How To Regain a Hope-Filled Perspective..LAURA LACEY JOHNSON

 How To Regain a Hope-Filled Perspective

LAURA LACEY JOHNSON, COMPEL Training Member

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.” Isaiah 43:18 (NLT)

“Show me your last cool trick!”

With this phrase, my kids knew the time had come to dry off at the swimming pool. They also knew this was their moment to show off and shine. Underwater flips transformed into twirling handstands. Cannonballs became an opportunity to go for gold at the Olympics. I could always expect that the “last cool trick” from yesterday would pale in comparison to what they’d perform today.

Watching my kids made me realize that sometimes I fear God has done His last cool trick in my life. Discouragement convinces me that my best days lie behind me — or that my situation is too complicated or insignificant for God to intervene and do something new.

Sure, God still does great things in other people’s lives, just not mine.

Maybe you’ve thought something similar. Perhaps God healed you several years ago, but the health crisis staring you down now makes you doubt God could ever do that miracle again. Or maybe God showed up years ago in your marriage in some wondrous way, but fear whispers: That was then, and this is now.

When doubt limits our belief about what God can do in the future, we risk developing the same mentality as the people to whom Isaiah prophesied. During the Babylonian captivity, the Jews lived in a foreign land with adversaries who dragged them more than 1,600 miles away from Jerusalem. Yet God gave them a message of hope because He wanted to lift their eyes beyond their current situation.

The Jewish captives had become stuck in the past. For centuries, they dwelled on the parting of the Red Sea and couldn’t imagine God doing anything more spectacular. (Isaiah 43:16-17; Exodus 14:21-30)

But God wanted to turn their gaze toward the future. Reflecting on this miraculous event, God declared, “forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do” (Isaiah 43:18). Why would God want them to forget one of the most powerful miracles in their exodus from Egypt?

Because God had something new for them!

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19, NLT)

Even when our situation and future look as dry as desert sand, we can remember that, for generations, God has specialized in doing a new thing in wastelands. Fear should never hold hostage our hope. Our situation will change. God will never abandon us.

This week, pay attention anytime you place a lid on a household item: the coffee can, leftovers, the crockpot. Ask yourself, Where am I putting a lid on my faith?

We can regain a hope-filled perspective by remembering that God’s response to us remains the same today as to the ancient Israelites. God is always doing something new, and we can rest in His proven track record of faithfulness.

Lord, I can relate to the Jewish captives who thought their situation would never change. Thank You for how You’ve worked in my life in the past, and help me remember that my circumstances never limit Your power. Keep reminding me that You care about my situation and You work on my behalf even when I can't see any evidence yet. Please lift my eyes beyond my current situation. Do a new transformative work in me as I trust in Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Powerful Practice of Fasting..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Powerful Practice of Fasting

Dr. Charles Stanley

Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah's brother arrived from Judah with some bad news: the Israelites living in Jerusalem were in great trouble. After hearing about their plight, Nehemiah fasted and prayed to the Lord for several days. During this time, he discovered God wanted him to ask the king of Persia for help.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us center our attention on the Lord and discover His will so we may act according to it. People fast in different ways: some abstain from food while others refrain from various activities. The period of time can vary as well. But the focus in each case is to be the same—to seek God and know His will.

When we begin to deny ourselves, several things happen. First, the Holy Spirit will enable us to set aside earthly matters. Relationships, work, and pleasure will take a lesser place in our mind as we concentrate on Him and His purposes. Second, our attention will shift from ourselves to the Lord. Thinking will become clearer, and our ability to understand God's plans will sharpen because we are not distracted by other things.

Third, the Lord is probably going to do some spiritual housecleaning in our lives. His Spirit will convict us of sinful attitudes or behavior. Upon confession of our sin, we'll be forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9).

When unexpected news greets us, we—like Nehemiah—may find our emotions in turmoil. He wisely sought the Lord through fasting and prayer. This powerful practice can also help us to hear clearly from our heavenly Father, who knows the best way through every situation.

What Cain and Able Teach Us about the Way Out of Sin..Jennifer Waddle

 What Cain and Able Teach Us about the Way Out of Sin

by Jennifer Waddle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7

Even though I already know the outcome of the story, each time I read Genesis 4, I find myself thinking, Sin is right outside your door, Cain! Hurry, get a broom and sweep it off the porch!

But as we know, God’s warning went unheeded. Cain proceeded to rise up against his brother and kill him. Cain did not understand that the KEY to mastering sin—yielding to the Lord’s admonition.

It’s really no different with us, is it? We get a “check” in our spirit—a warning from God—yet we choose to ignore Him. The Lord not only warns us when our sin is right outside the door, He gives us everything we need to rule over it.

Here are 3 ways the Lord provides a way out of sin.

1. “…but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1Corinthians 10:13

Our temptations are never more than we can bear. Even when they feel overpowering, God always provides the way out. In times of temptation, we can ASK the Lord to show us the nearest escape route—and count on Him to provide it.

2. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Sin feels powerful. Its grip can seem too strong to loosen. However, sin is weak and powerless against the One who lives in us. We have the ultimate Source of strength, yet we either try to fight the temptation on our own, or we completely ignore the Holy Spirit.

Once we declare that God lives in us, nothing can stand against it! The way out of sin is yielding to the Spirit. For it’s not by our power or might, but by His Spirit says the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)

3. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:2

When God questioned Cain about his anger, He knew exactly what Cain’s intentions were. The Lord’s thought-provoking questions were an attempt to get him to stop and think about his actions.

If you read all of Genesis 4, the Bible explains that Cain did not give the first fruits of the land, while Abel offered God the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel’s offering, but Cain’s, He rejected. Cain was overcome with evil because he refused to do what was good.

For us, choosing to do what is right, even when we don’t feel like it, will triumph evil every time. So, the next time sin is crouching at your door, go ahead and grab that broom. Sweep it away before it even stands a chance!

A Prayer to Help You Find Courage..Betsy de Cruz

 A Prayer to Help You Find Courage

By: Betsy de Cruz

“For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” - 2 Chronicles 20:12b, ESV

Afraid doesn’t begin to describe how I felt when it got dark and my daughter didn’t come home. I called her five times but kept getting a recording. Finally, I telephoned the friend she’d met earlier in the day. “She left an hour ago to catch the bus. Isn’t she home yet?” the girl said.

My husband and I felt desperate and didn’t know what to do. He grabbed the car keys to go out and look for her, but how on earth could we find our daughter in a city of four million people?

An hour later, she walked in the door, and relief flooded my soul. She’d gotten lost and her phone had died.

Have you ever been caught in a hard place where you just didn't know what to do and felt afraid of possible outcomes?

Maybe you're there now.

My situation only lasted a few hours, but yours may still be going on. A health problem, financial crunch, or troubled marriage can make you feel like you’re at the end of your rope.

For situations when fear and uncertainty are getting the best of us, I love the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. When a great multitude comes to attack Judah, King Jehoshaphat is scared to death, but he resolves to seek God. He proclaims a fast, and all of Israel comes together to seek God.

God then speaks to His people through a prophet, “Do not be afraid…the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15b). The following day as Jehoshaphat’s army begins to sing and praise the Lord, God sets an ambush against their enemies.

This story teaches us several life principles to help us navigate hard situations with courage:

1) If you're feeling scared, keep your eyes on God. Set your heart on seeking Him.

2) Remember the battle is the Lord's. He is fighting for you.

3) You will see victory as you praise God.

When you’re at the end of your rope, remember all you have to do is keep your eyes on Jesus. At the right time, He will show you how to move forward.

Keep your eyes on Him today, friend. Raise a hallelujah and take courage. Victory is on the way. We don't know how and when it will come, but in Christ, we are more than conquerors. Let's praise the God who goes before us.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,
I praise you today for your great power and love. Thank you for your mercy. Through the death of Jesus, you have rescued me from sin, and I praise your name.

Lord, you know the situation I am facing. I truly do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you. I trust you will show me the best way to handle my challenges. In your perfect timing, show me what to do. Give me grace to keep my eyes on you.

Lord, I praise you for the victory you won at the cross. You defeated sin and death forever. You are Alpha and Omega, the eternal God who has rescued your children. Help me remember you go before me and will never leave me. I am not alone; you fight my battles. I praise and thank you in advance for the way you will work. I cannot see it now, but give me grace to walk by faith, not by sight. 

I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you, and I will praise your great name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Healing Exposure..Annie Yorty

 Healing Exposure

By Annie Yorty

"Let all who fear the Lord repeat: 'His faithful love endures forever.' In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free" (Psalm 118:4-5 NLT).

“Ewww.” I scrunched my face at the sight of fat, juicy earthworms littering the path to my mailbox. Too lazy to go back inside the house for shoes, I tiptoed around them, wary of touching the wriggling invertebrates with my bare feet. A drenching rain after a hot, dry spell had floated the worms to the surface seeking oxygen. Now the July sun blazed overhead, quickly heating the pavement and baking the slimy creatures. An hour later, most of the worms lay shriveled and dying on the sidewalk. Only a few escaped the carnage wrought by the sun. Those creatures from the mud remind me of things hidden in my life—past wounds and sins I’ve buried—that resurface during stressful times.

Wounds burrow into our lives from our earliest days—cutting criticism from a teacher, a bully’s insults, parents who split up, a father who abandoned the family. I have a friend whose beloved grandma died when he was ten years old. No one helped him understand his grief, so he stuffed his loss deep inside. Another friend cannot escape the echoes of her older brother’s jeers about her appearance. Children display remarkable resilience because they often absorb and normalize these painful events. We assume all is well because they seem to move on, but their wounds lurk in the dark.

Adults also bury hurts. Rifts in relationships, being passed over for a promotion, rejection, and many other wounds and sins litter our lives. Wounds usually come from the poor choices of others. But what about the pain we inflict in the form of both unconscious and deliberate sins? Left unconfessed, these also dig into our lives and find lodging. 

God warns about how bitterness demoralizes us when wounds and sins remain under the surface, unexposed. “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). 

Did you catch that? Bitterness troubles you and corrupts others. But this verse also offers hope—the hope that God’s grace overcomes every awful effect of bitterness. God’s grace comes in many surprising forms. Sometimes it washes over us like a soft rain gently nourishing the earth. Other times, we find His grace in the middle of flashing lightning and cracks of thunder. 

Just as a driving rain floats worms to the surface, so too the stresses of life bring out lingering bitterness from painful wounds or sins. I confess this is true in my own life. I skip along my path happily ignoring some old problem I’d rather not address. Sooner or later, though, stress triggers me to lash out according to my past, unresolved hurts. My “worms” lay exposed on the sidewalk of my life, ready for the light of God’s grace.

Maybe you, like me, have chafed at the discomfort, embarrassment, or regret you feel when God exposes issues we’ve carefully hidden. Have you considered that God, in grace and mercy, may be using your circumstances to push them out from underground to shine His healing light upon them?

Though God’s intense light glares painfully, exposure is the first step toward true healing. In Ephesians 5:10-11 NLT, Apostle Paul advises, “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” God’s light of grace shrivels bitterness that has grown fat in darkness until it can no longer tunnel back underground.

Why not cooperate with God when He allows pressure-filled circumstances to uncover what’s wriggling under the surface of your life? Begin by thanking Him for the grace of struggles that reveal your slimy worms. Then settle yourself under His examination light while it burns up any bitterness your circumstances revealed. Praise Him as He clears away dried-up carcasses from the past, so they no longer control you. Finally, revel in the freedom to walk barefoot without tiptoeing around the worms of the past.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
What “worms” is God bringing to the surface of your life? In what ways do you see Him working to heal past wounds or problems with sin?

Further Reading:
Hebrews 12:5-15