Hope For The Hopeless Archives

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022

Hold To His Guarantee

⁴For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:4-5

Too many Christians are walking around offended, instead of groaning, being burdened with the sins and iniquities of this generation. This world is not our home for which we have to fight for and defend. We’re only passing through.

Our home is an eternal one. One that God Himself will dwell with us in. Jesus will sit on the throne, and He will tabernacle us, and we with Him.

This promise wasn’t an empty promise. We have been given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, and anything that the LORD guarantees will certainly come to pass. This is our great hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To His Guarantee.

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Remember His Eternal Promise

³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” ~ Revelation 21:3

God promised us that His dwelling place is with man. What a great and mighty promise from our God. For what is man that God Himself should want to tabernacle, or dwell with us? We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us right now, but one day, when Jesus comes back, He Himself will physically dwell with mankind. We will be able to see Him, talk with Him, and walk with Him. He will be our God; we will be His people. This is the promise for His people. This is our great hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember His Eternal Promise.

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Call For Fire

³³And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. ³⁵And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. ~ 1 Kings 18:33-35

The sacrifice Elijah offered was soaking wet. The trench surrounding the altar was filled with water, yet God was still able to burn up Elijah’s sacrifice when he called on Him. Today so many of us, Christians, have become so watered down because we’re spiritually asleep. Our hearts have grown cold. We’re so far from the plan the LORD has for us it seems impossible to return to Him. We’ve run so far from His presence that we feel like He wouldn’t even hear us if we called His name, but the LORD desires that none perish. Instead, He desires that all come to acceptance.

The LORD promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Jesus already did the heavy lifting. He died for all of your sins. All that you have to do is call on His name. For all who call on His name shall be saved.

There’s nothing too hard for the LORD. Just as God burned up the soaked offering as Elijah called upon Him, so will He burn up your soaked offering and light that flame within you. There’s nothing too hard for God. He loves you and is waiting for His prodigal child to come home.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Call For Fire.

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Hold To The Sign

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: ¹¹“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:10–14

It was because of Ahaz’s rebellion, and blatant disbelief is why he would not ask for a sign. He was putting his hope and trust in idols, not in the Living God. So, he refused to commit himself to God by asking for a sign because if he did, then he would have been obligated to trust God. So, God responded by saying that He Himself would give a sign by sending a deliverer to not only save Israel but to save everyone who will believe, whomsoever will…

Jesus came to be the way for everyone from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue. No one is left out or excluded or disqualified from the plan of salvation. Whomsoever will, can come and receive through faith the free gift of salvation.

That prophecy came to pass over 700 years after it was made in the God-man Jesus Christ. The promise of Revelation 21 was given to us over 2,000 years ago. And not one of God’s good promises has ever failed and this one will not either.

So, prepare yourself and your household. Jesus is coming back. Make no mistake, He will come back to get us so that where He is, there we will be also. And we will be with Him forever and ever. This is our promise from the LORD God Himself. Don’t allow the world with its false gods and idols to convince you to place your hope and trust in someone or something else. The LORD is coming back, and He is coming back soon.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To The Sign.

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Don’t Believe The Lie

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. ¹⁸The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. ¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; ~ Psalms 34:17-19

Every 40 seconds, someone dies from suicide (World Health Organization statistic). Many of these are bible-believing Christians who couldn’t find hope in this world and thought it would be better if they were dead. So many believe that the only way they will ever find peace is if they take their own lives. As a Church, we have failed to address this and find a way to help those who struggle with anxiety, depression, and suicide. Suicide is a worldwide problem. There could be a number of reasons why someone commits suicide, but we believe they all stem from one root: self-hatred.

Self-hatred can be planted because of the loss of a job, leading to hopelessness or feeling useless or worthless. It can also be because of traumatic experiences, leaving one to feel worthless, disgusting, or all alone. Such as bullying, rape, sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental or emotional abuse, and much more life-altering events such as divorce, death of a loved one, and loss of a job that leave a person feeling as if suicide is the only way to find peace. But is that the truth?

I believe that the Scripture is plain in explaining that suicide doesn’t save the person from their pain, nor does ease that pain. Instead, it adds to it, for if our bodies are not our own, then how can we commit suicide and it be counted as anything other than murder? I don’t say that to discourage, hurt, or cause anyone pain. I say this in hopes that you may have hope, for there is no hope in believing a lie, but in believing the Truth, there is nothing but hope. God has promised that if His people turn from their sin and cry out to Him, then He will not only forgive their sins but comfort them and give them peace. God promises that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can withstand. And if Christ has overcome all, that has to include suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety.

Verses of Encouragement and Hope

Here are a few verses to quote when you are being mentally attacked by the spirit of suicide, depression, or anxiety, for you can overcome anything and everything through Jesus Christ. You can overcome. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Keep fighting.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. ¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Psalms 34:17-19

¹³For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalms 139:13-14

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for [good] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I [Jesus] leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:26-27

³³I [Jesus] have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

¹³ I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, ⁷casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
2 Peter 5:6-7

If you need immediate help, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, for free, confidential help. Click here for a list of crisis centers around the world provided by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

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Hope in His Power

¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. ¹⁵For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. ~ Acts 2:14–18

The blessed Holy Spirit rushed upon all mankind when the Day of Pentecost came, yet there are people, pastors, and religious teachers who claim that the outpouring of the “Power Holy Spirit” was only for that time. Please take special notice of the time frame that Peter indicates:

In the last days.

If Peter was living in the last days, which he indicated that he was, then how much more are we who live in the 21^st century, living in the last days? The power of God didn’t dwindle nor run cold. God still performs miracles, healings, signs, and wonders. There is still power in the name of Jesus. There is still freedom in His presence.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hope in His Power.

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Be Ransomed

⁴⁵Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. ~ 1 Samuel 14:45

Saul spoke death over whoever ate, not knowing that his son Jonathan hadn’t heard the charge and ate. When the people of Israel found out that Jonathan would die for the sin that he didn’t know he committed, they cried out to Saul and ransomed Jonathan from death. Jonathan was ransomed from a sin that he committed unknowingly.

2,000 years ago, Christ ransomed us from sins that we didn’t realize we even committed, as well as sins that we intentionally committed. During the time of Jonathan, no one took his place, but 2,000 years ago, Christ took our place. He took our punishment and paid our debt Himself. He didn’t have to. Jonathan had just saved the people of Israel, while we did nothing of the sort for God. God took our punishment upon Himself because He loves us. You don’t have to accept the death warrant against you; Christ has already ransomed you; all you have to do is accept His free gift of salvation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Ransomed.

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Follow The Man Jesus

⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:5-11

Paul wasn’t speaking on his own authority but according to the Spirit of God. This is important to understand that Jesus, while on earth, acted as a man. He lived as a man. He felt pain, sorrow, and temptation as a man. He had to get up and pray to receive strength to make it through His days. Why?

Because if He overcame sin by being God, then we have no hope of overcoming sin because we will never be God. This is why Jesus said in John 8:28, I do nothing of my own accord. Because He had to learn. He didn’t come down omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He was in His Father’s house, learning from His Father. When He was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him.

This is also why He says in John 18:28 that He has to return to the Father because the Father is greater. As Paul explains in great detail in Philippians 2:5-11, Jesus had set aside His Godliness to come down to the earth and become man. So, Jesus, as a man, had to return to the Father in order to present Himself as the sacrifice so that the Father could accept His sacrifice and elevate Him to His rightful place in order to forgive the sins of all who believe and repent so that He could send the Holy Spirit. If Jesus overcame the world as God, we would have no hope, but because Jesus came as a man, all men now have the opportunity to overcome the world through Him. We now have hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow The Man Jesus.

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Be Distinct

⁷Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. ⁸Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. ~ Psalms 143:7-8

David described the LORD shining His face upon us as a distinction between those with hope and those without hope. We aren’t like the world that lives in darkness, and their prayers aren’t heard by the LORD. We may also live in the same dark world, but we are not a part of this world, nor are we alone in the darkness.

We Christians are guided, surrounded, and filled with the Light of the World. We have hope because God is with us. We have a purpose and a plan for our lives. We have hope in the LORD God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Distinct.

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The Hope of The Cross

²³ and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ~ Hosea 2:23

There was a time when we gentiles were not a part of the people of God. We weren’t a part of the chosen people, but 2000 years ago, we were given hope. When Jesus gave up His Spirit as He hung on the cross, He opened up the gate for those who were not born into the bloodline of the Jews. We gentiles now have the same hope of salvation as the natural-born Jews do because God does not show partiality between people.

He is the same God of the Jews as He is the same God of the Gentiles. He made a way where there was no way. We are not without hope, for we have now been chosen and called by name. We are now a child of Abraham by faith and, therefore, a child of God. And if a child of God, we now have the right to the inheritance of Eternal Life in Christ Jesus our LORD and Savior.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hope In The Cross.

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Category: Hope For The Hopeless

Hold To His Guarantee

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