“Two things I asked of You: Do not refuse me before I die; Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I be in want and steal and profane the name of my God”
(Proverbs 30:7-9). NASB-95
Desperate men can do radical things.
It seems that in desperation, all things are on the table. Particularly under pressure, men will steal, cheat, lie, deny God, hurt others they love and even murder, in an attempt to bring relief to themselves. Any and all of this, in order to get from under a trial, to relieve pain and move to higher ground. We are all capable of despicable acts to get relief from the pressures of life.
There is nothing wrong with being desperate. To the contrary, the Bible is replete with examples of desperate men, making decisions out of their extreme hurt and need. Some decisions as recorded in the Scriptures were good and resulted in changes in perspectives and even circumstances; others resulted in more pain.
So what is the difference? The answer lies in one’s perception of the source, purpose and goal of pain.
The source of pain: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these” (Isaiah 45:5-7). NASB-95
The purpose of pain: “And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:5-6). NASB-95
The goal of pain: “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12: 9-11). NASB-95
As a result, it seems that the desperate follower of Jesus Christ finds himself doing the radical things of the Bible, such as distrusting self and fearing God, repenting of sin, talking to God on his knees, loving his enemies, sharing the Gospel with strangers, meditating on and memorizing scripture, meeting with like-minded men, giving, taking on the image of Christ as they look forward to and hoping for life after death and the return of Christ.
The others, in their desperation, are just as radical. But their hope for relief is rooted in other places.
“There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). NASB-95
If you are desperate, you are likely thinking and acting radically. All men want relief of the pain and pressure and will go to great lengths to obtain it.
However, the Bible calls us to perseverance– which results in hope and love.
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). NASB-95
Perseverance is God’s answer to life’s pressures. Jesus followers put their stake in the ground on this truth. It is the key response to gaining stable footing.
Perseverance entails waiting on God, a willingness to stay under the pressure, prayer, surrendering one’s will to His, letting “integrity and uprightness preserve me” (Psalms 25:21), camping on the character and promises of God and embracing that God is the source, and sets the purpose and goal of pain.
”Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). NASB-95
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14) NASB-95.
Practice the radical things of God.
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