The apostle Paul describes our times when he writes, “In the last days perilous times will come... But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13). Think of the 1990s when huge mortgage companies seduced and deceived the poor, the unlearned and the unemployed with subprime loans. These unwitting people were lured to sign up for mortgages they could never pay, and when payday came they were left without homes.
“You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness... He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).
I repeat these words throughout my day: “I live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
The path toward hope is one of suffering, sorrow and pain. No matter how pious, loving or good you are, if Christ is in you, you will become a partaker in His sufferings.
“But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:13, my italics). Peter tells us plainly, “Rejoice in your suffering.” And Paul says something similar: “Rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).
Paul confirms our right standing with God through Christ: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).
Though our hearts condemn us, we are told by John, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Let me give an example of this from Jesus’ own life.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, my italics).
According to Paul, when it comes to the subject of hope, the work of the Holy Spirit must be involved. So how do we abound in hope, as Paul prays for us to do? How do we rejoice in hope? And how do we obtain the full assurance of it? A seed of hope is planted at salvation, of course, but there must be a maturing of hope in our walk with Jesus.
Let’s talk about bondage to sin — that is, your battle with the flesh. Under the New Covenant, God allows situations to enter your life to show your helplessness and total dependence on Him to deliver you through faith. God never leads us into temptation but He allows us to come to our wits’ end at times.
If you have a besetting sin, lying spirits come against you continually with demonic lies: “You’re not going to make it. You’re going down! You will end up destroyed.” You wonder, “Lord, how will I ever get up from this? I’ve gone down so low!”
Are you facing a severe crisis right now? You may ask, “What am I supposed to do when I’m brought into such a desperate situation? What should I do when everything appears hopeless — when there is no place to turn and no visible escape? What happens when I’m overcome with fear because everything is coming down all around me and I have no answers for my problems, no one to tell me how to get out of my trouble?”
We read in Exodus 14 that God told the children of Israel to camp “before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea” (14:2). This location was situated between two mountain passes with the sea bordering a third side. The only possible route of escape was back into the wilderness — and that was blocked by Pharaoh’s approaching army.
In times of crisis we want to take action and fix the situation. It is against our nature to stand still and wait; in fact, waiting patiently for God to act is probably the most difficult thing about the Christian walk. Even devoted believers sometimes panic when the Lord doesn’t act quickly, and they often desperately cry out, “Lord, do something!”
It was the night before the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus had gathered His disciples in an upper room to prepare them for His departure from the earth. After they shared a meal together, the Lord took a towel and proceeded to wash the men’s feet.
That evening, Jesus told these devoted followers He was going to be “lifted up” (meaning crucified) by the hands of wicked men. When He told them this, He was forewarning them about what was to come.