TIMES OF DESPONDENCY

SERIES: THE PILGRIMS PROGRESS

TEXT: HEBREWS 12:3

Despondency is feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement or gloom. God has put a race in front of everyone of us.

The terrain of the journey is not the same, there are times when it is raining, there are times of sunshine too.

The writer of the book of Hebrews writes to the Jews who had received Jesus as Lord but in their pilgrimage journey they started encountering hardship and some began wanting to quit the salvation of grace and return to Judaism and the law of Moses.

Life is full of ups and downs and the pilgrimage journey is never easy. However, hard times don’t come all times. The trials that comes our way have been weighed by God–(1st Corinthians 10:13). Some believers quit salvation during hard times, they leave the cross and return to the world. Apostle Paul talked of a minister of the Word, called Demas, who left the faith and Ministry–(2nd Timothy 4:10).

We who have been called by the Lord from darkness to his marvelous light are people of hope. Hope is the gift of God to his children. Hope is the fuel that keeps you going when others are quitting.

It was said of a certain pilgrim who was called Pliable, when he encountered hardships in the journey, he said to his companion, complained to him “is this the happiness you told me?” After this he quit, left the pilgrimage journey and returned to the world.

More about hardships in the Christians journey:-

SOME EXAMPLES OF PILGRIMS WHO ENCOUNTERED HARDSHIPS.

ELIJAH: – After killing the 400 prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel, prophet Elijah got a threat from Jezebel, she swore to kill him. Fear caught up with Elijah and he fled for his life. Exhausted and tired, he went a days journey southwards past Jerusalem, sat under a tree and asked God to kill him in desperation–(1st Kings 19:4).

KING DAVID: David and his men had been away for a 3 day march and returned to find his home place burned down by the enemies and their families driven away as captives by the Amalekites. David’s men considered stoning him to death. David remembered hope and encouraged himself in the Lord–(1st Samuel 30:6).

APOSTLE PAUL: In his life’s pilgrimage Paul encountered some terrible hardships. He says “of the Jews 5 times I received 39 stripes, thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered ship wreck, a night and a day I have spent in the water, in journeying’s often, in dangers of water, in dangers of robbers, in dangers by my own countrymen, in the wilderness, in dangers in the sea, in dangers among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in cold and nakedness–(2nd Corinthians 11:24-27)

WHY GOD ALLOWS HARDSHIPS IN THE PILGRIMS JOURNEY.

To try our faith in God: Your faith will be tested when you say you believe in God, when you say you trust Him, a hardships on the way will prove whether your faith is real–(1st Peter 1:6-7).

To increase your faith: When trial comes God brings deliverance. After deliverance one’s faith in God increases. In subsequent trials and hardships the believer will say of the Lord, “My God in whom I trust if He did it yesterday, He will do it today.”

Increased dependence on God: Once one has seen deliverance from God, one loves God more and learns to depend on God more.

God bringing discipline to us: (Hebrews 12:6-8). Sometimes hardships comes to us because of our choices. If you don’t learn from the Pew you learn in the storm.

HOW NOT TO QUIT FROM THE PILGRIM’S JOURNEY.

Consider Christ (Hebrews 12:2)

Before you quit consider what Christ went through and compare it with what you are going through.

For the joy that was set before him, the Lord did not focus on the present but he focused on the future that had joy.

He decided to concentrate on the joy that would follow the pain of the cross.

He purposed to minimize the pain by despising the shame of the cross.

He focused on the privilege, the glories that would follow, sitting at the Right Hand of God.

Develop perseverance, be steadfast.

2nd Timothy 2:3, “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The good soldier is the one that endures hardship.”

Romans 8:35-39, “For thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, but no-in all these things we are more than a conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Romans 8:18, “ I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worth comparing with the joy that is to be revealed to us”

Reduce the weight.

Weight is anything that you carry and that which is not necessary. A weight is baggage that slows you down in your journey. It may be a good thing but it doesn’t help you to be a better pilgrim. Paul said, “all things are lawful but not all things are profitable”-(1st Corinthians 6:12).
Weight can also be fatigue and work overload. Prophet Elijah was fatigued and he became suicidal, asked God to kill him. Plan your work schedule well, to have breaks and rests to reduce burn out.

Share your hardships with others.