“HOPE
DEFERRED”
By David C. Hairabedian
The Old Testament Book of Wisdom says,
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the
desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12 KJV).
Other translations read:
NIV “Hope
deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled
is a tree of life.”
NKJ “Hope deferred
makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is
a tree of life.”
Recently, the Holy Spirit illuminated
the above Proverb during a prayer time with a saintly woman during a
phone conversation. I was going through an increasingly difficult
time spiritually, emotionally and physically, although I didn’t
voice it to anyone. On this day I had simply asked for prayer for
pain throughout the left side of my back. As she began to pray she
suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and said, “Oh my, you’re suffering
from deferred hope.” I thought, “What is deferred hope?”
Then calmly, yet with noticeable authority, she spoke directly to
the problem, “Deferred hope, in the Name of Jesus Christ I
break you off my Brother’s life right now and order you not to
return to him again. Instantly I was delivered! The pain in
my back left simultaneously. It was miraculous. The only way I can
describe what occurred is to say that all the chronic pain in
my back, neck and shoulders that had been increasing in intensity
for the last 6-8 months time snapped off me like a tightly stretched
rubber band being cut with a knife. I was free! Then in the same
gentle voice of authority she said, “I now replace these areas in
your life with God’s desire fulfilled, which the Bible says
is a tree of life.” When she spoke these words my mind
that had previously been saturated with frustration, tormented with
stress and chronic disappointment was suddenly purged with the
in-flooding mind of Christ. My faith level spiked
instantaneously. My spiritual vision was renewed like the eagle.
Said another way, it was as if my viewpoint and understanding of my
life and its seemingly arduous circumstances suddenly changed. It
was as though God showed me heaven’s perspective—His aerial point of
view--on the same life-issues and delayed-hope I had been struggling
with. At the same time my heart was filled with new anticipation
and godly optimism of what the Lord was about to do for me, as well
as in and through my life for others. In a word, Hope was
restored!
As I stood amazed and praised
God for this mighty deliverance a renewed vigor and strength to
finish the course set before me filled my soul. I then realized God
had just supernaturally delivered me from unseen spiritual forces
that had been hindering my life and oppressing my mind and
tormenting my body, spiritual forces that had been increasing in
effect against me for a period of nearly three years. During this
time I knew something was awry, but couldn’t, until being delivered,
quite put my finger on it. Yet now it all crystallized instantly.
These forces of darkness had been subtle. Somehow through my
ignorance they had increasingly hindered and oppressed my mind and
body, and had begun to vex my spirit.
After hanging up the phone from this
prayer encounter the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me how subtle
yet devastating deferred hope can be for a person. In
reality, if it wasn’t for the intervening Hand of God through that
saintly woman, deferred hope could have easily prevailed
against me, derailing me in my walk with the Lord. I could have
become shipwrecked in my faith like the Bible warns against
(see 1 Timothy 1:18-20). With this I became aware of how I had
nearly been destroyed because of my ignorance regarding this
overlooked Biblical subject of deferred hope.
WHAT EXACTLY IS DEFERRED HOPE?
Deferred hope is one of the spiritual
weapons the enemy employs against Christians. This weapon, if not
recognized and properly guarded against, can cause our hearts to
become sick. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs
13:12). This is why God’s wisest Old Testament King admonishes,
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues
of life” (Proverbs 4:23). If our hearts become sick through
deferred hope, then the other issues of our life will suffer
the consequences. This includes our attitude, spiritual vision,
physical and mental health, our love relationship with Jesus, and
others. All these things had been severely affected prior to my
deliverance, all because I was ignorant of this strategic tool of
the enemy. And I had been saved for seventeen years, won souls to
Christ and taught Bible studies to others. The Old Testament
Prophet Hosea said it this way, “My people are destroyed for lack
of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Under the New Covenant the
Apostle Paul admonished, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians
2:11). I believe it is a safe statement to say that the
devil’s ability to keep us defeated is directly related to his
ability to keep us ignorant on spiritual matters. This is why I am
sharing the above victory from the Lord against deferred hope with
you. My heartfelt desire is that by the time you finish reading
what the Holy Spirit revealed to me from the Scripture, and
experience, you too will be delivered from any of the negative
affects deferred hope has sent against your life. “For God
is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).
LET US NOT BE IGNORANT OF THE
ENEMY'S DEVICES
The first thing the Lord showed me
about deferred hope was that it comes against us through
three primary elements: (1) the very real circumstances of life
that come to delay our God-given desires from being fulfilled
bringing disappointment, (2) the mindset that results in us that is
contrary to the Word of God, and finally, (3) an evil spirit that
comes to hinder and oppress us to sicken us in heart once these
first two natural forces are in place. When these three elements
of deferred hope arrive in combination they can be “a
three-fold cord that is not be easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
At which point we need supernatural deliverance from Heaven to set
us free. The ironic part is once we get to this third stage of
bondage we usually don’t even realize we’ve been trapped and brought
into captivity by the enemy.
I believe most will experience hope
deferred at one time or another in their life. In
fact, hope deferred can be a common experience, more common
than most would like to admit, or are aware of. I know I was
ignorant. Because of this fact, once deferred hope has a
stronghold in our lives the enemy of our souls will try to
capitalize further in this area of our spiritual testing by sending
a spirit of discouragement to compound the matter. If we
aren’t careful (or we are ignorant of the enemy’s strategies) this
can catapult us into a spiritual tailspin and eventual crash,
or as Scripture calls it, “shipwreck in our faith.” I believe this
is what may have happened to Hymenaeus and Alexander:
“Timothy, my son, I give you this
instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so
that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to
faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have
shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander,
whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (1
Timothy 1:18-20 NIV).
Paul was warning Timothy against
losing his focus, or taking his eye off the prize. Paul had
prophesied over Timothy, but warfare was coming against him to
contradict these prophetic words. Evidently Paul had also spoken
words of prophecy over Hymenaeus and Alexander, but something caused
them to lose focus. I believe life’s circumstances contradicted the
prophecies, which is common to man. This is why Abraham “hoped
against hope, and continued to believe in hope,” and then finally
received his promise from God and became “the father of many
nations” (Genesis 17:4-5). Abraham had to stand against deferred
hope for 25 years before Isaac was born. If Abraham had yielded to
deferred hope, or shrank back from the promise of God, he would have
missed God’s best for him. In fact, at one point Abraham yielded to
the very real circumstances of Sarah’s dead womb coupled with her
worldly advice to sleep with Hagar. This fleshly union produced a
child named Ishmael, and the Arab people. Many within this people
group in the Middle East have persecuted Jews and Christians for the
last 4,000 years, relentlessly murdering them in the Name of their
false god. Deferred hope was at the root of this birthing
and its negative fruit continues today unabated. If Abraham had
only known! God recovered Abraham in time, and Isaac, the child of
promise was born through the supernaturally resurrected womb of
Sarah. Christ came through this bloodline and the blessing of
Abraham has come upon all who receive Jesus. Hallelujah!
In the case of Hymenaeus and Alexander
the outcome is ugly. When they experienced the spiritual warfare of
deferred hope instead of standing on the prophetic word spoken
through Paul they yielded to the trap. The circumstances of life,
its accompanying mindset of defeat, and the demonic influence that
turned them against the Apostle Paul won that round. Their hearts
became sick and they began to slander God’s anointed. As a result,
they were “handed over to Satan so they might learn not to
blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:20). Ouch! May we learn from their sad
example and not make the same mistake. May we rather be like the
numerous heroes of the faith who “stood firm” in the face of such
trials and emerge victorious in Christ Jesus.
12 Examples of God’s People Who
Experienced “Deferred Hope”
1. Abraham, the
father of faith, experienced hope deferred for 25 years
waiting for the promise of a child, who would make him the “father
of many nations.” Finally at age 100 Abraham laughed at
(disbelieved) the possibility of having a child when the messenger
angel visited him (Genesis 17:17).
2. Sarah
experienced hope deferred until she was 90 years old and then
laughed when the angel spoke to her (Genesis 18:12). She gave her
husband bad advice and Ishmael was birthed through an unholy union
that still inflicts harm against the people of God 4,000 years
later.
3. Joseph
effectively stood against hope deferred while in prison on
false rape charges. He was called by God to be the deliverer of
Egypt, the Egyptians and his own Israelite family. Even after God’s
intervention with a sign for good to show that God was still with
Joseph, he still waited in faith for two more years behind bars
(Genesis 40:13-14 & 41:1). Twenty two years later God performed the
miracle. Result, God was able to raise Joseph up to become
deliverer of two nations of people.
4. Moses
experienced hope deferred on the backside of the mountain as
an outcast and murderer for forty years (Exodus 3:1). God made him
deliverer of 3 million souls out of Egypt Then in the wilderness
Moses faced forty more years of hope deferred along with
these same 3 million souls, who now were corporately blaming him for
bringing them out to die in the desert. Result, Moses became
angry, striking the rock twice, disqualifying himself for the
Promised Land (see Numbers 20:8-12).
5. The Children of
Israel experienced hope deferred as slaves to a pagan
king in Egypt for 430 years (Exodus 12:40).
6. The Children of
Israel then experienced hope deferred for 40 years in the
wilderness (Exodus 16:35). But God was faithful because “they never
lacked anything.” Deuteronomy 2:7: “For the LORD thy God hath
blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking
through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God
hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
7. The Children of
Israel yielded to hope deferred in less than for forty
days while waiting for their spiritual leader Moses to return from
the mountain with instructions from God (Deuteronomy 9:9ff).
Their hearts became sick and they began worshiping a golden calf
and having an orgy.
8. Anna the
Prophetess stood faithfully against hope deferred for 60
years in the temple of God with prayer and fasting. She received
the promise of “the consolation of Israel,” the birth of Jesus the
Messiah (Luke 2:26). She kept focused and steadfast on the vision
and refused to “cast off restraint.”
9. The Disciples
experienced hope deferred while waiting for Jesus to take
over Rome as King, delivering the children of Israel from Roman rule
and restoring Jerusalem to its rightful place in history. Judas
tried to expedite the process by selling Jesus out for thirty pieces
of silver to force him to use His divine authority as Messiah to
defeat the Romans and fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of his
eternal government. Instead Judas’ heart became sick and he
committed suicide. The disciple’s hearts became sick when Jesus was
crucified (Matthew 27:38). They went back to fishing! (See John
21:3).
10. The Zealots
experienced hope deferred while waiting for the Messiah for
an undetermined number of years. They yielded to deferred hope and
their hearts became sick; they turned to violence to accomplish the
prophecy in their own strength and power, killing Romans in the name
of God. Result, they were arrested and executed. More than 30,000
were crucified by the Roman government during this time.
11. Gehazi
experienced deferred hope while waiting to be commissioned by
God as a prophet after Elisha. Gehazi lost vision, cast off
restraint and then stole money from the ministry (two talents (150
pounds) of silver and two high quality garments). This
self-realized vision, in his mind, would enable him to leave the
ministry and go into private business (2 Kings 5:20-27). Gehazi
became leprous as a result (v. 27)
12. Lots two daughters
suffered from deferred hope. Once Sodom and Gomorrah was
destroyed by fire there were no men left alive. Instead of waiting
for proper husbands from the Lord, they yielded to the spirit of
deferred hope. Their hearts became sick; they schemed to get
their father intoxicated in order to have sex with him. Both
daughters became pregnant as a result of these incestuous unions,
and then gave birth to two wicked nations; the Ammonites and
Moabites.
HOPE DEFERRED IS A COMMON TEST
FOR EVERY MAN
Hope deferred is a common test
and temptation for every Believer. There hath no temptation taken
you but such as is common to man…” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
With the temptation God always makes a way of escape. If we will
seek Him he will always lead us in triumph (2Corinthians 2:14 NIV).
As discussed above hope deferred can also be accompanied by
an evil spirit, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood
(Ephesians 6:10-18). Job’s wife suffered from deferred hope
also. When she lost her children and everything they owned her hope
was deferred. Result: She told her husband to “Curse God and die”
(Job 2:9). It is interesting to note that these are the same words
Satan told God Job would say if God “lifted Job’s hedge of
protection and allowed Satan to afflict him” (see Job 2:5).
Meaning, Satan was attacking Job through Job’s distressed wife with
demonically inspired words. The same is true today, for “there is
nothing new under the sun…what has been before shall be again
(Ecclesiastes 1:9). When your miracle is delayed the devil may also
send people to ask you, “Where is the promise of his coming!” They
may word it this way, “If your God is with you, where is He at
today? Give up this silly Christian stuff and try something that
really works!” Peter warned against this demonic strategy,
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying,
Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4). Human scoffers
will often be sent by the enemy of your soul to add insult to the
open wound that hope deferred has caused in an effort to get
you to, “curse God to his face.” Don’t yield to this temptation,
but press on, hoping against hope, in Jesus’ Mighty Name. God is
able to “hasten his word to perform it in your life” (Jeremiah 1:12
KJV). When you stand firm in faith, eventually, you will receive
the promise, so don’t give up!
Common Wrong Reactions to Hope
Deferred
Moses, at age forty,
killed an Egyptian with the power of his own flesh instead of
waiting for God’s instructions on how to properly fulfill the call
of Deliverer on his life. Result: Moses was banished from Egypt and
the very people he was called to deliver. This lasted forty years
time while he was stuck on the backside of the mountain waiting on
God a second time, until he was age eighty. Why are you on the
backside of the mountain during this season of your life? Do not
despair, God still has a plan and if you are patient and don’t lose
focus again, He will raise you up to fulfill the destiny He has for
you.
The Apostles went back to
fishing; in effect, they left the ministry (John 21:3).
The Religious Hebrew Zealots
rebelled against civil authority, committed murders and sedition;
the arm of the flesh vs. the power of the Spirit. Haven’t you met a
few of these anti-government types? They never want to talk about
how their sin got them into this mess, but rather about the sin of
those who are their captors, the snitch, prosecutor, unfair appeals
court, their attorney, etc.
Abraham slept with his concubine
Hagar at the prompting of his wife Sarah. Sarah had also lost
vision of giving her husband a child. She was suffering from hope
deferred. They both, in effect, tried to help God do the
miracle. God called it a work of the flesh. Result, an Ishmael was
born, costing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews and
Christians through wars and Islamic Jihad the last 4,000 years.
Sometimes the accusing voice of the enemy will speak first person
into our minds causing us to perceive his words are a product of our
own thinking. This causes us to accept the words as our own instead
of combating the devil’s lies. He speaks statements like, “I guess
God wants me to help him fulfill the promise myself. The Bible does
say, “Faith without works is dead. Besides, “God helps those who
help themselves.” This is not what the Bible says in proper
context. In fact, Scripture after scripture warns against such
action without God’s timing.
The Children of Israel lost
patience while Moses was “up on the mountain forty days.” The
result: They yielded to the spirit of deferred hope and sought out
another god of their own making saying, “this is the god that
brought us up out of Egypt” (Exodus 32:8). They blasphemed God,
attributing the works of God to the devil. Result, then they began
worshiping a golden calf and having an orgy (1 Corinthians
10:7-11).
The Children of Israel lost
restraint and demanded meat instead of angel’s food because they
were tired of manna every day (See Numbers Chapter 11). God
answered their prayers by giving them an abundance of quail for the
next thirty days straight. It got to the point that they loathed
this food and wanted to return to manna again (Numbers 11:20). Many
died with the meat still in their mouths, others suffered a plague
(Numbers 11:33).
The Children of Israel spent
forty years walking in circles because of their unwillingness to
believe the promise of God. When it was their divinely appointed
hour to “take the Promised land,” these shrank back in fear instead
of stepping out in faith. Then after God pronounced judgment on
them for their disobedience and unbelief, they reacted wrongly to
the spirit of hope deferred and foolishly presumed by going up
against the Amalekites without God’s blessing and were drive back in
the process (see Numbers Chapter 14, specifically vv. 24-33;
40-45). They, like the Pharisees and Sadducees “missed their
day of visitation” (Luke 19:44). Let’s learn from their
example. Don’t miss your day of visitation this very night
while the anointing is in the house; receive your healing, your
deliverance, your day of salvation (being born again), delivered
from nicotine, drugs, alcohol, sex addiction, masturbation, etc.
The Children of Israel reacted
wrongly to hope deferred and their hearts became sick. The
Bible says they “tempted God” ten times in the wilderness by
murmuring against Him; this caused their own destruction by serpents
(1 Corinthians 10:9). “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and
limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41).
Herod reacted wrongly to hope
deferred while under Roman rule. Herod joined the Romans and
their wicked Hellenistic ways, bringing destruction on himself and
the Jews in agreement with him. Be very careful who you align
yourself with. What has deferred hope tempted you to do
recently?
Are you tired of waiting for your
promotion at work?
--Are you ready to quit before your get
your promotion? Don’t let deferred hope steal your day of
advancement. Whatever test you fail here God requires you to repeat
at the next job.
--Maybe you are considering
compromising your integrity to gain favor with your boss or the
company? This will only leave you empty and is spiritual fool’s
gold that won’t last.
--Maybe you are thinking of
giving yourself a supplemental pay raise paying by:
Taking office supplies, gas, some extra
computer accessories, or other items for home use?
Using the
company car or credit card for personal gain?
Charging
personal lunches on the company account unwarrantedly?
Adding extra
hours to your time card or pay sheet?
Taking credit
for work or projects someone else performed?
Are you tired of waiting for the
godly mate of your dreams from the Lord?
--Maybe you are considering
compromising by dating God’s second best.
Don’t make Abraham’s mistake like he
did with his concubine Hagar, or Samson’s mistake with the
hairdresser named Delilah. You could end up with an Ishmael
to rear for the next 21 years, or your worse yet, like Samson, your
eyes could be plucked out and you could die in prison. God will
forgive you, but its better not to have to go through such problems
in the first instance. Don’t compromise yourself emotionally or
sexually. If you desire God’s best, give God your best. A Proverbs
31 man will receive a Proverbs 31 woman. On the other hand, Ray Ray
will be drawn to Shaneka and all the baggage she brings with her.
Therefore allow God to change your name spiritually, from Jacob
(deceiver) to Israel (Soldier of God). Allow God to first develop
you into the man or woman of God and you will receive the mate of
your dreams from God. Stand firm, and do not compromise what you
know is God’s standard!
Are you tired of waiting for
promotion in ministry at Church?
--Maybe you have been tempted to speak
against the person who is already in that position, or even the
Pastor or Chaplain in charge because they failed to recognize you
and your spectacular gifting. Maybe you are tempted to “change
churches.” Maybe they will recognize your gifting, while being
blind to your actual character. Korah rebelled against Moses
because he wanted his position. Korah was subsequently swallowed up
in an earthquake sent by God along with his 250 rebellious
followers. Don’t make their mistake. Repent today, and be free
from deferred hope. Remember, King David didn’t speak
against Saul during his character development process from the
Lord. It lasted nine long years while David was on the run from the
Lord’s ex-anointed. David inherited the kingdom when God promoted
him and is recorded as “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).
Saul on the other hand, committed suicide and went to an early
death. Make the right decision today by obeying God’s way and not
deferred hope’s ways.
Are you tired of waiting to hear a
fresh word from the Lord?
--Maybe you didn’t do what God told you
to do last time. Jonah ran from his calling (Jonah 1:1-3), and
ended up in the whale’s belly. After he repented, God commanded the
giant fish to vomit Jonah onto the beach. The word of the Lord then
came to Jonah a second time. It was the same word God told
him the first time (Jonah 3:1-2). If this is your situation then go
back to the first word, and do it, asking the Lord to “redeem the
time,” or “give you a second opportunity” to obey Him.
--Or maybe you, like King Saul, went a
witch for advice from the spirit realm. Maybe you did it by phone
with a 1(900) Psychic Line at $3.99 a minute. Or was it a Tarot
Card Reader at a fair? Maybe it was a prophet or prophetess for
hire through whom you are seeking supernatural for advice. If
so, repent and return to God right now, and then He will forgive
your sin and begin speaking to you clearly once again.
The spirit of Herod is also a
spirit of worldliness. This spirit offers a variety of “false
comforters” to administer to our needs while we suffer from deferred
hope. Of course, these false comforters also stand between us and
God. Let’s identify some of the false comforters this spirit
tempts us with while suffering from hope deferred that makes our
hearts sick.
FALSE COMFORTERS
What are some of your false
comforters? What do you spend your time doing? How have you
compromised with the world to “feel better” (or more comfortable)
while you wait for the fulfillment of His promise? Are you like
Herod who waited in his man made temple of religion, satisfying
himself with all kinds of food and drink while sleeping with his
brother’s wife? Remember, self-righteous Herod chopped off the
righteous head of John the Baptist after watching Herod’s daughter
perform a seducing dance. What are you watching on TV? The
Internet? What magazines have caught your attention recently?
Maybe you even purchased a full subscription? How have you been
distracted from the course set before you? Are you on the narrow
road that leads to everlasting life, or the wide road that leads to
destruction? Have you lost spiritual vision? Have you cast off
restraint? Or are you like Joseph who would rather take a false
rape charge and do 13 years in prison than sin against God?
Remember the faithful example of Anna the Prophetess who waited 60
years in the temple with prayer and fasting? Stand firm against the
spirit of deferred hope and the many false comforters it offers.
The Spirit of Religion is also
a false comforter from the enemy. Religion can be
defined as “form without power.” Examine the lives of the Pharisees
and Sadducees; this spirit of religion displaces a personal
relationship with God with a set of man made religious rules
standards; producing only two extremes, condemnation for failing to
comply with these standards or self-righteousness for performance.
The Pharisees were self-righteous while the common people of the day
felt condemned. Jesus came to set the captives free. The Pharisees
and Sadducees spirit of religiosity helped orchestrate the murder of
Jesus, directly and indirectly through its manipulation. Cain was
religious in the way he served God on his own terms. Are
you serving God on your own terms or His? When God tried to correct
Cain he responded by murdering his brother Abel. This spirit of
religion is still alive and well today. Who are you murdering with
your tongue in the Church? Don’t yield to deferred hope and its
influence through the find sounding arguments of false religion
(form without power) that it offers you.
CORRECT RESPONSES TO HOPE
DEFERRED
Joseph was tried by the word of
the Lord and found faithful. He properly stood against the
spirit of hope deferred and emerged victorious to fulfill
God’s call on his life. Psalm 105:17-22: “And he sent a man
before them-- Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with
shackles; his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to
pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true. The king sent and
released him; the ruler of peoples set him free. He made him master
of his household, ruler over all he possessed, to instruct his
princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.” Joseph stood
against deferred hope and reaped a harvest of leadership as prime
minister over Egypt and God used him to save hundreds of thousands
of lives. He remembered God’s promise to him and after twenty two
years the dreams came to pass. God will do the same for you! “Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Elisha waited faithfully upon
the Prophet Elijah for fifteen years. He rejected the spirit of
deferred hope and received a double portion of the Holy Spirit (see
2 Kings 2:9, 13-14). Scripture records Elisha performing twice as
many miracles as Elijah. God will do the same for you if you
faithfully serve the person in ministerial authority over you until
your day of promotion comes. Don’t be like Gehazi, who fell prey to
deferred hope and ended up leprous and disqualified for the
ministry.
The mantle will be passed, in due
season, if you wait for it.
Anna the prophetess “waited
faithfully on the consolation of Israel in the temple with prayer
and fasting” (Luke 2:36). She received her promised Messiah Jesus
Christ. Such examples should encourage us to “…be not slothful, but
followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.”
NIV Hebrews 6:12: “We
do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through
faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
“…WHEN A DESIRE COMETH IT IS A
TREE OF LIFE” (PROVERBS 13:12b).
When the desire is fulfilled it is like
a tree of life being planted in our lives. This tree from the Lord
bears fruit unto all around us; even the non-believers know God has
done something great for us. For example, when God delivered the
children of Israel this is what they sang as a song of praise.
KJV Psalm 126:1-3:
“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them
that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and
our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD
hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done
great things for us; whereof we are glad.” Your desired day
is coming! Stand firm and don’t lose hope.”
Do you need release from some sort of
captivity? Do you need a sign from heaven that God is still with
you? John the Baptist, while in prison, asked for one? “When the
men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to
ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone
else?'" (Luke 7:20). Jesus responded by showing John a sign
for good: "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard:
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are
cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is
preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me” (Luke 7:22-23). With this sign for good John
was strengthened in his faith and able to finish the course that was
set before him. John was then able to confidently give his own head
for his faith. “So he immediately sent an executioner with orders
to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison” (Mark
6:27). , Jesus then said this about John: “I tell you, among
those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:28).
Today we know John the Baptist is in Heaven, but where is Herod?
What about his wife and seductively dancing daughter? How are you
going to finish the course? Stand firm, do not compromise!
WE COULD ALL USE AN INJECTION OF
FRESH HOPE FROM THE LORD
A desire fulfilled is like a tree of
life” (Proverbs 13:12). Do you need your desire fulfilled from
God? To stand against deferred hope and all its false comforters we
could use a fresh injection of hope from the Lord. But is it
appropriate to ask God for an injection of hope while combating this
spirit? Can we ask God for a sign for good to encourage us and to
silence our enemies? KJV Psalm 86:17: “Shew me a
token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be
ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast hoped me, and comforted me.”
NIV Psalm 86:17:
“Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be
put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”
RSV Psalm 86:17:
“Show me a sign of thy favor, that those who hate me may see and be
put to shame because thou, LORD, hast helped me and comforted me.”
The answer from the above verse
obviously is a resounding yes. A supernatural injection of hope is
something the Lord desires to give us to strengthen us in our faith
and provide us with fresh vision and patience so that we might then
“inherit the promises of God” (Hebrews 6:12). Remember, “We have
not because we ask not” (James 4:2). Are you in need of an
injection of fresh hope from the Lord to cast off and dispossess the
spirit of deferred hope? If so, get ready because we are about to
do a brief recap and then ask God together for His power to come
upon us in Jesus’ Mighty Name!
BRIEF RECAP
Deferred hope is both a mindset
and a spirit. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. The
spirit of “deferred hope” can be subtle and a powerful deterrent
from realizing the promises of God in our lives. We are no longer
ignorant of the enemy’s devices. He, and his devices, has been
exposed! Let’s deal with this spirit right now through the
authority give to us by Jesus.
PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
Lord, I recognize my need for
deliverance from deferred hope. I ask you now in the Name of Jesus
to set me free from every stronghold of the enemy in my life. I
humbly yet boldly ask for complete deliverance from the enemy’s
mindset, spiritual forces and words that have been spoken into my
life. God I believe your promises concerning my life and will
accept no compromise. I want all you have for me. Father, I ask
for a sign for good as the Psalmist asked. Show me your
faithfulness in some way today and in the days ahead so that I might
know you are with me. I thank you for a fresh injection of hope
right now in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
Now, let me pray for you like that dear
saintly woman calmly prayed for me. Deferred hope, I name
you and break you off of this life right now in Jesus’ Name. I
command you to both depart from them and never return. In its place
I release a desire fulfilled from the Lord right now over your life,
which the Bible says is like a tree of life. I speak the shed blood
wall of Jesus Christ between you and the adversary of your soul and
I release a blessing of perseverance upon you now. By the authority
of Jesus’ Name I release renewed vision and the mind of Christ to
fill your mind now. I speak full restoration of hope to your soul
from this point forward. Amen.
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