I’m so glad it’s Monday and I get to share hope with you again! One month of #MomentsofHope already complete! May went so quickly and it thoroughly wiped me out. Anyone else?
Remember the weariness I mentioned last week? Shaking it has been tough. And isn’t it interesting that just as I am hosting a series about getting unstuck, I found myself stuck in a state of discouragement? Here I’m writing weekly about hope and Something Better, yet I was tottering between hopeless and stuck!
Yikes! I was allowing the enemy way too much wiggle room and it was time to put my own 5 steps into action! I began mulling over all that I have been soaking in about the topic of hope. It was this quote from Brené Brown that kept coming back to the forefront of my mind.
“Hope is not an emotion; it’s a way of thinking or a cognitive process.” -Brené Brown in The Gifts of Imperfection
I didn’t like it at first because to me, hope is felt in the heart. In the soul. It is something Jesus gives me.
But I couldn’t let that quote go. I wrestled with it. Finally, I realized something quite interesting.
It didn’t contradict my belief at all.
You see, when we believe there is a God of the Universe who is in control and is faithful to His promises, we are able to set fear aside. And when we reject fear, we give ourselves freedom to set goals, step toward them, and believe in our capability. That is a series of cognitive processes. A series that ushers us right into where hope happens. Where conviction is felt and hope is firmly planted. It is then we know that with Christ, all things are possible. And we say,
I can do this.
When we believe there is a God of the Universe who is in control and is faithful to His…
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But the enemy of this world wants to steal our hope and stop us from walking in victory. He relentlessly whispers lies and sometimes we get weary. Then the lies get louder and heavier until we do the next right thing. We pick up that Bible, read God’s Truth, and pray it over our lives.
Friends, I’m not saying that as soon as you read your Bible your problems are going to go away. I’m not even saying that your burden will immediately disappear. But I am saying that with the patience to allow His Word to soak in and take root, hope will flourish and peace will reign.
One morning this week as I was pouring out my heart to Jesus and asking for His grace and mercy, repenting for leaving my time with Him to moments on the go, it happened.
A scripture I have read a multitude of times. One I’d already highlighted and in the margins written the word “beautiful”.
In that moment, the words washed over me with a flood of emotion. Emotions of humility and awe. Of desire and HOPE! Everything He is and everything I hope for lies in these words. My deepest desires for my children and for all those I love. I could set worry aside. Set weariness aside and grab onto hope.
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. –Ephesians 3:14-19
Truth I read, prayed, and claimed over each of my children and loved ones. And it was a powerful Moment of Hope for me.
Friends, I want you to have that hope, too. I want you to claim these words over your lives and the lives of your loved ones. In case it helps, I made a printable version for you. Grab it here or on the image below. Praying scripture is so powerful, friends. It changes circumstances. And it grows hope because we can know that God’s promises are always true.
Do you pray scripture over your loved ones?Need some help?Grab some help in this #printable…
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As I read through each of the linked #MomentsofHope posts from last week, these verses never left me. As I came to Shannon Guerin’s post, How to Stay Involved In Her Life as a Teen, I knew I had found my featured post. Shannon is a Mama who loves her girls fiercely. Her life has not been short on the difficult, but in each season she stepped out of the lies and into the Truth found in the arms of Jesus. Each time she did the next right thing and pointed her girls to Him. She loved them, taught them about Jesus, reminded them of His unfailing love, and pointed to Him as the giver of hope. I know you will be encouraged by her list of 6 things you can do right now to stay involved in your daughter’s life as a teen. Being a Mama isn’t easy. Especially when they get to be teens. But friends, there is always HOPE!
Soaking in hope at #MomentsofHope where @shannongeurin is featured!Don't miss it!Come #linkup
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I’m so thankful for each of you who are stopping by to read, comment, or share your #MomentsofHope! I look forward to this week and the beautiful words of hope that will be here in this place! May our words point to the giver of our hope!
What I ask of you:
1. Share only one URL (to a blog post, not the actual blog) that resonates with the topic of HOPE. Anything that gives us hope for tomorrow. Hope for victory. The little things and the big. Anything that inspires us to lean into Jesus and let Him carry us through.
2. Important: If you don’t have a blog post or podcast that resonates with HOPE, join in other ways as you pray and encourage others with a comment or a prayer.
3. Leave a comment on the link just before yours. Would you love on them well? Encourage them in their efforts to share the hope of Jesus. If you have time, stop by more than one sweet writer’s little corner of the blog world!
4. Of course, I would love it if you would follow me via my blog and/or social media channels, but this is by no means mandatory! If you want updates to blog posts, some fun freebies, and reminders for the link-up, make sure to subscribe!
5. If this gives you hope, would you consider sharing it with others to give them hope, too?
6. Please either grab my button or link back to me to encourage new linkers.
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