The document discusses the themes of hope, faith, and love in several Bible passages. It then discusses how hopelessness can arise from unmet expectations but can be restored through remembering God's faithfulness as shown in Scripture. Finally, it provides a framework called "T.R.U.T.H." for dealing with despair by identifying triggering lies, replacing them with biblical truths, and experiencing a healthy response of hope. The overarching message is that remembering God's faithfulness as revealed in the Bible can restore hope when faced with difficult circumstances.

1. June 14, 2009
Wayne Andrie

2. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (New International Version)
13 And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.

3. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (New International Version)
3 We continually remember before
our God and Father your work
produced by faith, your labor
prompted by love, and your
endurance inspired by hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (New International Version)
8But since we belong to the day,
let us be self-controlled, putting
on faith and love as a
breastplate, and the hope of
salvation as a helmet.

5. Galatians 5:5-6 (New International Version)
5But by faith we eagerly await
through the Spirit the
righteousness for which we
hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision
has any value. The only thing
that counts is faith expressing
itself through love.

6. Colossians 1:3-5 (New International Version)
3We always thank God, the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray
for you, 4because we have heard of
your faith in Christ Jesus and of the
love you have for all the saints— 5the
faith and love that spring from the
hope that is stored up for you in
heaven and that you have already
heard about in the word of truth, the
gospel

7. A. The Power of Hopelessness!
• Begins with desire! We have expectations of
ourselves, others, and especially God.
• Leads to disappointment! We do not have our
expectations fulfilled.
• Creates discouragement! We are saddened that are
expectations have not been fulfilled.
• Generates doubt! We wonder whether or not anyone,
including God, can be trusted.
• Results in despair! We are overwhelmed by feelings of
hopelessness.
• Ends in disbelief! We no longer trust anyone, including
God

8. B. The Restoration of Hope (Psalm 77: 1-12)
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.

9. 3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit
grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit
inquired:
7 "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for
all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his
compassion?" Psalm 77:1-9 (NIV)

10. 10 Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of
the right hand of the Most High."
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will
remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all
your mighty deeds.
Psalm 77:10-12 (NIV)

11. III. Integration
c. What do we do with despair? Two activities….
d. Build the truth into our lives through the study
and meditation of Scripture.
e. Practice the T.R.U.T.H

12. • Trigger Event….an difficult
circumstance…..especially one that challenges
what we believe about ourselves, others, and God.
• Reckless Thinking….thoughts that are not true fill
our minds…..
• Unhealthy Response…we are overwhelmed by the
despair
• Truthful Thinking…..we replace the lie with the
truth…..we identify the lie we are believing and
reject it and then recall and remember the truth
and declare that truth.

13. Example:
I renounce the lie that
I joyfully declare the truth that
My father God is distant and disinterested
My father God is intimate and involved
My father God is insensitive and uncaring
My father God is kind and compassionate
My father God is passive and cold
My father God is warm and affectionate
My father God is impatient and angry
My father God is patient and slow to anger
My father God is disappointed with me
My father God is committed to my growth

17. 5. Healthy Response…..the result of
identifying a trigger event, recognizing the
lies I believe about myself, others, and
God and then replacing the lies with the
truth is a life that if faithful and fruitful….a
life of joy and peace…..a life of hope.