The Power of Desperation

The Power of Desperation: Breakthroughs in Our Brokenness (Refresh) Paperback – June 1, Michael Catt, innovtive pastor and executive producer of hit films Facing the Giants and Fireproof, finds treasure at rock bottom in The Power of Desperation, a book for anyone who has.
Table of contents

The cost to follow Jesus there is high. A good week is when no one in the church has been beaten.

The Power of Desperate prayers by Dr D.K. Olukoya

They face violence, property plundering, heresies, divisions, and immorality. Most church troubles we read about in the Epistles, they have it. Their tribulations make them cry out to God because they feel their desperate need for him. Because the New Testament teaches us that whether or not our treasure is really in heaven is most clearly seen when it costs us our earthly treasures in order to obtain it. But American Christians live in the most prosperous nation in world history and the one in which it costs very little to be a Christian.

This environment can be deadly to faith. Prosperity has extraordinary power to dissipate zeal and energy and mission focus and a willingness to risk. But its power is subtle. Instead it comes to us with countless options for pursuing entertainment and health preservation and career advancement and financial security and home improvements and ways to procure a promising future for our children.

Prosperity can cause faith to die a thousand deaths. Suffering has a tendency to drive us to the word out of clutter-clearing desperation for God. Prosperity has a tendency to choke the word and numb our sense of desperation. So we must pray and fast and support our suffering brothers and sisters as they battle the diseases that can set in from harsh adversity. I do not minimize or romanticize the hard struggles they endure. But we must also pray and fast for God to deliver us from the diseases that set in from prosperity.

We are no match for its choking power. We need God desperately. And it is a priceless gift to feel it. The Prodigal Son didn't appreciate what he had in father's house and he made a decision to take a path that looked more attractive and pleasurable.

The Power of Desperation: Breakthroughs in Our Brokenness

For a while, everything went fine but then he hit hard times and eventually, when at the bottom, he made a decision out of desperation to change the course of his life - to get back on the right path and get headed in the right direction. He refused to tolerate where he was and the life he was living. Why not make the decisions that lead to life right now! Why not allow the Holy Spirit to tap into the power of desperation in your life today - right now!

What am I tolerating right now?

The Life-Changing Power of Shameless Desperation

Ask yourself, "What am I tolerating right now that God wants to change? Think about this and ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of how things really are in your life and ministry.


  • The Human Race Vol 1!
  • The Quest Of The Overself: The classic work on how to achieve serenity of mind.
  • What Do Cessationists Believe About Prophecy?.

Define reality see Ps. Take time to evaluate your life. Reflect, appraise, be honest and get real. How is my life going? Why am I tolerating this? Think about "why" you're doing what you're doing right now or not doing something you know is important. Everything we do is for a reason, whether we're conscious of it or not. Usually that reason has to do with "avoiding pain" and "gaining pleasure" Tit. Change requires linking pain to your old behaviour and pleasure to your new. Often, living at a higher level requires some short-term pain to achieve long-term pleasure.

What are my options? Then ask yourself, "What can I do about this? You can do nothing and keep living the same way. That's a genuine option. However, think about the consequences of that option.

Related Media

Or you can do something about what you're tolerating and do something different to change this area of your life. Success or failure is usually found in the daily habits of our lives. If you keep doing the same things you'll probably get the same results. Often different actions produce different results.

The Life-Changing Power of Shameless Desperation

What will I do about it? Finally, ask yourself, "What will I do about this? It says, "I refuse to keep going this way. Our "decisions" determine our destiny not our "conditions".

Don't be like Pharoah who was willing to spend one more night with the frogs because he refused to change his heart Ex. Cultivate a fresh sense of desperation that motivates you to be who God wants you to be and to do what he wants you to do. When a person uses the power of desperation, God can move in to bring about deep and lasting change that results in breakthroughs to new levels of intimacy with God, character change and increased ministry effectiveness.