Courage to Hope Again

Discouragement can be described as a considerable loss of confidence or enthusiasm. That sense that our assurance has run from us like mice from a sinking ship, and we just don’t seem to have the energy to engage yet another round of challenges. The rapid fire of painful experiences has left us with a feeling or belief that we cannot rely on God and His Word as we previously thought we could. Our firm trust in the Lord has been violently displaced by burning doubts and we feel wounded…desperately injured…too paralyzed to do anything. Continuing to hope in the Lord is suddenly not high on our list of priorities….

A series of difficult challenges can cause us to slump into a dispirited mental/emotional state where we lose hope…. A darkness grips us… and we feel completely at it mercy…frightfully powerless. Any substantial anticipations of positive outcomes have entirely escaped us. In part, it is that state of becoming predominately dishearten…losing the determination to continue. At times…even suicide seems plausible. We wonder why we should hope again, bother anymore, or even try.

In such times, we need courage to remain true to God, to live out His plan for us, and to hope again. We need hope to traverse this hard journey through our own souls. Beloved, this is especially important when we encounter discouragement, disappointment, or despair in the aftermath of painful adversities. During such testing conditions, we need courage like a drowning man needs a life vest. Our lives depend on it. It is courage that enables us to dare to trust and hope again.... To overcome the fear of being let down…frustrated again...disappointed again…we need “good courage.”

HAVE COURAGE TO RECOGNIZE GOD’S POWER, PRINCIPLE AND PRESENCE

Courage to Hope and to Believe God

Joshua 1:9, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

I love the question God asked His new national leader, Joshua, “Have not I commanded thee?” This inquiry provokes God’s leader to look away from the disheartening death of Moses and the incredible challenge of leading God’s people to God Himself. It is a call to recognize the Power of the God of Moses and the God of Israel. Beloved all hope rest in a fundamental trust in Him. His great power surpasses all others, and no one can compare or contend with our God. Anything He commands He will fulfil by His mighty power. Such power promotes encouragement in a significant way. Amid discouragements, doubt your doubts and recognize the truth of God and His awesome situation-changing power.

Another key tactic God uses can be described as real and substantial encouragement to overcome the threatening and undermining power of fear and dismay. Here is the principle, though God’s power is peerless, it can be limited in our individual experiences by our fears. Fear can paralyze us when we should be active, and dismay means our hopes have been utterly shattered by our fears. God stems this tide of terrors with this quick warning against the bone-crushing force of hope-stealing horrors. Respect the power of fear in your life, and limit its influence through trusting God regardless.

One more observation from Joshua 1:9, is helpful at this point—God’s Presence. Again, what stirs courage in the heart like the fresh realization that someone with something meaningful to offer is standing with you every mile of the way? This is not merely a highly capable and well-intention friend; this is Jehovah God Himself talking to you and me. Contrary to the unwarranted suspicions of our fickle minds, God NEVER abandons His people when life hurts. He stands with us to encourage, inspire, empower, and sustain us as we dare to hope again. Beloved, against all odds He still…still…still remains with you through it all. In the good days and awful days, He stays close by to supply us with the courage to continue. Note the observation of W. MacDonald,

Three times Joshua is told by the Lord to be strong and very courageous (vv. 6, 7, 9). The size and duration of the task ahead, the pressures of leading such an obstinate people, and the absence of his spiritual mentor, Moses, were perhaps heavy on Joshua’s mind at this time. But the Lord was not calling him without enabling him. There were good reasons for Joshua to be strong: God’s promise (vv. 5, 6), a sure victory; God’s Word (vv. 7, 8), a safe guide; God’s presence (v. 9), a sustaining power.

The wonderful news is the same benefits are available to every precious child of God caught in the grip of their terrors, disappointments, and despairs because of hard circumstances. We are not left to stew in our confusions and discouragements, God is with you and me all the way. Beloved, take this journey in your own soul through disillusionment back to the place of unparalleled confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is where the HOPE is!

DON’T ALLOW THE DARKNESS TO DESTROY YOUR HOPE!

In times of adversity, things can sometimes seem so bleak and so dark that we are on the verge of giving up hope. The darkness may be amplified by the voices of others, the pressure of the scenario, the intense feelings of hopelessness, and the messages we tell ourselves. Together these communicate the wrong messages to us. We must beware!

Resist the Preachers of Gloom and Doom

Job 2:8-9, And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.  [9] Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. [10] But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Others around us may foretell doom and encourage us to face what they see as inevitable. Job's wife was one such person. After Job was covered with painful boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, she said to him, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” (Job 2:9). This frustrated retort came from a heart that had been crushed by painful developments hyper-compounded and evident fears she was about to finally lose her husband. Her children were dead, their wealth was gone, her husband was very sick, and her hopes were soundly obliterated. All prospects of good have abandoned this suffering soul….

Job wisely responded to her, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (v. 10). The Scriptures add this important line: “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (v. 10). Jobs was still hanging on to God and what he knew to be true. This is fundamentally how we silence the preachers of gloom and doom. We believe what God disclosed about Himself and refuse false messages from others...including ourselves. Self-talk like, “God does not care,” “There is no point in looking to God,” “Why bother anymore…especially after all you have been through...." "What difference does it make?” Such messages, if tolerated will eat away at your hope and shatter your confidence in God’s promises.  

COURAGEOUSLY CHOOSE TO HOPE IN THE LORD AGAIN

When you are faced with negative circumstances and then negative opinions and comments from others, you need courage to stay positive—to continue to believe that the Lord is with you!  It takes real courage to say and really believe that God is going to intervene in our darkening situation.

    1.  You Must Choose to Hope in the Lord During the Troubles.

A.    Hope and Faith Are Not Automatic Responses in Times of Hardship and Trial.

Beloved, such responses must be deliberately cultivated with every opportunity. Casual efforts or passively gaining or sustaining this perspective will not meet your challenges in a successful manner. Remember God spoke directly to Joshua to strengthen him for the months and years ahead. You and I have the Scriptures to afford God many chances to speak to us deeply, repeatedly, encouragingly, powerfully, and profoundly. While chapter 1 of Joshua is a great place to start, the entire book is an excellent source of hope-building courage!

B.     They Require an Exercise of the Will, Bolstered with Courage.

At times, you must say aloud to yourself, “I know that God has a purpose in this. I know that God will bring me through this. I know that God is a good and loving Father, and He is doing a good and eternal work in my life.”

If no one else speaks hope to you, you need to speak it to yourself. Believe me there are too many Christians out there with a “wet blanket” ministry. They kill every spark of hope that may dare to surface. Avail to yourself specific passages, biblical accounts, and verses that stir you to hope in the Lord God, Jehovah. I also believe faithful Christians should be the most “hope-filled” people on the entire planet. Why not if our hope is centered in the Lord and His Word?

    2.  You Must Recognize the Lord’s Presence as You Face the Troubles Cause by Enemies.

Part of the need for courage also may reside in the fact that…

            A. We have the Need to Withstand the Enemies Who are Moving Against Our Lives. 

In other words, those who are causing your adversity.

Moses realized that would be the case for Joshua and the Israelites, and he said to the Israelites, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deut. 31:6).

It is helpful to know God will not fail us or forsake us as our enemies bare down on us. In addition, having Bible-centered hope does not erase the possibility that things could get worse before they get better.

            B. It Takes Courage to Believe God While Things Get Worse!

It takes courage to continue to believe in God and to have hope in God's power over your enemies while your adversaries are pummeling you into the ground or threatening to do so.

Recall Goliath no doubt found David's claims about the goodness and greatness of God to be ludicrous as he stood in the Valley of Elah and watched a stick of a lad run toward him. But at the end of the day, David had victory in his hand and joy in his heart. (See 1 Sam. 17.)

Ask the Lord to give you courage to continue to believe in Him and in His presence with you as you go through hard-times. Ask Him to renew your hope and faith. I have no doubt He'll honor your request. Psalm 31:23-24, O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. [24] Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Read Rom. 4:16–21 also).

 

Beloved, God glorifies Himself in us and through us not simply so that we might be saved but so that we might reflect His life on this earth. He desires that we be conformed to His likeness so that when others see us helping people, declaring the truth of His Word, and trusting in Him regardless of our challenges and despite our adversities, they will want to know more about the love of God and the power of God in us. When we are courageous to do what the Lord both commands and empowers us to do, we truly are His witnesses because we reflect His presence in the world. (C. Stanley)

Our lives have a purpose far beyond comfort, ease, or pleasure. Our lives are intended to be used by God, to fulfill His purposes on the earth.

Take courage today, no matter what you are facing. God will give you courage when you ask Him for it. He will honor your courage in remaining true to Him and His Word, and in giving to others out of your need. A wonderful blessing is in store for the courageous!

God Knows What He Is Doing!

God Knows What He is Doing!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Why must 'everything' go haywire on the same day?! "My spouse, the kids, the car, the rent, my work, and now my health; certainly, things cannot get any worse than this!" Does this sound like anyone living at your address? Would not it be great to find a place in life where everything is easy from now on? I know the feeling, but there is no such reality on this side of eternity. No, the truth is we face one trial after another crashing on the shores of our lives like billows and waves ceaselessly coming...coming...and coming….Then there are those awful days when 'everything' goes wrong at once...missed deadlines, a flat tire, the kids have a virus, the computer crashed, and I can't take anymore.... Sometimes it feels like pure madness; it makes no sense at all. That is, until we use our faith to recognize what is actually happening, and what is truly at stake. The Lord weighs in on this very issue; consider these perspective-shaping admonitions from the Apostle Paul,

Now all these things happened unto them [Israel] for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Cor. 10:11-13)

A number of helpful insights should be noted from this text. The Lord desires that we learn from Israel's mistakes to avoid moral failures. He likewise cautions us by making us aware of our susceptibility to overconfidence because of past victories and/or certain advantages. He then offers us His revelation (the Bible) to help us accept the reality of trials and temptations; He desires to shape our concept of challenges—even the painful ones. Then He also makes provisions to help us resist temptations and endure trials most effectively. Our Heavenly Father faithfully prepares, postures, and powers us through ever escalating challenges. Our obligation is to adopt His guiding perspective on life's tests. This involves trusting Him to supply the grace, wisdom, strategies, and power to manage the trials and temptations life seems to indiscriminately throw at us.

In fact, God faithfully prepares us for the big challenges in life by providing us with opportunities to face the smaller challenges victoriously. This strategy reflects His grand intent to avoid over burdening us with more than we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). At first young David's task was simple--guard the family's sheep. On occasion, his guarding the sheep escalated to protecting the sheep. First, he fought against a bear and then a lion to do so. Then as a young man he faced down a Goliath in the strength of the Lord. Ultimately we see him on the throne of Israel fighting the mighty battles of the Lord against the enemy nations. His life is marked by ever escalating crises, oppositions, and triumphs! God did not put him on the throne until after He had taken David through the caves! In due course his challenges increased in magnitude and intensity under God's watchful eye.

No doubt someone will object saying, “But, I don’t want any more big challenges!” If this is your response, then you are in good company because many of us are honest enough to admit the same. You see, we are also a bit intimidated by the idea of bigger and even bigger challenges to overcome. However, we must understand that God is not like the mother who over protects her children, or the father who attempts to make life’s challenges as easy as possible for his children. Such well-meaning parents actually cripple their children and limit their ability to discern and handle life as it is. A cursory reading of the Book of Proverbs with our children will expose them to all the hardness, and wretchedness this life is capable of belching out. The Word helps prepare us all for the ugly times.

No, God is more like the battle-hardened drill sergeant who knows exactly what it takes to face battles and wars effectively. So instead of mollycoddling the new military recruits, he drives, drills, and demands more and more and yet more of them pushing them to their utmost limits! When he perceives the new recruits are at their wits end, he kicks out the walls and pushes them yet further to stretch their endurance and concentration. His aim is to develop their discipline in extremely challenging situations. Why? Because that is the true nature of war! No, he is not crazy, and this is not an amusing game to him. His purpose is crucial and his approach is serious. He does know precisely what lies ahead and how much is at stake….

And so it is with our Heavenly Father, He knows where you are presently, what lies ahead, what is at stake, how much you and I can handle, and what He needs to take us through to prepare us for yet other significant battles. Anticipating bigger challenges is a little scary; we naturally recoil at the thought of greater pain, trouble, opposition, complexity, confusion, and heartache…. We deeply yearn for life to level off and just leave us alone while we enjoy some time free of any heavy worries, problems, or perplexities. We even question God’s love for us when He permits us to experience pains and sorrows in rapid succession. We feel abandoned and alone…It is vital that we remember that even the very difficult and painful crises are tests of our faith. The immediate challenges will lead to greater ones to be sure, but God is entrusting us with His work and He does not want us to fail. He wants to increase our faith so that bigger challenges seem surprisingly smaller when He has adequately prepared us to face them. Be assured God knows exactly what He is doing. I said, God know what He is doing! Therefore, Beloved, trust in Him. Your measure of peace in the midst of war will always be proportionate to your degree of trust in the Lord. Let Him stretch you to increase your readiness for the next battle.

Give God Your Lemons

I recall while in high school, a football coach barking this admonition at me, “Son, when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade! Now, get back out there!” His forceful counsel was the classic encouragement to make the best out of a bad situation. In affect ‘Coach’ was saying, be resilient, get tougher, refuse to quit, and turn this thing around to your advantage. In our modern marketing savvy world, I would be further encouraged to not only make good lemonade, but sell it at a nice profit!

All of this is well and good…in a certain way, I suppose...but…. One important ingredient is missing. What? Assurance, a guarantee…a sure promise is what is missing. The advice of my coach is purely dependent upon my efforts, strength, wisdom, and determination. You see in a purely human scenario, there is no one bigger than life who can guarantee everything will work out good in the end and ultimately. As Christians, we have a God who promises beneficial final outcomes no matter how many lemons life dumps on us! Consider this clear promise of God writing by the Apostle Paul,   

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28, 29)

Often when we are working through heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration, and bereavement, we find ourselves wondering…. Why? Why THIS? What "good" could possibly come out of THIS? God permits such challenges to invade our experiences to mold us into the image of His darling Son, Jesus Christ (8:29). As perplexing as it may seem, our Majestic LORD even has beneficial designs for pure chaos! Christ-likeness is His goal for us. He can even use bad things to mold and shape us into good (Christ-like) people. Our Lord is bigger than life!

 Joseph understood the way God works and fully embraced His will. He viewed  his experiences at the hands of his brothers and the time in Egypt as a sovereign choice and activity of a caring God. He firmly believed the ordeals he suffered were for his good and the good of others.  In Genesis 50:19-21, Moses writes,

And Joseph said unto them [his brothers who betrayed him], Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Because Joseph’s perspective was riveted on God’s designs, he realized his sufferings were beneficial to him personally, and the nations working through that awful enduring drought. He was freed from any entertainment of revengeful notions, bitterness, and hatred towards his brothers. He could treat his betrayer with extraordinary kindness because he believed God was handling the entire situation! Yes, Joseph understood the way God operates in a broken and fallen world. He believed with his entire being that God can overcome evil with good. Beloved, God was making lemonade with Joseph's lemons!

Not everyone in the Bible possessed such a clear perspective about troubles. Jacob, Joseph’s father, did not understand the way God works in troubles and he battled his burdens. Jacob struggled miserably during challenging times. In essence, his lack of faith and insight stirred him to resist, complicate, and belabor the outworking of God’s designs. He was reluctant to give God his lemons. Note the record in Genesis 42:35-36, where Moses says,

And it came to pass as they [Jacob’s sons] emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

In spite of Jacob’s past experiences, He did not have this confidence in God’s sovereign watch care over his concerns! In Jacob’s eyes trials, suffering, bereavement, and tragedy were just awful distresses that served no beneficial purposes at all! No doubt, Jacob was reaping some of the harvest of his deceptive youth; this is a safe assertion. One writer summarized Jacob’s lament over his circumstances in this way,

Joseph was gone; Reuben was disgraced; Judah was dishonored; Simeon and Levi had broken his heart; Dinah was defiled; Simeon was currently in prison; his beloved Rachel was dead; famine threaten the family.  Then came the demand from Egypt that young Benjamin must appear there before its governor before any additional food supplies will be authorized. Old Jacob wept and said: “all these things are against me.”

But he was completely wrong! God Almighty was busy working all these developments together for Jacob's good. It certainly did not seem this way at the time, but that does not change the truth. We can take the perspective of Jacob and struggle with hardnesses for the remainder of our days, or we could embrace them like Joseph realizing that troubles can be used of God to bring about the best outcomes! God is bigger than life, and He makes great lemonade! The Apostle Paul agrees in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, affirming,

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Beloved, God is continually arranging every event in life for our ultimate good and His glory (Rom 8:28).  No one handles the worst things a broken world can belch out at us transforming them into “good” like God can! I know the pains and sufferings we have experienced may argue against this truth, but they are powerless to change or diminish it. Do not believe your pain; believe your God. Again the Apostle Paul says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Again God's purpose is to use even pain to conform each of us to the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ (8:29). Yes, God uses the Bible, Christian teachers, faithful biblical counselors, pastors, and good schools, but He also uses the dark experiences of life as well. Do not respond to this with perplexity; respond with faith in the character and promises of God.

Now, does this passage hold up under close scrutiny? Does Romans 8:28, 29 really promise all that I claim it does? Well, I did a little extra research and read after many other writers concerning these incredible verses/promise. Here is what I came up with as we consider Romans 8:28, phrase by phrase:

·       The Surety: “And we know”: the idea of the word “know” is absolute full perfect knowledge. We should be absolutely confident that God is working all things together for our good.

·        The Quantity: “that all things”: every experience and every event without any exceptions. This is full-orb and comprehensive—all encompassing! No development, situation, or circumstance is excluded. All means all!

·        The Activity: “work together”: refers to being fellow-workers or helpers together on a project—cooperating in a certain task—working in concert. The same idea is clearly conveyed in Mark 16:20, “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Thus, our Lord uses every circumstance as His “helper,” “co-worker,” or “partner” in the task of making us Christlike, and to bring Himself glory. He is fully able to produce beauty from ashes!

·        The Longevity: “work together”: the verb tense indicates a continuous working influence. God’s work is always a present action which reveals how He is in full CONTROL of our lives and everything that touches them for the entire length of our earthly existence and on into eternity! His attention is constantly on our spiritual welfare!

·        The Quality: “for good”: a reference to our ultimate good, of course. Thus, that which is good in its character or construction is good in its effect! It is a good God bringing about a good end for His children. The nature of our final destiny can only be described as good because a good God is on our case! The following verses illustrate this truth; they employ this same word “good.” Consider Matthew 7:17, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” Now look at Luke 8:8, which says “And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” With God, it’s all good!

So you have some challenges huh? Yea, me too. I know it seems there are times in life when an entire grocery cart full of lemons has been dumped on you all at once. For you life has been one giant lemon! It has turned completely sour...there is no sweetness anymore.... I mean the car is broke, the rent is overdue, your faith is wobbling, your job is laying folks off, and your heart has been broken for months.... Lemons, lemons, more lemons! Life only gives you more lemons, and you are tired of people telling you, "When life hands you lemons make lemonade." They don't understand, and they don't know what you have been through, or what you are dealing with. They have no clue about what you have been navigating for years...things have been messed up for decades now. You're tired of trying only to realize another failure.... You have concluded that life is against you. Life's a giant lemon and you have grown to hate the sour taste of it all!

From your past you can recall some hard times, but for a long time you had the hope things would get better. The problem is...it never really did...in fact things got worse. Even though you tried hard to make life work...things only got worse and then worse. What can you do? Is it really hopeless?

Well, believe it or not there is hope and a special promise from God with your name on it. Yes, my friend it is safe to hope again because of the promise of Romans 8:28, 29. But understand your hope is not in how hard you try or how smart you are. It is in the Lord the great "Lemonade Maker!" Instead of trying to make your own lemonade, give God your lemons and trust Him to sweetened life and remove the bitterness that is presently stealing your joy and peace. Beloved, it is time to give God your lemons.

So, there you have it; God makes fantastic lemonade. Therefore, give Him your lemons…all of them. Come on...give them to Him. Place everyone of them in His capable hands. Do not hold on to a single slice. Since God is bigger than life, he can make lemonade with your lemons. You are assured of this by the promises of God. Beloved, our lives are not controlled by impersonal and insensible forces such as luck, chance, karma, the stars, the alignment of the planets, or fate! Nor are we merely “dancing to our DNA!” No, we are in the omnipotent hands of Almighty God. He can make lemonade with our lemons! Stop talking about your lemons. Stop comparing your lemons with others. God knows what to do with lemons; He designed them! Therefore, even now...give Him your lemons. Yes, give Him your "stale lemons." Those that have been lying around your life perpetuating your failures, mistakes, and problems from your past, give them to the Lemonade Maker. Give the Lord your "old lemons;" all that bad stuff from your childhood that has haunted you throughout your life must be surrendered to Him. Yield it over to the One who works it together for your good. Give Him your "rotten lemons" all that absolute junk that you are convinced has no useful purpose or value at all. If you feel it is too late for you and nothing can be salvaged in your situation...still give God your "rotten lemons." Be assured He knows what He is doing. Give God your "fresh lemons;" that stuff that went wrong last week, last night, or this morning. Let the God Who is bigger than life turn your lemons into sweet refreshing lemonade! Can't your life use some refreshing about now? Isn't it time for some fresh hope and promise? Beloved, we are assured of this. Refresh your tired and perplexed soul with this incredible truth! Drink deeply from this well of promise, hope, grace, and assurance (Rom. 8:28, 29). Our wonderful, personal Lord, is too loving to be unkind, too powerful to be incompetent, and too wise to make a mistake. What Great ASSURANCE we have throughout our lives because of Him! Now, about those lemons….