Dark blankets of fog…thoughts that weigh down like anchors…heaviness that fills our bodies; and we wonder how we can possibly escape these places in our minds. The longer we focus on the feelings, the larger they grow. Where do we find hope?
This is the silver-platter of lies that the enemy whispers into our hearts. The words that fall on us, heavy and hopeless and we question whether the darkness of winter will ever pass.
One of the dangers that can threaten each one of us as we tentatively lift the silver lid of the new year is the hopelessness we can experience. It can haunt us, frighten us, and even steal from us all that God intends for us to enjoy on the platter of a fresh beginning.
Certain lies appear innocent enough in the moment, but once they slip in the back door of our minds it’s hard to control where they roam.
If we were sitting together today over a cup of steaming tea this afternoon, discussing what some of the most deadly lies would be, what would you say? I know what I would say…I would look deep into your eyes and gently caution you, “One of the most deadly lies is the lie that your situation does not have any hope!”
Maybe the lies of hopelessness seem foolish to you, like; ‘There’s no hope – this baby is NEVER going to sleep through the night!’ You know in your head that eventually this child will sleep soundly but it FEELS hopeless in the moment, doesn’t it?
What about a lie, like: ‘There’s no hope – this toddler is NEVER going to master potty training!’ Again, we know that this is not the way it will always be, but when we’ve reached our points of exhaustion it FEELS utterly impossible that this stage will ever end.
Then we can hear more serious lies, like; ‘There’s no hope – my marriage is in an awful place and it can NEVER change.’ This can FEEL more alive than other lies because it goes to the deep end of hopelessness, but it’s still not the truth.
If we look back to the three examples above we can see two words that repeat each other over and over – do you see them? They are the words NEVER and FEELS. Do you know why it’s so important to recognize this? Because identifying these two words can be a key to unlocking the door from our head to our heart for the deadly lie of hopelessness.
When we hear ourselves thinking “never” or evaluating our momentary circumstances based on how we “feel”, it should be a flashing red emergency light! It says we are determining the hope of the future based on what we see and feel, not on what God’s truth says.
We don’t know what God is about to do, and we have no idea of how God is about to turn things around, IF we give these things over to Him.
God is the one who wants to be invited to write the endings; and His Word says…
• In ALL things He works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)
• He is with us in trouble and delivers us (Psalm 91:15)
• His plan is to prosper us and give us HOPE (Jeremiah 29:11)
What are the areas that are surfacing feelings of hopelessness right now? Babies? Money? Teenagers? Whatever they are, God is MORE than able to write HIS ending of hope. We need to pick these things up and place them in His capable hands.
We can’t buy the deadly lie that there is no hope! Let’s slam the silver lid closed tight on the platter of the lies that the enemy is tempting us with and take them captive. It’s our choice to make those thoughts obedient to God’s truth, and He is waiting to help us.
Smother those dark lies with God’s bright truth. Hold tight to His hope – we have no idea what’s just around the corner.
About Kristen Habermehl
You have shared something that can be so haunting so simply. Thank you and in doing so, have let us know that this can be mastered simply too if we never give up or in.