Thread by @2runtherace

Setting Our Will To His — Overcoming Despar!

Sometimes we don’t ‘feel’ like moving forward. Sometimes it ‘feels’ like our lives will always be ruled by our past, or the consequences of our sins.

Sometimes we may ‘feel’ distraught by what ‘feels’ like an endless cycle of hope and despair.

In these times of hopelessness and despair, we must remember that faith is not a ‘feeling’!

Faith is believing in the faithfulness of the LORD and His Word!

The Word tells us that faith supersedes ‘feeling’! Faith believes even when we don’t see or ‘feel’hope!

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Many years ago I wrote the words below in a time of despair. I wrote them as a declaration of what I willed to do, by His Spirit, despite my ‘feelings’ at the time.

Here was my declaration of the things I willed to do by faith!

“I will to trust, I will to abide, I will to rest, I will to stay with Him and let Him be my stay, I will to walk in faith, I will to believe, I will to rejoice, I will to be thankful, I will to be merciful…

I will to love, I will to forgive, I will to praise Him, I will to do good, I will to give, I will to wait patiently, I will to be still, I will to sing, I will to rest assured in His promises to us, I will to hope, I will to speak His Words to others, I will to obey Him…

I will to submit to Him, I will to fix my heart and mind on His Word, I will to receive His peace, I will to breathe in His Spirit and breathe out my worries, I will to stand firm, I will to magnify God, I will to fight with His Kingdom power…

I will to hold fast the confession of my faith in God, I will to be steadfast and immoveable, I will to trust wholly, I will to be carefree! I will to refuse worry, I will to refuse doubt and unbelief, I will to refuse to fear, I will to refuse anxious thoughts…

I will to refuse discouragement, I will to refuse despair, I will to refuse to waver, I will to refuse to lean on my own understanding!”

I believe Paul understood this ‘feeling’ too. That’s why he determined to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

You see beloved, no matter how we ‘feel’ we must too press forward, determined to walk by faith not ‘feelings’!

Philippians 3:8-14
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my LORD: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Job, Paul, David, Elijah, and many others knew the ‘feeling’ of despair we sometimes experience; the ‘feeling’ of being trapped in a pit of despair. They also learned that in these times, God was their Comforter, and Deliverer!

2 Corinthians 1:3-8
Blessed be God, even the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,

that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.

David , even in His despair recounted the goodness of the LORD towards those who wait for Him! He knew that after the pit there would come rejoicing! He knew that other people would one day see the deliverance and goodness of the LORD towards him and trust in the LORD themselves!

Psalm 40:1-17
I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my goings.

And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; mine ears hast Thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast Thou not required.

Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy Law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest.

I have not hid Thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation: I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation.

Withhold not Thou Thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let Thy lovingkindness and Thy Truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it;

Let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: let such as love Thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Job, when tested despaired of his life. He questioned why he was even born! But through the testing, he learned even more about the God he served! He drew close to Him, and saw Him as never before!

Job 3:3; 42:5
Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. [42:5] I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.

Are you in a pit of hopelessness and despair today? Are you having a hard time seeing the good up ahead?

Psalm 27:13-14
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

The times of deepest darkness and despair in my life have also brought about the greatest spiritual growth in my life!

God uses these times to give us an empathy for others going through similar pits of despair, we would never have known — Just like the passage above tells us He will — He is the God of all comfort for us, so we can comfort others!

Beloved, He will lift you up out of every pit of despair. His Spirit in you, will enable you to walk by faith!

Lift your eyes to Him continually!

Psalm 121:1-2
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

Let’s close with a little of the story of Elijah. Elijah had just experienced the power of God, yet after this huge victory, he found himself in the wilderness despairing of his very life!

The angel of the LORD came and encouraged Elijah. I would encourage you to read all of 1 Kings 18 and 19 for the full story.

1 Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Each day, each moment, we can choose to live in hopelessness and despair, or we can determine, or will to walk by faith in His promises. Will you set your will to walk by faith?
#EyesOnHim

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