Hold on a little longer…

Since coming to Guatemala, I have not consistently gone to church on Sundays.

 

Honestly, I have struggled to find quality teaching of God’s word.  Being that the messages are in Spanish has been a struggle as well.

 

Well that all changed this Sunday.

 

 

A friend at the base visited a local church here, Rey de las Naciones, and said it was the best message she had heard since arriving to Guatemala herself.

 

Long story short, the pastor spoke a word that was very challenging while teaching about the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4.

 

“Lack of confidence in who you are in Christ leads to desperation.  Desperation leads into falling into temptation.  When we are confident in Christ, we cannot fall into temptation.”

 

That quote has stuck in my mind since hearing it.

 

In the moments when my hope in His faithfulness slips is when I try to take control back from the Lord.

 

How often my failings come from a place of desperation.

 

How often many around the world have failed from a place of desperation.

 

Synonyms to desperation are hopelessness, despair, and distress.

 

The Lord has made many promises to me, of which, at times, I don’t take his word to be true.  In those moments of desperation I try to control it all and, ultimately, fail miserably.

 

There are so many people making decisions based out of a place of desperation that all sorts of temptation are overcoming them.

 

 

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. 

 

I look at the fruits of the Spirit like fruits in a tree, and how awesome they all are. Except there is that one fruit that seems out of place.

 

I want love and joy and goodness.  But longsuffering?

 

I feel like part of this “walk” we call life is that the Lord makes promises and we are to stand firm in them.

 

Jesus was stepping into his first moments of ministry.  He wasn’t leading millions to change their hearts towards God, he was being led into the desert to be tempted.

 

Satan tried to make Jesus stumble, claiming “If you are the Son of God…”

 

Jesus never defended his position with Satan. 

Jesus responded to Satan’s nonsense with Scripture, but he never defended his position as the Son of God.

 

Because of his sonship, like a good father, Jesus knew God would come through for him.

 

That despite not having eaten or drank anything for 40 days, that his Father would be faithful.

 

In our sonship we can trust in his faithfulness.  When we understand our position in the kingdom of heaven, we can trust that God will never forget us. 

 

His love for us is overwhelming.  In our most difficult moments, when there isn’t much hope left, there is a small voice that says ‘hold out longer’.

 

We have the choice to trust in God’s faithfulness or be sucked into a place of desperation.  The moments we choose to trust, we are exercising our fruit of longsuffering.

 

We are called to be a people who ‘hold on a little longer’.

We are called to be a people whose identity as children adopted into God’s family cannot be compromised.

 

For those reading this where you are ready to give up, hold out longer.  You are not forgotten.  The easy way out is never the one God intends. 

 

 

This message is as much for me as it is for you.

 

 

Safe to say I think I found a church to attend here in Antigua J

 

Feel free to comment.