Let’s continue on hope.
Jesus said, "I am with you always, I'll never leave you nor forsake you." In the book of Matthew, He says, I'll be with you "to the end of the age."
In Proverbs, He says, "A God who sticks to you closer than a brother."
Sometimes we think that God leaves us in the time of adversity. God is with you through thick and thin. He's with you through the good times as well as the bad. There's a scripture that says, "God holds his children in the palm of his hand and no man can snatch you away from him." What a promise that is.
God is very aware-He knows exactly what we're going through. He sees our struggle. He sees every tear we've shed. He sees every sleepless night we've had. He knows exactly what we're going through. He's heard every single prayer that we've prayed.
I think He is very concerned. After all, we are his most prized possessions. And He's saying to you today, "Whatever you do, don't lose your hope". He's going to see you through.
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:15 that "God can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities." You know Jesus was here. He lived on this earth for 33 years. He knows what it's like to face the trials and struggles and the hardships of life. He himself has been down.
He himself, the Bible says, was depressed at one time. He was in agony of spirit. He knows what it is to feel sorrow and pain. He's been there just like you have and just like I have. And that's why the Bible says a couple verses later, that's why you've got to "boldly come to the throne of grace so that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
See you always keep your hope up if you can just remember that in the midst of adversity God is on your side. God is on your side. If God be for you, who can be against you? You've got to begin to dwell upon the great I am. Not the "Great I was" or the "Great I used to be but the great I AM".
You've got to remember He's a present tense God. He's the Great I Am. He will never change.
And we must remember that God is a God of the now. He's the Great I Am. He's present tense. He's available now to meet your needs. Always remember, he is and will always be the Great I Am. He's the God of the now. Hope is connected to your dream. Never, ever lose your hope. And always be hoping for something. God doesn't want you to remain stagnant.
Listen to what Jeremiah says. Talking about people that hope. 17:7. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water--a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green and it goes right on producing fruit."
That's talking about people that hope in the Lord. They have a firm foundation. Their roots go way, way down deep. And in the time of adversity and hardship, one translation says they cannot only sustain it, but right in the midst of the adversity, "they go right on producing luscious fruit." This is not talking about fly-by-night, fair-weathered Christians that only come to church when they feel like it. Or serve God when they feel like it. This is talking about people just like you and me. People who wholeheartedly serve God; that have a desire to please God in all areas of their lives. People that want to be used by God for a-you know as a vessel of gold in these last days.
Never, ever lose your hope. Always hope in the great I am. Hope in the Lord. David said., "Lord, you alone are my hope. I've trusted you from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth and helped me constantly. No wonder I'm always praising you."
If you're ever tempted to ask that little simple question, "Is there any hope?" remember this answer from David. As long as our God is alive, there will always be hope. Jesus said, "If you can only believe, all things are possible."
We want to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life if you haven’t yet. The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I want to give you that opportunity right now. Just pray this simple prayer. Say, Jesus, come into my life. Be my Lord and be my Savior. I want to serve You all the days of my life.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
HOPE
Psalm 31.
Life is a fight. And if we're going to fight life through effectively, we need to use the principals and the guidelines of God's Word.
Jesus said very clearly in John 16:33: "In this life, you will have trouble." One translation says, "You'll have frustration, hardship, and distress." But I thank God He didn't stop there. Jesus went on to say, "But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
The gospel message is a message...it's a message of hope. The very word "gospel" means "good news". And the good news is God wants each and every one of you to come out of that adversity victoriously. God wants you to live an overcoming victorious Christian life.
1st Corinthians, "Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph." The Bible says in Romans, "In all these things we are more than conquerors." God said in Isaiah that there is "no weapon that is going to be formed against you that will prosper. The Bible says, "If God be for us, who can be against you."
We want to encourage you to never, ever lose your hope. Your hope is like a dream.
You've got to keep that dream alive. If you don't have any hope you're not going to have any need to have any faith. Because the Bible says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for." Hope is so important. And the key is to always hope in the Lord. Then you won't be disappointed.
Let’s have a look at what David said there in Psalms 31, verse 23. "Oh, love the Lord, all his saints. For the Lord preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
And you know, the cry today is. "Is there any hope?" People all say the same thing, I just can't take it any more." the same question: "is there any hope?"
The good news is we serve the God of all hope.
You know what you're going through today. I don't know how dark and hopeless it may seem in the natural. But I want you to be assured of one thing. That as long as our God is alive there will always be hope. Never, ever lose your hope. Jesus said, "The things that are impossible with men are possible with God."
Convince a man that there is no hope and you've done the worst possible thing in the world for him. If we have hope, we’ll start to have faith. And faith is what moves God to act.
Don't lose your hope. God will make a difference.
Jesus said, "He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly." John said, "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." In other words, the Holy Spirit was saying that God's greatest desire for us as his children is that we would live an overcoming victorious Christian life. Our God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you can ask or think. And God can make a way where there seems like there is no way.
One key to keep your hope up in the midst of adversity is you've got to get your eyes off your circumstances and you've got to turn your focus upward to your all-powerful God. What you dwell on you enlarge, you empower. If you're always thinking about how bad life is treating you and how negative everything is and how difficult your situation is; you're just making that bigger. You're going to be a negative person.
If you're always thinking about the goodness of God, if you're always dwelling on His greatness and His power and His majesty, then you're going to be filled with hope and you're going to be filled with faith. The bigger you make your God, the smaller you make your problems.
I love the piece in Exodus where Moses came up to God and he said, "God when I go back to the children of Israel, they're going to ask me what Your name is. What should I tell them God?" And I can just imagine God thinking about it and saying, "Moses, that's a good question, let Me think about it. I'll get back with you." So God says, "You know, maybe I'll tell them..." He thought about it and He said, "Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord their Provider." And God thought about it and He said, "No, no I'm much more than a provider. Maybe I'll tell them I'm Jehovah Rapha, the Lord their Healer." He said, "No, no, that'd be limiting Me too. Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Shama, the Lord who is Always Present." But once again, He said, "No, I'm much more than that. Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord their Peace." And then again, He said, "You know what? None of those names are going to work." He said, "Moses come over here. I've got it. I'll tell you what you can tell them. You go back and tell them my name is "I Am that I Am".
We serve the Great I Am. In other words, I am whatever you need. Do you need salvation? The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Do you need healing? The Bible says, "By the stripes of Jesus we were healed." Do you need power? Jesus said, "I give you power over all the power of the enemy." Do you need strength? The Bible says, "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." Do you need hope? The Bible says in Colossians 1:27 that "Christ in us is the hope of glory." Do you need courage? The Bible says, God said, "Fear thou not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you. I will strengthen you. I will withhold you with my right hand of righteousness."
We want you to be inspired to have hope, knowing that God can do anything. Jeremiah said, "Wow God, you've made the heavens and the earth by your great power and nothing is too difficult for thee."
He loves each and every one of you individually. He's your Father.
Have you ever thought about the fact that your very own Father not only created everything, but He's the one that's still in charge of everything. Can't you imagine? We can expect some pretty terrific benefits as well. Listen to what Galatians 4:6 says in the Living Bible.
And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. So now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. We are no longer slaves but God's own children. And since we are His children, everything He has belongs to us for that is the way He planned it.
You are a son not a slave to hopelessness.
Bless you
Hope continue...
Life is a fight. And if we're going to fight life through effectively, we need to use the principals and the guidelines of God's Word.
Jesus said very clearly in John 16:33: "In this life, you will have trouble." One translation says, "You'll have frustration, hardship, and distress." But I thank God He didn't stop there. Jesus went on to say, "But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
The gospel message is a message...it's a message of hope. The very word "gospel" means "good news". And the good news is God wants each and every one of you to come out of that adversity victoriously. God wants you to live an overcoming victorious Christian life.
1st Corinthians, "Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph." The Bible says in Romans, "In all these things we are more than conquerors." God said in Isaiah that there is "no weapon that is going to be formed against you that will prosper. The Bible says, "If God be for us, who can be against you."
We want to encourage you to never, ever lose your hope. Your hope is like a dream.
You've got to keep that dream alive. If you don't have any hope you're not going to have any need to have any faith. Because the Bible says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for." Hope is so important. And the key is to always hope in the Lord. Then you won't be disappointed.
Let’s have a look at what David said there in Psalms 31, verse 23. "Oh, love the Lord, all his saints. For the Lord preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
And you know, the cry today is. "Is there any hope?" People all say the same thing, I just can't take it any more." the same question: "is there any hope?"
The good news is we serve the God of all hope.
You know what you're going through today. I don't know how dark and hopeless it may seem in the natural. But I want you to be assured of one thing. That as long as our God is alive there will always be hope. Never, ever lose your hope. Jesus said, "The things that are impossible with men are possible with God."
Convince a man that there is no hope and you've done the worst possible thing in the world for him. If we have hope, we’ll start to have faith. And faith is what moves God to act.
Don't lose your hope. God will make a difference.
Jesus said, "He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly." John said, "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." In other words, the Holy Spirit was saying that God's greatest desire for us as his children is that we would live an overcoming victorious Christian life. Our God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you can ask or think. And God can make a way where there seems like there is no way.
One key to keep your hope up in the midst of adversity is you've got to get your eyes off your circumstances and you've got to turn your focus upward to your all-powerful God. What you dwell on you enlarge, you empower. If you're always thinking about how bad life is treating you and how negative everything is and how difficult your situation is; you're just making that bigger. You're going to be a negative person.
If you're always thinking about the goodness of God, if you're always dwelling on His greatness and His power and His majesty, then you're going to be filled with hope and you're going to be filled with faith. The bigger you make your God, the smaller you make your problems.
I love the piece in Exodus where Moses came up to God and he said, "God when I go back to the children of Israel, they're going to ask me what Your name is. What should I tell them God?" And I can just imagine God thinking about it and saying, "Moses, that's a good question, let Me think about it. I'll get back with you." So God says, "You know, maybe I'll tell them..." He thought about it and He said, "Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord their Provider." And God thought about it and He said, "No, no I'm much more than a provider. Maybe I'll tell them I'm Jehovah Rapha, the Lord their Healer." He said, "No, no, that'd be limiting Me too. Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Shama, the Lord who is Always Present." But once again, He said, "No, I'm much more than that. Maybe I'll tell them My name is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord their Peace." And then again, He said, "You know what? None of those names are going to work." He said, "Moses come over here. I've got it. I'll tell you what you can tell them. You go back and tell them my name is "I Am that I Am".
We serve the Great I Am. In other words, I am whatever you need. Do you need salvation? The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Do you need healing? The Bible says, "By the stripes of Jesus we were healed." Do you need power? Jesus said, "I give you power over all the power of the enemy." Do you need strength? The Bible says, "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." Do you need hope? The Bible says in Colossians 1:27 that "Christ in us is the hope of glory." Do you need courage? The Bible says, God said, "Fear thou not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you. I will strengthen you. I will withhold you with my right hand of righteousness."
We want you to be inspired to have hope, knowing that God can do anything. Jeremiah said, "Wow God, you've made the heavens and the earth by your great power and nothing is too difficult for thee."
He loves each and every one of you individually. He's your Father.
Have you ever thought about the fact that your very own Father not only created everything, but He's the one that's still in charge of everything. Can't you imagine? We can expect some pretty terrific benefits as well. Listen to what Galatians 4:6 says in the Living Bible.
And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. So now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. We are no longer slaves but God's own children. And since we are His children, everything He has belongs to us for that is the way He planned it.
You are a son not a slave to hopelessness.
Bless you
Hope continue...
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