Hope can take you a long way. Whenever I counsel someone who is struggling with emotional strongholds, I always want to check their hope-meter because when you have lost your hope, you have lost everything. Simply defined, hope is the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. David knew about the power of hope when life looked hopeless.
Read Psalm 42. As David pens this psalm, he is depressed and his soul is discouraged. Yet he says he is going to remember the Lord.
“The Lord will command His lovingkindness,” David writes (v. 8).
Though God has not done it yet, David has confidence that He will. So he talks to himself. He writes to himself—he journals about his faith in God. There are times when life crumbles around you, but do not be discouraged. Look yourself in the mirror, and speak God’s truth. Write notes to yourself, and leave them in places you will see them.
What changed David’s feelings of hopelessness and discouragement? He looked in a different direction. He looked at what God was going to do, even though he couldn’t see it at the time. In other words, he looked by faith.
When God blesses us with what we ask for we shout, dance and praise! We hear phrases like, “That’s my God” and “Won’t He do it!!”
But, what happens when we don’t get what asked for? One of the greatest test of the Christian faith is when we don’t get what we asked for, but we can still say, “Thank You, Lord!”
As a youngster, I thought God was some kind of spiritual Genie and vending machine. “Your wish is my command,’ says the Lord.” I found that concept in Genie 1:1, but later discovered there was no such book written in the Bible. Perhaps, I was misspelling the book of Genesis😇 However, I truly thought that if I wanted something bad enough and if I prayed about it hard enough, that God would give it to me.
Call it, ‘trial and error’ because I discovered real quick, that’s not how it goes down! Why? Well, ultimately, it boils down to perspective. You could be asking for something right now, but God knows better. Perhaps this particular thing that you petition isn’t good for you, isn’t suited to you, or it’s just not the right time. We all could demand God grant us a million dollars right now. And indeed, God could choose to grant that request. But He probably won’t. Why? Not so much because there’s a lack of faith on our part, but more so becsuse God knows that it’s not in our immediate best interests to do that. Rather, it would be more worthwhile for us to earn our money slowly, to appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to make a living.
Some reading this devotional might be turning to I John 5:14-15: “And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.” In context, the Apostle is a.) speaking to those who believe in Jesus Christ (v.13) and b.) to those who are selflessly petitioning for God’s will to be done!
Inarguably, humans often crave the easy route. We want fame, popularity, wealth…but as many of us are aware, there are consequences that come with such things. Honestly, sometimes it’s better to not have these things in the first place. Look at it this way, if you can tell God what to do, you’re God Graciously and mercifully, God only gives what is good for His children to His children.
Now that I am a little older and hopefully a little wiser, I can honestly testify that if I got nothing I had asked for, I got everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself all of my unspoken prayers were answered; I am, among all men, most richly blessed!!
We are more alike than we think and during stormy seasons like these, it’s hard for all of us to maintain our hope.
However, we see this same challenge in the bible when Jesus and His disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4:35-41. Jesus was resting on the stern of the boat when a sudden storm erupted, pounding the boat with waves and nearly flooding everything inside. Terrified, the disciples ran to Jesus and hastily asked why He wasn’t doing anything to help; He responded by simply getting up, rebuking the winds, and demanding that the waves come to a stop. With the storm at a standstill, He then turned back to His disciples and asked the following: Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?
We are no different than the disciples, we often become so blinded by the storms in our lives that we forget the power and the love of the God we serve. Our present circumstances take our attention away from His eternal promises – His promises to provide for us, to strengthen us, to sustain us until the end. We wind up running to him in a panic, begging for Him to do something, when in fact He’s been faithfully by our side all along.
Thankfully, in seasons like this our only resource is to turn to the SOURCE! When life is spiraling out of control, God’s Word is the only thing that can anchor us in place. When our lives become darker or more chaotic, our help and reassurance comes through reading God’s word (Romans 10:17) and then quietly listening for the Holy Spirit to establish an rewarding path-forward and next step towards our victorious breakthrough!
Here are a few things we should remind ourselves during a storm: God is in control and He has authority over our storms (John 16:33), God loves us and has plans to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11), God causes all things to work out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28), God timing is always perfectly flawless (Ecc 3:1), God will never leave our side (Psalm 145:18-19), and God commands us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9).
In I Thessalonians 5:16 we are equally commanded to ‘pray without ceasing’ no matter the situation nor circumstance. Make note: when we find ourselves beaten, broken and weary that’s an alarm 🚨 indicator that reminds us that ‘closed mouths don’t get fed’! It’s our responsibility to call out to God and it’s our responsibility to turn it over to God!
Rather than sinking deeper into fear or pain, iwe need to pray. We need to pour out our hearts to God from the moment we wake up to start our day to the moment we get in the bed to go to sleep!
Tell God what’s worrying you and ask Him to bring you peace and affirmation. Something powerful always happens when we speak God’s word back to Him!
At the end of the day, there is no storm that God won’t carry us through, no bridge God won’t help us cross, and no battle that God won’t help us win. So, trust God and be strong!
So why does God allow, permit and/or approve adversity in our already hectic lives?! I know for a fact we have all pondered this question and to be completely transparent, I think it depends on the situation. What I do know is that God has never left me hanging during difficult times in my life!
When we take a hard look at our life’s challenges in light of what Christ did for us by providing salvation, the difficulties we experience in life takes on a whole new meaning! Adversity becomes a means through which God works to accomplish His will in our lives: to shape us so that we reflect the character of Christ. (See Romans 8:28–30.) On the basis of this purpose, all adversity “works together” for our good and God’s glory.
What we also know about adversity is that it definitely raptures our attention, remind us our weaknesses, motivates us to cry out to God, motivates us to to trust God, it strengthens our hatred toward sin, it calls us to examine our motives, purifies our faith, it calls us to pray, it calls us to evaluate our priorities, it appraises the integrity of our work, it test our relationships, it exposes pride, it prepare us to comfort others, and adversity invites us to experience the power of God!
One of the ultimate purposes of adversity is to cause us to desire more of Christ’s power in our lives. Troubles reveal that on our own we can’t live in a way that honors God. We need to rely on God and receive His grace. Paul willingly suffered the loss of all things so that he might gain more of Christ and experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. In Philippians 3:8-11 he said: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
Let’s be honest, adversity keeps us on our toes and it forces us to bring our “A” game to the court or field of life! How we weather tumultuous storms exposes the structural integrity of the foundation we have built our lives on. We all know that life does not go as planned, and hard times are a part of that. It is how we react that matters. It is how we move forward with renewed vision that matters. It is what we do with it that matters.
With that said, there is no situation that is 100% bad. Every obstacle we face has the ability to be spun, to be learned from. As we fall, we learn and our faith in God grows stronger and in turn we become more resilient and we get stronger for our next challenge. C.S. Lewis said, “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
Hallelujah, God is doing a new thing!!! Isaiah 43:18-19 tells us that, “God says: Forget the former things, nor dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
This statement or declaration never gets old! It’s simply amazing when God takes a dried up useless life and transforms it into a life of purpose, power, promise, and praise!
When God says to His Children, He will do a new thing it means we will move to a higher level of freedom, refreshment, and spiritual awareness.
God never starts a new chapter until the last chapter finishes. As Jesus put it, he won’t put new wine into old wineskins.
With that being said, we have to let go of the old in order to embrace the new! We must also forget the former things and not dwell in the past. If we as the church without walls (literally) choose to continually look behind our shoulders we will not be able to see what’s in front of us, where God is calling us to go, and what He is desiring for us to do!
Additionally, in order to embrace the new we must not depend on past victories, we can’t allow past failures to blur our vision, and we can not live on yesterday’s faith!! God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” If we wan to experience this new thing, we best make sure that we make things right with God on the front-end!
Let’s be clear, a new thing can mean different things to different people. Henceforth, we need to steadfastly hold unto God’s word and His irrevocable promises! As it stands, God has already set into motion a new direction and a new purpose for our lives. Psalms 95:6-7 reminds us to, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the flock under His care. If only you would listen to his voice today!”
I’m going to close this message the same way I started it: Hallejuah, God is doing a new thing!!! And this new thing will be so glorious, it’s going to cause His people to praise Him like never before: “Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth…..(Isaiah 42:10).
Understanding as a noun by definition means to possess the ability to understand something; comprehension and as an adjective it means to be empathetically aware of other people’s feelings; tolerant and forgiving.
Understanding is a critical aspect in life and without it we are lost! With understanding, we are empowered to let go of self-centeredness and practice selflessness in our lives. Dale Carnegie said, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
Being an understanding person doesn’t take a lot of studying — it takes opening your heart to appreciate what someone else feels or experiences.
Proverbs 2:2-5 says, “Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Understanding precedes knowledge therefore, we must first seek understanding to gain knowledge. ‘Knowing’ is the expertise and skill acquired by an individual from his experiences and education while ‘understanding’ is a psychological process that requires an individual to think and use concepts to deal with a person, object, message, circumstance, or situation.
I know it’s difficult to equate a distinction between the two because they are both abstract processes of the mind and the brain. However, it is understanding of the connection between pieces of information that are presented and has a deeper level than knowing and, in fact, is essential in order to put knowledge to good use.
In his book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Franklin Covey said habit #5 is, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” — this helps us to develop the consideration side of the equation.
Both understanding and knowing are very important for our growth as individuals. They determine how we view and react to our environment and the people we associate with.
Real understanding will come as we realize the interdependence of study and prayer, as we maintain a commitment to serve while learning and earning, and as we trust in and rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. Proverbs 3:5-6 encouraged us to, “Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways submit to Him, and He will make our paths straight.”
Knowledge is power but understanding is the key that unlocks it!
I’m a new Christian, and I’ve always associated the word rapture with something romantic or earthly. Can you help me understand, why is the word rapture associated with the return of Jesus? What does it mean to experience the rapture the Bible talks about?
– Jerry
Dear Jerry,
When I think of the word “rapture” or “enraptured,” I’m a lot like you. I think of being deeply in love with someone, perhaps captivated by their personality or their looks. When we are enraptured, many deep feelings overwhelm us in a good way. The word can also refer to a memorable, dramatic experience.
As followers of Jesus Christ, the word “rapture” has a very special, specific meaning. While the word “rapture” is never specifically found in the Bible, the concept is deeply embedded in God’s Word. “Rapture” is from the Latin word “rapturo,” which means “to catch away.”
We’ll Meet Him in Air!
In biblical terms, the rapture is an event near the end times, when Jesus will secretly come in the air to gather His followers up into heaven. Those Christians who are already in their graves will be resurrected and join with Christians who are alive and be taken straight into heaven. “rapture” is from the Latin word “rapturo,” which means “to catch away.” It is used here to describe this moment, when we will be “caught up together…to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Those people who do not know Christ as their Savior will be left behind. Jesus explained the nature of the rapture in Matthew 24:39-41:null
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death…For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
I imagine that Jesus will shout the same words that he shouted when he called Lazarus up out of the grave in Bethany: “Lazarus, come forth”! (John 11:38-44).
Have you ever thought about the fact that if Jesus had not specifically shouted the name “Lazarus,” the entire graveyard may well have emptied? What a sight the rapture will be!
His shout will penetrate every grave, pierce the deepest seas, and be heard by every one of His followers on earth.
Christian bodies will resurrect from all over the world. Many will be in manmade graves. Others have gone down at sea; some were burned to death; some were cremated; some died in deserts and their bones were left to scorch in the heat; some were torn to bits in explosions.
It doesn’t matter to Jesus. He knows everything; He knows where they are.
After all, God created Adam out of the dust of the earth. I suppose that He can create bodies out of dust as often as He likes.
What about Those Who Are Left Behind?
Woe to those non-Christians who are left behind. They will enter a world of horrible hell on earth dominated by plagues, trials, tribulations, famine, and death.null
I need to give you a little contextual overview of the end times for you to understand just how and where the rapture fits. You need to know that rapture and the second coming of Christ are NOT the same. The rapture happens first, before the tribulationbegins (or possibly at the halfway mark).
The second coming of Christ comes at the end of the seven-year tribulation, before God creates a new heaven and a new earth.
I just threw a lot of terms at you—the end times are pretty complicated and filled with mystery. But I can share with you some of the highlights:
When the tribulation begins, a wicked man known in the Bible as the Antichrist will come to power and control ten countries which once occupied the area of the old Roman Empire. This area is essentially present-day Western Europe. He raises an enormous army with which he intends to invade Israel and conquer the earth.
The seven-year clock starts when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty with the nation of Israel. After three-and-a-half years, he breaks the treaty and desecrates the Jewish Temple by putting a small image of himself inside. Scripture calls this moment the “Abomination of Desolation.” The small statute speaks ungodly blasphemies. At that point, the Antichrist breaks the treaty, and the countries with him make war against Israel.
When the Peace Treaty Is Broken, All Hell Breaks Loose
Tormenting pains and destruction devastate the earth as described in the book of Revelation chapters 6 to 19. Seven seals reveal man’s destruction upon himself. Seven trumpets sound out Satan’s dastardly deeds against mankind. Seven bowls depict God’s wrath and subsequent great destruction upon earth.
Many activities occur during the seven years. Like the German Holocaust in which six million Jews were slaughtered, the Antichrist will practice genocide on those Christians who remain. These were non-Christians who missed the rapture. When they realize what’s happened, they turn their lives over to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In Revelation 5, John gives us a good look at the martyrs from the Great tribulation who are begging God to avenge their sacrifice by the Antichrist.
Next, famine, pestilence, disease, earthquakes, war, incredible heat, darkness and worldwide oceanic pollution devastate the seas. The pictures of the sky rolling back upon itself likely describes a nuclear holocaust. Demonic forces are released from the pit to bring all sorts of suffering and misery to mankind.null
Then the Antichrist receives a mortal wound and comes back to life, which deceives the entire world into identifying him as God. He sets up an economic system by which the followers of Jesus cannot buy or sell anything unless they bow down to worship Him.
A clue to the Antichrist’s identity is found by adding up the Greek numbers corresponding to his name, which will add up to the sum of 666.
Why Does God Let These Things Occur?
God will use these tragedies in the hope that they will encourage men and women to come to him for help and salvation. He utilizes all sorts of evangelistic tools to bring people to salvation. In fact, the end will not come until every person on earth has had the chance to hear the gospel!
When that finally happens, near the end of the seven years, Antichrist and his forces face an army of 200 million soldiers from the East for the battle of Armageddon.
At that moment the second coming of Christ occurs. The leaders of the two armies quickly recognizes that the real battle is not against each other; the real battle is against Jesus. Christ destroys both armies and conquers the earth. Man is no longer in charge. Jesus is the eternal Victor!
Shortly thereafter, Christ begins a reign of a thousand years of peace and harmony on earth. Scripture doesn’t reveal much more about that time, but it is clear that those alive at the end of the tribulation will be subject to Jesus.
At the end of His thousand-year reign, a series of judgments occur in which Satan and his forces—and all of those who are not Christians, are cast into the lake of fire. Afterward, Jesus creates a new heaven and a new earth…then we will spend eternity in heaven with Him!
Jerry, I know this sounds very complex, and it is. But you’ll discover in your studies of the end times great insights into the character, life, and power of Jesus Christ!
The Big Question: When Will the Rapture Happen?
The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today…and it has always been so.
While no one knows the exact time of Jesus’ return for His followers, the Bible does give us some insights as to when it might occur. There are three basic options.null
The first interpretation is called “pre-tribulation.” This position declares that the rapture of the church will occur before the seven years of tribulation begin. I suppose that most Christians hold this view, which guarantees that Christians will avoid all of the suffering and trauma that will occur during the seven-year tribulation.
Historians tell us that the early Christians topped every hill looking for Jesus. They were constantly looking for His return. They expected Him to be right around the corner.
It’s important to note that no prophetic events remain that must be fulfilled before the rapture can occur. None! His return is imminent. Jesus could come for you and me at any moment.
According to this viewpoint, we are not looking for the second coming of Christ or for the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel. We are looking for the rapture.
It will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
The second possibility is called “mid-tribulation,”where scholars posit that the rapture will occur three and a half years after the peace treaty which guarantees Israel’s safety. The book of Revelation teaches that the first three and half years will be peaceful. Again, Christians will not have to suffer through the punishments of the great tribulation.
So, in that order of events, the rapture happens, the peace treaty is broken, and all hell breaks loose as the seals, trumpets, and bowls of God’s wrath are unreleased.
I believe that both the pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation viewpoints are possible according to Scripture.
Finally, the third position is called “post-tribulation,” which postulates that the rapture will occur at the actual second coming of Christ. This viewpoint equates the two events. I do not believe that the “post-tribulation” scenario is viable, because there are important differences between the rapture and second coming:
1. At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14).
Jerry, let me encourage you to seek out these and other related verses across the Bible and compare/contrast the timing of the rapture. You’ll be able to make your own determination about which side makes the most sense—and it’s important to remember that this is a true mystery in Scripture. We will only know the complete answer when the rapture occurs!
I’m so glad you asked this question. As a new Christian, you are beginning a great adventure! There is much that you will learn. Best of all, the rapture is one of the greatest hopes for all Christians.
I hope you find this answer helpful. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.
What causes believers to doubt God? Why are some believers who are dipped in the blood of Jesus Christ more skeptical about their faith than other believers?
The great apologist (defender of the faith) C. S. Lewis said: “The point is that we lose faith based on secular associations and comments that creep into our minds and chip away at our faith; at no time do we lose faith because someone argued it away from us.”
One of the hardest things about doubt is admitting it’s there. Our beliefs feel like dominos. If one starts to wobble, won’t the whole lot come tumbling down?
Perhaps, the number one reason believers have a tendency to doubt is because of ‘feelings’. Feelings go up and down like roller coasters. If believes let their feelings take the wheel of their life, they’ll crash their jobs, marriages, and their faith many times over. Let’s be clear: there is such a thing as natural temperament. Some believers are just naturally Eeyores, while others are Tiggers.
Faith is not about feelings, rather it’s about resting! Faith isn’t a thing we muster up and push out; faith is simply resting on Jesus. In John 1:12, “receiving Jesus” and “believing in his name” are parallel. They aren’t two hoops to jump through in order to be saved; they’re two descriptions of the same reality. Just as a woman could be said to both “get married” (in the active) and “be made a wife” (in the passive), so faith and receiving Jesus are two descriptions of the same reality.
Since faith is embracing Jesus, in times of doubt, believers don’t need more “faith,” rather believers need more Jesus!! And the way to get more Jesus is through preaching, Scripture, sacraments, prayer, and community. Typically, these streams of positive influence will in spite of circumstances will revive, restore, refresh and replenish faith!
Since faith is established by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), then doubt must be established by hearing the ambiguous voices in our own heads. Doubt introduces anti-rational and sub-rational thinking whereas, faith is a response to compelling truths. And Paul tells believers to keep hearing this truth. No matter what doubts may harbor, believers need to keep putting themselves in the way of the good news. Believers need to be surrounded with the Scriptures and people of the Scriptures, so to keep soaking and focusing on what’s true.
We are those believers, I’ve been referring to and the ones who Paul is talking to! When we choose to focus on the Him of Jesus rather than the what of “faith,” our doubts are reduced, relativized, replaced, and even redeemed. It might just be that the path of doubt was God’s way of deepening our faith in His ability to do what we as born again believers-dipped in the blood of Jesus Christ could not accomplish without His divine involvement!
We fully embrace the power of faith in God by denying the devil’s ability to raise doubt in our minds!
I have GOOD NEWS for you today, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn” (Isaiah 54:17). We find the contextual foundation for this in verses 14-16, “In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you. “Behold, I Myself have created the blacksmith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin.”
In 589 BC, The prophet Isaiah delivered a timely message from God about recovery and restoration to Jerusalem after its destruction by the Babylonians and the prophet’s messages is equally timely for us today in 2020.
We are living in a season where things are chaotically confusing, but God has already promised a future day when our city, states, nation, and world will be more glorious than ever. God’s people will return to a better kind of normalcy and we will live without fear of further turmoil and devastation from the virus and civil unrest!
God has already created a vaccine (aka) the blacksmith that will destroy the destroyer (COVID-19)! Mark my words, there is a time coming when we will look back in hindsight and clearly see just how God was working things out for our good and His glory behind the veil of these pandemics!
The Good News Translation phrases Isaiah 54:17 like this: “‘But no weapon will be able to hurt you; you will have an answer for all who accuse you. I will defend my servants and give them victory.’ The LORD has spoken.”
Brothers and Sisters, God is communicating to us that even when bad things happen to us—when we feel defeated and crushed by our enemies—we can trust and not be afraid. The reason why we can be still in Psalm 46:10 is because in Psalm 46:1-3, God already told us; “He is our shelter, confidence, and strength, He is always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths; even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence.”
GOD is the COMMANDER AND CHIEF!!! He controls both those who make weapons and those who use them. The Lord will incessantly protect and uphold His children, no matter what we face, and help us through to the final victory (Isaiah 41:10)—GLORY HALLELUJAH—We are God’s children—His prized possession (James 1:18) and as such we can be unequivocally confident in the Lord’s ultimate victory over every weapon that has already formed or is in the process of forming!!
Lastly, in Isaiah’s time, as in all of history, and in the future in its fullest sense, every child of God can boldly say, “NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US WILL PROSPER AND IF GOD BE FOR US WHO CAN STAND AGAINST US?!
4GIVEN 