Beth Moore - Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down

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Looking
Up

WHEN LIFE
IS LOOKING DOWN

Looking
Up

WHEN LIFE
IS LOOKING DOWN

Beth Moore

Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down
Copyright 2007 by Beth Moore

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE , The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

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ISBN-10: 140410514X
ISBN-13: 9781404105140

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Table of Contents

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

PSALM 42:11

L ife can be excruciating. Crushing, in fact. The sheer magnitude of our worries can press down on our heads and, one inch at a time, we unknowingly descend into a pit of despair. Something so horrible can happen that we conclude well never be okay again. We can blow it so badly we think God would just as soon we stayed under that dirt and out of His sight. But if were willing to let truth speak louder than our feelings and long enough that our feelings finally agree, we can be far more than okay. We can be delivered to a place where the air is crisp, the enemy is whipped, and the view is magnificent.

The Bible teaches that there are no lost causes; no permanent pit-dwellers except those who refuse to leave. Every person can know complete redemption in Jesus Christ, purpose for life, and fullness of joy. No, life wont ever be easy but the trade-off is a spin around Planet Earth that actually means something. I am convinced that when the last chapter of each life story is recorded in the annals of heaven, people would rather have lived out their fullness of days with purpose than without pain.

My life passion is to encourage people to come to know and love Jesus Christ through the study of His Word. My life message within that passion, however, is complete and glorious freedom. The kind only Christ can bring. I do not know why, but it has never been enough for me to be free. I want you to be free too. It is not enough for me to know the thrill of Gods presence. I want you to know it too. I want you to know the power of His Word that can defy every addiction, heal any affliction, and plug up every pit. I want you to know a love that is better than life.

Im writing to tell you that I believe God has scheduled a time and a way for you to get out of your pit. Youre going to need to show up for the appointment, though. My prayer is that what follows will serve as an itinerary and guide. If youll grant me the privilege, Id like to be your attendant for a while. Ive taken this trip before. Its bumpy, but the destination is worth it. Thanks for having me along.

You really can move up and out of that pit.

EVERY PERSON
CAN KNOW COMPLETE
REDEMPTION IN JESUS CHRIST,
PURPOSE FOR LIFE,
AND FULLNESS OF JOY.

I waited patiently for theLord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in theLord.

PSALM 40:1 3 NI V

N o matter where we go, a pit can always fit. Im talking about that shadowy home of the heart, mind, and soul so close and personal that, like mud on a set of tires, we drag it along wherever our physical circumstances move us. On any path we can spin our wheels and throw mud until we dig a ditch right in the middle of an otherwise decent job or relationship. Soon our hearts sink with the dismal realization that were no better off in our new situation. The scenery around us may have changed, but were still living in that same old pit.

Lets say that for years youve been living in an old RV so small you cant stretch your legs or stand up straight. Visualize the clutter of too much baggage in too small a space. Imagine the unavoidable odor of the cramped lavatory. Your clothes even start to smell like it. Or is it your hair?

Now, imagine that youve been offered a brand-new home. A real one on a solid foundation with big closets and wide-open spaces. You can hardly wait to move in. Filled with anticipation, you rev up the motor of the old RV and plow it right into the new living room, taking out a wall or two on the way. Ah, finally! A new place to call home! You settle back in your RV seat, take a deep breath, and poise yourself to feel something fresh. Something different.

Then it hits you: that deep breath tasted a lot like that old lavatory. Youd hoped for a change, but your soul sinks with the realization that, though youre somewhere new, everything feels and smells hauntingly familiar.

As disheartening as this realization may be, it could turn out to be the best news youve heard all your life. If it wakes you up to the possibility that every situation youre in feels like a pit because youre taking your pit with you, youve just learned something you really need to know: you could quit driving around that stinking RV!

Too often, though, we dont recognize a pit when were in one. So why would we think we need to get out? One reason some of you nicer folks are in a pit without realizing it is because you mistakenly characterize pits only in terms of sin. In our Christian subculture, we think a pit of sin is the only kind there is. But as we perform a biblical analysis of a pit, were going to have to think much more broadly than that. We need a way to identify pits and know when were in them.