HOPE.
HOPE.
Hope, the desire to have
something we don’t have yet… Sadly, a lot of the things we hope for are
self-centered and need-oriented. But, your hope shouldn’t revolve around
satisfying your present needs/ wants, physical blessings, healing and so on. If
that’s “all” you hope for from God, then what’s the purpose of your
Christianity? I’m not saying you shouldn’t hope for physical/ financial/ material
blessings, what I mean is there’s a lot more God’s expecting us to hope for,
it’s His Glory.
According to Hebrews 6:19,
Hope is an anchor for our souls. This implies that, the things we hope for have
a great effect on what will become of our souls/ lives, now, and in the life to
come. Remember the builders? (Matthew 7:24-29) One built on sand and the other
who built on the Rock. The one who built on the sand had his house washed away
when the storm came, unlike the other, whose house was still standing strong
even after the storm had passed. The same applies to hope, when we hope for the
things in this world “alone”, it’s like we’re building on the sand/ our anchor
is fitted in the sand, and what happens when the storm kicks in? Our little
house of hope comes crumbling down/ our anchor (no matter how strongly attached it is to the sand) comes off,
leaving us to dangle around, pushed to and fro by afflictions/ persecutions.
But when we not only hope for things of this world, but also for His Glory (which
is in two folds; the Hope of perfection in this life, and the Hope of His
Resurrection) then do we start building on the Rock.
With all 3 hopes in hand, you
stand a good chance against the devil, because when he tries to delay one of
them, you can step up your game, laying hold, abounding in a greater and more
certain hope. Like the house on the Rock, the devil’s storm won’t easily break
you/ collapse you walls, but instead, through persevering faith, it’ll make you
into what God wants of you. The more you abound in the greater HOPEs (“Perfection
in this life” and “His Resurrection”), the more you become an overcomer, a
conqueror, and the more you walk according to Gods purpose for your life.
Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the purposes which I am purposing for
you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and
a HOPE .” **NKJV
“to give you a future and a
HOPE”, this is referring to the “Hope of
His glory” (which is in 2 folds, as mentioned above), not the hope for the things
we want in this life. Why does God give us this HOPE? That’s because, unlike
physical things which we can see and can easily develop a desire for “on our
own”, the Hope of perfection in this life, and the Hope of His resurrection are
things we can’t develop a desire for on our own, comprehend, or see yet. For
this reason, He gives us / creates this HOPE in us, by revealing the Truth
about it in His Word, by the Spirit (Romans 15:4).
If your heart and your faith aren’t strong enough, you’ll never be able to
process Hope into manifestation; and you also have to diligently abound in it.
Even though God has given you HOPE, you have to renew it every day through
diligent prayer, studying and keeping His word on a daily basis, and by the
power of the Holy Spirit- Romans 15:13. Consequently,
the more you abound in HOPE, the more your hopes become more certain, because
your will becomes more conformed to God’s, making you think and desire more
like Him.
A lot of us, in pursuing the things we hope for, have lost sight of what
God wants us to HOPE for, some don’t even know about this HOPE (which is in 2
folds). Well, here’s the good news, it’s not too late to start hoping for His
Glory… Stop seeing God as just your divine supplier/ healer or One “who is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all…” and start seeing Him as One who’s hoping
to see you become like Christ, Perfect(in this life) and Glorious.
Another definition of Hope says,
“Joyful and confident expectation in Eternal Salvation/ Glory”- Pastor Gboyega Adesiyan.
While ‘patiently’ waiting for His HOPE to be made manifest, you must have a
joyful attitude in you. It’s His Glory you’re waiting for, not His judgment, so
why shouldn’t you be joyful? By the way, patience isn’t just about waiting;
it’s about keeping a right and humble heart attitude while waiting.
When there’s life, there’s hope…
and when there’s HOPE, there comes Perfection and Divine Peace.
1 Corinthians
15:19 “If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
Proverbs 23:18 “For surely there is a hereafter, and your HOPE shall not be
cut off.”
Psalms 27:14 “Hope in Jehovah; be of good courage, and He shall make
your heart strong; yea, hope in Jehovah.”
1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now we
are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we
know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him
as He is. (3) And everyone who has this HOPE on him purifies himself, even as
that One is pure.
Grace be
with you. Amen!
Here's a link to the video of a song that correlates to this article... Anchor by Hillsong. You'll love it. :)
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