Hopelessness
The Granddaddy Excuse of Them All: Hopelessness
Regardless of your progress thus far as Sir Relapsalot or a Stop on a Dime type, there is one excuse above all others that always requires instant death by mental firing squad. Hopelessness is the granddaddy of all excuses, because in effect it excuses all other excuses! Think about it for a second. If you’re without hope, if everything is truly pointless, then why bother attempting anything, since you’re doomed from the get-go? Hopelessness is the one excuse above all others that the devil wants programmed into your brain and self-talk, because the man or woman who is hopeless is already defeated. Hopelessness is the dead opposite of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God. Hopelessness is perhaps the greatest, most devilish lie of them all—because if you embrace it, you have fundamentally rejected the very truth that will set you free. Read that whole paragraph again…
Hopelessness brings death; faith brings life.
The power of faith and hope or lack thereof was powerfully illustrated at the port of Dunkirk in France at a critical moment during WWII. Perhaps more than any other battle in the war, Dunkirk exemplifies the fact that even during the debacle of defeat, it’s possible to lay the groundwork for future victory.
Early in the course of the war, the vaunted French Army had crumbled before the onslaught of the German Blitzkrieg. Having arrayed themselves in long, static defensive lines (a la WWI), the French were, as usual, brilliantly prepared for the wrong war. The Germans meanwhile, thanks to their innovative Blitzkrieg tactics, advanced further into France in 10 days than the Kaiser’s Army had advanced in 4 years of fighting during World War I. In all fairness to the French, the Germans were doing things no army had ever done before. Under the cover of the world’s most advanced Air Force, the Wehrmacht used masses of tanks like cavalry to punch gaping holes through the stagnant French lines. The combined French, British, and Belgian Armies were driven back to the sea at a place called Dunkirk, on the French side of the English Channel. In one of the most remarkable and decisive defeats in the history of warfare, the Battle for France was essentially over within a matter of weeks.
During this chaotic period, the leaders of the Allied Armies revealed their true character. At best they were simply incompetent, unable to adapt to this new kind of war. At worst, they were either fantasizing optimists or cowardly defeatists. The atmosphere behind the lines was one of surprise and shock; confusion was rampant as incompetence gave way to lethargy.
General Billotte, the leader of the Allied Armies in Northern France, typifies the hopelessness that infected leadership. Spreading out a map with red circles illustrating the location of German Panzer (Armored) divisions, the General counted the divisions out loud—up to eight Panzers. “One panzer, two panzers, three panzers… And against them all I can do nothing.” The leader of the Allied Forces kept repeating this to himself in a monotone voice. “I am dead tired, I am dead tired. And against them all I can do nothing.” General Billotte was killed a few days later in, of all things, an automobile accident.
Have you been feeling dead tired in your struggle to live pure? Do you feel like you can do nothing? I get emails from people all over the world (this last week it was Canada, Egypt, and Ireland, not to mention America)—from brothers and sisters who are desperately crying out for help. The people I talk to on the phone frequently struggle with suicidal thoughts—that’s how hopeless they feel about their struggle to live pure. Sometimes I feel like I work for a spiritual 911 hotline!
I remember giving in to despair many, many times during my 20-year struggle to find someone who could teach me how to live pure. And yet, God planted a bedrock of hope inside me that somehow, despite all my relapses and feelings of hopelessness, refused to be quenched. I knew in my heart of hearts that God had created me for righteousness. I knew I really loved Jesus, and that someday I would prove my love for the Father and Son by actually obeying their commands. And finally, I knew instinctively that failure and hopelessness were simply not an option!
Do a Dunkirk on the Devil
Hear me, all you Sir Relapsalots, as a former Sir Relapsalot myself: Make no place in your heart for hopelessness. The devil’s message to you is a simple one: Look how many times you’ve already tried and failed. It’s hopeless. Give up and surrender. Become my slave and all will be well. That’s the devil’s message. But as a student of WWII, you just need to respond with one word—Dunkirk!
The British people revealed their character during the battle for France. They displayed courage for all the world to see at the port city of Dunkirk. By this stage of the battle, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers lined the beaches of Dunkirk; they had retreated as far as they could go, with their backs to the sea. Having abandoned their heavy equipment and weapons, the soldiers were nothing more than proverbial sitting ducks. 300,000 defenseless troops were packed into an area roughly 7 miles wide.
Instead of annihilating what was left of the Allied Army, Hitler ordered his commanders to hold their ground, buying the Allies time and setting the stage for the Miracle of Dunkirk.
The call went out, and the British responded. A motley collection of vessels was pressed into emergency service: gunboats, barges, ferries, America’s Cup yachts, speedboats, sailboats, fishing boats, tugs, and even a paddle-minesweeper joined the Royal Navy’s destroyers and hospital ships. All these vessels ran the gauntlet of mines, rough seas, dive bombers, and German artillery to reach the beaches of Dunkirk. Amid attacks by German Stukas, soldiers waded out into the surf or climbed across other boats to reach the precarious safety of the makeshift fleet. Packing the soldiers into every possible space on their ships, the skippers then turned their boats around, and—risking the same gauntlet once again—headed back for England.
Commander C. H. Lightoller, a survivor of the Titanic, was typical. He managed somehow to sardine 130 men into a 60-foot yacht. Thanks to many such displays of courage, the ragtag fleet rescued 338,226 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. Instead of ending up as casualties and prisoners of war, these soldiers lived on to fight another day. What should have been a devastating defeat became instead a symbol of British pluck, and a rallying cry for an entire nation.
Any of this sounding familiar? Your many defeats provide the opportunity for amazing victory. When you’re weak, you can become strong precisely in the areas where you failed most often. Executing your excuses isn’t rocket science. Anyone can hear, write down, and confess their internal self-talk. Once you start hearing your own stinking thinking, the new creation inside you will instinctively recoil at the demonic nonsense of LMAE’s. You’ll stop excusing bad behavior, because you really do want to follow Jesus with all your heart. You honestly want to be faithful to your spouse and family, and you truly want to grow up and mature! You weren’t made for defeat; your destiny is to be a victorious overcomer in the Kingdom of Christ!
Your Brother in the Battle,
Timothy
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Excerpt taken from Pureheart Ministry’s Basic Training! Stage 2: Bootcamp
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