Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Scriptures Encouraging and Building Hope in God



As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. (Psalm 18:30)  Here are some promises that cause our hearts to embrace the perfect and good plan God has purchased and purposed for us.  Hope is trusting and knowing God will keep His promises forever.


Psalm 147:11   The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.


Acts 17:27-28  So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us.  For in Him we live and move and have our being…


1 Peter 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,


Ephesians 1:17-18   that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power


Hebrews 6:17-19  Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the ]immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we ]might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus,


Acts 2:25-26 (Psalm 16:8)  I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.



Romans 15:4, 13   For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.    Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Got Hope--It's What You See?

We live in a world that has lost hope.  Even in America, there is such division and hatred that the majority of comments in the news and social media are negative.  Discouragement and even suicide are often reported among teens.  People do not see things getting better and therefore, in their own despair can only strike out in critical judgment.

Psalm 11 asks "If the foundations are shaken, what can the righteous do?"  The more focused question is what is hope and how do we get hope?.  We commonly use the word "hope" to mean "wish", such as we hope the Broncos win today.  However, the Biblical definition of hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised.  When man fell, he allowed sin and death to enter the human race, and a condition that Romans 8 describes as "the whole creation groans...from the bondage of corruption."  Naturally our minds tend to likewise see things going wrong, have anxiety and fear from things out of control, and in general, expect negative circumstances.  Have you ever heard of Murphy's law?

There is an answer.  We can change the "old flat tire" of negative thinking and put on a brand new tire of "positive vision."  Proverbs declares "without a vision, people perish."  The Word of God was given to man to renew his thinking and transform his picture of life.  As a man thinks so is he.  Thinking is more than rational thoughts.  It is the imagination, the picturing, the vision and goals that drive our actions and well-being.  What do you see in your mind when someone mentions a dog?  What if we added a large fierce dog?  Or a small black and white beagle?  The point is that words trigger a picture in our mind.

God wants us to have a living hope, an image that He makes "all things work together for our good."
His Word paints a picture of us being loved with an everlasting love, of being overcomers, and of being a people who enjoy abundant life and peace through His Spirit.  He sent forth His Word and delivered them.  His Word delivers us from our negative carnal thinking to embrace a new picture of us as now being His workmanship capable of being a light in the darkness.  This truth opens up a whole new world of purpose and hope for the future.  God Himself is for us and with us.  How can we fail?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away. ( Peter 1:3)  This truth is like an anchor to the soul, that through the finished work of Jesus and with the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead now living in us, we are assured to make it..  We let the Word of God transform our thinking and what we see God has done and continues to do for us.

By faith, and faith is the assurance of things hoped for, we transfer our hope into reality.  Take time to deliberately let the Word of God paint fresh pictures of hope and vision in you.  Read it, think about what it says, picture this in your life, and continue to meditate on His truth until you can see it.  God is faithful to be found by those who seek Him.  What do you see?


Tuesday, June 25, 2019

A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own opinions.

  Guilty! The court of public opinion has spoken.  Whether it is President Trump, Alabama for passing a law to end abortion of babies, or New York for allowing babies to die on the birth table, multitudes of vociferous tweets and chats fill the Internet.  We clearly are in a day where people delight in expressing their own opinions (Proverbs 18:2).  It seems impossible to not be affected by this tsunami of public comment.

What can a person who wants to be informed and yet not negatively influenced do?  Some people have chosen to avoid social media altogether to prevent the complaining and criticizing from poluting their minds.  Others try to either ignore those sites which with they disagree and only subscribe to like-minded people.  Even more difficult to handle, Proverbs 26:4-5 states that if you answer a fool you become like him, and if you don't answer he thinks he is wise in his own eyes (he thinks he won!).  There is seemingly no way out unless you live in a world where you are able to avoid fools!

There is a famous saying in Jeremiah 12:5 that declares if you get weary with the footmen what are you going to do with those on horses?  Consider standing in the ocean, you can walk easily in the shallow water on a calm day, but you really have to brace yourself to not fall in the waves of a hurricane.  The Word suggests the hurricane of thoughts and opinions is coming.

Get ready.  Since clearly the battleground is in the mind, and the way to win the spiritual battle is to take every thought captive, there is only one solution,  Know the truth.  Jesus declared the Word of God is truth.  The more the world pounds on us with their foolish opinions, the greater the need to be able to evaluate every thought with God's truth.  What you sow is what you reap.  Take as much time and enjoyment in understanding the Word as you do what others say in social media.  Delight in understanding by asking the Holy Spirit to open up the truth of the Word so you see clearly.  God is up for the fight, the only question is will you let Him renew your thinking?   As a man thinks, so is he.