Over Coming The Temptation To Give Up Hope

Today I was encouraging a friend who is faced with some health challenges. It was completely effortless to send her messages of hope because everything that I said to her is something that I truly believe. By His stripes we are healed I told her. Where we are weak He is strong. I told her these things to remind her of who we are in Christ. I told her these things because I know just how easy it is to be at a point where you are so tempted to just give up.

Many people believe that Christians, especially those of strong faith, are not tempted in this way. They believe that you do not have battles with hope if you have a strong prayer life, are rooted in a ministry, and outwardly show a strong sense of faith. I must share with you just how untrue that is. We all have moments where we are so challenged by situations that we can't see our way out. We all have been affected by a health crisis either personally or through family and friends. We've all had a moment where our ability to trust was compromised by a hurt. We've lost loved ones, jobs, and homes. In many of those moments, we were able to remember that God was right there with us. However, if we are honest with ourselves we can admit that there were many moments where the lure of our own fears and inadequacies tempted us to give up.

These temptations are the quiet ones that don't receive all of the notoriety and fame. We speak often of being tempted to have sex, drink, lie, gossip, and overeat. Rarely is there a discussion about being tempted to give up hope, being tempted to walk away from your faith, or being tempted to turn your back on God. We hide from these conversations because we are embarrassed or ashamed. What we must realize is that we are not alone. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who have overcome these temptations. This is why it is so important to assemble with other believers to share your faith as well as how you overcame your fears.

God is always with us. He assures us that in His word. Do your best to rest in the knowledge that He will not allow you to be tempted without also providing you a way out.

Adayinthelife :-)