We Have This Hope

Hebrews 6:19

HOPE during Covid 19 pandemic

by

I thought that during this Covid 19 pandemic we could all use a ltitle more HOPE. I decided I would regularly share verses about HOPE until this is all over.

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by some greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchageable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the HOPE set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forefunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6: 13-20

My prayer is that during this difficult time you can find peace and rely on God’s promises of HOPE that can be found all throughout HIS word.

Anchored

by

I talk a lot about having HOPE in my blogs. But really, what is HOPE and how do we have HOPE in days like these and how do we anchor it? How do we dig deep to survive and have HOPE that is an anchor for the soul in days where people are dying by the thousands, when a virus may potentially infect half of the world’s population, when people are losing jobs and it all seems hopeless? What do anchors have to do with HOPE? Everything.

“We have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”. Hebrews 6:19

When deciding to drop anchor there is much to consider.

The anchor line (rope) – A three stranded braided line is the strongest and will hold best and not tear. The same is true of HOPE. It’s not that we aren’t strong enough on our own. We are stronger when we allow others to help and rely on God.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

The approach and drop – One must first decide the final resting place before they can decide where to drop anchor? You can’t drop the anchor directly over the spot you hope to end up. You have to approach the spot correctly, consider wind, and then drop upwind of where you hope to finally rest. We can’t expect to have HOPE in days of the storm when we haven’t fully anchored our faith. I can only speak from experience but in my darkest most trying storms of life, I had to rely on what I knew and cling tightly to my beliefs, my faith. It wasn’t easy, at times I even doubted I could survive. On some days, I couldn’t even form a prayer, a word, a thought. This is when we hold tight to what anchors our souls and refuse to let go.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 13-17

Setting the anchor and storms – The anchor sets best when there is a little tension. A little tension, or wind resistance, will allow the anchor to set firmly and hold steady in the event a strong storm hits. Enduring the storm is the hardest part. Life can throw some ugly storms our way. Many of you are facing some challenging storms right now. Many are sick, many have lost loved ones, many have lost jobs, many are struggling to find courage and HOPE. I hated when people would say things like “God won’t give you more than you can handle”. It’s not about what I could handle, it was all about what I was going to allow God to do. Sometimes we go through small storms to increase our faith for the bigger storms.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the test of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2-4

No matter what life has thrown at you, you can survive. It will be hard, in fact it may be the hardest thing you’ve ever endured. God will walk with your through the storm, the valley. I know at times he even picked me up and carried me. The world is bleak right now. You can’t turn on the TV or look at social media without being bombarded with all that is wrong in the world. BUT… It’s not too late to start preparing for life’s storms. Decide right now where you will anchor your faith. Choose wisely who you will braid the strands of your life with. Prepare yourself and then hold fast to the anchor your set.

Anxious for What?

by

I saw a friend this week who asked me what I was doing for spring break. I told her I was heading to Cozumel to go diving. She asked who I was going with and I told her that I was going alone. To that she replied, “Wow, I could never do that. I’m too scared.”  It reminded me of a recent sermon series from church entitled, Anxious For Nothing. 

For most of my life, I’ve never really understood anxiety or feeling so anxious I was paralyzed. It was a foreign emotion. However, I’ve recently experienced a significant amount of anxiety. All of my anxiety surrounds one simple issue. Traveling alone and doing life alone. On the flip side, traveling and diving brings me more peace than just about anything I’ve experienced.  I struggle with balancing those two.  

I do realize that my anxiety is grounded in fear. I also realize that it comes from Satan. However, the thought of doing life alone now or spending the rest of my alone without my best friend, causes me a significant amount of anxiety. Sometimes that anxiety feels paralyzing.

How do we overcome anxiety? Author Max Lucado says, “The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.”  Here are a few things that helped me begin to break free from anxiety.  

1.  Just move – As hard as it is to deal with whatever causes you anxiety, just keep moving anyways.  I assure you I don’t want to travel alone or do life alone but I refuse to stop living. I have to just book the trip, go on the dive and keep living.  Whatever is causing you anxiety, simply set some small goals and force yourself to just move through it anyways. For me that’s booking the next trip.  We can’t let anxiety paralyze us and keep us from moving. Max Lucado is right, if we allow it, our anxiety can imprison us and hold us captive.

2.  Commit it to prayer – The reality is that the more I pray, the more I am able to release my fears to God.  I am stubborn and frequently take my worries back from God to worry a little more, but I’m working on it. Commit whatever is causing your anxiousness to prayer.  Day in and day out, even when you don’t see God moving, keep praying. I pray about my future daily.  The alternative to prayer is worry and that ultimately gets nothing but ulcers, high blood pressure and more anxiety.

3.  Read and study – I frequently read success stories of others.  I ready motivational books, I read my Bible, I read articles, I simply read about the life I want and overcoming fear.  There are hundreds of success stories of others who have gone before us. Commit to readinging about others who have struggled and walked a similar path.  Learn from their mistakes and seek good guidance and council. I read every day about overcoming grief, growing my faith, living life on a sailboat, how to be a great spouse, how to love my best friend, etc…  

4.  Think on good things – The often catch myself engaging in negative self talk regarding my future.  It’s awful. This is one of Satan’s greatest tools. He constantly convinces us we just aren’t good enough.  I have to continually shut this negativity down and remind myself to focus on the good and quit telling myself lies about my future.  It seems a little crazy, yet we ALL do it. God tells us to focus on what is true. Instead of focusing on what is causing you the anxiety, focus on truth.  Often those two are in contradiction.    

No matter what is causing you anxiety (a job, your kids, a future, money, health), just keep moving, commit it to payer, read & study, and dwell on the truth.  

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Psalms 139:23

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.  Philipians 4:6-8

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?  Ecclesiastes 2:22

Only After The Storm

by

I used to live on a boat. One day off the coast of Florida my husband and I were caught in an unexpected thunderstorm. We were close to shore but couldn’t get into harbor safely. We were experienced boaters so we decided to set anchor. After setting anchor, we went below and held tight to the faith we had that the anchor would hold and that we would be safe.

I find myself in the middle of one of life‘s storms right now. Sometimes the storm brings fog and we can’t see what’s right in front of us. Sometimes the storm brings wind that swirls us around where we can’t tell which direction we’re heading. Sometimes the storm brings thunder so loud that it shakes us at our core and keeps us from rest and sleep. Sometimes the storm brings hail that physically beats us down. Sometimes the storm brings such torrential rain that we can’t see our next steps.

No matter the storm or what the storm brings we have to hold fast to our anchor. Whether it’s grief from the loss of a loved one, a broken marriage, the loss of a job, the news of a terminal illness, or any other storm life throws at us, we have to hold fast to what anchors our soul. For me that anchor is a faith and HOPE in Christ. “We have this hope that is an anchor for the soul firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

For it’s only after the fog clears that we can see what’s directly in front of us. It’s only after the wind quits swirling us around that we know what direction we’re heading. It’s only after the thunder stops that we can truly rest. It’s only after the hail stops that our broken bodies begin to heal. It’s only after the torrential rain stops that we can see our next steps. It’s only after the storm that the clouds part and the sun begins to shine that we can see the rainbow.

Sharing

Follow Us