Hope Victorious

  Where Romans 8:28 and Philippians 1:6 Intersect Romans 8:28 holds one of the most well-known and often quoted promises in the Bible. We love the encouragement of this verse; the assurance that all things will “work together for our good” . We know that God is the source of the promise and that it is His power and goodness that make it possible. Often we turn to this verse for encouragement and hope when it seems like things are not working out well at all. When we survey the current circumstances and difficulty of our life and find it difficult to see any goodness, resolution or positive outcome, our hope decreases. In these times, some of us turn to a promise like the one in Romans 8:28: “ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We may look to these words and find comfort and strength. If we believe that God sees us, the adversity we face, and that He can l...

I lay down doubt and questions I stand on what I have believed I pick up your promises again And draw my strength from them I lay down worry and fear I stand up tall as one who is loved I put on peace and belonging And remember whose I am I lay down disappointment and sorrow I remember all you’ve healed and restored I stir up the hope inside me And feel it alive and growing           Surrender and Remember           Rest and Belonging           Hope and Wonder           This is faith I chose rest over striving Laying down my self-reliance I lean into what I believe And allow wonder to color the skies of my future          Surrender and remember           Rest and Belonging           Hope and Wonder           This is faith I don’t have to know all the ...

Too good to be true Dare to believe it Let yourself receive it What if it actually turns out better than you thought? What if the surprises are truly good?   Are you afraid of failing? Afraid of letting someone down? All these years you’ve lived – look at all you’re standing on You’ve succeeded and failed Each time you’ve gotten back up stronger Started again and gone farther   Grown – You have grown in more ways than you know! You’ve faced disappointment, betrayal and fear You’ve fallen down and failed even yourself But you are not crushed or giving up   You have gained ground, not lost it! Look at who you have become All those places where you endured, fought and overcame Courage – you have faced your fears instead of stopping Faith –  you have wrestled with doubts and grown stronger Hope – you have overcome discouragement and pressed on You are becoming!   You are well on your way! You know your weaknesses, the places you are growing – But you also know your ...

For years my forecast was based on my fears. Like the weather predictions, my forecast called for “rainy days ahead”. My thoughts were along these lines: “What if none of what I’m working towards comes to be? What if none of my dreams come true?” I struggled under the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of missing out. Even the fear of success haunted me. “What if things work out, but then I mess it all up?” “What if I change my mind? What if he/they change their mind? What if I make the wrong decision? What if I screw up?” These were the questions; the fears that shouted at me. I have found it consistently true that you will find what you are looking for. It is a process of reinforcement that builds our beliefs and creates emotional strongholds. The discovery that I could make choices that changed the forecast of my future was revolutionary for me. The discipline of identifying my fears, facing them, and then choosing to rehearse the truth and hope in place of the fea...

  Healing is not a seasonal activity! It is part of God’s nature, His identity! Some things have an appointed time. Jesus was always part of God. John 1 tells us that he was present with God at the time of creation. The Holy Spirit was as well. But there was a time appointed for the birth of Jesus and for the release of the Holy Spirit to dwell within believers. The ministry of the Holy Spirit was not bound to the timing of Pentecost, but Pentecost opened a new era of how humanity related to God. Some things within our Christian spirituality have a time or “season”, but not all aspects of our walk with God are “seasonal”. It is an important distinction to make.           God has always been healer. That has not changed and will never change. Just as He is always love, righteousness, and truth. He speaks to His people. These are aspects of God’s character and nature. They are unchanging. Healing is not just an action that God is capable of. It is no...

I wonder what it is like to be a seed All that potential locked up deep inside Waiting quietly –   A secret Multiplied growth – Enormous potential A concentrated time capsule Years of growth – Seasons of Fruitfulness Determination – Destiny   –   Longevity Held captive for now Waiting   –   Longing   –   Safely Stored Away Time –   Water   –   Planting   –   Tending The seed waits! But even before it even looks alive   –   Life is there hidden within   The mighty oak – held within the hard confines of an acorn An apple tree, boughs bent heavy with fruit secreted away in a small smooth seed A towering Redwood drops tiny seeds to the forest floor – unimpressive & hard to find I’ve neven seen the seed that will produce a rose bush: multiple blooms each year Beautiful rounds of colorful petals filling the air with fragrance and yet once it was contained in a tiny speck blowing ...

  I’ve been thinking of faith and our response to doubt and fear. We all have questions that we cannot answer and doubts that threaten to erode the confidence of our faith. Fear too is common. Sometimes our fears are big and limit our ability to function, other times fear is quiet and we attempt to cover it with action and bold declarations. What is a faith-filled response to these enemies of faith? Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God and the fiery arrows of the enemy. Faith is the shield we hold up that, according to Paul, extinguishes all the  flaming arrows of the evil one.   (Ephesians 6:16)   I’ve been pondering how exactly that works. If faith is a shield, it stands between you and the enemy’s attack. The arrows shot by the enemy are intended to hit us! Jesus said in John 10:10 that the enemy comes to rob, kill and destroy . Our enemy, satan, intends to kill or at least injure us! But the second half of that verse is that Jesus came to give l...