“They cried out, and they were saved; inyou they trusted and they were not

disappointed." Psalm 22:5 NET

WHAT IS DISAPPOINTMENT?We all experience disappointments in ourlives. A disappointment is experiencing amisfortunate, defeat or failure. When ourexpectations of people, things or eventsare not fulfilled, we feel discouraged andeven want to quit! People experiencedisappointment in many areas, such asrelationships, in school or on the job, inour religious and spiritual beliefs and evenwith government systems and worldissues. Let’s look at a few of these areasusing examples from the Bible.

1. SPIRITUAL DISAPPOINTMENTSMany experience disappointment when lifeexperiences don’t meet up with theirreligious ideas. Jesus’ disciplesexperienced a great disappointment afterthe crucifixion of their leader. Theyassumed Jesus was going to set up aphysical kingdom when he was referring toa spiritual one. "But we had hoped that hewas the one who was going to redeemIsrael. Not only this, but it is now the thirdday since these things happened." (Luke24:21 NET) Their hopes were dashed.Real life often falls short of our ideals. Weshould remember that sometimes ourinterpretation of events isn’t what the Bibleactually teaches. Although our “doctrine”can sometimes be wrong, we have apromise that God will never disappoint us!"And hope (confident expectation) doesnot disappoint, because the love of Godhas been poured out in our hearts through

the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom5:5 NET)

2. AVOIDABLE DISAPPOINTMENTSAvoidable disappointments happen whenwe fail to do the things we should do, orwe do things we shouldn’t. For example,bad health can result if we don’t change aharmful diet or poor habits. In the book ofJudges, we see that Samson’s love ofharlots and “living on the edge” causedhim to lose his eyesight and his positionas a leader. “But the Philistines took him,and put out his eyes, and brought himdown to Gaza, and bound him with fettersof brass; and he did grind in the prisonhouse." (Judges 16:1,19­21 KJV) Livingyour own way or engaging in sinful habitswill bring you major disappointments in lifethat you could have avoided.

3. PEOPLE DISAPPOINTMENTSOften disappointments arise becausepeople don’t share the same values orcome up to our standards. When peopledon’t see or do things our way, conflictsarise. In the book of Acts, Paul wasdisappointed in the young John Mark, arookie who deserted the team during amissions trip. When Paul’s companionBarnabas wanted to give the young mananother chance, Paul disagreed and thetwo parted company. “Their disagreementover this was so sharp that theyseparated.” (Acts 15:39) Even throughdisappointing situations, God is working inus to grow in character “knowing thattribulation brings about perseverance; andperseverance, proven character; andproven character, hope." (Rom 5:3­4)

4.UNBEARABLE DISAPPOINTMENTSSome disappointments are most difficult,such as the death of a loved one, or facingmultiple hardships. In the book of Genesis,Joseph experienced a series ofdevastating disappointments. First he wasbetrayed by his jealous brothers, then soldinto slavery, falsely accused of rape andended up in prison. Even after all of hisdisappointments, Joseph chose to riseabove and adopt a positive attitude.Instead of blaming his brothers, Joesphforgave them, reassuring them, ”as foryou, you meant to harm me, but Godintended it for a good purpose, so hecould preserve the lives of many people,as you can see this day.” (Gen 50:20 NET)

DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENTS1) Open up and shareSharing with a mentor or trusted friendhelps you unload your burdens and getlifted up! "Confess your sins to each otherand pray for each other so that you maybe healed.” (James 5:16 NLT)

2) Don't play the blame gameIt's easy to blame others when we getdiscouraged. Let's take responsibility forour actions and move forward, even whenthings didn't go as we expected.

3) Know your heartKnow and follow the core values of yourheart. What's most important to you?What has God showed you to do? Getback to these basics. "He who searchesthe hearts knows what the mind of theSpirit is." (Rom 8:27 NASB)

4) Get a fresh perspectiveDuring times of discouragement, we candevelop tunnel vision. It's helpful to getanother perspective. "The heartfeltcounsel of a friend is as sweet as perfumeand incense." (Prov 27:9 NLT) See thingsfrom the perspective of God’s Word. Wemight not understand everything at thepresent moment, but we can be comfortedby this promise: “And we know that Godcauses all things to work together for goodto those who love God, to those who arecalled according to His purpose." (Rom8:28 NASB)

GIVE GOD ALL YOURDISAPPOINTMENTSYou can change your disappointments byasking God for His help and intervention inyour life. Replace the letter “D” with theletter “H” and your “DISAPPOINTMENT”will become “HIS APPOINTMENT”. InviteGod into your life and He can startworking things for your good!

WE'RE MOVING!

­ The Spirit Alive National Office and Studio is relocating to a new building this spring!Our new location is 360 Black Bay Road, Thunder Bay (the new Faith City Church)Our Mailing Address will remain the same. (PO Box 21102, Thunder Bay P7A 8A7)

­ Construction of our new Studio for Spirit Alive begins next month! The studio willhouse a permanent set and editing suite. The total cost for the renovations is $25,000.So far we have received $5500 towards this project, but need another $19,500 for therenovations. Your help is much appreciated!Miigwetch!

THANKS PARTNERS AND FRIENDS!