Don’t Give Up

Background photo: Courtesy of Picjumbo.com

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. – Marilyn Vos Savant

Maybe life has dealt you defeat.  You don’t know what to do, and you do not know how to pray.  Don’t feel like you are alone.  I too have faced setbacks, and am rebounding from one right now. I’ll be sharing more about this another time.

There is a tendency sometimes for many to run away from their troubles, to just give up. But I know that God will not let you drift too far from Him, for we are like a boat tethered by a short rope to an anchor. We drift only slightly before the line goes taut and God pulls us back towards Him.

Giving up is an admission of defeat, although which can be temporary unless we do not bounce back from the loss. These defeats can be battles or wars of a personal nature.  We fall to our enemies, our emotions, or unanswered prayer, etc. And every one of us, if we are honest with ourselves, has “been there, done that.”

Did you rebound, or did you give up?  Did you pray fervently in the midst of your battle, or did you stop praying?

Was it a bitter divorce? Was it a feeling of rejection?  Was it something you were waiting for that did not happen?

Perhaps you blame God, or maybe you do not believe God hears your cries, or that He cannot or will not answer your prayers as you have not seen any results yet.

Don’t give up! Giving up is what makes your defeat permanent.

Is it possible “for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:4-6, NIV), to fall away permanently?”  I believe so. I think that some people fall away from grace and go back into the world. Jesus explains in Matthew 13, verses 20 and 21 that they are like seed falling on rocky ground, referring to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they do not establish good roots in themselves, they endure for only a short time. When life’s troubles and battles, disappointments, and failed expectations visit upon them, they quickly fall away in defeat.

Here is what a friend shared on her Facebook page, and which inspired me to share Marilyn Vos Savant’s quote.

“At this moment in your life, all evidence may be pointing to drought, but a drought doesn’t have to mean the death of your promise.[1] It may just simply mean delay.

If you’ve been looking for the evidence of what God has promised, don’t give up after the first glance. Go back. Just as Elijah instructed his servant — go back — and keep going back until you see it come to pass.

What God promises, God will do. The question is, will you have the patience to see it?”

So whether or not your defeat is spiritual or emotional, DON’T GIVE UP.

Here’s how:

  • Be faithful to spend time with God in His presence, AND God will reveal Himself to you just as He did with Joseph who abandoned by his brothers, was thrown into a hole and sold into slavery. Joseph, however, did not give up. Joseph had the resolve and courage to “shake it off and step up.”  God, in turn, used Joseph’s suffering to prepare him for extraordinary service.
  • Return to the Truth, God’s holy Word. Don’t slide along daily without a blessing from Him.  When we stop reading God’s Word and fellowshipping with believers in Christ, we tend to fall away from God.  Don’t let God slip away from you.
  • Learn to pray fervently and continue to praise and thank God, whatever your battles might be.
  • Say this prayer – “Lord, saving me will bring glory to your name. Bring me out of all this trouble because you are true to your promises.” (Psalm 143:11, TLB)
  • AND BE ASSURED THAT GOD WILL HEAR YOU. HE WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU!

 

Copyright 2017 by Bill Hutzel

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

FOOTNOTE

[1] Chicago: Elevation Worship on Twitter: “At this moment in your life .., https://twitter.com/elevation_wrshp/status/822535117017116673 (accessed March 22, 2017).

Lest We Forget

Time with God cannot be hurried for fear that we will forget to commune with Him and transcend time and circumstances.

So often in the past, I would rush out of the house on my way to work without having had a personal time of prayer. My life was lackluster, lacking spiritual growth, and my dreams were not being fulfilled. I often felt as if God did not hear me, nor did he seem to answer my prayers. My prayers, I will refer to as “flash prayers” or “popcorn prayers”, were hurried and on the go. I was too busy to hear God and too busy to realize God’s vision for my life.

As I was reading from Oswald Chamber’s devotional this morning, the message was a reminder that we are to spend time with God if we are not to lose God’s vision and stay revived in His Word. “The only way to be obedient to ‘the heavenly vision’, is to give our utmost for His highest … This is accomplished when we make a determination to continually remember God’s vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life – sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer”.  We must continually ask the Lord to “bend our heart toward His that we might fall more deeply in love with Jesus”[1]. Neglect this instruction, and “it is at the risk of our own soul’s welfare that we get caught up in practical busy-work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.”[2]

God wants more than anything for us to spend quality time with Him. And when we take the time to seek His face, only then can we commune with Him and transcend both time and circumstances. Only then can our prayers be answered; only then can Revival be the power of Christ to transform us into His likeness; only then can we love others as Jesus loved us.  This is God’s vision and desire for us.

Time with God cannot be hurried.  It is essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7). Will you realize God’s vision for you and be revived by spending time with Him daily?

CONTINUE READING: “Time With God Cannot Be Hurried”

 

Copyright 2017 by Bill Hutzel

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

 

FOOTNOTES:
[1] Zarephath Christian Church sermon series, “Bend Me”, http://www.zarephath.org/sermonseries/
[2] Chicago: Obedience to the “Heavenly Vision” | My Utmost for His Highest, http://utmost.org/obedience-to-the-heavenly-vision/ (accessed February 09, 2017)

 

I’ll be happy when ….


(“Isolation” short video)

Unhappiness is a condition that affects many Americans at one point or another, and isolation often a byproduct.

The short film entitled “Isolation”  (click image link above), cleverly produced, directed and acted by Joe Narciso as part of a sermon series created by Renaissance Church in Summit, New Jersey served as the segue to the message “9 Habits of the Chronically Unhappy and the Biblical Steps Towards Joy”.  You can listen to the podcast message by clicking RenChurch link (then find topic “Habit 3: Isolation”, dated 01.22.17). In this segue video to the message,  Joe portrays a chronically unhappy person, who isolated from the world, sits home on his sofa sulking and watching re-runs of “The Golden Girls” on TV.   I don’t know what Joe’s obsession was, but if you are telling yourself “I’ll be happy only when …..”, then you will never be happy.

Joe, however, would eventually shed his protective shield that kept everyone at a distance, having learned that prayer works, and there is strength in being around others. 

Oh, sure, I also have been dealt circumstances in life that I’ve obsessed about. I have had my share of unhappiness, the doldrums, feeling sorry for myself, or wishing I were someone else, or concentrating on what’s wrong in life versus what’s right, or considering my future with worry or fear.  And I also had felt the isolation of withdrawing into myself, of not seeking others when I needed to be with people.

So, how do we get out of this endless cycle of negativity and isolation?  Because of the power of the unconscious mind, I find it difficult to overcome my feelings and emotions sometimes. “It takes a lot more than just positive thinking to get out of it.  Because as soon as you forget to be conscious, the unconscious is back in charge again.  Sound familiar”?[1]

Whatever your situation, whatever your unhappiness, whatever your reason for isolation, whatever your dissatisfaction with life, whether it be self-esteem, your job, your spouse, etc., rather than begrudge these things, first choose to look in the mirror and focus on “whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—keep thinking about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, ISV).  The Bible teaches that we are changed by the things we dwell on. Believers in Christ who behold in the mirror, or who “contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV).

Lastly, we must make a conscious effort to seek the fellowship of others, for this is God’s good and right design, and for your effort he says, He will bestow his blessing on you, and we will thrive again.  Hebrews 10:25 says “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

RELATED ARTICLE: “For As He Thinks Within Himself, So He Is”

                                                                 

Copyright 2017 by Bill Hutzel

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

 

FOOTNOTE: [1] http://www.lifetrainings.com/Your-unconscious-mind-is-running-you-life.html, It’s now a proven fact – Your unconscious mind is running your life!

My Hard Unhearing Heart

Those that will not wait for God’s counsel shall justly be given up to their own hearts’ lusts, to walk in their own counsel …. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul (Psalm 106:13, 15, NKJV).

Can you think of a time in your life when God allowed you to make a hasty decision because of your hard unhearing heart?  Oh, the stress, the worry, and even despair it caused as I quickly forgot God’s miracles of power and did not wait for Him to act.

In 2001, the small company of 50 employees whom I worked for was acquired by the 5th largest corporation in the world. I was one of 12 people invited to relocate with my company. Although I was pleased that I was asked to be one of a chosen few, I knew in my heart that it was the wrong decision to accept their offer of employment. Who was controlling my thinking? Who was directing my life? Was God ruling it, or was I?

Had I lost sight of God because of my insecurity, fears, and worries about finding another job or was the promise of a significant pay increase my reason for not seeking God’s direction?  Probably a little of both; and so, I reasoned that I could balance work and family and I accepted. Had I listened to God before making my decision to accept the offer; I might have spared myself months of distress. It would be 7-months later that my hard unhearing heart would be forced to listen.

Instead of a 40-minute commute to work, my 5:45 am commute was now two to three hours each way by car. On my trip to work, I sometimes found it necessary to pull over and close my eyes for 5-minutes so as not to nod at the wheel. The 20-ounce coffee usually helped, but a pit stop would always be pressing halfway to my destination. This got old very fast.

By 5 o’clock I would need to be on the road again if I was to get home in time to relieve my daughter’s Nanny of her duties. Leaving on time was not frowned upon by the company, as long as I got my assignments done on time. However, it was too often that I would inquire of a project’s due date that the reply was “it was due yesterday.”  Unfortunately, yesterday was not the answer I wanted to hear. This too got old rather quickly.

I was overworked; I became depressed, did not sleep well, I was sick more than usual, and my marriage was strained. There was no peace in the middle of my pain. I dreaded going to work. Some days it was necessary for me to get away from my desk and stretch out in a recliner, draw the curtains closed and take a 20-minute snooze in what were called “nap rooms.”  For a growing number of companies across the country, sleeping on the job was encouraged as a way to increase productivity and ease stress.

I used to work willingly and without complaining, donating my off-time nights, weekends, and sometimes vacations, to pursue the company’s best interests and my own. However, there was one day when I cracked.

On a Monday morning in November, my director called me into her office.  “Please sit-down Bill.” Now mind you, Gertrude was German. Germans are known for being very straightforward and goal-oriented. They also love rules, organization, and structure.  And, one more thing, they are punctual.  So, being too early (impatient) rather than on time is considered a virtue to them.

“Bill, we have three projects due this Friday that I would like you to complete,” she said.  I had now been with the company several months and had become apathetic and indifferent towards my job.  I was, as you say, burned out.  “That’s nice Gertrude,” I said.  “Pick one.”  I could see the surprised look on Gertrude’s face. “No, Bill, you misunderstand.  You have three projects due” she said.  “No, you misunderstood, Gertrude. Pick one” I replied.  I got up, left the room and closed her door.

Whatever got into me to be so bold?  Later that day, the Vice President of my past company that was acquired saw me passing his office and asked me to come in. “Bill, please shut the door.” “What’s up, Chester?” I asked.  “Watch your back,” he said.  “What do you mean?” I replied, playing dumb as if I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. “I think you know,” he said, “just watch your back. You’ve ruffled some people’s feathers here at the company.”

I asked Chester if he thought there might be a layoff shortly, with severance pay, and he nodded his head affirmatively.  I asked him “do you think you can put in a good word for me to get me laid off?” knowing full well that he did not have to intercede on my behalf, not one iota of a bit. I was surprised when he replied “Yeah, me too.”

I knew my days were numbered at the company now.  In December, there was a twenty percent layoff, and I would count as one of them. Chester was also let go. For the next 1 ½ years I became a “stay at home mom” taking care of my daughter. I was glad for the time off and was not “bad off” financially especially with the severance package the company gave me. For me, having been laid off was a blessing in disguise, although I had to learn the hard way because I followed my counsel rather than God’s counsel.

Here are 6 key verses for receiving God’s counsel

  1. Consider your actions before you do them and see that they agree with God’s plan for you, and then you can expect God’s blessing and success in them (Proverbs 4:26).
  2. Pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment. For I give you good doctrine; Do not turn away from my instruction (Proverbs 4:1-2 AMP)
  3. Regarding Wisdom, “Do not turn away from her and she will guard and protect you;
    Love her, and she will watch over you” (Proverbs 4:6 AMP).
  4. Pay attention to my words and be willing to learn; Open your ears to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; Keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing and health to all their flesh. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:20-23 AMP).
  5. Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there. (Proverbs 16:9, TPT)
  6. Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3, TPT)

Copyright 2017 by Bill Hutzel

JOIN INSPIRATION AND HOPE ON FACEBOOK BY CLICKING HERE

Christmas Eve Communion

I stood silently
staring into the burgundy depths
of the cup,
praying for oneness.

At the first salty-sweet taste
every cell in my body danced.

Your blood coursed
through my veins like holy fire
cleansing me,
lifting me out of myself
to a peace I’d never known …
where You come to me, Lord
as softly as the snow
when the air is silent and clear
and sounds carry
under the press of the atmosphere.

Softly    slowly
the first fine flakes
begin to fall,
dusting the trees and bushes
turning the woods
into an enchanted realm
of silvery white icons and Coptic lettering.

My heart opens wide
through the grace
of millions of fluttering wings
that flash and flicker
about my face
and glitter at my feet.
I fall to my knees, Awestruck.

Oh, Lord,
I am transformed in a flurry
of falling light and sparkling silence!

Reprinted with author Jon Haklik’s permission