In my morning times with the Lord I’ve been reading through the Old Testament. Looking again at the history of God’s dealings with His people, it jumps out that God was angered with ancient Israel because of their idolatry, their stiff-necked rebellion, and their unbelief.

Psalm 78 recounts the children of Israel’s sagas of skepticism. Even after God had dramatically caused water to gush from the rock, the people essentially said, “Yeah, He produced water but I’ll bet He can’t give us meat in this wilderness.” It was posited in the form of a half-mocking question: “Can God spread a table in the desert?” (Psa. 78:19, NIV).

God’s response to their faithlessness was swift and strong. “Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His deliverance” (Psa. 78:21-22).

God demonstrated His authority over the environment with a deluge of manna and a blinding rain of quail. He also gave these skeptics something else – spiritual famine. “He gave them their request [for meat]; but sent leanness into their soul” (Psa. 106:15).

Here is the Psalmist’s verdict: “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again, they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psa. 78:40-41). Their unbelief thwarted their own deliverance. In this sense, they limited God. That’s one indictment I don’t want over my life.

These Old Testament stories “were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Ro. 15:4). A serious caveat unfolds from these stories for our situation and our times. There’s way too much “wilderness whining” coming out of churches and ministries: “Well, with the economy the way it is …” “In this kind of climate, we can’t even think about growing; we’re just trying to hold our own.” “Obviously, we’ll have to cut back.” Confessions of faith are being subverted by declarations of doubt.

Are we making God furious? Are we limiting the Holy One of Israel?

Life sees to it that we walk through some deserts. But while we may be walking through the desert we are not subject to the desert. We belong to another Kingdom and we are subject only to King Jesus. While others die from the blazing heat, we live under God’s protective cloud. While those not in covenant with God perish from the cold, we are warmed by a pillar of fire. God provides and spreads a table in our desert!

You may have lost your job. Your investments may have tanked. But I have a message for you: If you belong to Jesus Christ you’re going to get through this! You’re not going to starve. Your needs will be met. And there is a Promised Land in your future!

Let’s not tempt God by unbelief. Let’s not limit the Holy One of Israel. Watch your words – and trust your King for supernatural protection and abundant provision.

Too often Christians are trading in rock-solid, biblical hope for fragile, humanistic optimism. Believe me, they are not the same. Clear, scriptural teaching on our incontrovertible hope in Christ has too often been replaced with little homilies that basically admonish, “Hang in there! It’s gonna get better.” We are trading gold for fool’s gold.

Obviously a positive attitude has its merits. Nobody wants to be around dour, pessimistic people. We, of all people, should be the most encouraged and most encouraging. There is much to be happy about, and there is plenty to laugh about. But on the 9/11s of life, humanistic optimism alone will not cut it. Only a hope that rests on the sure foundation of Jesus will steady your life in times like these.

Let’s get real. Tomorrow things could indeed get better, or tomorrow things could get worse. The economy may recover, or we may sink into a “bottomless pit” of debt and hyper-inflation. We all face the very real potential of experiencing acts of terrorism. These are not “negative confessions;” these are facts of life. But if you know your Bible – and if you know your Savior – this does not mean you live in a morose pessimism. On the contrary, it means you live in joy, confidence and victory every day, no matter what may come.

I want to be very clear. Christ is our hope. His return, His rule, His global glory; this is our hope. No Jesus – no hope. With Jesus – great hope. All our hope is wrapped up in Christ. He is “the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1).

Through Christ we have:

• Hope that He will come again. “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

• Hope for a glorified body fit for eternity. He “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

• Hope of a home in heaven. “In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3).

• Hope that the scales of justice will finally and forever be balanced. God “has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Ac. 17:31).

• Hope that we will be reunited with loved ones already with the Lord. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

• Hope for the unrivaled reign of Jesus Christ over all the earth. “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:13).

• Hope of a new heaven and a new earth. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1).

It’s all because of Jesus. Stay anchored in the lordship of Christ over your life. His rule in you provides solid hope for the future and grounded strength and joy for today. “Christ is in you, the assurance of all the glorious things to come” (Colossians 1:27, Phillips).

Excerpted from Living As If Heaven Matters
by David Shibley (Charisma House).
To order your copy of this hope-filled book, click here.

Recently I was privileged to minister to over 700 fired up young men and women at Teen Mania’s Honor Academy in East Texas. I was deeply moved by their response and affirmation as I challenged them to be champions for Christ. Almost all of these young people are recent high school graduates. They are investing a year of their lives to grow in their walk with Christ, acquire a biblical world view, and learn how to impact their generation for Him.

No one doubts that there is a serious crisis among our young people. Some dismal statistics suggest that only 4% of America’s young people will embrace an evangelical Christian faith. Frankly, I don’t buy it. There are also very encouraging signs that point toward a new Jesus Movement that could explode worldwide.

• The median age at Global Advance’s Frontline Shepherds Conferences continues to be younger. In fact, at the recent Frontline Shepherds Conference in northern India almost 60% of those attending were 30 or younger! What a privilege it was for me to pour Great Commission passion into this new generation of leaders for the church in India.
  

• Christian teenagers in China are willingly suffering for Christ. There are reports of teenage girls who oversee networks of 5,000 people in underground churches. Tens of thousands of young Chinese are prepared to be part of the “Back to Jerusalem” missions movement, taking the old Silk Road and planting the gospel throughout the Islamic world on their way “back to Jerusalem” to support the church in Israel and the Middle East.
  

• Thousands of South Korean students are poised to carry the gospel to their repressive northern neighbor, North Korea. And thousands more young Korean missionaries are scattered across the world.
  

• I have personally seen thousands of Brazilian young people weep before God in deep commitment after I called them to invest their lives as missionaries.
  

• Here in America some research suggests that up to half a million young people ages 13 to 30 participate in some kind of cross-cultural missions outreach every year. This has never happened before in the American church – and this may be the single most hopeful sign in the American church today.
  

God has not overlooked this young generation. They have been singled out for great things. This precious, broken-hearted generation, battered and victimized by the sins of adults, is being raised up by God for fulfilling the Great Commission.

I plan to give a significant portion of the rest of my life to mentoring fired-up young people. Forty-three years ago, I entered the gospel ministry in youth ministry. That may well be where I finish the ministry entrusted to me – once again focused on youth. I am honored to stand with today’s young Jesus People as mentor, coach, and friend in the battle to make Jesus Christ known, ardently loved, radically obeyed and lavishly worshiped here in America and throughout the world.

As I have had the privilege of ministering to thousands of developing-world pastors, ministry leaders and businesspersons, I am struck with their character and the heart of God at work through these underserved brothers and sisters. These are some of the things I’m learning from our brothers and sisters in underserved nations:

• I’m learning Obedience. 3 John 17
• I’m learning the Love of God.
  

They went out “For the sake of His name…”
“It is the love of God that compels us…”

• I’m learning Simplicity. “They took nothing…”
• I’m learning Courage
• I’m learning Faith.
  

God responds to my faith and is insulted by my fears
I’m also learning to speak faith

• I’m learning Humility
  

“Humility is the mother virtue and the perpetual safeguard of the soul.” Andrew Murray

• I’m learning Teachability
• I’m learning Tenacity
• I’m learning about the Willingness to Suffer
• I’m learning about Lordship
  

Full Surrender for an unhindered Holy Spirit

As I observe the global landscape, here are some encouraging things I see happening that point towards the fulfilling of the Great Commission.

1. Growth of evangelical Christians worldwide
- The growth is outpacing population growth and all other religions. Charismatic and Pentecostal growth within the evangelical sector is the largest worldwide.

2. New “Apostolic Leadership”
-In developing nations, there are incredible new leaders who lead networks of churches. Also -I’m seeing the international ownership of the Great Commission by Believers worldwide.

3. Documenting and Targeting of Unreached Peoples
-Like never before we have intelligent research and strategy towards reaching those (people groups) who have never heard.

4. China’s Church and Missions Movement
-60 years ago there were between 1-4 million Believers in China. Today there are approx. 100 million, under which an estimated 1 million missionaries are in training.

5. India’s Church Growth
-In the past 20 years the % of Believers has increased from 2% to about 8%. That is substantial growth!

6. Thousands of Muslims coming to Christ and the instability of Islam

7. Use of Christian Media
-Jesus Film; Satellite TV; Web; Christian Movies

8. Second Student Volunteer Movement
-More than ever number of age 13-30 short term and long term missionaries.

9. Marketplace Missions
-The role of business and commerce in Kingdom advancement, evangelism, infrastructure of nations, generating resources, etc.

10. Ministry of Women
-Oppressed women around the world who have no voice will be receptive to women who come to share the love of God.

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4 Anchors for turbulent times:

Durability of Truth
Supremacy of Love
Word of Faith
Anchor of Hope

What can we do for a country that has been traumatized by war, genocide and is ranked last in the world in most economic categories, including personal income? One thing we can do is to minister life and hope to their pastors and Christian business community. That’s just what Global Advance did last week through our Frontline Shepherds Conference and Marketplace Leadership Conference in Burundi. Global Advance partners Rick Kingham of Glocal Leadership Institute, Ralph Holland of Mundo de Fe and David Hatley ministered to several hundred pastors from numerous denominations.

Global Advance Marketplace Director, Kevin Pate, led a team of U.S. Christian business leaders to teach Christian principles of business, as well as practical business knowledge to Burundian Christian business professionals. “I believe that Christians in business are called to live out their faith in the marketplace and they will be influencers and difference-makers wherever they are in the world,” Kevin expressed. The Burundi Marketplace team challenged the attendees to give God a chance to prove Himself strong in their businesses. All who attended were hungry to know what the Bible says about business and desired to learn how to grow, expand and be more profitable. In addition, the team visited local businesses offering consultation and prayer with business owners and their staff.

A unique opportunity was presented to the team as they were able to attend an evening service and share a meal with the President of Burundi, his family and cabinet members. It was a memorable night under the African sky that was filled with lively praise and worship. Rick Kingham of Glocal Leadership Institute delivered the message and was able to minister God’s Word to the President and all in attendance. The First Lady attended the Marketplace Conference the following day.

Join with us in praying for the nation of Burundi and its leaders. Pray that the seeds sown for God’s Kingdom will bear much fruit.