I know that I know that God gave Yvon Attia this NOW word for the Body of Christ. I've really enjoyed getting to know Yvon and her husband Mina...they carry the heart of God in all that they do.
If that's you, I want you to receive the words spoken through Yvon below, and the prayer she offers to you...right now. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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Disappointment is the enemy's number one tool to destroy and discourage God's people. When we are disappointed, we quit pursuing our God-given dreams and allow sadness and depression to creep in.
Recently, as my husband Mina and I were in God's presence, the Holy Spirit began to reveal this truth: many of God's people are disappointed, and many have given up on believing God for their promises. At that time, we heard the Holy Spirit point to Romans 5. As we started reading this chapter, we came across verse 5:
"And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." (Romans 5:5, NLT)
The Antidote for Disappointment
Our spirits were stirred, and we knew that God was revealing the antidote for disappointment: HOPE. There is a hope which comes from Him, and it will not lead to disappointment. We knew that there was something about this God-given hope, and decided to read from the beginning of chapter 5 to learn more about how to receive it. Interestingly, this chapter reveals and focuses on how this hope is developed, giving us the ingredients God uses to develop it. (Photo via Unsplash)
At the start of the chapter, we are told that because of our faith in Christ, we have peace with God, and have been brought into a place of undeserved privilege (Romans 5:1-2). Then it goes on to reveal a wonderful truth about developing the hope which never disappoints:
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation." (Romans 5:3-4, NLT)
This verse was an eye opener, since it revealed the method God uses to birth the type of divine hope which doesn't lead to disappointment. It starts when we understand that God uses everything, including problems and trials, to develop this hope.
From Trials to Divine Hope
Crisis, pain, suffering, problems and trials will develop endurance in your life. Hebrews 5:8 (KJV) tells us this about Jesus: "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." His suffering developed endurance. Hebrews 12:2 reveals this truth about Jesus, stating that He is "...the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the Cross, disregarding its shame..." (Hebrew 12:2, NLT).
Here we see that endurance is a character trait developed in the fire of pain, suffering and crisis. Once endurance is developed, it strengthens our character. Many fail today because they operate out of their gift, but their character is not developed.
Strength of character gives birth to a divine hope, a hope which never disappoints. When the character of Christ is established in us, it's easy to be humble; it's easy to love others and forgive those who hurt us. Therefore, let's rejoice through and embrace problems and trials, because God is birthing divine hope which never disappoints. He is transforming our character.
Our character is the mental, moral and spiritual quality that distinguishes us as individuals. For example, what distinguishes God from the rest of the us? God is holy, God is faithful, God is perfect in His love. These are God's character traits.
Two Main Purposes for Character Transformation
There are two main purposes for character transformation:
The first purpose is so that we can look like Jesus. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) tells us, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Photo via Unsplash)
The second purpose is "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13, NKJV).
Therefore, our aim is to embrace the process and not fight against it; to trust that "...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, NKJV).
Prayer
Father, we come into Your presence right now, in Jesus' name. We surrender to You our problems and trials, trusting that You will use everything we are going through to develop endurance, to strengthen our character and to fill us with the hope which never disappoints.
We take authority right now over every lie of the enemy, every disappointment, every sadness, every depression and command it to leave in Jesus' mighty name. Lord, we turn to You and ask You to fill us with Your love, Your peace and Your hope. We receive it right now, in Jesus' mighty name.
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Yvon Attia
Celebrate Freedom Ministries
Email: info@celebratefreedomministries.org
Website: www.celebratefreedomministries.org
Yvon Attia is a radical lover of Jesus and His Word, fully dedicated to His purposes and His call. Yvon is an author and a powerful, passionate speaker who preaches the Word with the power of God's Spirit, and the manifestation of His presence. She unpacks the Word from a Middle Eastern perspective, explaining its depth in terms of culture, context and power. Yvon is married to her high school sweetheart, Mina, and they have two beautiful children, Esther and Raphael. Both Yvon and her husband are ordained pastors under the spiritual fatherhood covering of Apostle Guillermo Maldonado Of King Jesus International Ministry in Miami. Miracles of healing take place during their meetings as God faithfully confirms the Word through signs that follow. They are also the founders of Celebrate Freedom Ministry, which is part of the supernatural global network of King Jesus International Ministry.
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I know so many people are dealing with disappointment right now...as situations around us haven't panned out and the timing of promises fulfilled hasn't come to pass. We can be very disappointed by these things and more.
