Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Have you ever received a word of hope either during or directly after reading or hearing the word of God that, to your natural man, seemed too good to be true? Hear this; The Holy Ghost will always work to keep you believing! Always believe that any believing the word comes from the Holy Ghost, and never doubt that any doubting the word comes from the devil. It is, in fact, the POWER of the Holy Ghost which takes God’s Word, and with it infuses faith in us by which to believe in hope, even against all hope (see Romans 4:18).
This word HOPE comes from the Greek word “elpis” which essentially means to anticipate with pleasure, and to live in expectation and confidence. This in no way is speaking of a “hopelessness” kind of hope which the natural man leans towards with little to no real expectation of any good outcome. You know, the kind that says with defeat in his voice, “Well, all we can do now is hope that something happens!” This typical usage of the word hope in our culture today is one with undertones of expected defeat with only a slight and very narrow chance of positive change.
However, when the Holy Ghost infuses Biblical hope into our hearts, it is upon promises both steadfast and sure! It is upon the predictability of God being able to perform that which He spoke. It ushers in a new kind of hope for an otherwise hopeless demeaner and attitude. We do not merely wish for the best and plan for the worst when we believe God at His Word. No, my friends, we hope for the best, and plan accordingly! That is, with eager expectation and pleasure, we begin to act as if the answer is on the verge of knocking on our door to deliver the package for which we hoped! Listen to and believe The Holy Ghost today!
Pastor Gary Caudill
copyright © by Gary D. Caudill, all rights reserved