What exactly is hope? - June 24, 2015

The Kingdom of God is ever-expanding and is drastically contagious. The true expressions of it are marked by a peace that passes understanding and a hope that remains. Part of our call as believers is to be purposefully about releasing the presence of Christ into every situation we are in.

One of the funny things about serving God is that we can get so focused on the task of serving, that we forget that releasing that which you were given is as necessary as anything you do. You ... yes you ... are to be a beacon of hope. True hope, the hope that remains, is only found in presence of Christ. This kind of hope is unwavering, holds to the promises of God, and believes past obstacles that hinder us. 

One of the charges upon you as a believer is to maintain, and then release that hope. Because hope, true hope, is contagious. It doesn't feel flighty or over-promising. It isn't just compassion or empathy, it has it's beginning in a divine certainty of knowing what God wants to do and it's end in holding onto that knowing until it manifests. It is a strong and confident expectation.

My husband often talks about how in scripture, faith, hope, and love are inevitable intertwined. We often hear of 1 Corinthians 13:13 where i says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." But do you know why love is the greatest? And do you know how they are so connected?

In Matthew 17:20, faith is described as a mustard seed. It talks of how just having faith the size of that seed, can cause a mountain into the sea.

And then in Galatians, we get the fruit of the spirit. Love is mentioned as one of the nine fruits that you will have in your life as you submit yourself to the work of the Holy Spirit.

But hope is not talked about as much as it should be. I think it is because it is kind of elusive. It is difficult to define, and sometimes even more difficult to hold onto. But we are familiar with the sinking feeling that hits you when you lose hope. We know what it is like to feel the bleakness of not feeling a breakthrough. We have felt it, and we have seen it in the eyes of some of those we serve. A loss of hope. 

Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

That longing that gets fulfilled, it is the hope that has NOT been deferred. It is the hope that has been held onto. It is the eager expectation of change ... of God. Therefore hope is a tree.

So faith is the seed. That when watered, produces a tree of hope. Hope's roots grow deep and when it is ready to put off it's fruit, guess what is produced? Yup. Love. The supernatural love that we as believers are to be marked with. Supernatural love is different than the kind of love that the world gives. Only the redeemed can offer the kind of love that I am talking about. Because this love isn't just a feeling, it a person. And His name is Jesus Christ. When you are releasing this kind of love, chains fall off, demons flee, and people get healed. Because the presence of Christ breaks into every obstacle.

Maybe we have had our focus wrong. See supernatural love is a natural offspring of a healthy tree of hope. Maybe the reason why we have a difficult time walking in that supernatural love is because we have yet to tend to our hope.

Some of you today are personally struggling with hope. You have worked and labored, and pressed into the promises of God and into the desire of your heart, and have not yet seen fruit. Take time today to ask God to minister to your hope that has been deferred ... to your hope that has been put aside. Let Jesus renew you, even in the hard places of your soul. Let Him tend to your tree. 

Others of you are doing well tending your tree. CONTINUE!! See the funny thing about Proverbs 13, is that the first part isn't a promise, but a warning. God's desire is that you maintain your hope, and that it produces a healthy thriving tree of life. A tree that brings life to you and to those around you. 

To end, I want to remind you, that the contagious hope of Christ will produce the fruit that you are longing for. Take time to renew your hope, and watch the nations change.

Matthew 12:18-21 - “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
    the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
    no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21     In his name the nations will put their hope."

Bless

__________, I bless your spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. I bless you to be filled to the brim with hope. I bless you with a firm expectation of who God is to you and who God wants to be through you. I bless you to have a healthy tree of hope, one that brings life to you and those around you.

Declare

I declare that I will be diligent to maintain my hope. I will be purposeful about releasing the contagious hope of Christ. I declare that I expect the hope of God to literally shatter the unbelief that surrounds us. I expect Christ to move in dramatic, life-changing ways. I have hope.