“When you give up on hope, you become paralyzed in the present and begin to live in the past.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14) from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

I’m not sure why I have been drawn to deal with the subject of despair and of hope. It may be because you need to have the message of hope reinforced within you because you are about to give up on hope. You are about to be paralyzed in your present.

There is a way of looking at your past and living in your present and believing in your future that makes life worth living. It is a connection with God that makes this true. Prayer goes a long way to making it happen. If you have a relationship with God prayer is a privilege and a vital part in that relationship making a difference in your life.

Here is a simple idea in having prayer relieve your despair and enhance your hope. It is the three pronged approach of praise, thanks, and request.

First of all, start your prayer with praise. Praise is focusing on who God is not what He’s done. God is love; God is all-powerful; God is all-knowing; God is everywhere; God is over all; God is unchangeable; God is everlasting: God is gracious; etc. That sets your focus on Who you are talking to.

Then you thank Him for what He has done for you, what He has given you. He has given you life; He has given you the opportunity of another day; He loves you; He forgives you; He cares for you; He is interested in you; He has given you… you finish the statement.

By focusing on Who He is and acknowledging what He has done for you that gives you confidence to come to Him with your needs and your requests. And that’s where your hope comes from. It’s through connecting to Him in prayer.

Do you do that when you are down or do you focus on all the bad that is in your life? Life is tough. It really is but God is love and He has given you a means to connect with Him. He says over in 1 Peter 5, “to cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.” The psalmist in chapter 62 (MS) says “Everything I need…hope for comes from Him.” And then the part that I underlined in my time of reading this Psalm this morning, “Strength comes straight from God.” So there you have it.

So quit being paralyzed in your present and living in your past by giving up on hope. Don’t give up, pray. “Strength comes straight from Him.”

So where is your focus today?

Comments

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who have messed

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog