Prisoners of Hope!

      It is not news that we are living in a world overcome by bad news & discouraged for the lack of good expectations about the future. But it is always good news for us as believers to know that in God we have Hope! While others who are not in Christ are prisoners of this bad news, our experience can be different. We are encouraged by the positive inspiration flowing from the faithful promises of His Word, and we can be touched by the power of the loving and living presence of His Holy Spirit! In Christ we are always in a good position to possess real faith and firm Hope! This is the case, even when we go through those unexpected hard times, when it seems like nothing is working in our favor. Sometimes circumstances come to a place that we did not expect to reach. At those times it may feel like we need to start all over again to recover and restore what was lost. But even if we must start all over again, we can deal with those hard times from a different perspective. We must remember that in Christ we are captured by something greater: We are “PRISONERS OF HOPE!” We are not prisoners to fear, captives of uncertainty, or chained like slaves to discouragement, but we face those times as prisoners of good expectations and Hope coming from our Good Father! This powerful Hope lifts us up!

      This Hope of Christ is invisible to the natural eye, but it is a powerful spiritual force! Not an empty religious expectation, but a real, tangible, transforming, and practical Living Hope. Christ is our eternal hope of abundant life - life that is not temporary, but everlasting!

       In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul declares that if you are in Christ then you are a new creature. We are born again from above by the Spirit! We are redeemed by the price of the blood of Jesus and saved by His grace. He paid for us; now we belong to Him! Sometimes it is necessary to meditate about that truth and inspire ourselves, to be refreshed in the Spirit! Hope always allows us to return to this, the power of our identity in Christ.

       When we become aware again of our spiritual reality - who we are in Christ - we can use our faith to express that in the midst of our trials. We can say: "I am in Christ! I am not alone! I am always in a good position in Christ! I am loved, I am more than a conqueror, I am capable, I am strengthened, I am empowered, I am anointed, I am a new creature, all things are possible with God, and I am in Christ who strengthens me!"

       So, if you get discouraged, weary, or are surrounded by fears, doubts, or uncertainty about the future, that is when you can energize yourself by returning to your position in Christ! There is always the Hope for a new beginning in Him! Hope in all times; good days, successful days, and of course challenging days. As we surrender all these things and become a prisoner of Hope, we return to our standing with the Living Christ, our eternal Hope. This is our Confident Hope we live by and invite others into!