A couple of posts ago I wrote about hopelessness and closed with this:
The next time you feel yourself starting to say or feel that you have lost hope, the first step to take is to repent and turn to the One who can fill you with hope. Pray with Paul…
“May the God of hope fill [me] with all joy and peace as [I will place my] trust in Him [and Him alone], so that [I] may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.†Romans 15:13 (adapted to personalize).
More steps to follow coming soon…
And, although some weary of “Christians” answering serious “problems” with a pat answer of “pray about it,” I hope that people can see how a specific prayer, straight from the Word of God can make a difference. That really is the first step.
It isn’t being overly spiritual or too simplistic. Think of it this way: If you are a Christian, how did you get “saved”? You simply believed what the Bible said about Jesus and decided to follow Him and His way, rather than your own. You believed, confessed and repented. You can’t work your way into it. You can’t take 12 steps. You simply believed and prayed.
Now, what more need we do beyond praying that God will fill us with hope? We need to fill ourselves with God.
Jesus is the Word, the Logos of God. The living, breathing, almighty Word. As we immerse ourselves in the name of Jesus, we must immerse ourselves in the Word of God. So, let’s say, as in the last post, you feel like your habitual sin is unbeatable and you are therefore hopeless. What can you do about it? You can pray that simple prayer above from Romans 15:13 and then look into God’s word for truth about sin in the life of the believer.
You can see at this link about my struggle with sin that I wrote about particular scriptures such as Romans 7 and 8 and Zephaniah 3:17. I began speaking these truths into my life in prayer and in my thoughts rather than letting the lies I was being told by the great deceiver control my attitude toward those sins. As I did this and was honest with God about the truth of my sin and His truth for me, I was able to get my eyes off of me and the sin and on to Him.
If you are facing trouble in your marriage, then look to the scripture. See what it says about divorce. See what it says about a husband and wife. Rather than drowning in your own sorrows, immerse yourself into the Word – that is, BAPTIZE YOURSELF IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
And stop listening to the lie that says that isn’t practical or reasonable. What can be more reasonable than placing your trust in the Lord? What can be more rational than believing that God, who is always faithful, will never fail you?? Is His arm too short? (This last passage, from Isaiah 59 may well lead to another post….)