Integrity- People of God

Our hope is in the love of Jesus Christ for us, the promises of God to us and the power the Holy Spirit gives us. Hope, according to the definition is; a person or thing in which expectations are centered, to believe, trust or to look forward to with confidence. We now understand that faith is the assurance and belief in the fidelity of God and His strict observance of His promises and loyalty to us. When we have the faith of God, understand the Love Jesus has for us, and the power we are given through the Holy Spirit, then our hope is joyous. Because of Jesus, we look forward with great expectation, of having every confidence that He will perform all that He has promised.

Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. NKJV

Hope is a godly imagination that sees the promises of God in our mind though they have not yet appeared. Hope stands firm on the belief in who has made the promise and then rejoice in His love for us.

Hope without the promises of God, is just vain imagination or fantasy. Imagination is a powerful device because the word tells us as a man thinks in his heart so is he. We have often heard it said if we can imagine it we can eventually do it. Just as mankind for years imagined that he could fly and though it took years for him to develop the technology, we now have planes and jets that can fly us anywhere. Things that were thought impossible only a few years ago are being manifested in this natural world today.

Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. KJV

Romans 1:21-22 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. KJV

Wicked and vain imagination is a perverted type of hope in that it allows mankind to think and create evil thoughts in their hearts by rejecting God. They refuse to glorify Him or thankful for all He has done. This is done when a person becomes wise in their own eyes refusing to give honor to God. Then they are free to imagine evil in their hearts when they are left to their own vain imagination. It will lead only to evil because their souls are corrupted by this fallen world. This is why our hope is in the person of Jesus and the promises of God. Anything else is futile and vain.

Romans 8:24-25         For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. NKJV

It is our Hope in Jesus’ love, the promises of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that gives us patience to wait for the promises. We stand believing in the promises that they will come to pass and be displayed in this natural world, though we may not see it at present. There are many who say they believe in Jesus and yet their hopes are in the things of this world. Though many may have knowledge and a belief of Jesus’ existence, their trust and confidence are in the systems of men and this world. It is our hope in the completed work of Jesus that should gives us joy. Then we will have confidence and hope in our future and be able to wait patiently for it.

We live in a society that expects everything to be done in an instant. Fast food, advancement at work, we are trained to want and get everything right now. This is a trap and many believers in Christ have fallen into it with the thought of everything we need and want should be given to us immediately. This is why so many people lose their joy. They want things right now and are not willing to wait on God and his time.

Impatience is a tool of the enemy that is used against God’s people to have them lose their joy and hope in God. When we are impatient, we are more likely to succumb to doubt and unbelief. This is the weapon the enemy uses to instill fear in God’s people and negate their faith. Just as light and darkness cannot occupy the same space, fear and faith will battle and one will prevail. One will cancel the other. We will either walk in faith in the promises of God or we will fall into the trap of fear and dread losing our hope and the joy we receive in the word of God. We are told fight the good fight of faith. We are to stand in the face of doubt.

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. NKJV

We are rejoicing in the hope we have in the promises of God. The love of Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit is what gives us the patience we need while waiting to see and receive God’s promises. Our hope is seen by others through the joy we express while waiting for the display of the promises of God in the natural world. People can see our anticipation though they may not see the promise. They see our joy that comes from knowing God will do what He has promised. We have already received it in our mind and see it with our godly imagination. Our hope rests in knowing the power of God’s love and in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.