Influencers Weekly Devotional

No Such Thing As Hopeless by

Rocky Fleming

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Three weeks ago I played golf with a man. Two weeks later he was dead, by taking his own life. As the story unfolds, we've heard that he lost a son to a drug overdose a couple years ago. The man lost his job later, no doubt because of the loss of his son and his reaction to it. Next, his marriage ended in divorce, and adding to the torment, he was having trouble finding another job. Possibly there were other unseen issues at play that caused him to give up on life and end it. We can never know the reasons that would make someone do such a thing. But my guess is the biggest reason of them all is because hope that things will get better is lost. No conceivable solution can be seen, and to live with things as they are is not an option. However, just because it is not seen as possible doesn't mean it is impossible. Thirty five years ago, my sister's daughter took her own life, at age 18. She had also given up hope that things could or would get better. Twenty years ago, a friend of mine had a son 19 years old who gave up hope and took his own life. These teenagers perceived that there was no hope for their pain, and death was better. It is my opinion that both the man and the teenage kids would still be alive today if they had simply made it through the night, and had given God the time to bring His help. However, they listened to a lie, believed it, and followed a voice that dispenses hopelessness, and look what happened. What is the lie I speak of? It is the one that comes from the Father of Lies when he convinces us that there is no hope. Satan is a lier with an agenda. We need to understand this, and be alert to his ways. It is his effort to distract, disarm, disable and destroy God's family members. He will use every tactic to get our eyes off Christ by giving us a barrage of challenges and temptations that put us on the defensive rather than in an attack mode as God's men should be. Jesus said that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His Church, which includes God's men. But we sometimes forget this when we are alone and penned down by a relentless attack. Sometimes these trials go on for a long time and seem to never end. But, they all eventually end, if we will not give up hope, and allow God time to perfect His plan for His intervention. It is very, very important to never give up hope, no matter how hopeless our situation may look. At the core of Satan's agenda, is the intention to make us feel separated from God's concern and care, and that we are on our own to battle against what comes against us. His greatest method of doing this is by dispensing hopelessness, for when we are isolated, lonely and depressed, a feeling of hopelessness tags along. Have you ever been is this condition? Are you there now? If so, this is a time and place that you need people around you who will pray for you, and encourage you to stand firm. No matter what has gotten into your life in the way of discouragement, there is a solution in God that can come to you if you will ask for it, wait for it, hope for it, and trust God's good intentions for you. You cannot require other people to do this for you. This is an effort you must make yourself. But, asking others to pray with you, and help lift you up when you are faltering because of battle weariness is a smart thing to do, and a purpose for God's Church. God intends His Church, His family, to stand under us when we are in need of it. Do not allow your pride to keep you from this great resource. You must seek it and ask for it, and there are many in God's family who will come to your side. They cannot do what only God can do, or what you must do for yourself, which is to keep hope alive. But, they can remind you of what God can do, and will eventually do, if you will keep trusting Him. I mentioned that God's man needs to be on the offensive when under attack. How do we do this? The passage above encourages us to “Rejoice in hope”. Understand that rejoicing in our hope is a tremendous weapon while in spiritual warfare. It is a confession of our faith in God and His sovereign rights over us. It becomes a shield around us. It is a statement to our enemy. When we begin to rejoice in God's deliverance before we see it coming, we are in fact declaring to the voice who is attempting to dispense discouragement and hopelessness to us that we are not listening to it. Our praise and worship of God drowns out the voice of discouragement, and we stand firm as we rejoice in what is surely coming our way when the dawn breaks. We make it through the night, and we live to fight another day. So, which voice do you want to listen to? Are you ready to pull the plug and give up by drowning your sorrow with alcohol, or anesthetizing your pain with drugs, or running into the distraction of porn, or ending it all as the man in this article did? That is where the voice dispensing his hopelessness is leading you, if you follow it. But, there is another option. It is to take Sovereign God at His word and trust Him. It is to draw a line in the sand and declare, “NO MORE!!! I WILL NO LONGER SEE ANYTHING AS HOPELESS!” This is what we do when we rejoice in the midst of our suffering, and the challenging circumstances coming at us. We stand firm, and prevail against the “gates of hell,” and we eventually win. Men, you must remember this when under an attack. You are on the winning team. But remember, you are on a team, and not a “Rambo” fighting by yourself. So, if you are in a time right now that seeks to pull you down, and discourage you, call in some support. That's what God's men must do when in this situation. We all need each other when darkness surrounds us. And most of all, don't lose your hope. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation for God's man. Download file