Have you noticed futility working on you? Would you like to have an answer for that to put you in a fighting stance for a change? First of all, you must understand that there is a spirit of futility, and that futility is upon the earth by divine intention. While the devil is usurping it now, moving all of his forces to keep it as a blanket, yet futility is going to be lifted.
To understand what futility really is, a very important Scripture to consider is Romans 8:12–25: So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Then it gives this marvelous picture of the sons: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, (the best translation is “to futility”) not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with stedfastness wait for it.
How did futility begin? Creation could not anticipate and move up into all of its expectations. A futility had to rest upon it, because of the condition of mankind. All creation was subject to this futility because Adam and Eve had sinned. They could not live in a world that was functioning perfectly, without any problems. There could not be a sinless world with sinners in it, so God made all of creation subject to futility also. Then He drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, and they began the course that the human race has followed ever since.
The promise is that ultimately this futility to which all creation is subject, has to be lifted; but it will not be lifted until creation can enter into the liberty of the children of God. We are groaning in ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body, and as we’re looking and waiting for that marvelous redemption for ourselves, all creation is also groaning—not knowing why—waiting for us to come into it, because they don’t come into it until we do.
Everyone is subject to futility. Everything seems to be geared so that when you barely start, you have already lost your turn at bat. The young people are taken with this spirit of futility, but they should know the futility of some of the older folks. Many people have worked hard all their lives, and when they finally have it made, in the process of achieving a place of responsibility and financial security, they’ve probably neglected their family and are alienated from them. A man who lives only for his business, finally gets to be a big wheel, but by that time he probably has a heart condition, has lost his hair and his teeth and much of his hearing. He no longer has to eat hamburger—he can afford steak, but he can’t chew it, he’s lost the equipment. Futility! When you don’t have it, you could use it; and when you do have it, it’s too late.
I have a great deal of time to spend in reading the Word. Then I used to think, “How futile is this. While other ministers have many opportunities in good churches I’m sweating it out here, reading the word, just digging, digging, digging.” I’d give anything to have that same opportunity to be in the Word now, because I’m still drawing on truths the Lord was speaking then. Often as I seek the Lord now, I could say, “There are not enough hours in this day for the walk with the Spirit that I want.” Things have a way of reversing themselves, so the supply and demand is always out of balance.
There’s a futility upon the whole world. Down through history, big cities have been built and plagues have come and wiped them out. We may think that now we have everything solved, but what about the bombs that can really wipe us out? Medical research has made it possible to cure many more diseases and create a better way of life than in former years; but still it isn’t enough. People can go out and shoot each other in a wholesale way, until what we call a police action over in the Orient, has killed more people than any major war of our country in the past. Futility!
You hate the fact that you can work and sweat and save your money; and if the government doesn’t get it, inflation decimates it until it will buy much less than when you earned it. There’s a futility until you wonder why you even try to save because it gets wiped out anyway. You save money for your old age, but you leave it and someone else spends it. You build a house and another lives in it.
People can’t understand all of this, but it’s because God has imposed futility on the world. Even when you want to struggle against it so much, you can’t, until you understand the nature of this thing and come into victory over it.
I think the first place this spirit of futility is to be broken is with God’s remnant, because the sons of God are going to be a prelude of all that is to come and the first partakers of it. Even if this remnant does not move into the full scale of the sons of God immediately, at least it’s a foreshadowing of what is to come for them later, and they will enter into a release of it.
God wants us to overcome this spirit of futility that hits the world and finally makes us despair of life.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then thou shalt see and be radiant, and thy heart shall thrill and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto thee, and the wealth of the nations shall come unto thee. Isaiah 60:1–5.
Wealth should be coming to us. So far there’s been something of futility and Satan has used it. Christians have been taken; they have turned the other cheek. A backlog of blessings is due us. We struggle and struggle, but we don’t have the sweetness and real joy of the victory, because it is being drained away. Now God wants to break that big dam of blessings that is due us, and break through the spirit of futility for the first time in many generations, and say, “Christians, the blessings are going to be poured back upon you. Are you ready for it?” “Amen, Lord, we’re ready.” I’d like to see this situation reversed for a change, so that a person would have trouble spending the money God gave him. You’d like to see that too, I know. Wouldn’t you like to have so much health and vitality, so much surplus energy that you had to stop and quiet yourself down in order to get four or five hours of sleep a night, instead of losing your zeal and inspiration through sheer exhaustion and futility overtaking you? The Scripture says we are to be, “more than conquerors,”—plus, plus,—coming on strong.
You often get to the place where you say, “I have goals and objectives, but it seems the further I go, the more they recede.” Don’t talk that way! Learn not to go by the appearance of things. Trust the Lord. Recognize that everything we get is obtained in a spiritual battle. “Well, I’m going to struggle to accomplish this or that.” Forget it! You had better just battle in the spirit, because until you win the victory in the spirit realm, you can’t accomplish anything. That spirit of futility swamps you. Hasn’t this been your own experience?
Isaiah 61 describes the great days of the restoration. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be upon them. Verses 4–7
God’s answer here is the same as it was for Elijah, when he lay down and wanted to die. The spirit of futility had overcome him, but the angel of the Lord prepared two different dinners for him, and when he had eaten them both and had a good rest, he continued for forty days in the strength of it. God is saying to you people in the last days, “Cheer up, little remnant. You’ve been struggling hard against impossible odds; you’ve won great victories. If it were all over now, your life would be considered very worthwhile and wonderful.” But you don’t feel that way. “Oh, there’s so much to be done, and it all seems so futile, as if my life is not worthwhile.” Come on, it’s a time for you to back up and take a look at yourself and say, “So I’m a little tired today. I’m a little crippled today because of the battle. I’ll heal fast. I’ll throw off this spirit of futility and go on and do the will of the Lord. I’ll possess that double portion He has for me.” This futility has to end. Shake it off. It has to go because we’re going to have a double portion and then we’ll make it.
One old storyteller told of an experience he had when the creek near his home overflowed. He said, “It must have been thirty-five feet across that creek, and I didn’t know how to get across. I backed off quite a little piece and took a running jump and then I saw that I was going to land right in the middle of that cold, icy water. So I just doubled up and jumped again, and landed on the other side.”
If two jumps are better than one, let’s take a double portion, shall we? In the spirit, I think you can do it. There are times when you think you’re going right down into the icy waters of disaster. Let me counsel you with this fictitious story—double up and jump again. Reach out in God for that next portion. Instead of your shame, you shall have a double portion. Everlasting joy is going to be upon your heads. There’s something that God can do for you right now if you’ll believe it.
We don’t want to be despairing or discouraged. We don’t want one thing to come and engulf us and make us feel that it’s not worthwhile. It doesn’t matter what we’ve been through—these are the days of release. It’s time for new dreams. It’s a time for futility to be put aside. It’s time for expectation from the Lord. Live in expectancy!
Sometimes we think, “Oh, we’re pioneers.” Perhaps there’s an element of self-pity involved in such thinking. “We may perish in storming the walls, but our dead carcasses will be the ladders upon which the next wave will make it over the wall.” It’s not going to be that way at all! We’re going to stand down there and yell at the walls and they will come down. God is not going to be glorified in your defeat or just the expenditure of what you are.
The time is here to manifest His glory. This is the time He’s pleased to take the foolish things to confound the wise, the weak things to confound the mighty. This is the time to believe that God will not let everything sink into futility. Stop thinking ill health and sickness! Stop thinking defeat! Stop thinking about unhappiness and bleak futures!
You don’t know what is coming. God has given very little revelation about the days ahead for a reason. Whether you prophesied about them or thought you saw them, they will still break upon you with a glory unbelievable. A day of trouble is coming upon the whole earth, but God’s people will walk in something glorious. The glory of the latter house will be greater than the glory of the former. We will not give way to futility or the spirit of frustration. I pledge before the Lord that this is going to be my thinking from now on. I don’t want anything of despair or despondency to take hold of me. I want to rejoice in the prophecies of the Lord and believe that this is the day in which our expectation will be taking place. Not only will it be fulfilled, but the whole world, all creation ultimately is going to feel the liberty that God will give first in token form to us.
We’re living in the days of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re living in the days of the sons of God. We’re living in the days of the tribulation. We’re living in the days when Satan is going to be bound. We’re living in the days of the first great resurrection. We’re living in the time when Christ is coming back again to rule and to reign. We should live, not anticipating defeat, but in the expectation of all of that; with no futility upon us.