Hope > Despair

Over the last few years I've lost something very precious.

Hope.

Hope is that small voice whispering in your ear, "yes, there is light at the end of this tunnel", even  when we can't see it. It pushes against the masses bellowing, "this will never end" or "you'll never make it."

I don't know when I began shutting out Hope's voice. Somewhere between faith and love perhaps? When I lost it I noticed my smiles never quite reached my eyes when I laughed. My prayers felt like hallow logs, only echoes of my wishes.

How can God answer my prayers when I feel like this? So...

Hopeless.

How could He? I've stopped expecting him to answer. I've shut and barred the doors to my heart. But God doesn't base his love on what barriers I have created. He stands ready to knock down those walls at any moment and pull me out where the light chases away all shadows!
He doesn't base his love on how much I love him but on how much Christ loves me. Which most of you already know, loved me, us all, so much he died to save me from this prison sentence. This despair.

This Hopelessness. 

Paul wrote in Ephesians how we were once living apart from Christ, but now thanks to Jesus we know of his promises and can now hold on to those promises too.

I will never completely lose my hope because I will never lose Jesus who is the sustainer of all our hope. I am regaining that hope in Him, one step at a time, one hour, one moment at a time. 

The past couple of weeks I have felt so much better than I have in a long time!

If you are struggling with a sense of hopelessness or depression then know I am saying a special prayer for you tonight. Let me tell you right now, in this very moment, you are not alone! 

I hope to touch more on this subject in the weeks to come. Until then, be blessed and may Jesus be your hope tonight.

Listen to this song by Danny Gokey.

A friend shared this with me 

after sharing my struggles and feelings

 It lifted me and my spirits after a week of listening 

and crying to this song!

I pray it lifts you up and fills you with hope!

In Jesus name I pray, AMEN.

God > This World's Dark Side

I've been learning something this past year. Something I constantly have to remind myself. Actually, God has to keep reminding me because I'm always forgetting it.

The past year our world has been filled with pretty extreme horrific's

• Shootings in schools and theaters
• Bombings at events
• Terrorists in the middle east

But it's not just been the physically harmful attacks that have taken to the extremes.

• Laws changing against our very foundation as a nation as Christians
• Scandals exposing flaws in others only to tear them down
• God's beautiful gifts to us all distorted, misused, and perverted 

Those things alone make me want to run and hide under my covers. Never unlock my door. Never walk the street. Never go to a movie. Never trust another living soul. {Psalms 116:10-12}

It's scary, this world we live in today. Looking ahead I feel like the world is so bleak that I don't want to move forward.  

I want to stay isolated in my own little world where seemingly nothing can hurt me. 

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE DEVIL WANTS US TO DO AND BELIEVE.

What better strategy for Satan than to scare us into hiding away from the very world Jesus came into to save us? To believe that by hiding we are somehow safe from any and all harm?
Jesus came into the world, faced the same prince of darkness with his tricks and lies, and then died a cruel death he didn't deserve. 

Something I heard recently in a sermon that has stuck with me whenever I begin to feel/think this way. 

GOD IS WITH ME

GOD IS FOR ME

GOD IS AHEAD OF ME

What that means is we are never alone. We never have to worry about who is against because we have someone even bigger than our fears backing us up. We have someone leading the way who will never steer us the wrong way.

God says in Isaiah 40:10, "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

God promises us when the days ahead seem dark and scary that we won't be alone. He promises when the world tries to drag us down he will give us strength to stand. He promises to hold us up as we stand boldly in his victory over the darkness.

This world is going to get pretty dark. But God has promised a new dawn for all those who believe in him and accept his son as their one true savior. So then what am I worried about? <3  

"What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation; I will praise the Lord's name for saving me. " ~Psalms 116:13

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What do you fear about our world today? What are some more of God's promises that have helped you through the darkness? How can we start trusting him more with our future?