January 13th
““1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” Romans 5:1-6 NKJV
Faith and hope are tools we need in order to walk in victory over sin. Faith is like an ATM card to God’s Kingdom. By faith in Jesus Christ, we have access to God and the promises he has made in his word to us. Additionally, through faith, we have peace with God and the hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.
Standing in faith, we can go through all kinds of trials and tribulations, knowing that a Godly hope will result. This hope will not let us down, because it comes from God. God has poured out his love in our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit, who is a guarantor of our inheritance as children of God. The Spirit strengthens our faith and bolsters our hope as we strive to walk in the new life in Christ (Romans 6:4).
The devil loves to attack and destroy our faith and hope whenever he can. If our faith is weak, our hope will easily fall when the trials and tribulations come our way. The devil’s primary weapon against faith and hope is doubt / unbelief. Trials and tribulations are often secondary weapons used in conjunction with doubt. The combination of these weapons can be overwhelming for us if we are not firmly grounded in our faith in Christ.
Satan is the king of hopelessness, and he is the ultimate liar. He has no hope of redemption and seeks to recruit others to adopt his hopelessness for their own lives. We need not believe the devil’s lies, since we have every hope of redemption and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ!
The way to recovery is to first get grounded in the truth about lies you’ve been buying into. Some favorite lies the devil uses on sex addicts include:
“You’ll never get free”
“You’re a terrible example of a Christian”
“How can you help others when you are such a poor example of a Christian?”
“God won’t forgive you”
“There’s no hope for you – you’re doomed to hell for your sins!”
The moment we start believing the lies, we open the door to Satan for more oppression and bondage in our lives. We must apply God’s truth to these lies in order to break their potential power. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32 NASB).
The Bible is our textbook for learning the truth that will help us recognize and reject the devil’s lies. As we learn the truth, God will help us believe it in our hearts. Our faith will begin to grow and the trials and tribulations won’t wash our hope away the next time they come around. Through them you’ll grow more hope and your faith will also be strengthened!
Questions for further thought:
Is your day-to-day hope anchored in your circumstances or in Jesus?
What is the definition of despair?
How does belief in God and his word help us in fighting off the devil’s attacks on us? (Ephesians 6:16)
What are some of the main lies the devil has tried to get you to believe?
What is the truth about those lies?
Prayer:
“Father in heaven, thank you that you are the God of hope. Please fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in you, so that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, please dwell in my heart by my faith. Please strengthen my faith in any area that it is weak. Please help me to recognize and refute any lies that the devil has planted in my mind. Thank you, Jesus! I praise you and thank you now and forever! Amen.”