{"id":18607,"date":"2014-04-06T07:55:30","date_gmt":"2014-04-06T07:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?page_id=18607"},"modified":"2014-09-09T04:42:34","modified_gmt":"2014-09-09T04:42:34","slug":"stuck-in-the-heartache-of-deferred-hope","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/stuck-in-the-heartache-of-deferred-hope","title":{"rendered":"Stuck in the Heartache of Deferred Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
by Steven Gledhill<\/strong>\u00a0for FREEdom from MEdom Project<\/h5>\n

“Expectation is the root of all heartache.”<\/em> —William Shakespeare<\/h3>\n

\"2-51\"<\/a>
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\nHere is a question to get things started:<\/p>\n

Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that Jesus is uniquely qualified as our advocate before the Father since He during His time in the flesh experienced everything common to the human experience\u2014physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Can you think of a events in the Gospels when even Jesus experienced sickness of heart because of deferred hope?<\/p>\n

There was the garden experience when Jesus was tempted understandably by human desire to change the plan He was originally a part of from the foundation of creation that required Him to be sacrificed in response to my free will to choose against the will of God. There is the crucifixion that lead to the severing of fellowship with the Father; and there was three days of who knows what that likely included condemnation for my sin and yours.<\/p>\n

There may also be deferred hope in the human-like spirit of Jesus today in anticipation of the time of perfection when we will all join in Him in glory. There might even be the deferred hope for eternity while separated from those who rejected Him that may leave a portion of the heart of Jesus forever sick. It is in that vein that perhaps even Jesus, fully God, identifies with yearning for something even He can never have; fellowship with His sons and daughters who have rejected relationship with Him, and have therefore aligned themselves with their sins, the same sins condemned with Jesus in His crucifixion until His resurrection. I think I need to appreciate that more about my Lord.<\/p>\n

The event I have in mind, however, is the time when Jesus would bring Lazarus back from paradise where he had realized the dream fulfilled having entered into the life and time of perfection with his Lord. Jesus brought him back and was not happy about it. Sure He was happy for his family and friends but I surmise that the heart of Jesus ached for Lazarus. In fact, the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus was deeply angered and troubled; perhaps because Lazarus would return to suffer in a life wrought with oppression and so much disappointment.<\/p>\n

32\u00a0When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, \u201cLord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

33\u00a0When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was \".<\/a>deeply troubled.<\/strong>\u00a034\u00a0\u201cWhere have you put him?\u201d he asked them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They told him, \u201cLord, come and see.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a035\u00a0Then Jesus wept.<\/strong>\u00a036\u00a0The people who were standing nearby said, \u201cSee how much he loved him!\u201d<\/strong>\u00a037\u00a0But some said, \u201cThis man healed a blind man. Couldn\u2019t he have kept Lazarus from dying?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

38\u00a0Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.<\/strong>\u00a039\u00a0\u201cRoll the stone aside,\u201d Jesus told them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But Martha, the dead man\u2019s sister, protested, \u201cLord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

40\u00a0Jesus responded, \u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you that you would see God\u2019s glory if you believe?\u201d<\/strong>\u00a041\u00a0So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, \u201cFather, thank you for hearing me.<\/strong>\u00a042\u00a0You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a043\u00a0Then Jesus shouted, \u201cLazarus, come out!\u201d<\/strong>\u00a044\u00a0And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, \u201cUnwrap him and let him go!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is usually taught that Jesus was angry or frustrated at the lack of faith of his closest followers. I struggle with that. Except for the disciples, most had not seen a resurrection. His disciples had seen a young girl (the daughter of Jairus) resurrected that had been dead for a minute but Lazarus had been in a tomb for four days. I have to believe that the Son of God was bigger and deeper and more compassionate than someone who would be angry that believers doubted the possibility of resurrection; having seen their brother and friend suffer into death.<\/p>\n

While Jesus could have been human enough to be a little bit unnerved when confronted by Mary, I do not for a moment believe he was deeply angry from his gut with her or anyone else. I don\u2019t think he was mad at anyone. I think he was angry at evil and death and that he had regret about bringing Lazarus back from the life of the dream fulfilled to the sickness of deferred hope—that Lazarus will die (and perhaps suffer) yet again. I believe that being deeply angered and troubled comes from his own deferred hope making his own heart sick. It\u2019s in that sense that Jesus brought Lazarus from life back to death\u2014from resurrected new life back to the sin-produced process of imminent physical death.<\/p>\n

Their was probably a festive celebration for the return of Lazarus. Jesus likely attended. But only Jesus and Lazarus would experience the heartache of deferred hope now that Lazarus knew what he was missing. Having been present with the Lord, Lazarus would understand better than anyone the fulfillment of the promise of the inheritance. Jesus loved Lazarus so much, I believe it broke his heart to bring Lazarus back into the evil and death of the world. It is the death and hate in the world that stinks so bad. Deeply distressed about it, Jesus wept for his friend. (For a deeper study of this read\u00a0If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now<\/a>)<\/p>\n

To Be Honest\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I had not until recently even considered going deeper into the matter of hope. Then I attended a workshop in the western suburbs of Chicago by Margaret \u00a0Nagib, Psy.D.\u00a0called From Hoping to Coping. Since then, the matter about what hope is and what hope is not, has revisited my mind on a number of occasions.<\/p>\n

I recently had a conversation with the Director of the agency where I work about following my dream. I shared with him an interest of mine and he immediately sensed that I was talking about something bigger than just another opportunity. He said that there isn\u2019t anyone who can tell him not to follow and pursue his dream. Not his wife; not his best friend; not his employer; no one. He encouraged me to follow my dream; my life\u2019s calling.<\/p>\n

What is your dream today? What are you hoping for?<\/p>\n

Hope defined is \u201cto want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.\u201d Included in its definition is \u201cto cherish a desire with anticipation\u201d; \u201cto desire with expectation of obtainment\u201d; and \u201cto expect with confidence\u201d; meaning \u201cto trust in\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

Therefore, since we have been made right in God\u2019s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and\u00a0we confidently and joyfully look forward<\/em>\u00a0to sharing God\u2019s glory.\u00a0We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character\u00a0strengthens our confident hope<\/em>of salvation. And\u00a0this hope will not lead to disappointment<\/em>.\u00a0For we know<\/em>\u00a0how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.\u00a0<\/strong>Romans 5:1-5 (NLT)<\/p>\n

So where does the problem lie? Why doesn\u2019t this promise just solve everything for me? Why do I worry? Why am I anxious? Why so stressed? Why the heartache?<\/p>\n

Author\u2019s note: You will see that I write here in the first person. As you read, please read the following in the first person as in an attempt to gauge it might apply to you.<\/em><\/p>\n

I can do all things in the strength of my relationship with Jesus, and indeed His grace is sufficient for me. So why do I ever doubt in the hope I have living within the confines of this transcendent reality of my life in Christ? Is it just me?<\/p>\n

We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.<\/strong>\u00a0Philippians 3:20 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Stuck in the Mud<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The answer to these questions really is quite obvious when I dare to really think about it. It would appear that as long as I live in the human reality of this age, I have been set free from sin by the generous sacrifice of Jesus, bathed in grace, but my feet are still trudging through the mud, and I find myself preoccupied with how to move and get around in the mud. I become stuck until my heart grows sick. Especially when I know in my heart that, at least in theory, I have been set free. My focus of who I am in relationship with Jesus blurs until I do not even recognize that about myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Peter protested, \u201cyou will never ever wash my feet!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus replied,\u00a0\u201cUnless I wash you, you won\u2019t belong to me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simon Peter exclaimed, \u201cThen wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus replied,\u00a0\u201cA person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,\u00a0to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.\u201d For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said,\u00a0\u201cNot all of you are clean.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>John 13:8-11 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Peter the disciple wanted for Jesus to wash him from head to toe, not understanding that in relationship with Christ he was in a good place; in good standing in the favor of the Lord God. By the grace of God, Peter was a citizen of heaven. Jesus told Peter that he didn\u2019t need a bath; that only his feet were dirty. So Jesus graciously washed clean Peter\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n

Peter\u2019s hope was tied to a man he needed to believe in. Peter, a Jewish man, tried tirelessly as a fisherman to raise his family under the tyranny of a supremacist government that didn\u2019t have much use for him or his kind. Peter came into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and in Jesus was birthed Peter\u2019s dream that would bring an end to reckless injustice and ring in freedom and the blessing of living under the reign of a just loving righteous king.<\/p>\n

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.<\/strong>\u00a0Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Jesus spoke of needing to die so that mankind could live forever but Peter did not understand the good news in those words. Peter understood that Jesus was the Savior for him and his people against Roman oppression but that dream of better days would not be possible if the Savior is dead. It made know sense.<\/p>\n

Then Peter witnessed his would-be king get arrested and sentenced to death. Jesus promised resurrection but only Jesus had the power to raise the dead. How could Jesus do that if he himself was dead? Who would resurrect Jesus?<\/p>\n

Oh how Peter would struggle with that. Peter would again walk in some mud. Hope deferred made Peter\u2019s heart very sick. The same man who walked on water with Jesus would struggle again in the mud to the point that he denied even knowing Jesus when overcome by the doubt of his experience; losing hope as his dream of freedom under the rule of a loving king died with Jesus.<\/p>\n

Peter would be sick for a few more days until his hope was reborn as his dream came back to life. The substance of his hope was fulfilled in the evidence of the resurrection of his loving king. It wouldn\u2019t even matter that Jesus would leave him again since this time the Spirit of the king would come in and live inside the mind and will of the man and all men and women that believe. While this king was not visible to the eye, his presence was manifest in the real-life experiences of believers. At it was then, it is now.<\/p>\n

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.<\/strong>\u00a0Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)<\/p>\n

Peter would be so certain in his relationship with God in the person of Jesus Christ that he would realize the presence of God to the extent that the experience of miracles was realized through the ministry of Peter; all done under the authority of the Father as powerful as it was through the ministry of his predecessor, Jesus himself. Peter would live the rest of his life in the realization of his dream fulfilled since he functioned as a citizen of heaven; not at all preoccupied with the mud his feet were in. As he died a martyr\u2014himself crucified (upside down), while it was most certainly physical torture, Peter prepared in his spirit to meet the loving king he had served in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. His dream fulfilled was his tree of new life.<\/p>\n

The same Spirit that lived in Peter some two thousand years ago is alive in me, and is alive in you through a relationship with the loving king, Jesus Christ. So why don\u2019t I live each day with the confidence that comes through hope realized in the experience of being in relationship with Jesus as a citizen of heaven? Jesus Christ by His Spirit lives in me. Since Jesus is with me and within me, who can be against me that stands any chance of taking anything from me? Why do I fear? What do I fear? Why the doubt? Why the lack of faith? What\u2019s missing in me that Peter fully understood and experienced years before he died?<\/p>\n

When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own\u00a0by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God\u2019s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.<\/strong>\u00a0Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)<\/p>\n

I have experienced the presence of God by way of His Spirit alive within me. I am confident that I am in real relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I have the guarantee of the promised inheritance purchased by way of Christ\u2019s sacrifice for my sin.<\/p>\n

Are you getting this so far, because I am getting to the point.<\/p>\n

Hope Deferred by Resisting Repentance\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The sickness in my heart is tied to my sin. It is forgiven sin but sin nonetheless. My sin nature is by nature dysfunctional in its addictive quality. So while I do confess my sin and God is faithful and just to forgive my sin (1 John 1:9)\u2014meaning that when I confess my sin God\u00a0has<\/em>\u00a0to forgive me since the debt for it was paid over the course of three days and nights in the sacrifice of His Son.<\/p>\n

The issue then is not my standing in relationship with Christ. The issue at hand is the conflict within me that leaves me feeling unworthy. Scripture declares that you and I are worthy of the inheritance through the gracious gift of Christ\u2019s sacrifice. However, I am holding on to the shame of my sin and for some reason cannot seem to let it go.<\/p>\n

The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don\u2019t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don\u2019t do it. Instead, I do what I hate\u2026\u00a0If I do what I don\u2019t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have discovered this principle of life\u2014that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God\u2019s law with all my heart. But there is another power\u00a0within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?<\/strong>\u00a0Excerpts from Romans 7:14-25 (NLT)<\/p>\n

While I do take some comfort that Apostle Paul wrote all that about my ambivalence to doing what is right and best, I am all too willing to settle for instant gratification to remedy my need. It is this conflict that robs me of the experience of the peace and joy that comes from the realized hope of the abundant life that Jesus promised. It is in my ambivalence (internal disagreement between conflicting desires and motivations) that I have conflict and am resistant to going all the way in my recovery from sin addiction. It is in the resistance to repentance that I am disobedient to right best living that is the product of humbly surrendering my will\u2014my intentions, motives, and desires\u2014and my life\u2014my decisions, behavior, and circumstances\u2014to the will and care of the living God.<\/p>\n

The Desire Conflict<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Break it all down and there is the conflict inherent in human desire, which, until the perfect comes (Philippians 2, 1 Corinthians 13) and I am walking the streets of gold in glory with Jesus, is selfish and driven by self-centered intentions. This is the truth physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually. My cognitive make up is such that I want what I want when I want it. And there are judgment centers of my brain that attempt to suggest that I don\u2019t, that I shouldn\u2019t, that I stop, or at least that I wait. These are neurological inhibitors helping me to use caution. However, they too are motivated by selfish intentions.<\/p>\n

Apostle Paul wrote about doing what he did not want to do, and not doing what he did want to do. When it comes right down to it, no one does anything they don\u2019t in some way want to do. I might not want to get up to go to work and will say that \u201cI have to get up and go to work\u201d, but what is really going on is that I want\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0to experience the consequence of\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0getting up to go to work, and therefore in the end actually\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0want to get up\u2026.. And so I do just that.<\/p>\n

Even Paul got something out of doing what he claims he did not want to do\u2014some kind of perceived benefit\u2014so he wanted something out of the deal. Same thing with the claim of not doing what he wanted to do. There was some degree of perceived benefit to what he did instead. What he did was chase and settle for the instant gratification that was the object of his desire, motivated by selfish intentions contrary to the will of God.<\/p>\n

There are contrasting definitions of the word \u2018desire\u2019. According to Dr. Nagib there is the\u00a0subject<\/em>\u00a0of desire as the wishing of the heart longing and hoping for something grand and ultimately satisfying; and there is theobject<\/em>\u00a0of desire that is at the center of what the mind craves and covets.<\/p>\n

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.<\/strong>\u00a0James 1:14-15 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Desire in accordance with the will of God leads to the positive outcome of peace and joy in the fulfillment of something met through the resources of the One who has it all to give, meeting and exceeding every expectation as the resources of God are limitless and unending. Desire in accordance with the will of man leads to the negative outcome of instant gratification that at its best is fleeting until the realization of unmet expectation sinks in since the object of such desire proves dissatisfying in time; every time.<\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0Nagib explained that the object of desire\u2014a lustful covetous appetite\u2014according to the will of man is the demise of mankind in the end. Of course Scripture supports this so powerfully when Paul writes\u2026<\/p>\n

I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that\u00a0there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.\u00a0<\/strong>Philippians 3:18-20 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Those enemies of the cross of Christ lack the constitution for repentance since their lustful covetous cravings for this life here on earth, full of unmet expectation and unfulfilled appetite, are reliant on their lust for control. Feeding on the illusion that they are in control is what finally results in their demise\u2026 or as Paul put it, their destruction.<\/p>\n

Surrendering control that I never really had in the first place is liberating since it isn\u2019t given over to the wind to blow away, or into the sea to drown, or into the flames to burn, it rests in the promise of the hope that is the bridge to freedom and happiness under the sovereign authority of the Savior who is in complete control.<\/p>\n

When Paul writes that he did what he did not want to do in the seventh chapter of Romans, I believe what he is saying is that he settled for instant gratification under what he\u00a0felt<\/em>\u00a0he could control in the moment, forsaking the longing of his heart; that being the life-giving satisfaction in the far bigger picture of all that is under the control of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Why settle? Why did he and why do I stoop to seeking gratification in the earthly objects of carnal desire that leads to demise when I can literally dwell and abide in the experience of relationship with God, living in the realized hope of life with Jesus for an eternity\u2026 and then another\u2026 and another after that\u2026 an eternity of eternity.<\/p>\n

That sounds so great, right? So then, why do I forsake or put off great for what is good enough\u2026 right now? Is that not the deferred hope that makes my heart sick\u2026 settling for just good enough, because hope for the time of perfection to come is not tangible enough for my selfish mind to comprehend?<\/p>\n

So what is another word for the earthly objects of desire that prove to obstruct my view of the subject of my spiritual desire, the longing for the eternal plan and purpose of God to be fulfilled in my experience? Are you ready for it?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to hear it, see it, or write it either.<\/p>\n

The word for the object of my earthly desire is\u2026.. idol. That\u2019s exactly what it is\u2026 a false god placed in front of God. It\u2019s why Paul did what he didn\u2019t want to do and didn\u2019t do what he wanted to do. Like Paul, that is a real problem for me. You too?<\/p>\n

You worship your idols with great passion\u2026\u00a0You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings\u2026\u00a0You have put pagan symbols\u00a0on your doorposts and behind your doors.\u00a0You have left me\u00a0and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.\u00a0You have committed yourselves to them.\u00a0You love to look at their naked bodies\u2026\u00a0You grew weary in your search,\u00a0but you never gave up.\u00a0Desire gave you renewed strength,\u00a0and you did not grow weary\u2026\u00a0<\/strong>excerpts from Isaiah 57 (NLT) that speak to the worship of earthly things<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who cling to worthless idols\u00a0turn away from God\u2019s love for them.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Jonah 2:8 (NIV)<\/p>\n

The power of repentance comes in the putting away of childish things and regaining perspective on what it is all about. It is in this sincere act of repentance that the mercies of God are new\u00a0every<\/em>\u00a0morning. (I wrote \u201csincere repentance\u201d but insincere repentance is not possible since it is not repentance at all. What is possible, I suppose, is insincere confession.)<\/p>\n

The Hope of the Surrendered Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.<\/strong>\u00a0Philippians 3:7-8 (NKJV)<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t speak for anyone else, but I so struggle with this. For I know that I trust in things far too much and too often to appreciate what I have and who I am in relationship with Christ. It is my trust in things that I believe defers my hope for that which is eternally satisfying. What it takes, though, is counting all of these things as loss for the excellence\u2014the satisfaction\u2014of what is possible, today\u2014right now\u2014in this life surrendered to God.<\/p>\n

Deferred hope in my stuff makes my heart grow sick since the outcome of trusting in myself is lacking and left wanting. I need to keep what God told the prophet Isaiah says in chapter 57 about trusting in the things in this earthly life that I have erected as idols; objects of human desire obstructing my view of the subject of what I long for\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see if your idols can save you\u00a0when you cry to them for help.\u00a0Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!\u00a0If you just breathe on them, they fall over!\u00a0But whoever trusts in\u00a0Me<\/em>\u00a0will inherit the land\u00a0and possess My holy mountain<\/strong>\u00a0(the best of God\u2019s stuff).\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Isaiah 57:13 (NLT)<\/p>\n

When I say things, I am also speaking of relationships and circumstances that when I perceive are outside of the scope of what I believe I can control inevitably bring on anxiety and stress. But, oh, the difficulty of letting it go in obedient surrender in relationship with my Savior; not because it is required to be free of anxiety and stress, but because it is good and best for me to let go and surrender all things. They were never in my control in the first place. But what do I know?<\/p>\n

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!\u00a0Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0at hand.\u00a0Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses\u00a0<\/strong>(is better than)\u00a0all understanding,\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0guard your hearts\u00a0and minds<\/em>\u00a0through Christ Jesus.\u00a0<\/strong>Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV)<\/p>\n

So, if hope deferred makes the heart sick, and dreams fulfilled is central to a happy life, and as Paul wrote, the Lord Jesus Christ\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0involved right now (\u201cthe Lord\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0at hand\u201d), then it is time to be celebrating that. This passage is not a command to stop being anxious (I can\u2019t just turn it off) , it is a call to rejoice! Let me say it again\u2026 it is a call to rejoice! If I could actually get that, perhaps I wouldn\u2019t be so reluctant to give up my stuff. If I let it go, it only makes sense that I am releasing with my stuff the anxiety and stress attached to it; opening the door to sustainable peace and joy.<\/p>\n

Jesus said that the devil hopes to manipulate me through guile and deception so that I will focus so much on myself that I takes my eyes off the prize, unable to see the forest for the trees. If I am consumed with what I want and then when I don\u2019t get it I get uncomfortable, I will settle for an immediate remedy that is \u2018good enough\u2019 and \u2018better than it was\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Hope of the Satisfied Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The thief\u2019s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.<\/strong>John 10:10<\/p>\n

The best that Jesus has for me is the abundant life found in the tree of life in relationship with Him. The problem with receiving this blessing is that my hands are so full of my things that I obtained on my own in my strength, I am unable to receive what He is handing me. Worse than that is that I need only to let go and lay down my burden but I am unwilling since I have lost focus. What I am carrying is stacked so high that I don\u2019t even recognize what God wants and has for me. And sadly, if what I am carrying was food, it would be a whole lot of empty calories with no nutritional value. What God has for me and for you is His very best.<\/p>\n

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 6:27 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 6:21 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.<\/strong>\u00a0Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)<\/p>\n

The longer I dwell on this topic the more I understand that deferred hope is misdirected desire. The longer I perceive that I am content with my remedy for increasing discomfort, the more of a malcontent I become. The more I focus on my problem of what is missing the more I miss out on what God wants and has for me. He wants to bless me with his best while I continue to settle for blessing myself with what I can come up with, and the more I worry about what I cannot control and have never controlled. The more I struggle with what I cannot control the more I treasure the remedy I desire to address my growing dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?<\/strong>Romans 7:24 (NLT)<\/p>\n

Then I am like the disciple Peter who denied his Lord and Savior, even though he loved Jesus, because he no longer knew Him and could not trust in what he didn\u2019t know and understand. Peter had sunk so deep into the mud of his own pain that he did not appreciate what was happening in the grand scheme of things; something so big it would change the course of history forever.<\/p>\n

As I take my eyes off Jesus, stuck in the mud of all my stuff, attending to my discomfort, the less I know Him and the less I trust Him, deferring hope due to my lack of faith.<\/p>\n

Jesus said to look higher and bigger and focus on the Kingdom of God in relationship with Him. The Kingdom of God is eternal and glorious. It is the age of resurrection into grace, and it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0at hand. That means it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0right now. It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0immediate. It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0to be experienced today; the substance of things hoped for and in its experience the evidence of things unseen (that when the time of perfection comes will be seen). It is knowing with assurance that what I long for will in fact happen. It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0realized hope. I can trust it with absolute confidence.<\/p>\n

Jesus said, as a citizen of heaven, to focus on and seek by experience the Kingdom of God and experience all that is right and best while living in it\u2026 TODAY! The peace and the joy is in realizing the hope that is real and certain\u2026 the sure thing until the time of perfection comes. It is in the experience of living in the very best of this new life experience that it is at work in me beyond what I would dare to imagine or even think in my finite mind to ask.<\/p>\n

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.<\/strong>\u00a0Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Steven Gledhill\u00a0for FREEdom from MEdom Project “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” —William Shakespeare Here is a question to get things started: Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that Jesus is uniquely qualified as our advocate before the Father since … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18607","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18607"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20752,"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18607\/revisions\/20752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}