Unlimited Hope In The Darkest Of Times

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
(Psalm 11:3)

What can Christians do when evil increases? What can we do when things may seem hopeless, especially in the war being waged against God, His Word, His love, and all of humanity?

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, found himself in a similar predicament about two hundred years ago. In his ardent fight to end slavery in America, he faced wave after wave of evil opposition, and there was no solution in sight. In fact, everyone knew that this abomination was so entrenched in our society that he would not see this great desire fulfilled in his lifetime.

Nevertheless, Adams did not lose hope. Why? Because he had the right perspective—and he put his hope in the right Person. He also faithfully fulfilled what he was called to do. What is more, he persevered in these endeavors until the day he died, literally. In fact, he passed away in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. And one pivotal person there at his death was Abraham Lincoln, who would go on to be the central figure in the abolishment of slavery.

John Quincy Adams’ mindset was revealed when he was asked by his colleagues why he was so doggedly fighting a battle where he would not see a victory. He responded with six profound words:

Duty is ours. Results are God’s.

When it comes to Christians today, we need to have a similar mindset. Better yet, and in the midst of encroaching evil, we need to remember that we always have hope. First and foremost, because we know the God of hope, we have His Word of hope, and He loves us with an “everlasting love.”

What is more, even when “the foundations are destroyed”—and even in times of deep darkness and deceit—our hope is limitless. How can this be? Because there are always numerous things that we can do, and are fully within our control, all of which can and will produce good fruit – even if we do not see it now, or even in our lifetime.

On the other hand, we can become hopeless when we do not see any opportunities. That does not mean there are, in fact, no options or solutions—it’s just that we either don’t see them, or do not properly take advantage of them. With that in mind, let’s take a look at numerous remedies that we, as believers, can always do. More importantly, these are all things that are especially needed in the midst of chaos, darkness, uncertainty, and what may seem to be hopeless circumstances.

No matter what is happening in the world right now—not to mention in the latest election cycle—and even though evil is all-too-real, here are thirty incredible things believers can always do.

30 THINGS YOU CAN ALWAYS DO

EVEN IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES

Seek to find your true security in God alone—which includes His love, His grace, His power, and His Word—and not in your circumstances, in what others think of you, in politicians or the government, or in other things of this world. (Ps 23; 27:1-5; 37; 62; 63; 73:24-27; 84; Is 26:3; Mk 4:19; Jn 5:24; Rom 15:4, 13; 2 Cor 3:5-6; 4:16-18; 12-9-10; 2 Tim 1:7, 12; 2 Pet 1:3-4; 1 Jn 4:16)
Delight in the Word of God more and more, so that you can know Him more and better understand life and all that is going on in this world. This will also give you numerous options and solutions for day-to-day life, and in times of darkness and deceit. (Ps 1:1-3; 2 Tim 3:15-4:5; 2 Pet 1:3-4; Ps 18:30; 19:7-11; 119:16, 24, 47)
Increasingly equip yourself in God’s Word of truth and seek to also help equip those around you. (Eph 6:11-18; 2 Tim 3:15-4:5; Jn 8:31-32; Heb 13:20-21)
Steadily equip yourself and others regarding evil—especially the wickedness of totalitarianism and anti-Christ ideologies, and how to stand against the very present and ever-encroaching evil in the world right now. (Eph 4:11ff; 5:6-11; 6:10-20; Jude 20-25; cp. 1 Chron 12:32)
Faithfully fulfill God’s great commission to make disciples of all nations, and to spread the good news of how to be saved by being reconciled with God. (Matt 28:16-20; Mk 16:15-20; Lk 24:45-49; Jn 20:21; Acts 1:8; Rom 1:16-17)
Actively practice and grow in discernment, especially when it comes to accurately distinguishing between: truth and error; freedom and oppression; true justice and counterfeit “justice;” those who are truly for you and God, and those who are against you and God; world-approved Christian leaders, and those who are hated by the world because they are boldly faithful to God’s Word. (Heb 5:14; Phil 1:9-11; 1 Thess 5:21-22; Acts 17:11; Jn 15:18-19; Matt 5:10-12; 1 Jn 4:5-6)
Devote yourself to prayer. (Matt 6:9-13; Eph 6:11-20; Phil 4:6-8; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17)
Pray specifically for all ensnared by deception, and for repentance, especially when it comes to church and ministry leaders. (Dan 9:1ff; Neh 9:1ff; 2 Tim 2:25-26)
Look for and make the most of every opportunity—particularly “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation”—to be a steady light that shines in this darkness, and to hold onto, and to show them God’s Word of life. (Phil 2:15-16; Acts 26:18; Matt 5:16; cp. Is 9:2; Jn 3:19-21)
Confess and repent of any world-conformity, or false accusations against those who love freedom, truth, and God’s Word. (Prov 28:13; cp. 2 Cor 6:14ff; Rom 12:2; 1 Jn 1:5-10; Jn 2:15-17; 4:1-6)
Seek out and join with like-minded people (those who love truth, freedom, God, God’s Word) and support each other in every way you can. (2 Tim 2:22; Heb 10:24-25; 3 Jn 1:11)
Be courageous and bold, as you take a stand against evil, error, and the enemies of God, God’s Word, humanity, and the truth itself. (Josh 1:6ff; 1 Cor 15:58; 16:13; Eph 5:6-13; 6:11-20)
Live by faith and not by sight, as you daily grow in your confident belief and trust in God and His Word of life, knowing that His ways are infinitely superior to our ways (Is 55:8-9). While what we see in this temporal world has importance, what we do not see holds far more value, especially in eternity. (2 Cor 4:16-18; 5:7; Col 3:1-4; Heb 11; Ps 37; 73)
Always think for yourself—and do so according to God’s written Word of truth, while ardently avoiding groupthink and the latest spirit of the age. (cp. Acts 17:11; 1 Kgs 18:17-18; 22:12-14; Dan 3, 6; Rom 15:4; Matt 4:1ff)
Expose and warn against all error and deception—especially groupthink, Totalitarian Echo Chambers, false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and tyranny of every kind. (Eph 5:11; Jas 5:19-20; 2 Tim 3:16-4:5)
Exhort and encourage Christian leaders to use their position and power to help others in this battle—as well as to respectfully confront and even rebuke compromising leaders. The latter group could be the number one reason for the advancement of evil and deception. (2 Tim 2:24-26; 4:1-5; Ti 1:9ff)
Seek to know, live, and delight in God’s love for you, and do so in increasing measure. (Rom 5:5-8; Eph 3:17-20; Jn 3:16; 15:1ff; 1 Jn 3:1-2, 16; 4:16)
Continue to grow in how you love God and others, but only love according to the truth, and by warning of false teaching, sin, and the consequences of sin. (Mk 12:30-31; 1 Cor 13:6; 1 Jn 3:18; 2 Jn 1:1-6; 3 Jn 1:1-4; Jas 5:19-20)
Love with specific actions and in truth. Think and pray about who you can tangibly love with specific actions and in truth, and do so without expecting anything in return. (1 Jn 3:18; Jas 2:14-26; 5:19-20)
Grow in your love for the truth. Growing in your love for the truth will also necessitate a godly hatred of evil, falsehoods, and every false way, and this often leads to specific bold and loving actions on our part. (Ps 119:104, 128; Prov 6:16-19; 8:13; Rom 12:9ff; Gal 2:4-5; Eph 5:11)
Seek to be more and more objective. Be objective, while depending less and less on subjectivity, which includes feelings, experiences, mysticism, “man’s wisdom,” and heavily biased sources. (cp. Ps 1:1-3; Col 2:8)
Grieve over the darkness in this world. Grieve and mourn the darkness and losses in your life, but do not fret or despair (Ps 37:1-8). When it comes to evil and deception, we will lose people we love and care about (e.g., they might walk away from the faith, attack biblical Christians, or fall for and spread counterfeits). While this can and should break our hearts, we need to respond by mourning, learning from it, and then being all the more motivated to love others with the truth—in the hope of saving them from error. (2 Cor 6:10; Eph 5:6-11; Jas 5:19-20; Jude 1:20-25; cp. Ps 37; 73)
Put more and more hope in the God of hope. Use times of suffering, grieving, and darkness as opportunities to examine where you put your hope. Next, seek to put more hope in God, His Word, and eternal matters, and less and less in temporal and worldly things. (Matt 6:19-21; 2 Cor 4:16ff; Col 3:1ff; Rom 8:5-6; Heb 11:1-12:15; Jer 2:13; 17:5-8; Rom 1:21ff; Jas 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6-9; Phil 3:18-20)
Persevere! Never give up, and never give in. Do not give in to those who seek to deceive and oppress others, even if they might be well-intended. Always persevere in what is right and true, and do so by focusing on the true Jesus, and His Word of truth. (Rom 5:3-5; 15:4, 13; Gal 6:9-10; Heb 10:32-12:1-3; Jas 1:2-4)
Live wholeheartedly for God. For whatever amount of time you are on this earth, live for God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—and entrust everyone and everything to Him, including the outcomes of your love and faithfulness to God and His Word. (Phil 1:21; 2 Cor 5:15; Col 3:1-4; Heb 10:32-39; 11; 12:1-4; Prov 21:31)
Focus on all that God has done for you. Continually focus on all that God has done for you, is doing now in your life, and will do for you in the future, especially in eternity. It can be very helpful to make a tangible list of these things, and to go over this list often. (1 Jn 3:1-2; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Cor 3:12-15; 15:42-45, 51-58; 2 Cor 4:1-5:10; Heb 11:6; Rev 21-22)
Thank God often. Frequently give thanks to God, not necessarily about your circumstances, but you can always give thanks in the midst of all circumstances. (1 Thess 1:2; 5:18; Phil 3:10-13)
Rejoice in the Lord always. We can always rejoice in the Lord—not necessarily about our circumstances, but in the Lord. (Phil 4:4-13; Ps 73:23-26)
Encourage others with what you’ve been given. Encourage others, particularly with the truth, love, comfort, encouragement, and blessings that God has given you. (Acts 11:23-24; 15:30-33; 16:40; 20:2; Rom 1:12; Col 2:2; Heb 3:12-14; 1 Thess 3:2; 4:18; 5:11; 2 Cor 1:3-5)
Remember that nothing is wasted. Regularly remind yourself and find joy in God’s promise that all we do in the Lord is not in vain.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:9-10)

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?  He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?  And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
(Proverbs 24:11-12)

While there is seemingly no limit to evil, and its spread throughout society—especially in the government, and even in the Church—Christians truly have unlimited hope! Therefore, always keep in mind the many things we have in Jesus, and these thirty incredible blessings we can and should always take advantage of. In so doing, we will not only have infinite hope, even in the darkest of times, but we will also produce wonderful fruit, now and in eternity. To this we are called, and we can gladly trust God with the ultimate outcomes.

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,  but deliverance is of the Lord.
(Proverbs 21:31)

In closing, here are three verses that help us understand the context of our Christian lives and pursuits in the light of eternity, as well as perfectly encapsulating specific actions we can all take.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
(Hebrews 12:1-3)

*Adapted from our book The War From Hell: Leftism’s Diabolical War Against God, Truth, and All Of Humanity

Hope For Life Biblical Counseling & Equipping is a non-profit ministry based in the Central Valley of California. We have always been fully committed to providing biblical counseling at no cost to anyone in need, along with classes, books, and other equipping resources for the local community and the worldwide body of Christ as a whole.

Because we truly believe that “everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope,” we are passionate about sharing that Word every chance we get.

+ Equipping Resources: Hope For Life Shop

+ Support the Ongoing Ministry of Hope For Life: Donate

+ Stay in Touch With Us: Subscribe