Romans 15:13, New Living Translation

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We are living in times where if you don't have hope, your world is on sinking sand. Everything around you will make you feel that your world is crumbling and uncertain. Your life could be filled with worry, with anxiety, with stress...these things could consume an individual, making them lose joy, making them lose hope. Really, there is only One where hope is found. His name is Jesus. Though some may disagree, if we take time to reflect on our own personal experiences, where our hope was laid and our foundations built, we can see if what we established has really worked well for us. Paul writes in Romans 15:13 (NLT), “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Without experiencing Christ for ourselves, we will never know this confident hope. Before we have this confident hope, we must have trust. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Too often, we are trusting in our own ways. For some reason, humanity thinks that they have it all together and they don't need God. That couldn't be the furthest from the truth! With us being under God's wing, there is much that is provided. We have protection, provision, blessing, favor, and most importantly salvation for our souls. The world is controlled by the prince of this air, Satan. He wants to give us a fake imitation of what God wants to give us and convince us that God isn't the God who protects or provides or blesses or gives favor or even salvation. He is the father of lies and has been since the beginning.  

Instead of us being deceived by Satan, instead of us following our own ways, what if we gave God a chance? Just like so many things that may entice us in a day, and we think, hmmm, I am going to give that a shot...why not do that with Jesus? What is the false perception that holds us back from giving Jesus a shot? Every relationship needs trust. How else will trust be gained if we don't talk to the individual and spend time with the individual (whether it's a friend, or significant other, or perhaps someone one works with or goes to school with)? The same is true with God our Father, with Jesus our Savior. He desires a relationship with us. Not just a one-sided relationship, but one that goes both ways. When God created everything in the beginning, including mankind (Adam and Eve), He made them in His image, and He walked with them in the cool of the garden. There was no judgement, there was no hate, there was no anger or vengeance, it was love in its most perfect form. The Bible tells us that God never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8, NLT) This means that when He was in the garden with Adam and Eve with the most perfect love, that that perfect love for us hasn't changed. Who has changed but humanity.  

When sin entered the world, humanity was open to ungodly influences from Satan. These would be considered works of the flesh, the fake imitations of what God wants us to have that seem good, but really lead to a spiritual death, an eternity in outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Satan could potentially rob us of our eternal inheritance because of these influences. There will be a judgement day coming, and when that day comes, we cannot blame Satan for our choices. We had and do have free will. We can choose to follow God or follow Satan. There is no other choice to pick from. I think it is worth us taking into consideration Jesus Christ and what He has to offer. I think it's worth considering the free gift of salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit so we can have this confident hope to get us through this uncertain world.

I don't know how else to explain this confident hope unless you experience it personally for yourself. I have seen God show up so much in my life...there are things that have taken place that I know I couldn't have manufactured on my own! It would have been impossible! I am convinced there is a God who loves me, that Jesus Christ, His Son, died for me so that I could be forgiven of my sins and freed from the power of sin that leads to death! I believe that God has a plan for me and home for me that far out weights the world I am living in now! How else could anyone have this confident hope unless you experience it, unless you read the Bible to learn who God is and how much He cares for you?! I am finding the more I read my Bible, the more I can relate to the experiences of those who are written about in the Bible. The more I read my Bible, I am learning more about the nature and character of God, and I am loving Him even more because I am unlearning what the world has taught me, and I am learning what God has always wanted for me and felt for me. And I have received this confident hope. More now than ever in my life, I know where I will spend my eternity. I know that I am a child of God. If you do not know this for sure, you can. Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” He doesn't want just to be part of you; He wants all of you!

I challenge all of us here today, if what you are trying isn't working, if life just isn't what you thought it would or should be, give Jesus a shot! Taste and see that the Lord is good!