvation experience – a process that didn’t happen over night. The truth that we know sets us free. Danette shares how the Holy Spirit revealed His truth in every area of her life. We can’t point the finger at parents because a person can only give the kind of love they’ve received. It’s daily persistent love from God and God’s people that wins the brokenhearted into that significant security and feeling of acceptance that was otherwise missing in their lives. Unpacking bags takes your willingness to continually yield to the Holy Spirit. The soul and body must catch up with what happened to your spirit at salvation.

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Get Up Out of Your Mess
God takes a mess and turns it into a miracle! We must move on. After we hear the voice of God, we must do the hard part—obey. We don’t need to understand why He told us to do this or that, but always obey because blessings are waiting for us on the other side of obedience. What has you boxed in—a history of abuse-- the words of other people? Get out of the box! You can have one leg hanging out of the box but not be totally out. Identify the lie that you’re listening to as truth. There is perfect love and imperfect love. Dysfunctional love and broken covenant relationships produce and enhance fear. The hardest hurts to endure are the ones that come from those closest to us. Danette shares her life experience of becoming a single mother with a two-week old newborn. She shares her devastating story about the pain of learning about her husband’s sexual addiction, and how denial kept her from seeing the truth concerning this addiction. Getting our eyes off of ourselves and seeding our need is a key to getting up out of our mess. When we need encouragement and hope, we need to sow encouragement and hope into the lives of others. Finally, we must release the old in order to embrace the new. Releasing the old requires us to focus forward, and we do that by continually looking to the Lord.

Whiners and Winners
Life is filled with whiners and winners. Whiners talk about what they are going through, but winners talk about where they are going to – the finish line. Whiners never want to get out of their comfort zone, and as soon as they do they start whining. Winners accept the challenge to press past their comfort zone and they understand that it is an important key to coming into their potential zone. Winners aren’t afraid to get out of the boat, but whiners need 500 confirmations and still think it was just a coincidence. Winners attract winners and whiners attract whiners. Danette shares her temptation to become a whiner due to all her responsibilities and circumstances as a single mother. She shares her anger over the fact that she was left with all of the responsibilities. If we are honest, we must confess that all of us have a little whiner in us. Daily we must choose to allow the Holy Spirit to raise up the winner in us.

God, You’ve Got Mail!
What do you do when you are faced with fears and doubts? “What if I don’t have enough to pay the bills?” What if God doesn’t come through?” You doubt your doubts and face your fears. When you doubt your doubts, faith begins to grow in your heart. God builds our faith as we go through faith lessons in our life. God positions us to prosper and His provision is at His place of positioning. Faith is our title deed, and when we operate in fear we throw our title deed away. God often gives us illogical instructions and our obedience to these instructions sets the stage for our miracle. Danette shares her fear of not being provided for, as the death of her former husband brought even greater financial challenges. She also shares funny stories of God’s provision for her and her daughter at the midnight hour. She shares her story of handling incoming bills by holding them up in the air and declaring, “God, you’ve got mail!” As many people are facing fears due to their financial situation, Danette offers hope through Biblical promises and humorous stories that show how God’s faithfulness always brought her through.

Rejection Proof
When we feel rejection-- actual rejection or perceived rejection-- it opens the door for the spirit of fear. The Word of God says (author’s paraphrase), “I’ve chosen you, I’ve not rejected you. Don’t fear.” The enemy tries to cripple us with fear of rejection, failure, fear of people. It’s nearly impossible to get out of the pit while clinging to feelings of rejection and fear. If you fear rejection, you’ll shy away from giving and receiving love. When fear is permitted to hang around for a while, it turns into depression. If you feel rejection, you feel fear and discouragement— two of Satan’s favorite schemes against us. Danette tells her story of being married to a man with a sexual addiction, the worst rejection she ever experienced, and how God delivered her from a spirit of rejection. The devil wants you to be susceptible to rejection, but God wants you to be rejection proof – a result of knowing who you are in Christ.

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Sexual Addiction: the Covenant Killer
Sexual addiction is widespread and people don’t realize that it’s a huge problem—especially in the church. Nobody’s talking about it and that’s one reason why women are often in denial that their husbands have a sexual addiction. The belt of truth is the first part of the armor of God and the hardest place to be truthful is below the belt. It’s a huge problem and people shouldn’t feel ashamed but realize that there is help available. We need to make our churches a safe place to come and get help and we need to make help available. This chapter gets to the root of addiction and ministers to addicts and their loved ones who want out of the bondage and are tired of covering up their habits. Mother/father relational wounds can open the door to addiction, yet God’s Word says, “When my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” The Christian does not have to be a slave to the release of pleasure any longer. Out of the deep pain of rejection from a sexually addicted husband, wives have been tempted to commit adultery or become addicted to alcohol, drugs, or become strippers. The spouse of an addict must act and not react to sexual addiction. Even though you may feel you’re hanging onto life by a fingernail, God has a dream for your life and you will get there—one step at a time. Although sexual addiction may be present in a marriage, Danette shares that through Christ marriages that suffer do not need to end in divorce.

The Deadly Deception of Unforgiveness
Danette Crawford says, “Every time we talk about forgiving others on our TV show, the phone lines are jammed.” Out of our defense we say, “I’m not offended,” but one of the biggest pits out there is the one we fall into when we try to convince ourselves that we aren’t offended. An even greater deception encircles a Christian who thinks they have a right to be offended. But Jesus said if we don’t forgive others, God can’t forgive us. According to the Bible, people can go to hell for having unforgiveness in their hearts. So often the way out of the pit is to let go of yesterday and let the river of God’s Spirit flow in your life today. If there’s an angry or upset feeling when you see someone or when you think of that person, don’t nurse it, don’t rehearse it, curse it in Jesus’ name! You don’t talk to everybody else about it. Curse it at the root and give it to the Lord. Your reaction to offense determines your destiny. This chapter provides steps to healing and freedom from unforgiveness.

Penetrating to the Next Level
This book is all about getting out of the pit and going to the next level. Many people have a call and vision for their lives, but few people actually get there. At each level we confront new challenges, and receive great rewards. God doesn’t need our help, he just needs our obedience. Often God will lead us to do something that may not make sense. Just do what God said to do. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Keep going forward! Don’t stop where you are! And never forget, the best is yet to come!

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Book Tour

2010 Schedule

April 3 – Don’t Quit in the Pit Book Signing at The Harvest Company in Chesapeake, VA from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST

April 10 – IDon’t Quit in the Pit Work Shop at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church – 9:15 a.m.

April 10 – Don’t Quit in the Pit Book Signing at Barnes & Noble located inside MacArthur Cetner Mall from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST

April 16 - Airing of Don’t Quit in the Pit Interview on “Bridges” at 9:30 am & 6:30 pm on Christian Television Network (CTN) at DirecTV "376", Dish Network "267” or Sky Angel "136" 9:00 a.m. EST or www.ctnonlin.com

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Book Endorsements

What People Are Saying about Danette Joy Crawford and Don’t Quit in the Pit…

What an encouragement! No matter what the circumstances, God is able to reach down and pull us out of the pit and gloriously transform our lives. Danette has shared her story of a life that could have ended in defeat, had she given in to the negatives around her. Instead, God had a greater plan of a life of victory and triumph. Read Don’t Quit in the Pit, as it will give you hope for your future.

Ann Robertson LeBlan

Associate Vice President, Christian Broadcasting Network
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Danette Crawford is an Esther to her generation whom God has raised up for such a time as this. Don’t Quit in the Pit is definitely a present truth word and is a must-read book for everyone. Readers will be filled not only with hope and encouragement but also with tenacity and faith to overcome any “pit” that they may find themselves in. I would encourage every pastor and leader to utilize this book in home groups, Bible studies, and Sunday school classes. The wealth of knowledge and practical life application are easily comprehended and will serve as a resource guide for years to come.

Dr. T. L. Lowery

Founder, The T. L. Lowery Global Foundation
Cleveland, Tennessee

I’ve known Danette for over twenty years, and she is a woman after God’s own heart. One thing that has never changed is her heart to minister to hurting people. Every day, we all face the temptation of falling into many “pits”—pits of rejection, depression, fear, addiction, doubt, and unbelief—and the list goes on and on. Don’t Quit in the Pit is an excellent book in which Danette shares keys to helping anyone get out and stay out of the pits of life. I would encourage everyone to read this book—it will transform your life!

Nancy Alcorn

Founder and President, Mercy Ministries International

Danette Crawford’s book is a pleasure to read. It is written in a simple and clear style that communicates the lessons from her life in an engaging and memorable way.

Dr. Paul Conn

President, Lee University
Cleveland, Tennessee

In her autobiographical book Don’t Quit in the Pit, Danette Crawford testifies that the same God who long ago rescued Joseph from family rejections and the hardships of an uncaring world to fulfill God’s destiny for his life also rescued and blessed a young farm girl today. Through the transparency of her life story, Danette reassures us that Jesus is ever faithful to provide for us through the trials, to teach us to overcome life’s difficulties, and to enable us to fulfill the plan and purpose He has for each of our lives.

Michael Carter

Chief Financial Officer, Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.

Great leaders come from great followers. Danette Crawford has been promoted by God to a national platform because she has served others so well in her local and regional church networks over the years. As an overseer of churches and a professor of ministry for twenty-four years, I can attest to the highest reputation, integrity, and ministry impact of this author in my own backyard. This book is substantive because she is a woman of God for her generation!

Dr. Joseph Umidi

Professor of Practical Theology, Regent University School of Divinity
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Every person who has ever found himself in a pit of unforgiving circumstances will owe a debt of gratitude to Rev. Crawford for this practical field guide to living a victorious life. Her rich personal experience, combined with deep insight into scriptural principles, makes this a ‘must-read’ book for all who want to be successful in life.

Richard Nicholson

Latin American and Caribbean Regional Director, Assemblies of God World Missions

Reading Danette Crawford’s book Don’t Quit in the Pit is like reading a modern-day account of spiritual giants like George Müller and Queen Esther. She masterfully combines solid biblical teachings, practical recommendations, and faith-filled testimonies to lead the reader to high levels of expectation in the Lord. Engaging to read, Danette’s book inspires and empowers readers to live victoriously over the “pits.” This is a must-read!

Dr. William F. Cox Jr.

Professor and Director, Christian Education Programs
Regent University School of Education
Virginia Beach, Virginia

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