Cutting Your Losses

Don’t Be Afraid to Cut Your Losses

"Cutting your losses" means stopping further investment of time, money, or effort into a failing or unprofitable venture and accepting the losses already incurred to prevent additional ones. The idea is to recognize when a situation is not salvageable and to shift focus to more productive or promising opportunities.

Consider Amaziah, king of Judah (796–792 BC), who succeeded his father Joash at the age of twenty-five (2 Chronicles 25).

2 Chronicles 25:5-12 (NIV)5 Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents[b] of silver.7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.” 10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage. 11 Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

After solidifying his control over the kingdom, he assembled three hundred thousand soldiers from Judah and Benjamin and hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for one hundred talents (3.4 metric tons, or over $3 million worth) of silver to fight against the Edomites.

However, a man of God approached Amaziah and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you fight bravely in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”

Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops? The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”

So, what did Amaziah do? In faith, he dismissed the Israelite troops, sent them home, and, with God’s help, defeated the Edomites. Amaziah cut his losses, large as they were, because he trusted that the Lord would meet and supply his needs.

What does cutting losses mean for you? Cutting financial losses from an unwise decision? Cutting toxic friendships out of your life? Cutting bad habits that you have come to rely on? Whatever it is, please know, “the Lord can give you much more than that.”