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

As I was reading, praying, and pondering the Word, the thought of Hope tugged at my heart.   We all have hopes that are or have been fulfilled, delayed, or dashed.   Each of those has a lasting impact on our lives.

Proverbs 13:12 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”   In one translation, it is rendered, “When Hope’s dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing. But when at last your dream comes true, life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.”

Delayed Hope can lead to deception and rejection of God.   It can lead to making rash decisions and pursuing fantasies to make Hope a reality. Proverbs 12:11 says, “…whoever chases daydreams lacks sense.”

As believers, our hope must be anchored in God and God alone.    It is a matter of trust.   He sees the end from the beginning, and we know the beginning from the end.    Our hopes must be based on His Word, not our preferences.

We all have hopes!   We all have preferences!   We all have ideas as to how and when things should happen!   The problem is handling God’s failure to meet our timelines and methods.   Delay is sometimes a test, not to show God our faith but for us to learn complete trust.

The 3 Hebrew children had total trust!  They said, “King, we belong to God. He can deliver us from your planned destruction. His ability is not in question. However, if, for whatever reason, He does not deliver us from the flames, we will continue to trust Him and will not succumb to your threats just to make life easier for us or for self-preservation.”

Hope is a wonderful motivator.  Hope needs to be anchored in God’s promises.   Hope that is God-inspired and Word-centered will build faith.   Hope that loses sight of God’s infallible integrity will become a cause of soul sickness.

It is possible to want something so much we convince ourselves that God promised it and tie our entire future to it.  We may cling to that hope irrationally or become discouraged, discontented, and angry.

A sick soul pollutes the pool we are swimming in.   God’s promises are certain.   Our Hope is Jesus!    If your hopes are delayed, two things need to happen.   First, examine the Hope.   Was it human fantasy and desire or God’s Promise? If it was human preference, reject all discouragement, disappointment, and anger.   If it was God’s Promise, repent for trying to help Him do His job and questioning His timing.

Hope is a powerful motivator.   False Hope is a trap that can lead to soul sickness and spiritual death.   Here’s what the Holy Spirit impressed upon me.

• Hope that is a fantasy is an open door to deception and discouragement.  It has no root in God’s Word and produces no good fruit.

•  Hope that is God-inspired and Word-centered produces faith, confidence, endurance, and life.

My Hope is in God and nothing else!   My Hope is not some external fruit that will fulfill my fantasy but in God.

If what you are hoping for is delayed, ask God if it was His promise or your preference that birthed the hope.   Never allow anything to cause you to develop soul sickness that questions or blames God.  May all your God Inspired Hopes become God-fulfilled Realities!

God bless you as you live each day with God-inspired Hope!

1 John 1:7 – “The blood of Jesus, His Son, CONTINUALLY cleanses us from all sin.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word, the Holy Spirit made me laugh by depositing a phrase in my heart.  As I began reading 1 John, a phrase or declaration from verse 7 captured my attention with the word “continually.”

The thought made me laugh: I am careful not to appear irreverent, but I heard, “Jesus is our perpetual spot remover.”   When doing laundry, the bottle of spot remover is of no value and is sitting on the shelf.   We can even take it down and read the instructions and benefits, but it is of no value unless it is applied to the spot.

The Blood of Jesus “continually” cleanses us “if” we abide in Him. Knowing about the blood does not cleanse, applying the blood does.   In confession, repentance, and reception, we enjoy His “continual” cleansing.

Many claim to be followers of Christ but with no lifestyle or heart change. 1 John 1:6 – “We can be SURE (absolute certainly) that we’ve truly come to live in intimacy with God, not just saying, ‘I am intimate with God,’ but by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.”   It is in the walk, not the talk!

I John 3:1-3 is a fantastic revelation. “Beloved, we are God’s children RIGHT NOW; however, it’s not yet apparent what we will become. But we DO KNOW that when it is finally made visible, we will be JUST LIKE HIM, for we will see Him as He truly is. AND all who focus their hope on Him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure.”  [Emphasis mine.]

1 John 4:12 gives us the promise of becoming God’s permanent home! We have our permanent residence in Him, and He makes us His permanent and perpetual residence.   If God is permanently “in” us, then we continually enjoy His life and have access to all He is.   Let your permanent spot remover do His work in you.

Surrender 100% of yourself to Him and receive 100% of Him.   No spots or blemishes can withstand the blood.   No demon in hell can overpower the blood.  No disease can survive the application of the blood. It’s time to apply the blood! Holy Spirit, we welcome you and invite you to sprinkle us with the blood of Jesus!   Victory is ours through that precious blood! Lord, I plead the blood!

I pray that your day will be victorious as you enjoy being continuously cleansed by the Blood of Jesus!   God bless you!

2 Peter 1:3 – “Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by His divine power…”

As I read, prayed, and contemplated the Word, a declaration in 2 Peter gripped my heart like a vice and would not let me go.  I have turned it over in my heart, and as I cried out for understanding, I saw a pathway to the promise of that declaration.

Notice in 2 Peter 1:3 – “Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by His divine power…”   There is more, but let’s pause and extract some keywords.

The Revelation begins with the word Everything!   It is all-encompassing, leaving nothing out.  The phrase “Could ever need” speaks to time and eternity.  It reaches beyond where we are to wherever we will be.  The eternality of that phrase is unmistakable.  “For” speaks to the goal.  “Has Already Been Deposited” reveals that it has been completed.    It is not earned or future, but a present reality in us.

Therefore, according to the Word, the Finished Work of Jesus has made us complete in every way.  We have all we could ever need for life, yet we fret.  That reality reveals that we either do not know what we have or do not believe it.

What has been deposited in us must somehow be discovered, uncovered, and extracted to be of any practical value.   Imagine standing before God and hearing Him ask, “Why did you not exercise your authority?  What did you need for Me to be that I was not?  I gave you access to Everything you needed, but you lived as though I had ignored or abandoned you.  Why?”

How do we extract that gold from the deposit inside us?  The Psalms speak to this.  Psalm 142:2 – “I cry aloud with my voice to Adonai (more than a thought or wish).  I pour out my complaint (problem, trial, or need) before Him; before Him I tell my trouble.”  Honest, open prayer is a catalyst to victory.

Psalm 143:5-10 reveals the needed intensity and focus.  Meditate on God and His provisions.  Praise Him (spread forth my hands to You).  Long and thirst for God.  He becomes the passion of our souls.   2 Peter 1:4 describes our life as a partnership with God’s divine nature.  It is not me and Jesus but Jesus IN and through me.  Out of that partnership, we can exhibit the qualities Peter described in 2 Peter 1:5-7.

Notice he says in verse 8, “Since or because these virtues are Already Planted deep within, and you Possess them in abundant supply, they Keep  you…”  They keep us from inactivity spiritually.  They keep us from being fruitless in our pursuit of knowing God intimately.

 2 Peter 1:10b – “If you do (practice and embrace) these things (those listed in the verses), you will never stumble.”

We are the righteous of God in Christ.  We have everything we need for His abundant life and victory.  What is missing?  It is Recognition of His provision.  Reception of His provision.  It is Expectation of it being a manifested reality in us Now!

God asks, “Will you let Me Be what you need?”  What do we need that He has not already provided in heaven?  He is the eternal I AM!

A deposit in our bank accounts does us no good unless we make a withdrawal.  So, let’s use our ATM card and withdraw from our account, which He established, and do whatever we need!   It is done in heaven, deposited in us, and awaits for us to extract it.  I am headed to the spiritual bank now to make a needed withdrawal.  Victory is ours, in Him!

I pray you will have a victorious and prosperous day!

1 Peter 2:23 – “When He was verbally abused, He did not return with an insult; when He suffered, He would not threaten retaliation. Jesus faithfully entrusted Himself into the hands of God, who judges righteously.”

Peter’s description of Jesus in 1 Peter 2:23 filled my consciousness and gave me a longing and understanding of how we should live daily.  The next verse speaks of the full work of His atonement.  But the words, “He FULLY ENTRUSTED Himself to God,” drew my heart like a moth to a flame.   He Fully entrusted Himself.

How is that possible for us?  It is only possible through the new birth and faith.   It is facilitated by “seeing” God.    By that, I don’t mean having a supernatural vision where you literally see Him, but a revelation of Him. 

Psalm 139 is a powerful doorway to that revelation.   Psalm 139:2-4, God is everywhere and knows even our thoughts before we become aware of them.   Before we speak, He knows.   In verse 7, we discover that His presence is inescapable.

Psalm 139:13 – “For You have created my conscience. You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”   In verses 14-16, we discover that our lives, destinies, personalities, and features began before we were conceived in our mother’s womb.   This is the God we serve, the Father Jesus fully entrusted Himself to.   It becomes easy to fully entrust ourselves to a God like that.  He knows all, sees all, and is the creator and sustainer of all. He is undefeatable and unfailing. His love is unconditional. His grace is immeasurable. His gift of life is incomparable.

No wonder David would pray, verses 23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there is any offensive (wicked) way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

This means seeing the Father as a loving Father who is seeking our best, not an ogre seeking to punish us. His love seeks to transform, not force us to conform to a set of rules. When we see Him, we know His heart, experience His grace, and are embraced by His love, and we desire to obey and be like Him.

Jesus fully entrusted Himself into the hands of God.  That is my heart’s desire: Full Surrender of Everything I have and Everything I am!    True victory is in full surrender.

Let’s make our objective to entrust ourselves to God and fully trust Him fully!

Psalm 119:66 – “Teach me good judgment, grace, and knowledge; for I have believed thy commandments.”

As I read Psalm 119 today, I was captivated by the emphasis and value the Psalmist placed on God’s Word. In verse 5, he expressed his objective to be steadfast so he could observe (obey and practice) God’s precepts. He then asked the penetrating question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (That applies to every gender and age.) The answer is only wholeheartedly guarding it with the Word. If we don’t know the Word, we cannot benefit from it.

In verse 18, he asked for “open eyes” to observe the wonders of the Word. That is a life of expectation. Then, in verses 26-27, he asked to be taught the Word to enable him to develop the spirit of discernment. Meditation on the Word was his source of strength.

In verses 36-37, the prayer is to turn his heart to God’s testimonies and not corruption—revival by the Word. In verse 66, I laughed and then cried, “Teach me good sense and knowledge, for I trusted your Word.” We have information but lack the wisdom of application.

In verse 73, the bedrock acknowledgment upon which our lives must be built, “Your hands have made me and formed me. Give me understanding that I may learn Your Word.” In verses 81-82, he revealed that no matter how difficult things get, the Hope of life is THE WORD! In verses 89-90, he declared the eternality of God’s Word and the impeccable character of God.

In verses 97-100, he gave insight into the power and benefit of meditation on the Word. The byproducts or fruit include wisdom, insight, and understanding. How we need those! They become our life GPS.

In verse 105, we see that the Word is a lamp that enables us to see the path and pitfalls. In verse 114, we realize that abiding in the Word gives us God’s protection as our hiding place and shield. In verse 130, he revealed that the Word provides the light of understanding to the simple.

In verse 133, we have a needed revelation in a prayer, “Direct my footsteps (life) in Your Word, AND let no iniquity get mastery over me.” In verse 154, he cried, “Restore my life through Your Word.” In verse 160, we read, “Truth is the essence of Your Word, AND all Your righteous rulings are eternal.” Remember the words of Jesus, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free, and man cannot live by bread alone but by God’s Word.

We need the Word because the Word is Jesus, and He is the way, truth, and life. Counterfeiters succeed because many don’t have a thorough knowledge of the genuine. We don’t study error to defeat error. Instead, we become so acquainted with the genuine (truth) error that stands out like a sore thumb. Truth is the prize!

If we abide (become one with) in Jesus and His Words, abide (become so much a part of who we are, there is no distinguishing between us) in us, we are not only free but also have the promise of the answer coming. The life of victory is established in Jesus as we are anchored in His Word. The Holy Spirit came to teach us His Word.

We have the source of unlimited victory at your disposal. Make it like a hot tub and soak in it. Become like a sponge and soak it up. Then, when you speak to your problems, you speak with the authority of God.

The Word is Invaluable! Embrace it and allow it to embrace you!