Three Ways to Get Tenacious in Hope
February 15, 2019Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
1. REMEMBER YOU WERE RESCUED. The Bible describes the pre-salvation position as “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). But the emptiness of a fallen world has forever changed because of Jesus. He left the splendor of heaven and came on a rescue mission for us. He died to forgive our sins and heal our diseases (1 Peter 2:24).
2. KNOW GOD’S WORD. Biblical hope is based on the integrity of God’s faithfulness – His character, performance, and nature – and differs greatly from the baseless optimism that the world calls hope. Hope in God springs from knowing His well-documented track record in the Scriptures (Romans 15:4). The faithful God in the Bible is the same God who will help you in your situation.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
3. CARRY HOPE TO THE WORLD. God wants to use us to offset the incredible negativity and pessimism in the world. Hope is something that gets in our vocabulary when everybody else is complaining, that rises up even when circumstances go the opposite way, and that adjusts our thinking to remember God’s faithfulness. You can be confident that God will cause all things to work together for good and as you stay steady in hope, you will see the goodness of God in this life (Romans 8:28; Psalm 27:13-14).
Press on,
Pastor Jeff
DAILY CONFESSION:
I take courage and hope in the Lord. I fix my hope on the living God, who is the savior of all. I hope because Jesus took my sins on the cross and by His wounds I am healed. He strengthens my heart, and I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (1 Timothy 4:10; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 31:24; Psalm 27:13-14).
te·na·cious, adj.
Characterized by extreme persistence; relentless or enduring. Holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold.
Copyright © 2019 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. “tenacious.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition. Web. 12 Feb 2019 http://www.yourdictionary.com/tenacious>. “tenacious.” Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Web. 12 Feb 2019