Experience Hope Part 2

Being made aware of the importance of hope in our lives, this has been so uplifting, also, I have been reminded of how suttle the god of this world (Satan) is – without warning he causes us to become ineffective. As I consider the importance of hope and how it is part of our Christian foundation I want to look at what the bible teaches about hope. 1 Peter 1:21 tells us that “God raised Jesus from the dead so that our faith and hope are in Him”. Also, Paul declared in 1 Timothy 1:1 that, “The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope”.  Hope can only be maintained through our relationship with the Lord. I also do not want to forget what the biblical meaning of hope is – it is defined as “ Favourable and confident expectation” –  and this hope only comes through our relationship with the Lord. It should never be connected to what we have achieved through our effort. There is a major self- improvement industry where people pay large amounts of money to learn how they can achieve their goals through discipline and a positive confession. But being successful through our strength, while, it may seem to be good at the end of the day it leads us down a path away from God. So it is so important to stop and find out what is the motivation we have to experience hope, Romans 15:13 says: “Now may the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. It is so important for us to look at this scripture in more detail how we can experience the joy and the fulfilment of experiencing hope. Firstly, it says “May the God of hope”, this a declaration of who God is – everything about God is good so the hope what God gives is without measure. To experience this hope this verse makes it very clear that God does not force His ways on us, it says “May” – will you allow me to come and touch your life. The next word that is used is is “Fill” again we are challenged by a word that means an experience that cannot be missed – to be full is something that cannot be denied. Listen to what the God of hope fills you with – Joy and Peace, Joy means delight and Peace means to be still or calm. When you believe in God there is a supernatural delight and calmness that becomes our protection in the way and circumstances of our life. Finally, we are to abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. There are two more scriptures to consider, David said in Psalm 27:13 “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the Living”. Hope is not something we expect to see in the next life but it is for now. Finally, Jeremiah 29:11 says: “ For I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a hope and a future”. There is no better time than now to experience hope.