Helpless but not hopeless

TJohn 5:1-15 his man has been a cripple for 38 years and made his way to this place of healing. Several attempts to get into the water first after an angel stirred it, failed but he did not give up. He did not leave the place. What kept him there? HOPE! He had hope that one day he will succeed. Like father Abraham, he was hoping against hope until one day help came to the helpless. He told Jesus he had no man to help him get into the water. He had no help but he had hope. He was helpless but he was not hopeless.

Many people would have been discouraged and given up but not this man.

Causes of discouragement -we are discouraged

- When the unexpected happens - it derails plans etc. - When your best is not enough. - When things don’t turn out the way we planned.

- When people attack you or turn their backs on you without cause.

Hope dies when vision dies. Vision is the ability to see a preferred future. It is what I perceive my future to be i.e. you can’t have hope looking at your past. Without hope there can be no faith. Hope is the first step towards exercising faith. I cannot pursue what I don’t believe is possible.

Hope is the expectation of positive change or improvement that motivates one to hang on in the face of adversity. Hope is painting a very bright picture of your future, hanging it in every chamber of your heart and actively expecting it.

Oxford dictionary : Expectation and desire for a thing.

: Person or thing giving cause for hope. Hope means to expect or desire. Vision + Hope + Action = Faith Hope is based on an inspiring information or belief. What is your source of information? No information is neutral. It will either motivate you or de-motivate you. Inspire or discourage you. The power of hope 1. HOPE gives rise to endurance (Romans 12:12). I endure today’s pain because I expect gain. The hope of having a baby enables a woman to endure the discomforts of pregnancy and the pain of labour. 2. HOPE enables us to take risks. 3. HOPE generates energy. Hopelessness drains one of it. You can never have the energy to pursue what you don’t believe is possible. Mental, emotional, physical strength. You invest yourself in what you believe can succeed.

4. HOPE is necessary for survival. Without hope there can be no victory. Hope is an anchor (Hebrews 6:19).

5. HOPE protects against failure, defeat and shame (Job 11:18). People who have hope never come to shame-Hope maketh not ashamed.

6. HOPE increases your chances of winning. It multiplies your possibilities. It is amazing how one hope leads to another; how one open door can lead to other open doors! It allows you to see new methods of solving your problem.

7. HOPE attracts help. It pulls people and resources towards you. It is easier to help a man struggling to lift himself than someone who has given up. If the man had left and gone home in despair, he would have missed his opportunity. 8. Love enhances hope. The Bible links love and hope (1 Corinthians 13:7). Hope dies when you perceive life to be cruel, harsh and wicked. But then you can feel love you can have hope-looking at your messed up past focusing on your present difficulties and problems. You can only have hope focusing on your future. Focusing on the solution, focusing on the possibilities and opportunities. Hope means you are not looking for closed doors but open doors.

It means you are not grieving over dead relationships but looking forward to fresh opportunities.

It means your heart is not filled with regrets concerning failed ventures or disastrous outcomes but the endless new opportunities and possibilities promised by God. We are looking at the “new thing” He has promised to do in our lives and not the old things we have missed. We move from “if only that did not happen” to “when I hit it,” “when I get it right,” “when I make it.” You should be thinking: when I find the right man or woman, when I get the car of my dream, when my baby comes, when my breakthrough comes, etc. Ways to develop hope 1. Think possibilities. Think encouraging thoughts. Understand that God sees and knows your problems. Believe God is working a miracle in your life. A small man is made of small thoughts. A hopeful man is made of hopeful thoughts. Think “I can”, “I will”; “it’s not over yet”; “there is a way out of this” etc

2. Verbalise encouraging words. Faith comes by hearing. (Take heed therefore how you hear). Your word creates your world. Never speak anything you don’t want to see in your life. You are a spirit being made in the image of God designed to function like Him. You are designed to have whatever you say. Bless yourself with your mouth.

3. Relate only with encouraging friends. Remove Yourself From Fearful People. Avoid people who are always afraid, angry, and paranoid - especially during your discouragement. Read the Bible and the books of those who survived great difficulties.

4. Ask for filling of confidence and love that is greater than fear. The Bible says love casts out fear. People who feel loved don’t lose hope easily.

5. Make a list of opportunities around you. It helps you focus on what’s possible. I don’t want what was but what I can be. Life never leaves you without options-the options may be small, or tough or narrow but there are always options. It came with the will. God gave us will because He gave us options. That is why we make choices. There are no dead-end situations but only dead-end thinkers. The Bible says God always gives us a way of escape. “When the road is closed, look up.” There is always help from above. When Hagar ran out of water, God told her to lift up her eyes-she saw a well of water. When Israel got to the edge of the red sea, Moses looked up. He received instruction that led to their deliverance and the destruction of their pursuers. There is a way out of your present difficult situation or problem. May God open your eyes to find it! You will come out!

6. Take up the shield of faith. Encourage yourself in the Lord. Trust in God. Fill your heart with the Word of God. I love Psalms 119:4950; it says, “Remember the Word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy Word hath quickened me.” Hoping in God’s promises brings comfort in affliction.