The danger of losing hope

By the rivers of Babylon, possibly a reference to the mighty Euphrates River along the southwest border of modern-day Iraq. It may have been possible to see the tops of the mountains of Israel to the southwest if you were sitting along the banks of the River. What a hopeless and pitiful situation for a people that were once free but are now captives in a foreign land. A consequence of sin. Sad when a person gives in and surrenders to their condition. Nothing left to do but to sit down and weep. Elijah the Tishbite sat down under a Juniper tree and desired to die because he received word that Jezebel wanted to kill him. Yet this is the same man that called fire down from heaven and slaughtered 450 prophets of Baal. In 1 Kings chapter 13 there was a man of God from Judah that was sent to prophesy against the altar that Jeroboam the king had set up. He was warned of God not to eat bread or drink water there or to go back the same way he came. Yet as he was leaving he sat down under a tree and fell asleep. An old prophet on a donkey was able to catch up with him and bring the man of God back to his house. Read the story and find out what happened to him. Job was a righteous man but the devil set out to destroy him by taking all that he had and then attacked his flesh. Job sat down in ashes covered with sackcloth scraping the sores on his body with a piece of pottery. Jonah also sat down under a tree, angry that God had not destroyed Nineveh. You know there's a lot of people sitting down. People God has called to be the head and not the tail. Sitting and weeping. "Oh God, why don't I feel your presence like I used to"? "Why why why"? "What about all the promises you made me"? "Boo hoo hoo". Shut up and get it together brethren. That kind of weeping comes from unbelief and a lack of faith. Snap out of it! It's ok to weep for the lost. You know how misery loves company. Many are in despair due to conditions that they created. Shacking up with and then marrying unbelievers, improper handling of funds, poor credit, deep in debt, (what do you expect if you don't tithe?) the house all tore up, children off the hook, need I go on? Somebody stop me! God didn't get you into that mess. He can get you out of it but you have to learn to manage your life properly. Its all in the instruction manual. Not only do we sit and weep but we start to remember how things used to be, adding insult to injury. Let's go back to the Word:

Then we make matter worse by giving evidence that what we used to do we no longer do. The Israelites hung their harps on the willows to show the Babylonians that they were no longer going to use them to praise God. Don't get me started! Like those old movies where the washed up boxer hangs his old boxing gloves on a rusty nail and sits down on a dusty chair drinking beer and getting fat. Some people like being a punching bag for the devil. Some people are like doormats, they let people walk all over them. Just take a little pig, and wash him white and clean but as soon as you let him go he runs right into the mud and swims in it. Some people like to get dirty. And then there are those that Brag about the stuff they do like they are proud of it. This doesn't happen overnight. Just like the brethren that are always in church then one day you don't see them, and then you see them less and less until no one knows anything about them. Just slack in your prayer life and read your bible less. Stop going to church. Watch more television and listen to worldly music. You will be dead meat in no time flat. It's just a matter of time.

It's not God's fault if you mess up. The Word says that with the temptation he will make a way for you to escape, but it's so much easier to play with sin. God is a good God. Just repent when you go to church on Sunday. Then play devil on Monday. Lord rebuke the devil. Keep playing with sin. Samson kept playing with it until he revealed the source of his strength. And look how he ended up

Why stop there? Since you no longer go to church the devil starts to make a public display of you. Now your old buddies start looking for you. "Hey aren't you the one that used to shout praise God Hallelujah"?"Didn't you used to try to make us into Jesus freaks like you"? It won't be long before they start to tempt you. "How about a beer, in fact why not have a cigarette"? "Those church folk had you all messed up, this is where you belong...try some of this". Oh oh! "A little cocaine won't hurt you, you used to love the stuff"! "Sing us one of those nice songs you used to sing in the church". They are mocking you, making sport of you.

How are you going to praise God in that awful condition? What a mess! C'mon now...shake it off! As Paul was gathering sticks in Melita to put into the fire a viper (poisonous snake) latched onto his hand, but he shook it off into the fire. Shake it off some more! Get off the pity pot and give the devil a taste of his own medicine. Stand up and stop crying, you're embarrassing yourself. Stop shaking your money maker in the club and dance for Jesus in the church. Stop babbling that drunken talk and get filled with the Holy Ghost and speak tongues in the church and prophesy. Shake the dust off the bible and get back into the Word. That bible still looks new like you got it yesterday, a sign that it doesn't get much use. Ouch! Ladies go through your closets and toss out those hootchie mama clothes and start looking Holy. What are you saving that stuff for anyhow? Men stop tryin' to be a gangsta and put on your Sunday best, and shine them nice shoes and put on a nice tie and represent. When you're not in church you look like a hoodlum. God said be Holy as I am Holy. That's 24/7, 365 days a year! We got no time to be playing footsy with the devil. Let's get it together and turn this world upside down, and help bring the brethren back into the unity of the faith. Its a matter of life and death. God bless you and shalom!