Tag Archives: faith

Hope That Has Been Appointed For Us

Posted on by

“We who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope that has been appointed for us” (Hebrew 6:18).

When I read this verse I am reminded of a specific time when I ran faster that ever before to the Lord as my refuge.  I didn’t leave that refuge until I had the strength and hope that had been appointed just for me; it actually had my name on it.  The situation in my life at the time looked hopeless.  In the natural world it looked like our son’s life was over. There was nothing the doctors could do.  Then God said, “Watch this!”

During that time, I can say the only strength I had came from the Lord.  I did not have natural strength. During times of prayer, I would fall into the arms of Jesus and I could actually feel Him lift me up, refill me with encouragement, and then set me back down in the hospital room all charged up again.  All my strength, faith, and hope came from Him.  He was my refuge, my fortress, my rock, and the firm foundation I stood upon.  I literally felt the strength of the Lord surging through my spirit, soul, and body.  It was a supernatural strength.  My faith was in God and Him alone.

Sometimes God allows us to go through things so that as we stand back and see with our own eyes His handiwork, we will trust Him.  When He was creating a miracle in our son, all natural hands had to be removed as He worked the miracle.  I learned in that situation, as I watched God work, there are times we must take our hand off and watch God work.

The Power to Move a Mountain

Posted on by

“You will know and understand the hope to which He called you and the greatness of His power.” Eph 1:18

faith to move mountainsWe have access to His great power when we are in His will. The power to create the universe, move a mountain and change history is in His hands. He has placed me as His child, His representative on the earth, to call on Him to create, move or change something. Sometimes we get so preoccupied that we forget our purpose.

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and forgotten what you intended to buy? After a couple of steps into the store you have a thousand voices speaking to you!  You see all the brands of cereal and the sales, and you forget what you wanted to purchase.  The same is true in our daily life.  The calls, the options, and the sales grab for our attention. What happened to the still small voice that spoke into your spirit the moment you woke up?  Was it drowned out within the first few steps into your world?  We must realize how Christ was able to carry out His assignment on planet earth. He set His face like a flint towards the cross and He didn’t let anything distract him. The world could not hinder, discourage, slow down nor stop Him.  Know what your purpose is and rely on the greatness of His power to accomplish it.

Expect to See The Impossible

Posted on by

 “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

We read of the children of Israel in Psalm 106:12, “Then they believed His promises and sang his praise.”  Unfortunately, they did not believe until after they saw Him work in their situation.  They were in doubt when they came to the Red Sea, but when He opened the way and led them across safely and Pharaoh and his army drowned–“then they believed.”  They continued to live this kind of seeing-is-believing, up-and-down existence, because their faith was dependent on their circumstances.

This is certainly not the kind of faith God wants us to have today.  Faith is believing what you do not yet see.  God wants us to believe first, so that then we can see.  The psalmist said, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
 
Do you believe God only when your circumstances are favorable?   Faith is believing God will intervene in your situation, even when things look impossible.  The reward for this kind of faith is: what was impossible will be possible. When we come to the point that we believe in God’s goodness, we will no longer be pulled into despair.  We will live above our circumstances in every aspect of life: finances, relationships, or sickness.

Your Burdens Roll Away

Posted on by

“Commit your ways to the Lord (roll and repose each care of your load on Him); trust (lean on, rely on and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.”  Psalm 37:5 Amp

You have probably found, as I have, that every problem has a weight to it, and some are heavier than others.  If you have committed your ways unto the Lord and are trusting in Him to work things out, then you must release the heavy weight and not take it back again.
 
Do not worry about it; trust Him.  This does not mean you are not involved or concerned about the situation.  It simply means you are not anxious or worried about it anymore.  And most of all, it is not up to you to fix it.
 
You are now trusting in the Lord and waiting on Him to work everything out for good.  Waiting is hard, but you can trust God to be faithful to His Word.  Grab hold of His promise and then wait.  It is hard to wait at first, but the more you resist taking things back into your own hands and working them out yourself, the easier waiting becomes.  So today, if your problem feels heavy, just pray and release it to the Lord.  Roll it over and reposition the weight on Him, and He will carry it for you.  All you need to do now is stand back and watch as He works everything out according to His plan and purpose.
 
Be aware that if you have never lived life without a weight on your back, it may feel funny at first.   If so, resist taking the weight back again. Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in (lean on, rely on and be confident) in the Lord and do good, so shall you dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness, and surely be fed.”   This tells me we are not to worry, because He will provide for all our needs.  We are to feed on His faithfulness, and He has a banquet table prepared for us.

Holding On to Hope

Posted on by

“We who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope that has been appointed for us” (Hebrew 6:18).

land-051

What are you hoping for?

A new job, a husband, a wife, or healing of a loved one?  Whatever you are hoping for let me encourage you to tighten your grip.  It is time to securely grab hold of whatever the Lord has promised you, don’t let it slip out of your hands and don’t give in to even the slightest disappointment.  Spend time with the Lord and this is what happens:

“We who have fled to Him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope that has been appointed for us” (Hebrew 6:18).

There is something God has appointed for you and when you give-in to disappointment you are in essence saying, “I no longer believe what God has appointed for me will take place.” Disappointments will cause you to let go of the hope. It is like you have been swinging on a rope across a huge cannon, and you let go of a rope right before you get to the other side. When you give in to disappointment you can feel yourself sliding down the rope and if you give in, your strength grows weary and you completely let go.

I know this is how it works I have burn marks on my hands right now from letting the rope slip through my hands. Disappointments were coming from every side. I have been so bombarded by disappointments that I gave in to them. When a friend pointed out that I was disappointed I said, “You better believe I am disappointed” and I began to give her the mile long list. Then I was troubled because I wanted her to understand all the things that disappointed me.

But, the Lord would not allow me that privilege. He lovingly said, “That is what you get when you are in kindergarten.”  Then I remembered, in kindergarten my teacher would give us a sucker when we were disappointed if it was raining outside and we couldn’t go out to play. The Lord reminded me, “You are not in kindergarten and you can not give into disappointments.” I must adjust my grip and hold on or as Paul said it in Hebrews 6:18, “hold fast to the hope that is appointed for us.” The word appointed means it has been prearranged and set before me so all I do is grab it and hold on tight for Hope is the anchor of my soul.

Written by Denise Boggs.