HOPE IN GOD DOES NOT FAIL!

7th JULY 2020

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13

In the Scriptures, the use of the word – HOPE can be summarized around something like this; “Hope means a confident expectation in the future.” The idea of hope is that you’re looking forward to the future with enthusiasm, with confidence, with expectation, that there is a blessing on the other end for you. To be Hopeful is good, only if it is well placed. But a misplaced hope brings disappointment. For instance, some of us put our hope in people or in a system. But in the end, we are disappointed. Today’s scripture says, “May the God of hope…” First, note that this is a declaration of who God is – God’s essence and character is HOPE. If you believe in that, then your hope is neither lost nor misplaced. By believing in the God of Hope, you are banking on the promises that God himself has made. Today, Paul is praying and asking that you and I would be filled with the evidence of the work of the Spirit in our lives. He says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…” Here you have to believe. “In believing”, means that you have placed your love, trust, confidence, and your faith in God. “So, as you place your trust in God, the Spirit is at work within you producing the fruit of the Spirit, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” The good news about the One who supplies hope is that he has an abundant supply of it. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the hope of a believer is constantly replenished and nurtured. This means that at all times, we are hopeful of the best in our lives, and our hope is never diminished. Starting from this morning, begin to refocus your hope on the things of the spirit, for these things would bring to you the greatest opportunities and limitless love. First, within the next 30 days, increase the regularity of your reading and studying the Scriptures. Why? This is because it’s through the Scriptures that the Spirit reveals the God of hope to us. It’s through the Scriptures that our perspective is lifted and the cloud over our heart standing against our understanding is cleared. Secondly, I encourage you to courageously identify some of the misplaced hopes you have suffered in the past, where you have, maybe placed hope in someone or something, good or bad. Ask the Spirit to purify your emotions and heal your heart. Start from a clean slate by placing Hope in God alone; But remember, if you do NOT SUCCEED THE FIRST TIME GETTING WHAT YOU HOPED FOR, try again, this time by increasing your hope in God. Don’t give up, and do not get annoyed with God for failing you! Hope in God does not fail. But it happens frequently that what we hoped for does not happen. That usually happens for two reasons; One, when something better is on the way for us. Two, when something has to happen first before you get to what you really desire. So, if you give up too quickly, you won’t realize your goal, and that may lead you to further frustration! When Hope seems to have failed, ask God for further revelation, not with annoyance and vexation in mind against God! In fact, rather than take it out on God, or any other person, simply ask God for that inner healing to enable you to move on! Watch to see how much peace and tranquility comes to your spirit, mind, and body. Therefore beloved, KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

 PRAYERS

 Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank you for your word today. Father, deliver me from hopelessness and let your amazing truth sink into my heart. Fill me with joy, peace in believing, so by the power of the Holy Spirit, I shall abound in Hope forever. AMEN

 FURTHER READING: 1 Peter 1:3-4