Spiritual Warfare #36

Steps to moving on from disappointment by Charles Stanley
Recognize that disappointments can be conquered. How disappointment came into you life is not the issue, but your response to it is. You may be shocked, hurt, and angry, and you may want to run. That's okay. Yet if you cling to any one of these, they will blind you away from God's goodness, and your circumstances will become more dismal.

Chapter Nine, the Landmine of Fear
It can paralyze us to such a degree that we lose our godly perspective concerning our circumstances. It clouds our vision for the future and leaves us struggling with doubt. When our lives are shrouded in fear, we cannot imagine the goodness that God has for us.

You must come to a point where you know that God is who He says He is and that your future and all that concerns you are wrapped up in His loving care. There can be no doubt. When you now this, even when the storms of life strike, you will not be driven off course.

A fearful person wonders what difficulty or trying situation is waiting for him around the next turn in the road. He worries that something will go wrong, and it will be beyond his ability to handle it. He does not realize that by buying into fear, he has stepped on one of the most destructive devices there is-the landmine of fear.

We must never forget that the first step toward conquering fear is gaining truth and knowledge. When thoughts of fear occur, we must make a choice based on the truth we know. If our minds have been programmed with the Word of God, we will be able to discern truth from fiction-a real threat from a perceived danger.

His plan is not for us to crumble with feelings of anxiety. Instead, He wants us to know that He is aware of what is taking place. He also has our very best in mind. Though troubles come, He promises to bring good out of each one (Rom. 8:28)

I love this chapter. I've been waiting weeks to get to it. May his peace be with you always.

Spiritual Warfare #35

Before we jump into the book, I just wanted to thank you for praying about our prayer walk yesterday. I think the coolest thing that happened for me was hearing about how God spoke to the couple we were with. We got back to their house and started with him. He picked up two rusty, bent nails he found at the beginning of his walk. He held them up and said, "I found this nail, then I found the more rusty bent one, and it made me think of why we're doing this. Because Christ was nailed to a cross for me."

Her impressions were of the neighborhood. She talked of how nobody stays, they have been forgotten, the yards and houses aren't taken care of, there isn't any friendliness or kindness in the community.

Steps to Moving Beyond Disappointment by Charles Stanley
Realize that God is aware of your circumstances.
Understand that disappointment is a part of life. He [God] may have allowed some things to turn out differently from the way that you planned or even desired. But every single time you faced a moment of discouragement, He was right beside you, longing for you to ask for His strength, wisdom, and insight.

Many times, people do not do this because they want to feel a little depressed so they will gain extra attention. In other words, they enjoy self-pity. There is a problem here that often goes unnoticed until it is almost too late. Satan is plotting and planning your discouragement.

God does not want us to suffer. However there are times when He allows disappointment to touch our lives for a greater purpose. He draws us closer to Himself. James wrote, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8) If you resist Him the burden of your heart will only grow larger and heavier.

God's joy is not based on anything this world has to offer. It is rooted in the eternal promise that you have been given through Jesus Christ. That is, if you will place your faith in Him, He will save you from your sins and an eternal death. He also will give you the grace to reside with hope regardless of your circumstances.

We'll continue with these steps tomorrow. While I was at Awaken 2008, Wayne Cordiero gave us all a Life Journal. Not only that, he gave us a great structure for a quiet time. I'm not the kind of person who just sits down with her Bible and has frequent rich quiet times. If I have some structure, like a reading plan, steps, check boxes, a plan, I do so much better. My times have been so much richer this last week since using this Life Journal. I'll be using these for life! Last night I started reading Wayne's Divine Mentor book. It's not what I expected, but it is like what he talked about at the conference and it's pretty good.

I better be off to church!

Spiritual Warfare #34

Consequences of Disappointment by Charles Stanley
Prayerlessness: Once disappointment drifts into discouragement, the person usually stops praying. He becomes critical, cynical, and angry with God. He is likely to say something along these lines: "He is God, right. I mean, He could have stopped it."

Another consequence of disappointment is a divided mind. We cannot think clearly when we focus on Satan's lies and negative words. One man spent his entire life living in fear and disappointment because he viewed himself as a failure. His mind was divided, and he could not focus on the truth of God's Word. If he had, he would have quickly learned that all things are possible when we believe in God's Son.

We also become angry, and if this is not taken care of quickly, we will become depressed and self-centered. The definition for depression is simply anger turned inward.

Tomorrow we'll look at the steps in moving beyond disappointment, which is a much longer section.

Greg and I are going on another prayer walk on the west side this morning. We're being joined by a couple who lives there. Please pray that God will give us insight on our prayer walk. God bless you all.

Spiritual Warfare #33

Now we get to go to chapter eight, the landmine of disappointment by Charles Stanley
Anything that drives us to the Lord is good for us. Disappointment, heartache, and sorrow are included here. Had God forgotten His promises to David? No, but David was not ready to assume the role of king of Israel. The years he spent battling hardship and disappointment were times of tremendous growth and preparation for the position that he would hold one day.

My caution to everyone reading these words is very simple: when disappointment strikes, don't give up and don't give in to thoughts of discouragement. You never know what God has waiting for you. Like David, you may go through a long season of waiting when disappointment seems to follow your every step. However, each series of trials prepared David for some aspect of the job that he would have one day.

God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. We can rest in His presence because we know that He has only the best for our lives and He will not allow the enemy to harm us. If disappointment, sorrow, or trouble comes, He will teach us how to respond and lead us to a place of blessing and hope.

He [God] also knows the depth of your disappointments. But just as He had a greater plan for Christ's life, He also has one for you. If you never face disappointment, you will never know how to trust God, encourage others, or live in the comfort of His care.


Disappointment is an emotional response to some failed expectation or some desire that we have. It comes when we lose our godly motivation and drive, which bring fulfillment and purpose to life. When we lose these, our hearts can become heavy and sad.

Tomorrow we'll look at the consequences of disappointment. I think this is an area we can easily learn how to handle well, but it helps if we first go through it and experience handling it well, and see how God meets us there. Blessings this Friday!