Steve Farrar - Articles

Triple Shot of Hope

We are not so concerned for ourselves as we are for our children and grandchildren. They are living in an America that is a far cry from the one that previous generations knew.

So this is why so many men in America who look at life through the lens of Scripture and history are fighting off depression and despair. When one looks at the economic meltdown along with the national breakdown, one sees we are facing a future that is nothing short of a gigantic uncertainty.

Is there any hope?
Yes, there is.
And it’s right in the text of Psalm 42.5 (NASB)

Why are you in despair [sunk down], O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence [saving acts].

  

As the psalmist continues to talk himself out of depression, he reminds himself about God. Because God exists and because of His great attributes, the psalmist tells himself that he will again praise God for the help of His presence. And when God is present, He saves His people. All is not lost—God is in absolute control.
 
The source of our depression these days is gigantic uncertainty about the economy and the future of the nation. But there are three certainties that form the (true) foundation of our hope:

•  The certainty of providence
•  The certainty of the promises
•  The certainty of the plan

In our times of giant uncertainty about the economy and our nation, those three certainties are nothing less than a triple shot—not of espresso, but of hope.

—Steve Farrar

Steve Farrar is the author of many books, including the best-sellers Point Man and Finishing Strong, and Battle Ready: Be Strong and of Good Courage in These Troubled Times. Learn more at SteveFarrar.com.

What He Cannot Do

There are some things God cannot do.

 He cannot lie.
 He cannot sin.
 He cannot do evil.

So the cross providences of life and the waves of life must be ultimately for our good. 

God is holy. It is His primary attribute (Isa. 6). The holiness refers to His absolute moral purity. He cannot act against His nature. Because He is holy then He can only do good. He is good and does good—even when it doesn’t look like it to us.

It didn’t look like “good” to Joseph when he was headed to a life of slavery in Egypt. Where was the goodness of God in that? At the time, Joseph couldn’t see it. But years later . . . he would.

—Steve Farrar

Steve Farrar is the author of many books, including the best-sellers Point Man and Finishing Strong, with his new book Battle Ready: Be Strong and of Good Courage in These Troubled Times soon to be released. Learn more at SteveFarrar.com.

The Breakdown of a Nation

There is a sense in this country that things are spiraling out of control, not just economically but also politically and socially. You can feel the tremors, as the foundations of American law and government are being shaken to the core. This includes a raging current of anti-Christian bias flowing through our courts, universities, and media.
 
In the recent economic bailout, fundamental principles of democracy and commerce were thrown away in a matter of days. It was all done out of panic and fear. And once the government gets more power, it is not prone to give it back at a later date—it keeps it.

And that changes everything.
 
Back in the 1970s, I remember hearing the great Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer talk about the direction that America was headed. Schaeffer said he believed America would eventually wind up as a dictatorship, and he wasn’t sure it would come from the right or the left. It was Schaeffer’s opinion that some great calamity and crisis would threaten the well-being of the average American. It would be of such a magnitude that people would willingly give up their rights if they could be promised just two things:  personal peace and affluence. And if personal peace and affluence would be guaranteed, they would immediately accept an elite dictator who would sweep away their blood-bought freedoms without a second thought.    Perhaps we are not too far from that scenario—or perhaps that scenario won’t occur at all. No one on this side of heaven knows for sure.
 
But there is no question that we are in deep decline. You have heard of the rise and fall of great nations. We know in our hearts that we are not only falling—we are free-falling. And nobody seems to have a parachute.

—Steve Farrar

Steve Farrar is the author of many books, including the best-sellers Point Man and Finishing Strong, with his new book Battle Ready: Be Strong and of Good Courage in These Troubled Times soon to be released. Learn more at SteveFarrar.com.