Lorain County Free-Net Chapel

Bible Study Discussion

Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately? (June 17, 1996)

June 17, 1996

Related sermon

Bible Study Questions

1. Is it possible for righteous, godly, Spirit-filled Christians to become so low and downcast, they feel they can't go on -- and they come to the brink of giving up?

2. What Bible characters should we consider when we feel we're not going to make it?

3. What was their one common request?

4. Was God angry with Job?

5. Have you ever dropped out for a while, as Elijah did?

6. Have you ever gone into hiding -- so hurt, so down, you didn't want to see or talk to anyone?

7. Is despair merely an Old Testament experience? Is it possible for a spirit-filled believer to experience deep despair?

8. Has Satan ever called you a "phony"?

9. Is this deep despair a common experience among believers?

10. What four things can you do to climb out of the pit of deep despair?

Join the Discussion!

I wrote a letter to David Wilkerson about his news letter :" Have you felt like giving up lately", and my response was yes.As a matter of fact,I basically gave up 3 yrs ago but I try to come back to God,asking Him to deliver me from sin but no change.I can't handle life now,not for a long time and I am just dying away.Something so black and empty is in me and I hate myself, my family and this whole stinking world. I can't help but to be angry, I have been dealing with this strange thing for so long. I've tried bible study,prayer,rebuking satan,talking to church members and my conclusion is no one really cares...not even God.He and I are on such bad terms now that I hate him, am angry at him, afraid of him,and hoping to be healed by him;but, it seems that He wants nothing to do with me.I admit I made a total mess of my life,but I ask Him to help me, forgive me, to take this angry spirit from me. Especially this angry,rebellious attitude I have towards Him.Yes I feel more and more that I don't want to live anymore,but what I must know is: IS THERE ANYONE IN THE BIBLE LIKE AHAB,JUDAS,ANYONE WHO CURSED GOD AND SOMETIMES OPENLY AND TRIED TO LIVE AGAINST HIM STILL FELT ASKING HIM TO DELIVER THEM FROM THAT EVIL....AND GOD HEARD THEM AND HEALED THEM ? THEN WHY HAS GOD LEFT ME TO THIS MISERY IN ME?

[Click on Niki's e-mail link above and you can send an encouraging e-mail message to Niki.]

Date: Mon, 24 Jun
From: Kathy Scoppettuolo
To: webmaster@misslink.org
Subject: re: Have you felt like giving up lately?

I am in the midst of a very sad time. Someone who I consider a friend and brother is attacking me personally for disagreeing on a point of Biblical understanding. The "doctrine" he is defending as a valid way of understanding the Word is "irrelevance", which is an itching ears way of saying "I don't want to be restrained in that area, so God didn't know what He was doing when He inspired the writer of that passage, and I can ignore it". Pray for the protection of minds and hearts. I lack the skills to eloquently explain why I believe what I believe, and all there is (or ever was) to lean on is the Lord...but let me tell you, I feel as if I've been kicked in the stomach.

Kathy

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RESPONSE:

Kathy,

All that matters is how you stand before God - not this brother. Be encouraged, my dear! Lift up your eyes to Jesus or you'll surely sink by looking at the storm around you.

People will always disappoint you, but there's *no* disappointment in Jesus!

Use the weapon of prayer to defeat Satan and the hurt that has flooded your soul. Satan's greatest tool is discouragement. Make him mad by using it as a tool to find strength and growth in your Christian walk before the throne of God.

Additionally, I think this web site may arm you with solid teaching you could print out straight from the web site for this brother who needs help.