"...Iwillneverleave youandIwillneverforsake you"-Hebrews13:5. Have you everfeltas if I'mstandingalone?Youfeel isolated,even ifyou aresurrounded bymany people?There is avoidin your heart,as ifthere issomethingmissing? The good news isthatfeeling oflonelinessis notinevitable,andit'snot the endofeverything.Godcanhelpyou throughyour lonelinessfeelings.We do notneed to becontrolled byour feelings,but byGod's wordis reliable. Jesus knewlonelinessyou feel.Heoftenfelt leftalonewhenhelivedon earth.Hewould missthe human touchwhen no one isthinking ofhisneeds.Evenhisfamilywassometimesconsidered himstrange.Andwhenheneededhisfriendsaround him,eventohisfollowers-12mostsetiapunnotalwaysaccompanyhim. Mosesmust have feltverylonely,whenlivingin the wildernessfor fortyyears,withonly accompaniedbyhis sheep.But Godusesthose timesit'slonelytotalkto himfroma burningbush.Forty yearsto prepareMosestolead the IsraelitesoutofEgyptianslavery. Wecan thankGodbecause Heknowsandunderstandsour needsandHecares.Reallyhelped,knowingthat He, the Almightyknowsandcaresaboutany weaknessesandour needtofeelclose to someonewhounderstands us.One ofusa pricelessprivilegeis knowingthat God isnear,evenwhenwedo notfeel His presence. Hiseyesare alwaysdrawn tous,toprotectandcare for us.Everythingthathappensto us, there'smeaning.Let us not bedominatedbyconcernsaboutourfeelings of loneliness.JackHayfordsays,"There are peoplewhofeelthat the'flyalone'thatcanbring inabundancerather thanloneliness."But howwecan, thehandleof our lives,we allneed other people.That's why Godhas setthe solitude ofhispreformancespiritual familytohelpus togrowtogetherand to rebuild.Growthandour healingdependson it." However,weare neverreally alone,thoughno onesahabatpunnearus.We knowthat God's wordis true,andweneed tofeel thetruth, that Godisalwaysgraciousandmerciful,andHis peacebeyondour understanding.This has beenour hope.Feelinglonelyin themiddlethat hitour lives,hopeto Godto givestrength and comfort toour souls. Godsays tous,when Hesaid to Davidconcerninghimself:"ForHe protectsmeinhiscabin,at thetime ofdanger;He hidmein hidinginhis tent,He drew metothe rock"-Psalm27:5.The statementgivesacertain hopefor each of us.Promises of protectionand care of Godis whatgivesus the ability tokeep hope alivein our lives.God ofour hope andHe neverlet us downishopelessto him.
Wewould be veryeasy tolosehopewhen we aretoo much attention tothe newsinnewspapersandon television.On the other hand,wecan easilylosehopewhen we liveand hang outwith peoplewho are experiencingdistressintheirhearts.More than that,we can alsolosehopewhenwe areexperiencingdifficultcircumstancesin life. In such circumstances,weshouldfocusonlyto God,whogivesus acertain hope.Becausewithout hopein God,we cannotpossiblysurvive. Dr.CharlesStanleysays, "Feelings ofhopelessnessis one of theworstfeelingswe can experience.Usuallythese feelingsariseas a resultofoureyes offChrist andsetour viewstoour circumstances,orrefusetogivehimfreeaccesstosomeareas ofour lives."Nineteenth-centuryhymnwriter,EdwardMote,knowingthatGod isourhopeas well as themountainsof stone.Heindicatedhis beliefthatwhen he wrote "TheSolidRock".Let usfirstreadhis poems. My hopeis builton the foundationofno lessthanJesusbloodandrighteousness; I donotdaretrust themostmanispunframe, Butwhollyleanon the name ofJesus. On Christ,therock,Istand; Morelandwasmudall overthe sand; Morelandwasmudall overthe sand. Davidthe psalmistknowsthatGod isthe anchor,the source ofmy expectations.Hewrites,"Out ofmy soul pants forsafetythanyou,Ihopetothy word"-Psalm119:81. Someone oncesaid,"Faithmeans totrust Godwhenallhuman reasonof the hopehas vanished." Petersaid,"and always be readyto give ananswerpertanggungnganto everypersonwho asksyou a reason concerningthe hopethat is in you"- 1Peter 3:15. Our hopeliesinour beliefthatJesus diedfor us.AndwhenweacceptHissalvation,He declaresus righteous.We canhave hopebecauseweknow thatGodis always with usandworkin our lives,turning usinto the likeness ofhis Son.The apostlePaul assuresus of thatwhenhe wrote,"Hewhobegan a good workin youwillperform it untilthe day of ChristJesus"-Philippians1:6. When writingabout thetopic"ChooseHope",MortonKelseysaidthathe would neverforget what happenedto himwhen he suffered asevere crisis."I am veryworried. SuddenlyIrealizedthat havinghopeitis just as easytoget scared.When I changemy fearintohope,almost immediatelya newlifesurgingwithin me,accompanyingmethroughthis crisiswith peaceandstrengthlarger,ifnot withjoy.theterburukpunfinallycame to pass,butI wasable to surviveto get throughsafely."
Our lives are now filled with a very complex problem. As a result, the pressure of living even higher. Many people become disappointed and discouraged. They lost a handle on life. The basic loss angle for the stand. They lose hope. In the hope that it is very important. Why say that hope is so important?
Hope enables us to survive. We recognize that life is so difficult. The burden of life that we experience very heavy. But, when we have hope, then we are able to bear the brunt. Why? Because we know the load it is only temporary. Would have passed, so we did not despair and give up. As followers of Christ we are spiritually empowered by God to bear the brunt of it remains strong and we know that hope in the Lord will not disappoint us.
Hope enables us to capture something. In addition we hope to be able to survive, hope, also makes us able to win and achieve something in our lives. It means we will get what we expect. Although we expect it not been seen or not there are signs that we will seize it, but we believe that God will give him just in time.
Hope enables us to see far behind every problem. Hope to work beyond our physical eyesight. Our physical eyes can only see trouble, suffering, challenges and obstacles. But hope makes us able to see far beyond the difficulties, pain, challenges and obstacles in our lives. That with a vision of hope, we see there is something fun and happy we are behind every problem that we experience. That's the impact strength in hope.
Faithcannotbe underestimated,becausefaithis thefaith,relianceandwillingnesstotruly believethat theGodwe worshiphasboundlesspowerandinfinitelove ofit.Means thatfaithis the keytobring themiraclesandblessingsof Godarepowerfulin our lives.Thus,our faithcanovercomeanychallengeanddefeatall the bids, persuasionandtemptation-worlddogaanmisleading. Criteria forthe faiththat overcomes the worldare:
Faithisrealizingthat God isin chargeof our lives.Abrahamdid notknow thecircumstances, conditions, andthe ins andouts ofthe land promisedbyGod.ButAbrahamremainedfaithfulto God.This is due toAbrahamrealizedthatGodmust beresponsible for thelivesandthe wholefamily.If so,Godwouldalsobe responsiblefor allof our lives,sowemustcontinue tobelieve andobey God.
Faithwho recognizeGod's faithfulness.Wearenotloyal.Humansarenotdevoteda lot.But GodremainedfaithfulandHe will never leaveus.God is with us.HeisImmanuel,God-are with usfromnow untilforever.
Faith is notdoubt.The Scripture says:"Do notbe anxious about anything,what youwilleat,drink,andwear"becauseGodkeptthe birdin the airandliliesdecoratethe Lord.Moreover,wearepreciousin God's eyes.Therefore,wemustkeepfaithand believeandtrust in Godaboveall things.
Almostevery secondchange is alwayshappening.These changesaredifficult topredict.Becausewe cannotchangethe prediction,then wemust be prepared todeal with it.Our readinessto deal with changesdeterminesour attitudein dealing withchange.How todeal with it?There arethree thingswe need to do,namely:
Change theway we think.The firstbattletocope with change isin our minds.Weprocess allthe changesin our minds.Afterweprocess it,then wewillrespond tosuch changes.Our responsesvaryaccording towhat is inour minds.First,wewereable torespondpositively.Second, our responsecanalsobenegative.Third,our responsecan beoptimistic.Fourth,our responsecan bepessimistic. In addition,we can alsoreactwithdisappointment, anger, despairandso on.However,we can alsoaddressthis bylivingthe highmotivationandkeep fighting. Therefore,we need toprepareour mindsproperly.The ApostlePaulgivesusguidance forhow toprepareour mindsproperly.The ApostlePaulwrites:"Finally, brothers,whatever is true,whatever is noble,whatever is just, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever ispleasant in thehearing,any virtueandany praise,think on these things"-Philippians4:8. These thingshelp ustorespond tochangeswithconfidence,strong confidenceandcourageto live,so thatwecancope withchangeandwin it.
Changeour habits. Ourhabitsofold,unproductive,that does notgiveany resultsfor our lives,shouldwe leave.The old waysthat prevent ustochange,must be removedfromour lives.Furthermore,wemustbuildanewattitude,newhabits,creativeand innovativeways.All these thingswillhelp usto get out oflife.This waywillmakeusuphillandsuccessfulcareer. Ifyoumanaged tochange thehabitsof the oldanduseless,I'm sureyouwill experience ahappy,prosperousand fun.
Changeour spirituallives.Somehowweneed Godin our lives.Perhaps youthinkthatyoucanwithyourownstrengthto faceandlive.As a result youabstain fromcommunionwithGod.Youdo notseriously followGod.Youdo not reallybuildyourspirituallife.But Iwant tosay toyouthrough this paperthatyouhave to changeyourspirituallife.Draw near toGod.SeekGodandHisrighteousness,then youwillfind away outofanytroubleyou.The LordGod will giveyouthe wisdomtoovercome the problemsof your life.The requirementis thatyou should fixyour relationshipwithGod.Youneed tofellowship with God.Prayto Him,ask for guidance.ReadHis wordbecause that is whatwilllead youon the right path. You are notlate.It'stime for youtoact.Godis alwayswaiting for youtocometo Him.He does notforce you.God willforgiveyousomehowhurthim.Heis aFatherwho lovesyou.
"Plenty of watercannotquenchlove,riverscannotcarry her away"-Song of Solomon8:7. There is onethat we canagreeon love.That lovewillbringsomethingbetter,get ustodo moreperfectly.Teaches ushowmuch powerit generates.Love makesthe world'stiredanditfeelswonderfulnoise, at leastwe can enjoywithlove.Loveteaches ushowto be honest andsacrifice,struggleand take,give andmaintain. Known as agreatballadabout loveballadin the formof poemsabout thepassionof love.In the above passage,the authorswant toexpresshow powerfullove.Heuses the term"seal"(somethingstronger) usedasa necklace,soclose to theheart.Even said,"is strongerthandeath",meaninglovecannotbe resisted,likedeath.However,the love thatis builtshouldnot justblindlylove,buttough loveiswilling toprovide the bestfortheir partner. Lovelikethisshould be thebasis ofthehusband-wiferelationship.Loveisso strong,that can not beshakenbyanything.Love like thiswillkeepthehusband-wiferelationshipandlikeanychallengesfacedin the future willbefacedtogether.Furthermore, the challenge isevenmakingtheir loveandgrowstronger.
"Ibanishyoufromthis landnow, andIshall be hiddenfrom your presence...soanyone whowouldmeetme,surelywould have killedme"-Genesis4:14. There iswisdomJavaexpressionthat says,"Sopoonewouldseleh" which means,who isguilty,hewouldfallorfailon its own."Howdid heget aroundtocover uphis mistake,"natural law"wouldlead themtothejustice of Godisnotvisibletheeyes,butinvisible to theeyes of the heart. Cainapparentlyrealized thathis actionsdid not escapefrom the scrutinyandjudgment of God.Cainwas afraidto beoutside the purviewof God.However,heis alsoafraid of beinginGod'scourt.Beyond thecontrolof God,he fearedkilledby anyonewhomet himbecausehewas afraid thattheyused of God tobecome"a toolin judging"her. Cain'sstoryshows thatthe guiltywillfallfirstbecausehe ismentallytoughagainstthe demands ofhis conscience.Behind thewordscan also beunderstoodthatCainCainasked formercy andprotectionofGodso that hedared tolive lifewithoutfear andhaunted byguilt.ThankfullyGod stillwant to preservetheir livesby giving amarkon his foreheadprotection. Anywrongdoingwillevokefear.Anyonewho wants tobe freefrom fearin thecourtof God,do not hidemistakes.Who does notadmitguilt,he is aliar,whowilldeceivehimself.The moreerrorsthat are covered, the higherthe level of fear.
Successful personmust have aperformancethat benefitsboth forthemselves, their families,as well asforothers.Toachieve this, it should bea brilliant waythrougha variety ofpositive things.What are sometipsforsuccessin our lives? A.Trustandrely onGod In the book ofProverbs3:5:"Believe in theLordwithall thine heart,and do notrely onyour own understanding."That is,whenwewant topursueorachieve successin life, do notwejust rely onintelligence,knowledge,skill,greatnessandourability. But aboveall thetalentsandabilities, wemustrecognize,trustandrely onGodinall our lives.God is thesource ofeverything for us,including thesourcesanddeterminants ofthe success ofour lives.Even aswework hard,butif God does notblessandbless,is certainlythe potentialfor successto bedifficulttoachieve.If it can,itis temporary.So,tosucceedin life,the first thing todo istrust,relyandinvolveGod inallourstruggles. B.Get used toalwaysthink positive Positivethinkingis to haveoptimism.People who areoptimistsalways seethe bright sideof thingsseemsdark.Have you everseen the sunhiding behindthe dark cloud?Pessimistsseethe darkclouds,whilethe optimistseea thinsilver linearound thedarkcloud. Positivethinkingshould besocialized.Why?Becauseour heartsaretaintedby sin,so that waywethinkandviewthe modelis dominatedbythesinfulandnegativethinking.For example,I could not,mybad, I'mnotsmart,Ido nothave atalentlike himsoI could not possiblywork, Iwasdestinedtofail, andso forth. Therefore,wemustconquerournegative thinkingwithour heartsfilledwithpositivethings.For example,Icertainly can,I'll work,althoughnow Ihave notsucceededbutIdid notstopsampaiahere,Iwill fightagain,work smarteragainin a morecreative,morehonest,more innovativeandmore.I wasjusta matter of timetosucceed. C.Follow thebiggest dreamyou have inyourheart In ancient Greece(the 3rd centuryBC),there liveda man namedDemosthenesinAthens.People who aresmallstature,shyand stutteringislike tobean orator.Of coursepeoplelaughed at him,buthe wasserious.He isnot afraidto hearthe generalopinionthatsaysthatpeoplelike himcan neverbean orator. He then began todiscipline themselvesandpracticeextra hardtoachievehis goalsandprovethat public opinionis notalwaystrue.Toamplifyhis voice,he practicedon the beach.He wasrivalingscreamingroar ofthe waves.To practicebreathing,heranup the hill, talkingitself.Topreparehis speech,he went toa lonelycave.Afterhis speechis composed,memorizeitandthensay theword bywordwithclearpronunciation. Afterseveralyears ofseclusiontodevelopselfDemosthenes,he returned tocivilian life.By the timehewouldbeginhis first speech,the peoplelaughed at him.They stillremember whoDemosthenes:alittleboy,shyandstuttering.However,after thefirst sentenceglidessmoothly,thenthe second sentence,andthenthethird,fourth,andso on, peoplebeganstunned.Eitherwayhemenyampakanand contentof his speechwas sogood, soveryrivetinghis audience. Finally, peoplebelieve thatDemostheneswasagreatspeech.Untilnowhis speeches,especiallythatentitled"Onthe Throne",is stillstudied bythosewhoare studyingto bean orator(Compton'sEncyclopedia,Chicago:F.EComptonCompany,1980,volume7,page78). Weoftenhave to"cover"the ears andeyeson theopinions and evaluationsof people.If wethinkthatwecoulddo/be somethingbecausewe have the potentialfor that,thougha bit(whichmaynotbe seenbymost people),wemustdareto struggleto make it happen,liketheoratorDemosthenes.
Many peoplehave a dreamtochangetheirlivesfor the better.However,itis onlyindreamsalonewith nochangesthat actuallyoccurred intheirlives.And tochangethe keywasa simplelife.Although simple,this should be donewithfullcommitment.That is, thejoys and sorrows ofeach process iscarried outmust be endured. Moreover, if thedegree ofchange we wantso much,itusually travelsthe lengthanddifficultyof successgettingmore and more.There should bea lot ofsacrificesthat need tobe given.To change yourlifeandbe successful,weoftenhave toget outofour comfort zone.Actquicklywithouta lot ofreasons.Mayinitiallyfeel uncomfortable,butshouldbecome a habit. Amotivational speakeronce said:"The greatest enemyoflife's greatiscomfortable living." That is,wehave toget outtheconvenientmoment tofeelcomfortablethenever. There areseveralways you can dotochange livesfor the better,among others: A.Have aclear purpose People who succeedin lifestarts withaclear purposein life.All effortsgiventhegoal-oriented.It is veryimportant,becausea clear goalwilllead usto aclear directiontoachieve.The purpose of lifeisobviouslyhelpfultomake usmore responsibleandrequire ustofightharderandget outofour comfort zone. In makingagoalto be done gradually.Starting fromthe easiestsamapaithe mostdifficult.Many peoplethink that havinga big dreamitisan impossible thing.But theyforget thatit's actuallya greatdreambeginsfromthe small stepsarecarried outconsistentlyandcommitment. B.Have astrong motivation Many peoplehave goalsin life,but can notmake it happen.Why?Because oftheir motivationto make it happenis verysmallornot strong.And tomakethislifechangeis notas easy asturning the palm ofthe hand. Strong motivationis the fuel thatwillalwaysburnourspiritandmotivationtokeep fightingandsurvive.This is whatdistinguishesour purposeifthat purposeiswe need orjustwent along with it. C.Knowhow to do it Clear objectivesalreadyexist.Strong motivationhas existed inour hearts.However,ifwedo notknowhow tomake it happen,then itwill wasteourtime and energy.Therefore,we need to doisfigure out howbest todoin an effort tochange our lives.Withandthe waywe know howtomake it happen,then sooneror laterwewill experiencelifechange for thebetter orthe way we want.
"Iwant toconsiderlifewithout blemish:When will youcome to me?Iwant tolivein thesincerity ofmy heart inmy house"-Psalm101:2. One timea showreality-showwatchinga policemanwhowas on dutyon the road.The interesting thingis whenthe policeareadvisinga motoristwhodeliberatelygo against the flowof traffic.Althoughheultimatelyhadlittleto argueadvisemotoriststo obeythe police,without aticket!On thesincerityof this,thiscopalso got"moneysurprise"for two milliondollars.Of course,he was verygrateful for thegift thatmay never havesuspectedhim,becausehe only didhis responsibilitieswith sincerity. Noteasy tomeetpeople who genuinelytoday.Instead,findthecunning,hypocriticalandselfish,so much easier.Sometimes wesee thegovernment apparatusloosena few rulesthat existfor the sake ofa fewpieces of moneythat goes intohis pocket, a servant ofGodto servein order to pursuean offeringof love,and manyotheractionsare bornofinsincerity. The LordJesustaught thatasGod's peoplewemusthavea sincere heartlike a dove.Doingsomethingwith sincerityrather thanasimplematter,becauseweprobablywillbe the onlypersoninthe family, at work,insociety, perhaps evenin the groupwitha smallpercentagein the churchthat actuallyapplyany of the charactersin thelifeof Christdaily.However,rest assuredthatGod does notclose his eyes andhewill rewardthepeople who aresincereheart. Let's take a momentto askourselves,"Have Ibeenasincere person?Bear in mindthatsincerityis a rare one, itmeansthat people whodo it would bevaluableas ahuman beingandGod's people.