Andy Mason (00:00)
Hey, where have you lost hope, deferred agency, or just said to yourself, it's never gonna change, so there's no point trying. I calling that learned hopelessness. And I want to chat to you. I'm still in Zimbabwe, we're actually about to head to Mozambique, but it's been an incredible time here, and I want to unpack for you a story of what I'm observing and seeing, and then realizing, that's in me also, and then some practical things that you can do.
Andy Mason (00:29)
To overcome these areas of hopelessness. So, first of all, we've just been in Bulawayo, we saw a fantastic stadium event where thousands of people experience the presence of God, where there's young, old, Baptists, charismatics, Pentecostals, pastors sitting together that have never sat together before. That's epic. At the same time, we're experiencing people who have been devastated three times in their current lifetime.
Andy Mason (00:57)
By economic policy changes, by hyperinflation. You save money only to have it destroyed a widowed away, which devastates a business. That guts you. We've experienced or connected with people where they've brought a fully funded development resource to their city only to have the city council knock it back to say, No, we just don't want to do it because we don't want you to get the credit. Heartbreaking.
Andy Mason (01:24)
This is gonna help the future, even though the guy's name is never gonna be on it. And thirdly, we got to experience ourselves the roading from Harari to Bullaway. It was a five and a half hour drive. There's five toll roads, each five to seven dollars. And then often, time and time again, no, we have no change. No, we have no change. Of course you do. And then we're paying for potholes. As in the potholes are still there, you just get to experience them. Crazy. Why?
Andy Mason (01:52)
It's I'm paying the money and I feel like it's hitting a bag with holes in it. Where is this going? Over time, that develops a sense of hopelessness or despair. Proverbs puts it this way: Hope deferred makes a heart sick. It's just like this. well, I'll just live for today. there's no point planning. There's no point investing. There's no point risking. There's no point.
Andy Mason (02:16)
Putting myself out there and taking on something to benefit others because it's just gonna get knocked back again and again and again. That's these people, beautiful people, educated, resilient, loyal, faithful, a wonderful, kind population, and yet dealing with learned hopelessness or trained hopelessness. What do you do with that? Then I realize it's you and it's me. Areas where you say
Andy Mason (02:45)
That employee, that spouse, that child, that client, it's never gonna change. It's just no point. Where you find there may be areas of your life, it could be a funding situation that you get right to the line, and then the investor or the funding bank says, our policies change, we can't do that now. It's just like you do this again and again. You'll find areas in your life that feel hopeless or in despair. So number one is to recognize that.
Andy Mason (03:12)
Number two, here was a situation that we walked through, and I recognized it and how God actually showed me or walked me through to a solution. The first thing is to realize who is your source? Hope is a person, and that is Jesus. Our situation is we got right to the line, we heard God say talk about a property investment that we were taking on, and we get right to the point with funding all confirmed, and just about when we sign it to put it all together.
Andy Mason (03:41)
The funding agency came back to us and said, really sorry, our funding's fallen through. We've got a partner that's done this, this, this, this. It's not available. I'm like, what? I've got commitments, I've got responsibilities. How's this going to happen? What do I do? At the same time, we're going through crazy health challenges with our family. So I felt alone. How is this going to happen? I remember going to the prayer house, but I pray. That's what Psalm says. So step number one, come back to God. He is your source.
Andy Mason (04:10)
I had to repent because I was praying, God, what do I do? The situation that you led us to, these people funded it or said they were going to fund it. I've got it written in writing and then and then it falls to nothing. What do I do? And straight away I heard so clearly God say, They are not your source. I am. That put the fear of God in me, the realization that I'd outsourced agency or dependency on somebody else coming through for me. Now
Andy Mason (04:40)
Is that bad? No. It's only bad when that replaces the true source. First, seek the counsel of the Lord. Some may h trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. So step number one is to turn or realign, which is actually repent, change your thinking, turn back and make sure that God is at the center. First, seek the counsel of the Lord. So I had to do that. Father, forgive me.
Andy Mason (05:07)
Forgive me where I have sought others or seen them as the source of supply and you're saying it's you. How do I know? Because of the fear and their anxiety when someone else doesn't come through. I get irritated, uptight, agitated, anxiety crowd crowds me. That's why I know that that's affecting me. So that's number one is repent. Turn back to the Lord. Father, forgive me. I've placed that agency, that hope, that deferring into somebody else. Lord, forgive me and I turn back to you.
Andy Mason (05:37)
Number two, I was like, well, what do I do now? I've got a situation where I've got a commitment to a property, but now I've got no funding. I can come up with a little bit, but nowhere near enough to make this happen. What do I do? And as I'm praying, I'm reminded of the story in the Bible where Jesus comes to the pool of Bethesda. Man, there's this little pool just right behind you over there. I can I can hear the water. I'm not sure if you can hear that, where it's just like this. And there were so many sick people because they were waiting for the stirring of the water and they'd go.
Andy Mason (06:07)
And people would get healed. And Jesus walks past. There's one person he comes to and he says, What do you want? And the guy says, Man, I can't even get to anything. I can't even get to the pool because when I try, somebody else gets there before me. He didn't even say what he wanted. You know you've got hopelessness when you no longer even know or say or can articulate what it is that you want. So what does Jesus say to him? Didn't tell him off, didn't walk away.
Andy Mason (06:36)
But stopped for this one and says to him, Stand up, pick up your mat and walk. And for me, so step number one is repent, come back to your hope, your center, your resource, your source is God and God alone. That looks like what does your day look like and leaning and listening to his voice first. Number two, stand up. Now, if this guy had been 40 years old and had never stood on his legs, his
Andy Mason (07:03)
Bones, his muscles, they'll be totally wasted away. There's no strength. So he had to put faith in stepping onto something that he didn't know even if it would hold him. That's called faith. That's called risk. So he steps out and he and he stands up. For me, that's taking ownership. I had to verbalize I want this. This is what I'm believing for. This is what I'm advancing in.
Andy Mason (07:32)
I had to verbalize it. I had to write it down. I commit to it. I had to let others know as well. And I felt like I just wanted to defer, walk away, shrink back. But in the middle of it, Hebrew says, we are not of those who shrink back or pull back to destruction, but those who believe to the saving of the soul. So literally, I just was verbalizing. Well, I do want this. This is what I want. It's going to be great for my family. Number two, so stand up, pick up your mat. That's what do you have?
Andy Mason (08:01)
That you already have right now. For us, we had a property. So we said, okay, let's go for it. I can't, I don't have the funding for this next one. I don't have, I don't know how it's gonna work. But one, I'm gonna take ownership. Two, I'm not gonna blame, I'm not gonna defer to anybody else. I take ownership, I connect back with God first. Number two, pick up your mat. I take what I do have and I take a step forward with that. For us, that was selling this property and it sold within one week. So I took
Andy Mason (08:30)
care of what was already in my hand. You always have something. There's usually not enough, but you have something with which to get started. So focus on what you do have rather than what you don't. And then number three, it says so stand up, pick up your mat and walk. And so the third thing he did, he had to walk it out. He had to learn, he had to put weight on things he never put on. So for us, take ownership number two,
Andy Mason (08:57)
Do something with what I had within my capabilities. And number three, walk it out. What does that mean? That's day by day making decisions. That's calling people with wise counsel. That is being vulnerable with others. Here's their situation. Here's what happened for us. I walked it out. We we go went backwards and forwards about three times with the seller. we end up coming to a deal or an agreement to make it work. We literally
Andy Mason (09:24)
Day by day walk that out over the next eighteen months before it finally worked out. And truly, in the end, I can look back and say, that was a miracle. But it wasn't because of my ability or my strength. It's like a a friend of mine, Dr. Craig Keener, says, I am not a man of great faith. I have a God of great faithfulness. I don't trust in my ability to hold on to God. I trust in his ability to hold on to me.
Andy Mason (09:54)
And then I examine my life. Where have I allowed hope to erode me and turn me into a passive and powerlessness? And it may be not everywhere, but it may be one. And that's the challenge for you to take action. If this has been helpful, make sure you share it with somebody. Encourage them. Actually tell them here's the situation for you and here's what you're gonna do. Number one, turn back to God.
Andy Mason (10:17)
He is your only source. Number two, stand up. Take ownership with the things that you're leaning into. Where is there risk? Where do you need to take risk? Number three, pick up your map. What is in your hand that you can act on or do something with? And number four, walk. Day by day. God instructs the innocent. He leads us in paths to righteousness for his name's sake. That could be wise counsel, that could be making a small step, that could be taking an another conversation.
Andy Mason (10:44)
Whatever that may be for you, I know there is a way forward. So let me pray for you. Father, I thank you then 2 Corinthians 1. It says, You are the God of all hope. So I just pray right now, just that hope to flood people. Where there's despair, where is there a sense of powerlessness? I pray a fresh filling and filling and filling again right now with the Holy Spirit. The God of all hope may fill you with all joy and peace and believing, that you may abound.
Andy Mason (11:15)
And hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that for you right now and that it shifts you where there's blinders that have come onto your life, where things externally have happened that have shut down your believing, your risk taking, the faith, and even restricted your relationships. I pray right now your eyes opened to see a way forward that you could not one moment ago. And remember, even if you feel hopeless and powerless, Jesus walks beside you and he says, What do you want?
Andy Mason (11:44)
And even when you've got, I just don't know what to do. He says, stand up, pick up your mat and walk. This has been helpful. Share it with somebody. Make sure you subscribe and comment. send us any emails or questions that you have. Support at heavenandbusiness.com. And make sure you check out hopedirective.com. That's the nonprofit by which we're funding what we do here in Zimbabwe, in Mozambique, and beyond. And then join us in person. Nashville coming up 2027. You see that on the Heaven of Business events.
Andy Mason (12:14)
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