Tag: hope

A Dying Baby, a Dead Baby, and a Living Hope (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on missing the presence of God, click here.

King David is probably best known for slaying giants. But decades after defeating Goliath, He committed a string of unbelievable sins. He saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba bathing on her roof, slept with her, impregnated her, murdered her husband, and took her as his wife (2 Samuel 11:1-27)! He successfully shushed his conscious until he was confronted by a prophet named Nathan. David then repented of his sins, but Nathan delivered to him the tragic news: The baby boy born to him by Bathsheba would die. Shortly after Nathan left, the child fell sick (2 Samuel 12:1-15).

A Dying Baby

David immediately “begged God to spare the child.” He “went without food and lay all night on the bare ground” (2 Samuel 12:16 NLT). Despite being the very one who brought this grief upon him, David knew God was the only one who could relieve it. So he turned to Him and Him alone.

This unflagging faith was the story of David’s life. Two decades later, after committing another great sin, he said, “‘I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercy is great'” (2 Samuel 24:14 NIV). He humbly and habitually committed himself into the hands of God.

A Dead Baby

But a week later, the little one still perished. When the elders of Israel confessed this catastrophe to him, David responded unusually. He “got up from the ground…went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.” (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV).

The Hebrew word translated “worship” here is shachah: Meaning to bow down or to submit. Ironically, we often only submit to God when He aligns His will with our own: When He blesses us with a promotion or a new car or a fiancé. But genuine submission, true worship, is to live for God even when He takes away the thing we can’t live without.

A Living Hope

When questioned as to why David acted the way he did, he said, “‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, “Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.” But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me'” (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NIV). The key phrase in this verse is “I shall go to him”. David believed in a hereafter where he’d be reunited with his dead son, and that living hope gave him the strength to move forward. He never gave up on the LORD’s promises.

Conclusion

After losing their first child, David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and they tried again. They had another son, and this special baby boy was named Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24), the famous wise man who ascended his father’s throne and extended the Israelite empire.

Even if God let’s the precious love of our life die, we can choose to keep on believing in Him. He was our Heavenly Father, the Almighty Creator, and our Risen Savior. And He always will be.

“Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?”

(Romans 8:32 NLT)

“‘Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?'”

(Job 2:10 NLT)

Wandering Eyes (My Embarrassing Life Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on my embarrassing driving misfortune click here. For Part 2 on my embarrassing jogging woes click here.

I like to visit my parents over the holidays. On one such visit, I trotted downstairs to talk to them. As I was hustling back upstairs, my eyes were drawn to a movie playing on the TV. My hand froze over the remote, and my mind locked on the seductive scene that unfolded in front of me.

 “Change the channel!” my dad yelled.

“But what about the others…” I blustered. Then I realized I was the only one watching.

Background

It shouldn’t be surprising that I was so easily sucked in. Temptation is everywhere in our sexually-charged culture. This threat is especially acute during this pandemic. Billions of people across the world have a sudden abundance of free time, and they are spending that time at home, alone.

With naughty entertainment just a click away, the gravitational pull of pornography may feel inescapable. But God freed me from its chains a few years ago, and I know He can do the same for you.

Humble Recognition

The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous twelve step program is, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol.” As long as I believed I had control over my addiction to pornography, it had control over me. I had to recognize my need for a “higher power” before I was truly able to start rooting this sin out of my life (1 Peter 5:6).

A few key signs of addiction are: 1. Are you ever unable to keep sex off your mind? Does your mind keep on circling round and round such thoughts until you finally give in? 2. Do you ever blow off responsibilities or cut yourself off from loved ones to fulfill sexual urges? 3. Do you hide or downplay your sexual activity? If you express any of this kind of behavior, you are likely addicted to sex.

Honest Confession

Jesus Christ said, “‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed'” (John 3:20). For years, my greatest fear was that someone would discover that I, a professing Christian and servant at my church, was addicted to pornography. Satan wielded this fear to lock me into a prison of solitary confinement.

My first real breakthrough happened after I confessed my addiction to someone I trusted. Addiction is rarely conquered alone. Find someone you trust and respect to confide in.

Heroic Action

I had to take three actions to fully break from looking at pornography. First, I installed an accountability software on my devices called Covenant Eyes. It reported any questionable web activity of mine to my accountability partner. Second, I locked myself out of the app store on all of my devices. I had my accountability partner control the passcode and went to them whenever I wanted to install a new app. Third, I blocked Facebook, Youtube, and any other website that had been a source of temptation for me in the past.

These actions may seem extreme, but my addiction was so acute I would exploit any avenue for sin I could find. I had to starve the demon for years to recover enough self-control to relax some of my self-imposed constraints. And even till today I keep some of them.

Conclusion

Just as sexual addiction is developed by a string of wrong choices, sexual freedom is achieved by consistent right ones. The battle may not be over in a month, a year, or even a decade, but it is worth fighting for. I want to end this article with the most significant verse in my personal battle with pornography. I repeated it to myself every time I failed, and it strengthened me to keep on fighting until I found victory:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

(1 John 1:9 ESV)