Have you found yourself being stretched lately?  Have the circumstances in your life risen up to challenge your faith and hope in your God?  Do you sometimes feel that your boat is about to sink? Be encouraged.  God is moving in your life.  The enemy of our soul is working hard to bring hopelessness to God’s people—but dear sister, please read the following scriptures.
 
1. Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
 
2. Through Him also we have [our} access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we {firmly and safely} stand.  And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. 

3. Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!]  let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.

4. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity).  And character [ of this sort} produces {the habit of} joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

5. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 Amplified Bible
 
When things begin to shake in our world let us hold fast to the truths  found  in Romans 5: 1-5.

1. We have been justified by faith—we are in right standing with God.  He is on our side and understands exactly what we are experiencing, in fact, He has a plan and purpose for using these things for our good.

2.  We need to remember we walk by faith, not by sight.  This is a faith walk.  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.. Hebrews 11:1 NIV

3.  We are walking this faith walk by His grace.  Grace: God’s ability to do for us what we are not able to do for ourselves, the state of God’s favor.

4.  We need to rejoice—be full of joy, because we now have  hope-(elpis:  Greek word meaning looking forward to in confident expectation)

5.  We need to understand God’s process for developing this confident expectation in our lives.
        a)  Sufferings, tribulations  (and the resultant pressure and affliction produce patience)
        b)  Patience develops unswerving endurance (fortitude, perseverance)
        c)  Perseverance develops maturity of character
        d)  Character produces joyful and confident hope
        e)  Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us
 
God is in the process of developing strong, mature women who can stand strong in the face of adversity.  If the enemy of our soul can attack us in our hope realm, he will.   If we do not cast down the imaginations and thoughts that the enemy makes to seem so real, he will gain a strategic foothold in our life.  His desire is to bring us to the place of hopelessness where we will throw in the towel and simply quit.  Remember, God promises there will be a way of escape--from any temptation, let’s make sure we use his escape hatch, not our own.
 
The enemy would have us believe:

1. There is no benefit in serving the Lord
2. If you try to serve the Lord you will only be mistreated, abused and persecuted.
3. Serving the Lord causes pain.
4. Serving the Lord is the cause of all things unjust and unfair in you life.
5. We should run our own life, so we can control the amount of pain that enters.
6. It is alright to act like children and choose not to grow up.
7. If you put your trust in the Lord you will end up disappointed, deluded and ashamed.
8. It doesn’t have to cost that much.  Compromise is a good thing.
9. God is not trustworthy  
10. We can pick and choose the parts of scripture that we want to believe and obey.
 
The devil is a liar and the father of all lies. Each one of you reading this article, please remember God has a plan for your life.  Jesus Christ died on the cross for each one of us.  He came to reconcile us to the Father, and as such to set us in the place so the purpose for which  we were created can be accomplished.  Let us stand strong in His ways.  Let us hope in the fulfillment of our individual callings in the Lord being completed.  Let us turn deaf ears to the discouraging words of the enemy that would try to deter us from God’s plans.  
 
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.  When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,  I will let you find me, says the LORD,  Jeremiah 29:11-14
 
The enemy fights in our soul realm.  Hebrews 6:19 states: [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil.  Here we are reminded that we have an anchor of the soul—a sure hope.  Our hope is in God, the God of all Hope.  God has given us power and discernment to fight against the wiles of the evil one.  Let us use all our tools, dear sisters and become victorious.  Praise, prayer, the word of God  and the assembling of ourselves together are just some of the tools we have been give.  If you are struggling with hopelessness—tell somebody!  Ask someone to pray with you.  God will bring victory!  Let us fight the fight of faith for not only ourselves, but for others that we see being embattled in this area of hopelessness.
 
Father, I thank you for exposing the works of the evil one in each of our lives.  I ask that you uncover any area in any life where the enemy has been sowing seeds of hopelessness.   I thank you that you are strengthening our resolve to allow the sufferings of this world to conform us to your image.  We choose to be willing to pay whatever price you choose is necessary to achieve your  will and purpose through our lives.  We trust you to be the author and finisher of our salvation and you are the God we choose to place  our hope. We will trust you.   In Jesus Name, Amen
 
Written by: Martha Rodman