My hope was almost gone. It was at an all time low for me and those I love. I had no strength. I seemed to be getting no better. The pain and the swelling, even sedation continued. I was hard pressed on all sides, seemly no place to turn to fix myself...I had lost sight of how big God is and how small I am...
I surrendered.
The Spirit then led me to a study about hope and faith and the promise of the new earth. It all fit together. Jesus was about to rescue me even though I had lost faith in the things that were. I did not realize my faith should be in the things to come. It was a revelation and truth from Gods word. These truths have given me life. There is power in Gods word to His children.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Now faith is the things hoped for, the things not seen.
Have you ever heard someone say...I don't care? It doesn't matter? This is a
lack of faith. They have lost hope, lost faith. Even as believers we can lack
faith. Not saving faith in that Jesus has died for our sins but faith in living for
Him.
At the time these words come to our mouths we have lost faith in our
circumstances to be as we want them to be. We have lost sight that our
Story was already written before time. That the things promised to us will
come to past. We have lost sight that God never lies and He keeps His promise
to use all things for our good and His glory. This is hope, faith. God will bring
to pass all He has promised. Our inheritance, our sanctification, us becoming
like Jesus.
God will give us what Satan has stolen, I believe. Threefold. Satan wants us to believe God is not good and He does not love us. We get caught in sin and he tells us we are ok. We are free and we can do what we want. Then when we do sin he tells us we are defeated. That God is angry with us. That we might even lose our eternal salvation. All a lie from the pit of hell. The focus is always on us and not Jesus love, power and freedom that is ours to do His will.
Jesus is bringing...
the new earth and redeeming those we love and ourselves. He is righting
our wrongs. He is using it all for His glory.
He rescues us and redeems us. He does not give us things in our lives that we
cannot handle with His help. No temptation is too great for our God. At times these very
things that seem too much for us is because we are relying on ourselves.
When we get depressed, dishearten we have gotten our eyes on ourselves and
our circumstances. We are sick. Our hope is deferred. We are at the center of our world.
Not God.
We don't believe how very much God loves us and desires to bless us. We have lost sight
of His promise to give back and make right all things in our lives and our world. As we trust
Him we step out in ways we never have before believing that our God is mighty
to save. Mighty to rescue us and deliver us from bondage. We are not orphans
but children of the most mighty Father. Who owns the whole world and
everything in it. He is taking back from evil what is His. He delights to give us good
gifts. Gifts of the Spirit and even things we never imagined. He wants us content
and happy in His presence. He wants us living in the power of the gospel. The
same Spirit and its power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us.
Empowering us to live way beyond what...
we can do on our own. It is all ours for the asking and believing it is true. We have not
because we ask not. We are safe are those who trust in God. Our faith is assured
because of His faithfulness. We will not turn back in the end but persevere
because the story...
has been written...
It is finished.
So we look to the future. That which has not happened or been seen and this
hope is our faith. We will receive the crown of life. Life abundant here on
earth and eternal life with our God. It is His mercy and kindness that sees us
through hard times. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. There is nowhere
we can run that we are not with Him. He woos us back from harm of turning
away and going our own way to repentance and faith. When we fall short...He
then brings us back to a greater understanding of His love, who we are in Him
and we trust Him even more. Nothing is lost. Nothing....Our hope is restored, redeemed
Once again we worship the King. Our hearts are full and love overflows to Him and
to others. We are strengthen in His might. He is our eternal hope.
I was so down and out as I would look at my mistakes and my depression of the past. I
have seen how God has used those years to restore the years the locus have eaten even
in the lives of my family but the pain of it all remains. Jesus feels the pain I feel. The tears are not wiped away yet. Eventhough He meets me in the midst of it all It does not wipe away the reality of what I did not do through all those years. The pain my family suffered because of my lack of living and not escaping reality remains with me.
Satan would love me living in shame and guilt. But God has
used it to increase my faith that He will bless me and my family no matter what. I live in the
blessings of unearned favor. In the hope of the future to live in the present and
step out in faith; although I will go throughout my life with a limp to remind me
my Savior is not without compassion. He came for sinners like me. I think this
has made me afraid to make a wrong decision because I see the consequences.
Trusting in God and not myself has nothing to do with the pain I have caused. It will remain.
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