Why We Need Hope

Hope is the antidote to fear. Fear tells us that we have something to lose or that things will fall apart. When we enter a new season or chapter in life — even when according to God’s plans — we can struggle with walking in fear or we can thrive by walking in faith. With hope we can counteract fear on a large scale in our lives.

The Power Of Hope

With hope we stand in opportunity as well as possibility. In other words, we hold steady in the emotional storms of life because we have faith that “this too shall pass.” The clouds will blow over and the sun will shine again. With hope, we know that there is more than just rain in our lives.

In fact, rain is necessary because with rain comes more growth. We need darkness to highlight light, we need rain for dryness, and we need challenges for growth.

The problem with challenges is that we can stay stuck without learning the valuable lessons along the way. For example, we can say to ourselves, Why Me? or Why do things have to happen this way? But the process we go through in the midst of the challenges can change us in ways that prepare us for the blessings to come.

With hope, we focus not on what isn’t, but we stand in the power and blessing of what is, or what could be. We become so infused with positivity that negativity fails to hold on to us; it does not become a powerful force in our lives.

Hold On To Hope

When you are down in the dumps, in a “funk” or feeling less than positive about your circumstances, it is important to hold on to hope. Hope gives you power! Stand in the potential of what could be and know that blessings are around the next corner.

What we think is not necessarily reality. We can flip our thoughts by turning negatives into positives.

When you shift is from fear to hope, you need to fight to keep it. It starts with replacing what isn’t with what could be. Then you need to stand on those promises from God.

If you are single, know that this is but a season. If you are unemployed, know that your amazing career is coming. If you are broke, know that finances will turn around in your favor.

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV) says:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” 

Hope is a result of a process of going through trials. Endurance is not just to get us through the trial but is produced in us because of the suffering. We end up stronger in character. A natural fruit of character is hope. It is then that we will never be ashamed of our struggles, failures, trials or fears. Fear no longer has a place in us because we know how we are loved by God.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. — I John 4:18 (ESV).

With hope, we see opportunity. With fear we see nothing but loss and more potential loss. Therefore, if you stand in hope, then you can see the path God is paving before you to His highest blessings.

Make your world larger by standing in hope given to you by the Holy Spirit …  during whatever season you are challenged by in life — right now!