Never Give Up Hope

 

My desk is one of the last things I organize. The paper chase was on as tossed scraps went into the trash. Then, I came across a small card that said, “Never give up hope.” Aha! Just what I was thinking about! The Holy Spirit has ways of speaking to us, if we take the time to listen. How can we even pray unless we have hope?  

Here are a few examples how we are to push on with hope.

Weight lifters are a breed unto themselves! They understand the miles of resistance involved to physical strength. They first prepare to lift, as they place a protective weightlifting belt around their waist, secure supports around their knees and wrists. Then they begin with enough weight to demand their muscles to go beyond their normal capacity. Their muscles shake and tremble as they progress into higher amounts of weights. If muscles could talk, might they say; “What are you doing to me?” 

Thoughts of hope will discipline them to the finish line.

They see it, before they have it. They faith it, with hope!

The same type of thing happens when our sons and daughters go into bootcamp. They find themselves into places they have never been and doing things they have never done! Suddenly, their physical bodies are commanded to use muscles they didn’t know they had. Rain or shine they tread on with heavy backpacks, leaping over blockades and wading through swamps. They fight poisonous plants, insects, snakes, heat, cold and exhaustion. All the while, hope is secured tightly in their hearts, as they prepare for war. 

One of the most momentous times in a woman’s life is when she has her first baby, then, second baby, third baby and sometimes more.… Her labor contractions rip through her body in unspeakable waves as she agonizes in the pain! The labor pains edge closer to complete dilation until the baby is ready to come through the birth canal.The baby became one with the mother as she carried the child for 9 months. Then she was signaled with pain as he started his journey towards his new life. The mother’s muscles were stretched like that of the weightlifters and the young men pushing themselves in bootcamp. The excruciating ordeal would make her nerves shake involuntarily as her healing began. She never gave up hope. 

Many of us are looking for hope today. If your eyes are open, you can see what has happened to America.  There are past blood stains from the east is to the west, of men and women who have braved many a battle so we could say the word, “free.”  

Where is the hope some ask? Look what those evil people are doing! How can they get away with that? What is going to happen to our children, our grand-children? 

Listen to me: Not only are we preparing ourselves for war, but we are in the middle of watching the baby come down the birth canal and it can be very painful. 

We ask, haven’t you heard our prayers Lord? Oh, yes He has! Before the baby is born and opens its eyes; there is pain involved. To be strong, you must first prepare to lift weights and eat the right things. We do not become strong through the comforts of idleness or having things given to us. We become strong through resistance and through tough times.  Our flesh does not want to hear this!

What have you been feeding your thoughts? Hope or despair? Our thoughts should not separate our character in Christ nor dictate what we do or say, for he came to give us hope. Meditate on good things, like the word of God.

“Never give up hope.”

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Pr. 13:12 niv. 

A delay does not mean nay! 

Giving up can physically weaken your heart, mind and will. What do we have, if we give up? Isn’t our God greater than what we see and hear in the physical? And doesn’t the Bible tell us His word is truth? 

“All your words are true, all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalm 119:160

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Matthew 11:29,30. 

A yoke is a bar placed over the shoulders of two working animals that unite them together. Jesus is saying, “We will be united and work together, as you learn from me.” First he gives you rest and then, you will begin to learn.

If you feel you must give up, then give it to Jesus.

Notice, Jesus said he was gentle and humble in heart and that you will find rest for your souls. He will not hit you with a big stick or chew you out, when you humble yourself and come to Him, because his character is gentle and humble. He listens when you call out to Him.  

We do not come to Him because we see Him, but we come in faith believing, He is the true Son of God. He asked his disciples: “Do you believe me now?”

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2Co. 4:18

Everything you see will pass away someday.

“For the one whom God has sent, speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His hands. Whosoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:34-36 niv.

Not only do we receive the Holy Spirit without limit, but we become implanted with eternal life when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We become a part of the Kingdom of God.

The clock ticks. Everything is on schedule. We all have a designated time to face Jesus someday.  Before I was born again, I experienced warning after warning to return to the God of my childhood. Each incident I went through became stronger and more fierce than the one before. Though I had a small ember that burned inside of me, knowing I would return; I would ignore the ember and tell myself, “Not now.”  I have too many reasons to be dead instead of alive. God knew exactly what it would take to wake me up and humble me.  I was blinded by the ways of the world.  I did not realize I was destroying myself by living in sin, until the overload of my problems caused me to admit, I could not clean up the mess I made of my life. Once independent, I was humbled and I knew I needed help. I was urged to read the Book of John and it was there, I discovered His love for me. Me, who was buried beneath a mountain of sinful ruination, deep in a pit and unable to climb out by myself!  Humbly, as I read I discovered the love of Jesus who truly has a gentle and humble heart. 

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psalm 40:2

What are you going through?  Do you lack hope?

Listen to me, please.

Jesus listens to us when we call to Him. He hears it all. He sees our loneliness, our wounds, all of our letdowns, rejections, the repetitions of those who keep hurting us, betrayals, hurtful words, abused childhoods and marriages, being raised without love, shameful abortions, teachers who have humiliated us, “friends” who have talked behind our backs, raised with alcoholic or drug parents and those of us who have been abandoned too. Many have lived with selfishness, anger, violence and lies. Some have seen the hypocrisy of one side of their parents while they put on another side in church.  He sees when you cry in the darkness and go from pay check to pay check. Single mothers think: “Ok, what can I fix this month? The leak or the screens?” He sees you ache as you mourn your loved one. Do others feel the way you do?  Yes, we do, we’ve been there too.  

You see, if God’s son was not real, I would not study, pray or write about Him. If He did not work in my life and set me free, then; how was I freed? I was incapable of helping myself. How could I write these things? It is only by His Beloved Holy Spirit who teaches me that I am directed and guided. I do not consider myself a scholar, but one who has strived for many years to learn everything I can about the one who loved me first. And, someday I will come face to face with his humble and gentle love. 

Do not try to clean up yourself before you come to God. This is impossible without Him.

If you have taken the time to read my long-winded words, I congratulate you for your patience. If there is a tug in your heart to surrender your life to Jesus who was sacrificed upon the cross, so you too can have forgiveness of your sins and be set free, hesitate no more. Now is your moment. Now you must humble yourself. 

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father,

I believe you are talking to me. I know I need help, but do not know what to do. I believe Jesus Christ went to the cross, so I can receive forgiveness for my sins. I know I have sinned, Father. I ask you would forgive me for: [confess your sins] ______.  I am so sorry for being such a fool. I ask that you would take my life and restore it. Show me where to begin and heal my life, my mind, my heart and direct my path where you would have me to go and do. Change me Father. Send new godly friends my way. Help me to be strong and teach me your ways that sin would be tasteless to me. In Jesus name I ask, amen.

If you have prayed this prayer with a humble searching heart, the Bible says you are born-again. You have become a new creature in Christ and old things are passed away and everything will become new to you. As you grow, you will begin to see things through the lens of Christ. Now you must get a good Bible and begin to pray, read, study and meditate upon His word. This is how you will become strong. Find a good Bible believing church that will not compromise the word in anyway. You will be making new friends who will pray for you, hold you accountable and teach you new things. We welcome you into the family of Jesus Christ! 

In the meantime, “Never Give Up Hope!”