You know you’re losing hope when you stop talking about the promises of God. All of a sudden, there is no song on your lips; you sit in a trance during the church service not knowing when the sermon has begun and when it has ended; You no longer have a Rhema (living Word) for anyone around you. In fact, you barely exist.
To lose hope is a dangerous thing. Hope is the root of faith (Faith is the substance of things hoped for- Hebrews 11:1). It is the catalyst to believe. And for your faith to be activated, you must have hope that what you are longing for is possible. In fact your whole salvation- your being saved, is based on your hope that God exists. If your hope fails then, you lose the ability to believe that He could send His Son to die for you. You also lose the ability to believe in all of the promises He has for you.
You need to know that the enemy snatches your hope away through disappointments. If you lose your job, you are ultimately disappointed. The same thing applies if you lose a loved one, you didn’t get the grade you want, you didn’t get the money you needed to pay the bill. It gets worse if after several tries of ‘hoping’ that God will come through…nothing happens. Little by little, disappointment by disappointment, you stop hoping.
Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
but a sudden good break can turn life around.- Prov 13:12
It’s important that when these times come, you fight back. How do you fight back? Well if hope is a root, then you have to make sure it’s watered. I actually got this revelation while watching a cartoon in which a talking baby plant was transferred from a pot to a garden by her human friend. The plant felt like dying and didn’t know why. She later realized that what she needed more than anything was water. The next verse in Proverbs depicts the same thing.
Ignore the Word and suffer- Prov 13:13
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Perhaps Solomon when He was ranting words of wisdom, did not mean to connect the two verses. But I believe God did. What do you do when you feel like you’re losing hope? You’ve got to water your hope with the Word. It will be a fight, but encourage yourself with an audio-bible, or a song of praise, force your lips open and sing praises. Think on things that are good. Recall things that God has done for you. And above all, share your faith with someone. Something supernatural happens when during your depressed times, you witness to someone. It motivates you.
Prayer point: Father, help me to find solace in your word when I am discouraged…Bring to mind a song of praise and impress upon my lips to sing it. Holy Spirit come alive in me. Activate my spirit. Be a light in me.
