. LIFE LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF JOHN 11:39



"Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days! [It is hopeless!]”



10 KEYS WHEN IT LOOKS HOPELESS .


1. Don't panic ! I have learnt from experience not to. it doesn't help matters .So I don't .I learnt from what Jesus did in scripture, I discovered , He usually withdrew Himself from the crowd to pray. So I take time off to pray. I stay at home for a day or two to just be in His presence ,enjoy Him, worship Him and let Him give me counsel on what to do next . At times , while in His presence , relief will come and I am back on my feet again . The key is taking time off to seek Him for counsel , when matters get out of hand. Amen. John 14:26(Amp)" But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.”
2. Hold your peace - your peace is a weapon against any kind of storm , it allows God to work and it helps put the enemy in check . Two scriptures that will encourage and convince you .Job 22:21 (ESV)"Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you." and the book of Exodus 14:14 (NIV)"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Peace is a spiritual force in the spirit realms . Hold your peace and be still . while you wait for Him (God) to reveal to you , what to do next . Psalm 62:5 (Amp)" My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him."
3. Prayer - Never under-estimate the power of prayer . I learnt this secret from Jesus , when He was faced with agony(pain and grief) in Gethsemane , most believers at this point will give up like the disciples who slept because of the grief they felt in their heart ..Luke 22:45 (Amp)"When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow", not Jesus bible says He prayed the more earnestly for strength to face the cross He was about to carry . Luke 22:44 (Amp)"And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground." . Call on God and don't give up or panic.There is no harm in trying one more time . Amen. Do it again.
4. Beware of discouragement - you have every reason to be discouraged . But choose not to . Why? if you do , you would open the door for the enemy to take advantage of you . Discouragement leads to lost of hope. stops your faith from working . steals the joy you need for your harvest/opportunity to come .See Joel 1:12"The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men." that is what discouragement can do , it can kill your very harvest/opportunity/change , if you allow it. Be encouraged like David . 1 Sam 30:6b."But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” Is not the time to cry , but encouraged yourself , with what God has done for you in the past so you can gain strength for your next move .
5. Psalm 30:5 (NIV)" weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." - Listen weeping is allowed , but don't allow it cause your faith to waver or doubt who the Almighty is . God has not abandoned you yet. weeping only helps you to release your emotions, after that , with
boldness you return back to the lord in prayer laying your demands / request before Him . Amen. Bible says we should approach His throne of mercy with boldness not with fear or discouragement. Heb 4:16 (Amp)"Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God's gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Once it is done , stand up and feel good . How you feel matters , send out the right signals . Amen.
6. Joy - The key here is this , you keep your joy and don't let that joy go. You won't get it right the first time , but with constant practice , your joy in the Lord will hit that perfection level, that no matter what,your joy still remains .. Key- Let what He has promised you be your strength . Act on it and be joyful in it . It has always worked for me in the midst of my storms . Why? It throws the enemy off guard . Question ? How do you attack a man who still chooses to remain joyful despite it all ? Now here is the answer found in the book of John 15:11 (NIV)"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."It is when you choose to remain joyful , your own joy will come (the answers to your prayers ).
7. Bridle your tongue - Key - when situations get out of hand , we are always tempted to say the wrong things , pointing accusing fingers , he did it /she caused it . Don't! bridle your tongue . Lest your enemy use your words against you for the finishing. (of his wickedness) Prov 13:3(Amp)" He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin".. Choose deliberately to speak the way God would speak and pray just how Jesus would pray. Is your key . 1 peter 4:11b(NLT)"Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you.” Speak only what you love to see and not what you don't love . For God is love. 1 Cor 13 (Msg)
8. Two heads are better than one the saying goes. bible says there is a reward (Eccl 4:9). Find a genuine confidante you can trust and pray about it again. There is always this release and hope raising again when you do .Amen. , when you pray with someone of like faith. James 5:16 (NIV)"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
9. Watch this one - When things get worse, still don't doubt God . Choose "deliberately" not to doubt . Hold your ground just like the three Hebrew boys (Daniel 3:18). Listen , is either of two things .1 that God will use it to teach you something or use it to work out something for your good (Roms 8:28) or deliver you outright.(Joel 2:32) . So we don't doubt , but give Him thanks as He has commanded .(1 Thess 5:18). Is not everything we are going to understand until we finally meet with Him Amen.Prov 3:5(NLT)"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding." . Remember Joseph how God turned the evil that the enemy brought against him for his good . Be encouraged ! Gen 50:20(Amp)"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive [as they are this day].”
10. Hosea 4:6 (NIV)"my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children." - This is the key , it works .Find out from scripture what you don't know yet and what you need to know and do . I give you an example from the book of psalm (41:1-3) read verse one ..what happens when you consider those that don't have .God preserves your life . Are you sick ? Are your enemies after you ? go and consider the poor and remind God of what you have done in faith . Isaiah 43:26 (Amp)"Remind Me [of your merits with a thorough report], let us plead and argue our case together;State your position, that you may be proved right.”

Personal quote:

"When it is hopeless , something is about to turn for your good if you believe"

Prayer: Father turn my case around into a testimony in the name of Jesus , Amen.




You will win ! Amen.