Desperate Times Calls For Desperate Measures POSITIVE VIEW

Desperate Times Calls For Desperate Measures

POSITIVE VIEW OF DESPAIR The voice of discouragement loses hope and says “Where is your God? ” Desperation clings to God’s promises and remembers His past faithfulness. God’s supernatural power is mostly released when circumstances in the natural are in a desperate state and seem impossible. Therefore, desperation drives us to our knees looking to God as our only hope. Jesus never worked from His own individual stand point but always from the standpoint of His Father.

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SOME OF THE THINGS WE ARE DESPERATE FOR I'm still waiting to find the man/woman of my dreams. My greatest desire is to have a baby. I am desperate to have all my financial needs met. My greatest desire is to have family unity and peace in my home. I want God to open the doors of ministry and reveal to me what I was called to do. I want to owe my home. The challenge is wanting something so badly that it becomes an obsession.

RACHAEL- DESPERATE FOR A BABY But she wanted that baby so badly that it fractured her relationship with her sister. Created divisions between herself and her husband. Caused her to compromise her morals. Ultimately cost her life. Leah wanted additional children to win the regard and affection of Jacob. Rachel wanted children to validate herself as a woman.

RACHAEL RESENTED HER CIRCUMSTANCES AND RESPONDED IN AN UNGODLY WAY Sometimes we become resentful that God is withholding something from us. The resentment increase when someone else receives what we were hoping for. We don't read that she took it to God in prayer. Instead, she became jealous of her sister and lashed out at her husband. If God is withholding something in your life, there is a reason…and a good one at that. It's about trust. And often it's about timing. Rachel's was unwilling to trust or accept God's timing.

RACHAEL REJECTED GOD'S TIMING AND FORGED AHEAD WITH HER OWN PLANS Rachel wanted something she didn't have and she was determined to get it, regardless of the Lord's plans and will for her life. So she resorted to downright desperate means - she gave her maid to her husband to get a child through her! After getting a child, it still wasn't enough for her, so she resorted to a cultural superstition believed during her day to bring about conception. With no fertility clinics around, Rachel took the next best step and tried to conceive a child through the use of some bitter herbs.

LESSON 1: THINGS ONLY CHANGE WHEN GOD ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS. Genesis 25: 21 (NIV) 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. Genesis 30: 22 -24 (NIV) 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace. ” 24 She named him Joseph.

LESSON 2: RELISH THE BLESSING YOU RECEIVE 24 She named him Joseph, [a] and said, “May the LORD add to me another son. ” Rather than relish the blessing she had just received, she was already looking for something more. Her ability to bear a child simply fueled her obsession for more children. Ironically, Rachel - who spent most of her life longing for children - died in fulfilling that desperate wish. Its ironical that a woman who expected children to bring her joy spent her last breath calling her newborn son a name that means "the son of my sorrow" or "child of my grief" (Genesis 35: 16 -18). Ultimately her heart's greatest desire brought about her grief and demise.

LESSON 3: THERE IS NO FULFILLMENT WHEN WE FOLLOW THE DESIRES OF OUR OWN HEARTS AND LEAVEG OD OUT. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. " (Matthew 16: 25) Jesus wasn't saying "Give up your dreams and be miserable. " He was saying "When you give up your plans and desires and all you think you need to be happy and are determined to just have Me, then you will truly find a life worth living. “ John 10: "The thief (Satan - who deceives us into thinking we can find fulfillment when we follow the desires of our own heart) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. "

LESSON 4 : GUARD YOUR FAITH WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13: 12). “Heartsickness” is a spiritual disease that can cripple your walk with God. Remember, faith is the substance of the things you hope for; if you lose hope, your faith becomes hollow. How can you trust God when it seems as though He let you down? Contend for our faith (Jude 1: 3) When Jude tells us to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 1: 3, KJV), he uses a form of the Greek word agónizomai, from which we get our English word agonize.

LESSON 5: COMBINE HEARING THE WORD OF GOD WITH FAITH Hebrews 4: 2 (NIV) 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who had did not combine it with faith. Hebrews 3: 12 -13 (NIV) 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today, ” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

LESSON 6: YOU NEED A LEANING SHOULDER WHEN YOU ARE DESPERATE 2 Samuel 21: 15 -17 (NIV) 15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished. ”

LESSON 7: RELY ON THE COMFORTER THE , HOLY SPIRIT WHO EXECUTES THE PLAN OF GOD IN OUR LIVES Paul wrote (Romans 8: 26 – 27) that we do not know what we should pray for, but that the Holy Spirit knows what we need. 1 Corinthians 15: 45 (NIV) 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 6 (NIV) 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Romans 8: 10 -11 (NIV) 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.