Whispers of Hope - week 3

Last week we learned about why we need hope. When life comes crashing down on you and you are taken by surprise or aggressively shaken beyond description hope carries you on when you want to give up. You can be filled with hope, rejoice in hope and live fearless lives trusting in an almighty God who wants to give us a reason to be hopeful.

During this journey towards hope, you have read in Psalm 139 how important you are to the living God. He adores you, knew you before you were even born and places such value on your very life. You have purpose and a reason to go on. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your plans for a bright future begin the day you give your life to the Lord. As you surrender every area of your life, Jesus begins to formulate a plan for good, to give you a hopeful future. Enter into that plan today if you have not already, and taste and see that the Lord is good and can remove the pain in your life that has stolen your hope, squashed your joy and left you wanting to end your journey.


Everyone needs hope
Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, famous or unknown, you need hope. Hope imparts strength at times when you are weak and ready to throw the towel in. Putting on a face of joy when your very soul is aching and bleeding does you no good. Allowing God to heal and renew areas of your life that have been so broken and bruised, battered creates new life within you. Life worth living, worth waking up for, worth carrying on. Jesus died because people needed a Savior. Placing your trust in Jesus gives you hope. God fills you with hope so you can rest on eagles wings and soar to new heights. You do not need to remain hopeless, no matter what your situation looks like. God is in the business of making miracles happen.


Blessed beyond Hope
To be blessed by God is one of the most endearing things you can have happen in your life. Knowing God has placed His hand on you, you specifically, and sent His love and care your way, can instill a hope that cannot be shaken. When situations are disturbing, devastating or sorrowful, who do you put your trust in? Is it yourself, friends, family? Perhaps you don't trust anyone because so many you have trusted in the past have let you down. God is worthy of your trust. People are mere humans trying to do the best with whatever gifts, talents, wisdom and education they have been born with or acquired. Jesus is the only One Who always has it together. He can take care of you in ways you will never be able to care for yourself. Let Jesus be the lifter of your head, the encourager of your soul, the very reason you have hope. He won't let you down.


Shifting your focus
Keeping eternal benefits in the forefront of your mind will do much to alleviate the anxiety, worry and fear that so often overwhelms you and paralyzes your plans. In the storms is where our very characters are built up, tested and made stronger. These storms are temporary and will pass. Having faith enables you to see past your circumstances to better days. Seeing that which is not visible requires attention, focus and diligence. Through faith you can view any circumstance, no matter how shameful or intense, although it feels so unforgiving as the waves of doubt and fear wash over your body and rock your spirit. God will bless you in the midst of your suffering. As your eyes turn to Him for protection, for comfort, for answers, He will lift you out of the mire and the clay and place you upon a foundation that is built on rock rather than shifting sand. Real hope and blessings comes from God who has an eternal plan for your life. With Jesus as your guide and your focus becomes eternal, day to day trials and tribulations will seem less intense, less devastating and more manageable. Peace can flood your soul, if you will only ask for it to.


Today, take a moment to bring your cares and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Box them up as you learned during week 1 of this study, and leave them with Jesus, don't take them back. Ask God to show you how to think eternally and focus on things that last more than a lifetime. Ask Him to give you a thankful heart for whatever situation you are in. God has good plans for you, plans to prosper you and give you hope. Let's be mindful of Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in Him always, again I say rejoice!"



APPLICATION

1. Begin a thankful journal. You can purchase a journal from the store or one you can make yourself. A notebook with paper will work as well. Label it, "I am thankful for..." Each day, jot down atleast one thing you are thankful for. It can be an event, a person or something you were given, etc.

2. Write a short note or make a phone call to someone you have been meaning to thank. Tell the person what you are grateful for.

3. Ask the Lord to give you a new perspective on how you see things, people, your situation. Be ready to receive a new game plan or strategy for tackling a trial you are going through.

4. Wake each morning rejoicing in who you are.Remember, if you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are a child of almighty God. If you have not yet asked Jesus into your heart, consider asking Him today. Today is the day of salvation as no one is promised tomorrow.

5. Find 3 scriptures speaking of faith or trust in God. You can use your Bible, online resources such as Biblegateway or a book you have read in the past. Write them down on a 3 X 5 card and place them on your refrigerator or mirror in your bathroom. Read them daily.

Whispers of Hope

Today I begin a new journey, one in which I hope will bless and inspire you along the way. I will be sharing on the topic of hope, a four letter word that can throw someone into a tailspin without it, or lift one to new heights with it.

Catherine Marshall says, "God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope." I must completely agree, and by the end of this interactive course, I trust you will too.

Because God cares about what you go through in life, He also cares about the most intricate things that shake you, rock you and sometimes cause you to fall. Your faith may be tested in ways you never thought possible. Your beliefs though strong and sure, may be questioned in ways that could cause you to doubt them. Your very life could be threatened because of your belief in God and faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, with hope, no matter how dark the journey gets, how fatal the threats seem or how hard you fall, hope can carry you on the wings of an eagle flying high above the clouds.

Living in the valley of the sun in beautiful Phoenix Arizona, I am reminded that as long as we stay connected to the Son, Jesus, however cold, wet, dreary and dark the skies get when it rains, the sunshine will always reappear to warm our freezing body, dry our drenched hair and brighten the heavens above us chasing out all signs of despair, hopelessness, disappointment or sorrow. Because Jesus is our hope, with Him, all things are possible, Philippians 4:13.

Whispers of hope radiate from the mouth of God and Jesus lovingly picks us up out of the mire and carries us to safety once again. He is our night and shining armor, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our rescuer, our guide, the One in Whom we can always trust.

Are you in a valley of trouble where you so desperately seek a door of hope? Join me for the next several weeks in rebuilding your faith, deepening your trust and being filled with the hope that can take you from the valley of trouble through the door of hope on an exciting new journey.

The Road Least Traveled

In the kingdom there are many different roads we can choose as we navigate through the paths of life. One thing is for sure, if we take any other road other than the one in which God has destined us to journey upon, surely our road will be rockier, more dangerous and take more time to get where we are going. God has given us the perfect road map if we will but only read the directions and follow His lead.

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way which seems right to man, but its end is the way of death."

I am reminded of so many times I have taken what I thought were short cuts that turned out to be long maneuvers that lengthened the distance to get to my destination and caused my trip to be uncomfortable and wasteful. Paths that lead me away from temptations and struggles are meant to protect me, guide me and enrich my journey. Those which are there to deter me onto paths that are dark, sinful and painstaking I would do best to avoid and ignore.

Proverbs 3:5-6 states, "Trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways acknowledge the Lord and He will direct my paths." Simply stated, if I choose on my own to take an alternate route and stray away from the ultimate map, I can only expect to encounter harsh road conditions, a lengthy journey and trials along the way.

When I embark upon troubles I had not planned for, I can't blame anyone but myself for strolling off the path meant to lead me safely to my destination. When I create my own road map of life and navigate myself, it is then I need to realize taking the wrong turns along my trip could lead me off the side of a mountain, against an immovable wall of rock or worse, out of the will of my heavenly Father. Trusting in my own feeble abilities is as useful as being dropped off at night in the middle of the wilderness without a compass to lead me to safety.

Taking the road least traveled and following Jesus' lead will allow the one who created the path to give me the revelation I need to travel the path best chosen for me and avoid certain eternal death. What will you do? Follow the path that safely leads you to your destination or make your own road map and discover dangerous corners at every turn, ultimately leading to an untimely death. The choice is yours...

Easter!!! A Time to Remember - A Time to Reflect - A Time to Be So Thankful

What do we think of when we let the words of 'Easter'gently roll off our lips?
Decorating eggs? Family reunions? The Easter bunny? Perhaps it's just another over-commercialized holiday like so many others.

What should it be?
A day to remember. The day Jesus rose from death after 3 days of a journey like no other man has ever or will ever experience.

A time to reflect. Jesus chose to take upon Himself your sin, my sin, and our children's sin's of the past, the present and the future.

A time to be so thankful. Had Jesus Christ, (the Son of almighty God and Creator of everything) decided not to be punished and whipped for our sins, wearing a crown of thorns and carrying our burdens amongst His entire body, being nailed to the cross and scorned, ridiculed and beaten, what hope would there would have been no hope for you, me, our children or our future generations to receive eternal life.

So what does this mean to you?
I don't know, but it means the world to me.

Today, take a moment to remember...to reflect...the be so thankful for the blood Jesus shed for YOU, to know that God loves YOU so much He gave up His one and only Son Jesus for YOU so that if you believe on Jesus Christ died for YOUR sins, you can be saved and have eternal life.

If you realize you are a sinful being in need of a Savior, pray these words from your heart.
"Lord Jesus, I confess my sins to you and ask for Your forgiveness. I repent, turn away from desiring the things in my life not pleasing to You. I believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me. I accept Your forgiveness and free gift of salvation. Come into my life and make me new. Give me the strength to let go of past sins, the wisdom to walk in Your path now, hope for a better future and change my heart as I grow closer to You each day. Thank You for saving me. I am now Yours and surrender my life to Your will. Guide me in Your ways and truth, from this day forward.In Jesus name, Amen."

Congratulations! You've just made the most decision of your life!

Wait! It doesn't doesn't stop there!
To help you learn about your new life in Jesus you need to begin reading the Bible. If you don't already have one, email me at created2blessothers@yahoo.com and I will send you one, FREE of charge.
To help you grow as a new believer, begin attending a church that supports your belief in Jesus Christ ans Lord and Savior. If you need help finding a church family in your area, email me and I can help get you connected with those on the same journey as you.
To get prayer, receive words of wisdom from those going through similar events as you perhaps, and to deepen your relationship with others in the faith look into home groups that may be offered through your church.

Most of all, enjoy your new found journey of purpose, hope and peace!
Some of my favorite scriptures in the Bible - John 3:16, Philippians 4:13, John 1:9, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Philippians 4:4, Psalms 150:6, Romans 8:28.

Choosing to Blossom Along the Journey

The other day I was thinking about how a seed is rooted in the ground, nurtured with water to sprout, emerges either strong or weak, is pumped full of vitamin D from the sun and grows useful or dies pitifully. Kind of like the human life, wouldn't you say?

From before we were born, God knew us (Psalm 139:13-16) and had plans for us; plans for good and not for harm, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He knew us as a seed yet formed, rooted, nurtured and growing. WOW! How awesome is that?!
But, because of His great love for us, He gave us a choice. A choice to choose Him, to choose life through His Son Jesus, or to choose the world and all it has to offer, to choose death and eternity in hell (John 3:16).

When we choose life, just as with the seed rooted firmly in the soil, we can choose to be rooted firmly in Christ. God is a gentlemen, He will not force us to choose to love Him and accept His Son Jesus Christ. It just isn't going to happen. God created us with our own wills, (remember Adam and eve in the garden of Eden?), ya. We become firmly rooted when we spend time with God, reading His words to us in the Bible, filling our minds with heavenly things and being obedient to all He says. Sure, we are human and make mistakes. That was the whole reason we needed Jesus to be our Savior, but what little effort it takes to confess our wrong doings and receive Jesus' forgiveness, go on and become better because of God's unconditional love for us.

Our nurturing takes place when we love Jesus will all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, are daily spending time in God's word, memorizing scripture so that we don't sin against our Lord (Psalm 119:11), praise Him (Psalm 100:4) and allow the Holy Spirit to wash our lives with His word, empower us to lives well pleasing to our Lord and to be blessings to those God puts in our paths.

Time spent in the sun adds vitamin D to our bodies thereby enriching our very beings. So it is with time spent with the Son of God. Our lives are enriched beyond measure and as we grow in the knowledge of Him (II Peter 3:18) our lives are transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

Our lives are a journey of blossoming into what God has called us to become. We can either radiate the fragrance of lavander or emminate the vile stench of a corpse flower.
We can choose to grow or choose to shrivel up and die. It is all about choice; and it is a matter of life and death.



For further reflection I highly recommend-
(http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=3206)