What Produces Hope

When we think of hope I do not believe we think there is a process.  I think we believe we have faith and that faith gives us hope.  However, as I sit and read Romans this morning, chapter 5 and verses 1 through 5 I realized there is a process.  We go through this process for our individual broken souls.  I am thankful for this process because it begins with our sufferings!  The things that weigh us down and keep us uncomfortable or feeling unworthy.  It says that our sufferings will produce endurance.  As Christians we are in this for the long haul.  The whole war and not just a few battles.  In the roller-coaster of life many of us realize we need endurance to deal with the heaviness that life brings.  Whether you believe Jesus is your savior or not, life moves and presses forward.

The endurance is something I didn’t realize I had until reading this morning. My struggles have always been able to keep me fighting and pulling me down, which has made my endurance strong.  When you fight and battle to not go under, fighting for your breath, your endurance is building and if you keep fighting you will not drown.  However, it is with your belief that in that fight, Jesus won’t let your drown! When we battle in our lives with those transgressions done to us or done by us we are building our spiritual endurance.  The next step is that endurance will produce character!

Character is a mighty powerful word and explains how we are as a human being.  I remember a quote from Hall of Fame Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden which says, “Reputation is what people know about you and Character is what God knows about you!”  I remember that hitting home because you want to be a man of integrity and someone who can be there and get things done for people.  However, you want that to be genuine and authentic, you want that to come from your soul and not from your ego.  Your reputation should not matter if your character is produced through the endurance of your sufferings.  I know it is when I am alone and with God that he could condemn me for all the things I have done or have thought about doing!! He doesn’t he simply loves on me and sees my character of the man he created, the man of God he created and He knows I long for that.  It is easy to fall into wanting a reputation as a man of God, but you better tread lightly because God doesn’t like the manipulation of his beloved.  Our character comes from our endurance that we build from our sufferings.  When we know that we have been through stuff we can realize, even in those tough situations, that others have been through stuff too! Much of which is why they act the way they do.  It is in this that Character produces hope!

Hope is reached when we have nothing to hide from Jesus or God or the Holy Spirit.  It is not that we can literally hide anything from them, but we choose to be selfish most of the time.  Our hope comes from that character which is where God meets us at our core.  There is nothing covered or hidden when we choose to surrender to Jesus all our brokenness.  You see the scripture says that Hope does not disappoint because that is God’s love poured into us through the Holy Spirit given to us!  In the moment of Justification when God takes our sin and gives us His righteousness is the moment our journey to Hope begins.

When you look at the world today, we must take this relationship into our darkness as humans.  Suffering is producing endurance and we see that through the cases of Covid 19 spreading and taking lives and changing the normal of the world.  This suffering is creating endurance because we battle not knowing how long we will be isolated from regular life.  This is producing Character or allowing us to see those who lack it. Then those who believe in the justification of Christ will also allow Hope to play a part in this worldly pandemic, the belief we have in our character which produces Hope will give us Faith that God will heal and protect us from this virus. 

In Closing, do not look at your sufferings as quicksand that you cannot get out from and are neck deep in, instead look at them as the markings of the cornerstones of the Foundation which is Jesus Christ, Who Covers them, Amen!

FIND YOUR HOPE!!!!

One Love, One King, All Christ

Isolation within Isolation

We each create our own worlds. It doesn’t matter if your are married or single we are each individuals with our own design. The more and more stories I read about people going crazy in quarantine, the more it makes you wonder, what thoughts are causing them to unravel. There are so many of us who are not comfortable around our self but it is hidden well by our everyday lives. A lot of time we aren’t alone until it is time to go to bed and if you are married, then you are rarely ever alone. I have learned so much in this past month. I am home alone, no roommates, no pets, no wife, no live-in girlfriend, just me.

The first thing I learned was I have created a world at home of isolation. I am social and have friends outside, but when I come home I just want to be home. The majority of the time I am alone but don’t feel lonely, if that makes sense. I created that and I know how to live in that. I know how to search for my needs and wants and then return back to my isolation. Well now that this isolation is mandatory and no longer my choice, my thoughts have changed back. You see it is not about feeling lonely but it is about being without community. The importance of have people to share life with and to share Christ with.

I mean Jesus has done so many amazing things for me and has been with me in my darkest times and in my best of times. However, I got selfish and it is within this isolation that I realized I am truly isolated. I have known for many years that Jesus shines through me because he wants people to see him, not me. I have been a humble vessel for thousands of men, women and children in my life to come to know Christ. How did I let that slide away to the side! He has created me to share his love for his beloved children. So, I am sure many people’s crazy thoughts attack them while they have been in quarantine, but Jesus just spoke a little louder. I am still that stubborn little boy who tries to get his way, for as long as I can. I think that will stop this time.

Who do you pray for? What do you pray for? The lists are probably almost endless but yet I find time to watch ALL of Netflix and very little time to pray. It is human nature to be selfish but the ultimate selfishness is Isolation. Each of us has been created to be in the image of Christ, so that means we all will have people that will come into our crown of life because Jesus designed for that to happen. When we isolate and pull yourself out of the game, we are useless. All we can do is cheer from the sidelines and he as made us doers not cheerers!! (I know that’s not a word, lol)

So my friends, if you are like me and God has spoken a little louder to you during this time of Isolation, DO WHAT HE SAYS!! and do not be stubborn like me!

One Love, One King, All Christ!

No Fear of the Terror, but be obedient!! Have Faith!!

God gives us the promise of protection against the terror, the plagues, the arrow and the pestilence. He says abide in me and be in the shelter of the Almighty and He will not allow the danger to come near your tent. He promises that His angels will not allow our foot to even scrape a stone. All of these are found in Psalm 91 along with more. Here is the deal though. When we follow this, believe in it and have Faith that Christ will fulfill it, we must be obedient.

The stories of people saying here comes “Marshal law” and they are trying to control us along with those that just don’t think it will come near them is causing this death toll to grow in ways that have never been seen. They asked us to stay home based on what they have seen happen to the WORLD!! My friends, There is not a country that does not have Covid 19 in the World!! No one has experienced anything like this. But we need to know for God’s promises to work we must have faith yes, but we must be obedient!! Stay Home!! have your groceries dropped off to your house and whatever else you can make happen. Walk in your backyard, sit on your porch. Listen and stop thinking this is magically going to go away.

God’s promises are true, just like with the passover, If the Jews had not been obedient and wipe their doors with the blood of the lamb, the death angel would have taken them. I am sure there were some doubters, but their doubt was not worth their life so they listened. Seeing all these young people going out after curfew and getting in huge groups does not show strength against the man, rather ignorance and risking infecting people you know, etc. We live in a dark world, what is to say some of those same people partying in groups are not trying to spread just to be nasty.

As we draw near to Christ, He will draw near to us and the closer we are to him the more we can feel peace about the things being put into place for our safety. Faith is knowing Jesus will heal this world and Covid 19 will find its match, but while that happens, keep yourself in prayer and keep yourself clean!! Save your family and those in your house!! No one needs to visit right now! Have faith, be obedient and let God bring you the peace you desire!

One Love, One King, All Christ!