Have you ever looked for real hope? What if we knew where true hope lives?

Pointing out the window to a community in the country, I exclaimed: “Teresa, my friend from high school lives there.” Another friend and I were traveling during the early morning hours to attend a conference near the town where I grew up.

It’s interesting to know where friends or people we meet live and work and worship. 

But what if we knew hope’s address?

Because life’s hurts, heartaches and injustices often leave us feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. Or, our dreams hunger for fulfillment.

Still, true hope lives closer than you think. Let’s find out hope’s address. 

True Hope Lives Closer Than You Think

Google defines hope, “A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” 

All humans hope:

I hope to lose weight.

My friend carries many hopes in her heart.

The pastor said not to give up hope.

We hope our brother pulls through this illness.

Yet, sometimes things happen differently than we wanted. Hope exists in many forms. But when we cling to false hopes, they soon fizzle and leave us empty-handed.

Women often come to me looking for authentic hope. Did I pray enough? Where is God? Will He come through for me?

These are women in tough places. Hearts broken by tragedy. Languishing dreams with no pillow to lay their heads. In the same way, I relate to times of hard circumstances. Perhaps you can relate as well.

There’s something I want you to know. You are never far from hope. 

Finding Where True Hope Lives

Friend, I want true hope. I’m guessing so do you.

This desire stirred my heart to search for the long-lasting kind. A quest more than just, Come out, come out, wherever you are! Hope with roots in something other than this world. So, I turned to God’s Word.

“For whatever was written in the former days was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (ESV)

You see, once we tap into the source of real hope, we make another discovery. True hope lives really close by.

The God of Hope

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV) @FridayKaren #blog
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God’s powerful actions, the work of His hands, brings hope into our lives.

First, God fills us with His joy and peace, so that we abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

With help again from Google, abound means “exist in large numbers or amounts.” Synonyms include, “abundant.”

The verbs fill and abound illustrate the abundant life Christ promises believers. Leaving the grandeur of heaven, for our sake, Jesus became poor so that we—joint-heirs with Him—become rich. We overflow with abundant hope.

True Hope Lives in Us

When Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit, He brings hope near. It’s not just around the corner, off in the distance, or on the other side of glory. And hope is not something we muster up in our own power.

But hope’s something we possess—a gift from God. Our spiritual clothes contain deep pockets with blessings, never short-changed on peace, joy, love, grace, mercy, comfort, or hope.

Hope is something we possess—a gift from God. Our spiritual clothes contain deep pockets with blessings, never short-changed on peace, joy, love, grace, mercy, comfort, or HOPE. @FridayKaren #blog
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We hope in Jesus. Jesus is our hope. He’s the essence of authentic hope.

Our driver’s license displays our picture, describes a few of our physical attributes and notes our address. Likewise, our Christian ID card contains descriptive terms: beloved, child of God, saint, in Christ, chosen and free. Others say; Oh, she looks like her Father. Hope lives in her. 

Does Jesus live in you? Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? If you answered yes, then stop looking for hope’s address. Hope lives wherever the presence of Jesus dwells—in you.

Dear brother and sister in God’s family, cling to this: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Walk forward in the Holy Spirit’s power, believing hope abounds in you, because it does.

Also see, The Voice of Hope.

Check out our YouTube Channel, Friday’s Forever.

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Join my friend @FridayKaren as we discuss the search for real hope and how hope lives closer than you think…wherever the Spirit of the Lord dwells and in you if you belong to Christ! Share your blog! #blog
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The post Where Hope Lives {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Lord, I raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!

Honestly, I often find it difficult to raise any kind of Hallelujah! Especially when hope seems to have skipped town.

But there’s something you and I must know. We are never far from hope. And we are never far from a hope-filled Hallelujah.

Because who doesn’t need hope? Multiple times in life, I felt all hope was lost.

(1.)  Like my difficult childhood leading to issues in my adulthood.

(2.)  When the good job and steady income suddenly ended.

(3.)  When our second baby died in utero, leaving me with an empty womb and heart.

(4.)  During my father’s month-long hospital stay and his passing away five days before Christmas.

Have you ever walked through a dark valley where it feels like hope hides in the darkness?

Hope-less or Hope-filled

Yet, the false forms of hope the world always offered me in the past, faded and fizzled. They made me hope-less instead of hope-filled.

So, I went on a search to find the kind of hope still standing when all else falls away. It needed a foundation in something other than this world—true substance and measure.

Although hope seems intangible in how it’s not seen or touched, it is something we can know exists and then grab ahold of. Therefore, the perfect place to search is God’s Word.

The Apostle Paul tells us about true and lasting hope in Romans 15:1-13. He begins the chapter using Christ as our example to do good to others and not live to please only ourselves (vv.1-3).

Hope of Heaven

Now look at Romans 15:4:

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (ESV, emphasis mine).

Paul wants us to know the Bible was not only written as our instruction for Christian living, but also for our encouragement in possessing—grabbing ahold of—real, authentic, and undying hope.

The Bible was not only written as our instruction for Christian living, but also for our encouragement in possessing—grabbing ahold of—real, authentic, and undying hope. (Romans 15:4) #hope #hallelujah @FridayKaren
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But the good news doesn’t stop there. The verses that follow describe our hope in even more detail.

First, Jesus Christ became hope for all people. Namely, for the Gentiles who were not in covenant relationship with God like the Jews in the Old Testament before Christ came to earth. Still further, Jesus was born to die for the sins of all—Jews and Gentiles alike (Romans 15:8-12, ESV).

We each must acknowledge the sacrifice and death of Christ to receive eternal life. Jesus is the hope of heaven.

Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!

God of Hope

Finally, this section of Scripture ends with one of my all-time favorite Bible verses.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13, ESV, emphasis mine).

Here, we realize hope not only comes through Jesus, but also from God. Our heavenly Father is the Hope-Giver. His hope-giving all started in a lowly stable when Hope entered the world in the flesh.

Our heavenly Father is the Hope-Giver. His hope-giving all started in a lowly stable when Hope entered the world in the flesh. #hope #hallelujah @FridayKaren
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The Christ-child grew into a man. During His ministry, Jesus spoke of the hope He came to dispense to everyone who believes. Christ took our place on the cross and became our only hope for everlasting life. Hopeless never has the last word. Hope rose from the dead when Jesus Christ conquered the grave.

An empty tomb secured our eternal life in the future and our abundant life in the present. God fills us with all joy and peace in believing. Why? So that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we abound in hope.

Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!

Hope Abounds

Notice, the filling with joy and peace is “in believing.” Our belief that God is God and Jesus is Savior sets the stage for believing God fills us with His joy and peace. If we believe, then the power of the Holy Spirit causes our hope to abound.

“Abound” means “to have in large numbers or amounts” (Google).

Oh, please don’t miss this. God promises to give us hope in large amounts.

Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!

Hope-Giver

The Hope-Giver’s job never ends. He sent us Hope from heaven in the form of His precious Son. Now, He continues to fill us with joy and peace, and empowers us through the Holy Spirit until our hope abounds. We have access to hope any and every time we need it.

But we have a job, too. Our job is to keep hoping in God (an action verb). And to keep believing in the personification of Hope (a noun).

Because Hope has a name. It’s Jesus. Therefore, we are hope-filled and not hope-less.

Remember those hard situations of loss and devastation I mentioned from my life? Each time, God patiently waits for me to fully believe in the hope of His Son, then He fills me with supernatural joy and peace so abundant hope abounds in me.

So whatever hardships you are currently walking through or may come your way; never let hopeless get the last word. Instead, claim the promises in God’s Word.

Raise a hope-filled Hallelujah!

LINKUP PARTY opens Wednesdays at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open! Join us as my friend @FridayKaren looks at how God patiently waits for us to fully believe in the hope of His Son. Let's raise a hope-filled Hallelujah! Joins us & share your blog. #hope #hallelujah
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