¹⁰ “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. -Job 23:10

Do you ever feel like giving up? Feel like God’s abandoned you? Feel like you’re all alone in your battle? I know I do. It’s easy to say that everything is awesome and we never go through any struggles as Christians, but it simple isn’t true. While living for God is awesome, Jesus said we’d have trouble in this world, but to fear not, cause He’s overcome the world!

I was listening to a daily devotion by Rick Renner the other day and he spoke about how interested God is in our character development. I started thinking back to a lot of things I had to go through in life that weren’t easy and made me want to quit. I recognized that going through some of those things were absolutely critical to become the man of God I am today. I also recognize that to be the man God intends me to be in five more years, I’ll have to go through even more tests and trials!

All of us will have seasons in life when we’re going through trials. In fact, if you haven’t gone through a testing period lately, I would submit to you that you’re not growing in your relationship with God. But there is always hope in the midst of any battle!

James said to count it joy when you go through trials, because your faith & endurance has a chance to grow, and when you get through to the other side of your battle, you’ll be perfect, complete, and lacking nothing!

God knows where you are, and He is developing you into the man or woman of God He has created you to be. To get there, we’re going to have to go through some things, but take heart, because God loves YOU so much that knows exactly where you are, exactly where you’re going, exactly the timing He needs you to get there, and how to get you there.

Don’t Quit – Keep Going

This is a powerful 20 minute short film that you need to watch. You could show this at church, youth, or to your family at home. I first saw this on Michael Hyatt’s Blog – it definitely grabbed my attention. To see it in full screen you can view it here. It’s starring Nick Vujicic from Life without Limbs, who has changed my life several times with his words. Take a few minutes and check it out:

My favorite part is about 11:30 into the story. It made me think – what things do we believe about ourselves that are holding us back from our God-given potential. I’ve rewound that part a ton of times, thinking about the beliefs that are in my heart that are a result of my past that simply aren’t true.

I hope this film encourages you, allows you to see yourself how God sees you, and encourages you to recognize that you can make a difference in the world just by being who you are.

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.

-Matthew 12:18-21

Depending on your life, you either love the holidays or hate them. It’s easy to forget that the holidays aren’t awesome for everybody. There are still people who are absolutely hopeless. Presents won’t cut it, time with family doesn’t satisfy, you can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, and you wonder if you’ll ever come out of this state of hopelessness.

You can waste a lifetime looking for hope in all the wrong places.

The truth is that you can waste a lifetime trying to find hope in all the wrong places. Trying to find it in material possessions, unhealthy relationships, drugs or alcohol, sex, and anything else you attempt to find a sliver of hope in will never give you what you’re looking for.

There is one place that you will find the hope you’re looking for. That is in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly states that Jesus is the hope of the entire world.

To be honest with you, my life didn’t really begin until I made Jesus the Lord of my life. I used to be purposeless, hopeless, and living in fear constantly. Since I’ve pursued a relationship with God, I have a peace that can’t be put into words, I have hope in every circumstance, and I’m fully satisfied with my life.

If you’re feeling hopeless in life, Jesus wants to give you hope. This can be a Christmas that you never forget. One that changes your life forever. If you’ve never made Jesus the Lord of your life, please send me a message on facebook and I’d love to talk to you about that decision.

Don’t let another day pass feeling hopeless in your life – it’s time to give your life to the one who was born to give his life for you.