the unsung hero - hope

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD,

and whose hope the LORD is.” (Jeremiah 17:7)

Of the three Christian virtues, hope may be the least mentioned. Yet, hope is powerful; it is the bedrock of our faith (Hebrews 11:1). We are saved by hope (Romans 8:24). The object of hope must be something good, something future and there must be expectation of actually obtaining the object. Romans 8:24 says, "Hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for it?" Faith works by love and hope fuels faith; for hope is the desire and expectation of something promised. The blending of faith, hope and love give the portrait of the Christian existence.
Today, our world is in trouble. The economy is failing, many are losing their jobs and homes. Heinous crimes are increasing and wars are still being fought with the threat of new attacks. Many are losing hope. Many have placed their hope in things or people which fail to meet the expectation. The only safe object of hope is Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD.” We also cannot trust in money or things. Luke 12:15 says, “for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
We were once aliens and strangers to the household faith. We were without God and therefore without hope (Ephesians 2:12). But, God came to give us hope. He is our hope and the promise of His word gives us hope. We have no reason for hopelessness, dismay or despondency. Hope is our flotation device that keeps us afloat in the midst of turbulent times.
The hope of glory will empower us to live a holy and clean life (I John 3:3). Even in the face of challenges and adverse circumstances, don’t lose hope! Have confident trust in God and expect Him to come through for your situation. The unsung hero of hope in God will never make us ashamed, disappoint or delude us (Romans 5:5). Stay dressed fully in the armor God. I Thessalonians 5:8 says, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”

prisoner of hope

“Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope:

even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee.”

(Zechariah 9:12)

We are all prisoners, or slaves, to something whether we care to admit it or not. Romans 6:18 says, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” The Jews had a problem with this truth. They told Jesus in John 8:33, “They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” They didn’t think they had been in bondage to anyone although history gave quite another story. They had been in captivity in Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Jesus was referring to the much greater bondage to sin.
Zechariah told the people their sins caused them to be in a ‘waterless pit’ (v. 11). They were in a place they could not escape on their own neither survive without outside aid. But, God always gives the remedy! He exhorted them to return, or repent, to the stronghold. The stronghold is JESUS. In Him, they would find refuge from fear of the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the assaults of spiritual enemies. In returning, God declared that he would also give them double; double comforts for their sorrow, double blessings and double honor. This is the promise to his people and the gospel message we declare to sinners: Run to the stronghold and become a prisoner of hope! Receive and accept Christ which is ‘in you, the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27).
For believers, we already have this hope in us – JESUS CHRIST! We have “fled to him for refuge and have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary” (Hebrews 6:18-19). We are waiting for the redemption of our bodies, long for a better place and our eternal home. We wait in anticipation and expectation of the future good God has in store for us.
Dwell in the stronghold and regardless of the situations and circumstances we can hope in the promises of God that He will deliver and restore double to his beloved sons and daughters. If you must be a prisoner to something, be a prisoner of hope!

you told me, now show me

“Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord,
and do not [practice] what I tell you?”
(Luke 6:46 ~ Amplified Bible)

The highest form of worship is obedience. The prophet Samuel spoke to king Saul and said, “Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.” God desires and requires obedience to His commands and statutes. Words must have corresponding actions to bring delight to the Lord.
Jesus confronted the ‘lip service’ of the people of who followed Him. He quoted from the prophet Isaiah when he said in Isaiah 29:13, “Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” With their lips they called Him Lord, but with their actions they denied His Lordship. They called him ‘Lord, Lord.’ The title ‘lord’ means ‘to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; the owner; one who has control of the person, the master; is a title of honour expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master.’ Basically, in today’s vernacular, Jesus was saying, “you call me Lord and come to me with your lips but I do not have decision making power in your life; I am not your owner, and I do not have control of your life and your actions prove it! You told me I was your Lord, now show me.”
The sad truth is that, “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven” (Luke 7:21). The scriptures continue to let us know that many people will stand before the Righteous Judge and having done many wonderful works, even to casting out devils in His name, will be called workers of iniquity.
Is Christ truly Lord of your life? Are your actions collaborating evidence to your profession of Christ being lord of your life? Does He have the decision making power in your life? Does He have control, power and authority of every area of your life? He does desire to rule and reign on the throne of your heart. Don’t just call him Lord, show Him [and others] that He is Lord by walking in obedience to His word.

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT EXPERIENCE

"[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!" Ephesians 3:19 ~ The Amplified Bible

When I had my first child, I had a wonderful doctor. She was very knowledgable of everything that was happening with my body and the development of the baby. She walked me step-by-step through each trimester and sympatheized with my lethargy and fatigue. One day I decided to ask if she had ever had a baby. Her response was “No.” I found that to be quite interesting. With my second child, I happened across this same doctor. When she stood up, I could tell she now had experience to go along with her years of knowledge. She was six months pregnant! Now, because of her first hand experience, a good doctor was now a better doctor!
Most people have heard the song, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me.” This is the truth: Jesus does love us! However, the Apostle Paul prayed that we would know the love of Christ past mere knowledge. Paul wanted us to move past a general knowledge and intelligence of Christ’s love to having the experience of His unfailing love. Paul equates having the experience of God’s love with complete fulfillment. He prayed that we would know God with our hearts and not just our heads. He knew that the completeness, fulfillment and complete satisfaction comes with knowing God’s unconditional love.
How do we experience God’s love? The Apostle Paul says, first we must be strengthened inwardly by the Holy Spirit before Christ can come and dwell in our hearts by faith (v.16 &17). His love is so extreme; our inward man must be ‘prepped’ before we can receive it! The inward strengthening enables us to be rooted and grounded in His love and then ultimately be filled with the fullness of God. Even in all this, God’s love is ‘unsearchable, inexhaustible and is so amazing it is more than I can understand’ (Psalm 139:6). God will do whatever needs to be done, at whatever cost, so that we will see and be satisfied with His love and His love alone.

MADE FREE

“And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”
(John 8:32)

Freedom is priceless. Anyone who has ever visited a jail and heard the doors slam shut behind you knows it can be quite a sobering experience. The consolation in going behind those bars is knowing you can get out when you desire!
Jesus came to set us free from the power of sin, the penalty of sin and ultimately, one day, we will be free from the presence of sin. Because of the finished work of Christ on the cross we have power over sin and should not “let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires” (Romans 6:12). Most of us, if not all, rejoice in the fact that we have been free from the penalty of sin, but fail to enter into the truth that we have freedom and victory over the power of sin.
Jesus gave the prerequisites for this glorious freedom. Freedom comes from continuing in His word and knowing the truth of His word. By knowing His word, we mean that we are intimate with Him. Psalm 119:6 says, “I will delight in your principles and not forget your word.” This knowing goes beyond head knowledge to heart experience. It means that we begin to meditate and delight in His word. To continue in the word of God means to ‘remain, abide or to keep.’ In order to experience freedom, a person must live in accordance with the word of God.
Frederick Douglas, the abolitionist, was taught how to read by his slavemaster’s wife. She was breaking the law by teaching slaves to read. When her husband discovered this, he strongly disapproved, saying that if a slave learned to read, he would become dissatisfied with his condition and desire freedom. Douglas had been made free by learning to read. Armed with this information, he escaped and ‘set’ himself free. In the same way, Satan knows that if we become intimate with the word of God and discover the power and authority that we have been given, we will be made free. We will become dissatified with being slaves to sin and will exercise the power to set ourselves free.
Psalm 119:45 says, “I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.” Know the truth! Be free!

THE NAKED TRUTH

“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”
2 Corinthians 13:8)

The Truth and the Lie went down to the river to take a swim. While the Truth was underwater, the Lie slipped out of the river, stole the Truth’s clothes and ran into the town where he paraded as the Truth. When the Truth realized that the Lie was gone from the river, he got out of the water, only to discover that his clothes were gone. At first, he did not know what to do. He concluded to go into town as the Naked Truth. Everyone thought the Lie (dressed as the Truth) was indeed the Truth, and preferred to look at what they thought was the Truth. But no one could deny what was really the Naked Truth.

Many things may be true, but The TRUTH is what agrees with final reality. The truth can be opposed, but it cannot be stopped. Any opposition to the truth makes it even stronger, it becomes the Naked Truth!
The Apostle Paul had warned the Corinthian church on two occasions to deal with sin in the midst of them. He admonished them to examine themselves to see if they were really in the faith. He warned that when he comes again, he will deal with those who were disobedient and not spare. In verse 7, Paul encourages them to do what is right because it was more important to him to know they were living holy than to prove he was right about the strong letters he was writing to them. He said righteous and holy living would stand as brilliant truth when he arrived and he would be able to encourage them rather than bring strong correction. Paul was rooting for the truth of God’s word to stand in the lives of the Corinthian believers.
The truth of how we live our lives will speak for itself, whether it is good or bad. We determine how God will deal with us when He comes. Do we oppose the truth of God’s word by how we live our lives on a daily basis? Do we oppose the truth of God’s word by our speech? We may dress up lack of prayer, lack of study of the word with religious rituals, but the naked truth of our hearts will speak loud and clear. Revelations 22:11 says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." When the Lord comes to judge, He will not oppose the truth that is in your life, but He will let it stand.

VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH

"My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. And they only go from bad to worse! They care nothing for me," says the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 9:3)

The truth of God is absolute. Many today want to believe that the truth is relative, meaning, “what may be true for you may not be true for me.” There are other statements that say, ‘beauty is the eye of the beholder.’ Relative truth asserts the idea that some elements or aspects of experience or culture are relative to, i.e., dependent on, other elements or aspects. Maybe, to a certain degree, I can agree. But, when it comes to the truth of God word – that is ABSOLUTE!
In this day and age, people are doing just about whatever seems right in their own eyes. The motto for our country today seems to be “If it feels good, do it.” In a recent article on CNN, the writer states that the three most dreaded words people like to hear are “Thou shalt not.” Jeremiah lived in a time when his people were exactly the same. They taught themselves to lie gradually, probably through just a little compromise at a time, until lying was a habit, second nature. The people had become so entrenched in sin, that they were audacious and brazen in it.
To make matters worse, there was no one to stand up and proclaim the truth. Truth had become relative and no one was brave enough to stand up and be ‘valiant’ or strong for the truth. Even if the truth was spoken, the people refused to support it. Their tongues were like bows and their lies were the arrows.
We must stand for the truth of God’s word! The truth of God is absolute for all. What God calls sin is sin. What God calls an abomination is an abomination. Period. It may not be popular or politically correct. Nevertheless, we must be like the Apostle Paul when he stood before Festus and declare, “I am uttering the straight, sound truth” (Acts 26:25). We must speak the truth and stand for right and righteousness. Isaiah 58:1, says “"Shout out loud. Don't hold back. Shout out loud like a trumpet. Tell my people what they have done against their God” (New Century Version).
Today, be bold and valiant for the truth. Allow the truth that is in the inward parts of your spirit to come forth to help others be free indeed by the truth of God’s word.

TRUTH IN THE INWARD PARTS

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” (Psalm 51:6)

God wants us to walk in truth, from the inside out. God is not interested in behavior modifications, He desires total transformation. This begins from the inside with Him putting a new heart and a new spirit within us (Ezekiel 11:19). Many times, outward behaviour and words can express one thing, but on the inside, it’s a totally different story. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7).
The innermost part of man is who God created us to be. Man is tripartite: we are a spirit, posess and soul and live in a body. Our spirit is designed to be the governor of the soul and body. Because of sin, the soul took precedence. But God wants to restore man to his original state and He always starts with the inner man. God desires that our inward parts be in alignment with His will.
Truth means ‘sureness, reliability, firmness, continuance or to be established.’ When our hearts are not true, we are double-minded and most likely will go astray. It is one thing to know something with your head, but an entirely different scenario to know it and have the experience of it in your heart.
After his confrontation with the prophet Nathan, David was aware of the depths of his failures and wrongs. He had come to the realization that the change had to be internal and not external rituals. He wanted a clean heart and a right spirit; truth in the inward parts, not mere pomp and circumstance. The king had enough of external shows of righteousness without the internal reality. All his cries were regarding his innermost being, the source of all thoughts and actions. This recognition of his state and knowing what God desired brought him to write a psalm of deep brokenness and contrition. He realized that other opportunities would be presented to tempt him to sin and disobey God. Without the truth of God’s word hidden in his heart, surely he would sin again.
Today, ask God to put His truth in the inward parts of your heart. The word of God hidden in our hearts gives us sureness and firmness that enables us to enjoy unbroken fellowship with God.

BUYERS, NOT SELLERS

“Buy the truth, and sell it not…”

(Proverbs 23:23)

Many times we shun the truth, especially about ourselves, because the mindset of many is that the ‘truth hurts.’ Our minds must be renewed so that we can experience the benefits of truth. When we come to know, understand and be intimate with the truth, the result is liberty and deliverance (John 8:32). So, what is truth? John 17:17 says, “thy word is truth.” In this intercessory prayer, Jesus prays to His Father to cleanse and purify us through the ‘unveiled reality’ or revelation of His Word.
Why do we think the truth hurts? The word comes to clearly ‘teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right’ (II Timothy 3:16, NLT). Many times this is painful because “You may believe you are doing right, but the LORD judges your reasons” (Proverbs 21:2, NCV). The double-edged sword of the word pierces the outward façade and finds the very intent and motives of the heart. The truth hurts because the truth exposes the gap between what God has called us to be and where we actually are. Hence, we get the infamous line, “You can’t handle the truth!” Why? Because not only must we be willing to agree with God, but also be ready to pay the price to obey the truth that has the power to transform us into the image of the son of God.
To be truly set free and delivered so that we can experience the life of God (ZOE), we must acquire and posess the truth of God’s word. The writer of Proverbs exhorts us to ‘buy’ truth and not forsake it. We should seek out the truth and ‘esteem and treasure the words of His mouth more than necessary food’ (Job 23:12). The acquisition of truth cannot be a mere mental assent but a heartfelt realization. It is the revelation and experience of truth that brings transformation and the fullness of joy.
Without fail, we must make it our occupation to understand and know the truth of God’s word. We must gaze into the perfect law of liberty to see what we should be like and then be doers of the word (James 1:25).
Buy truth and hold tightly to it. It will heal, deliver and empower you to be all that God has ordained you to be from the foundation of the earth. Don’t sell or relinquish truth. It is a most precious commodity.

SPIRITUAL CHECKUP

“Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord.
We lift up our heart and hands toward God in heaven.”
Lamentations 3:40-41
New American Standard Bible

Isn’t it funny when you go to the doctor for a check-up and explain to him what your ailments are, that first thing he does is examine the area that’s bothering you? The doctor’s examination usually consists of him probing, pressing and pushing on that tender or sore area to try and determine what the prognosis will be. This usually causes the patient quite a bit of pain and discomfort. At times, the patient responds by shying away from the pressure and the probing of the doctor because it’s uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful.

It’s time for a spiritual check-up. It is time to take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives according to the Word of God. The key to a healthy spiritual walk it to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds and then obey His every word. As Christians, we ought to ‘test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it (2 Corinthians 13:5).

If you desire a healthy spiritual life, then schedule daily spiritual check-ups to ensure that you are progressing in the things of God. Be honest with yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal those sore areas in your life. Be quick to repent & return to the Lord. Lift up your heart and hands toward God in heaven as a sign of total surrender to His will for your life.

Check-ups are necessary in the natural to ward off those things that could eventually grow, spread, cause serious adverse effects in our bodies and possibly endanger our lives. If checkups in the natural are important to the growth and good heath for our physical bodies, how much more so is it necessary to spiritual health to do a thorough examination of our own hearts, testing the fruit that’s being produced in our lives. Don’t allow offenses, anger, thoughts and imaginations that don’t line up with the Word of God to go unchecked. It is vital to your spiritual health to lay everything in your heart open and bear before the Surgeon who knows exactly what you need and exactly where you hurt. –Trisha Barnes

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(Romans 12:2)
King James Version

A renewed mind is the key to transformation. In order to fulfill the will of God, we must break the habitual and emotional way of thinking and align our thoughts with the mind of Christ.
As believer’s we must renew our minds ‘moment-by-moment’ with the truth of God’s word. A new way of thinking is required in order to be free from the world’s way of doing things and emotional baggage. If we do not learn how to process and deal with situations and experiences in our lives in accordance with God’s word, those thoughts can become hidden motivations that influence our actions.
The Word of God is the only true mind renewal instrument. James 1:21 says we must receive the implanted word of God which is able to save our souls (mind, will and emotions). Lasting transformation comes only from the engrafted word of God renewing our thought processes and constantly confronting and demolishing strongholds in our minds.
The world will always present its ‘way of seeing things.’ But, the world’s way is always in direct opposition to the will and plan of God. 1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” As believers, our way of thinking should be the exact opposite of the way of the world. Television, magazines, talk show hosts and even friends who do not use the word of God has the standard should not be our source of instruction. Whoever or whatever controls my thinking, controls my life.
We must consistently take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ before a chain reaction occurs. The old way of thinking must be subdued and come under the government of the Holy Ghost. Thoughts produce emotions. Emotions will produce desires and finally, desires will produce actions. In all things, we want our ways to please the Lord and produce what is good, acceptable and ultimately perfect will of God.
A new way of thinking will enable us to see things from God’s perspective and empower us to respond in a Godly way. Allow God’s word to transform your thoughts be conformed into the image of Christ.