Believing Against Hope

Rom 4:18
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

The title of my blog seems to swirl in the midst of contradiction and even opposition. Yet the scripture verifies and brings to light the much needed response that should come from the child of God, to hope against hope, just as Abraham hoped.

In reality, everyone hopes for better things, but hope, by itself, is not enough.

Why not, you ask? Because hope does not produce the necessary results which will accomplish the task. The truth of the matter is that you can even fail in your own hope.

If you want results from hope, you must believe against hope. If you are redeemed and blood bought, if you believe and stand on the promises of God, then you’ll also need to stand in the victory that should make all believers more than conquerors. It’s not about believing only, but confirming your belief by standing firm and unmovable in that belief.

This may seem like such a difficult thing, but it really isn’t. It’s actually no more difficult than faith in believing in every element of the salvation experience.

Rom 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

What makes us more than conquerors? Three things. . .
#1 We must be redeemed or born again.
#2 We must know that we are the first fruits of His glorious resurrection.
#3 We have to know that we’re children of light.

Circumstances and situations overwhelm everyone from time to time, but even these should be no excuse for our abandoning what we know to be true. Whether men or organization(s) agrees or disagrees with you, it ultimately is up to you alone to believe and then continue believing – believing against hope. Standing independent of what others think, when you know what the Lord has placed in your heart can be taxing on you spiritually, but be of good cheer, you’re in fine company. Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Esther, Job, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, Silas, Peter, John and the multitudes of other New Testament church disciples, who have gone on before, are but a few of the pillars of faith. In fact you can be counted among them if you’ll believe as they dared believe.

The men and women of faith understood the cost of believing against hope. We should never be ignorant of what true fellowship with Christ costs. Everything has it’s cost, whether in Christ, serving him, or separated from him, serving sinful lusts. Choose today whom ye shall serve.

Eph 5:8
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

1Thes 5:5
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

We are the light of the Lord in this world and we should be walking as children of light.

Listen once again to the scripture – “we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” We are of the light.

Dear brothers and sisters, we had better get this in our mindset and into our hearts. Because light is the only thing that makes darkness flee.

So what happens to us if. . .
1) As children of God, we don’t walk in the marvelous light of the Lord because of ignorance?
2) We fail to fully understand the tremendous value and worth that comes with being children of light, in our daily walk?

If we don’t walk in his marvelous light, then darkness slowly overtakes us. Darkness erodes, or continually dims the light until it’s finally extinguished. Then we’ll become as dark as everything around us, and the world and those closest to us suffer.

1) When are we going to stop thinking and embracing the darkness that wants to engulf us?
2) When are we going to stop speaking the negative things which dims and hinders the light that has been placed inside of us?
3) When are we going to stop empowering Satan in our lives?
4) When are we going to stop adding to the devastation of death and begin walking in the light and believing and behaving as children of light?

And what about all these things that hinder and beset us from running this race called life? Perhaps this will help.

Rom 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So what are we as children of God supposed to do concerning the tribulations, distresses, persecutions, famines, nakedness and death?

We’ll have to come to the stark truths of God’s word and embrace them as our divine right. A renewed mind is essential if we’re to overcome darkness, but then this is not what most of God’s people want to hear.

Everyone loves to sing songs about being overcomers, but precious few want to pick up the fallen standard and carry it headlong into battle. Light transforms people. It helps them to clearly see the possibilities that are in Christ. People generally love the warmth of light. It invigorates and grows things. It makes weak vessels strong and gives hope to peoples cast down and trampled down by the works of Satan. Finally, it makes over comers out of failures. Ask Peter about that.

You may have started out bad, but thanks be to God, “you can finish top of the class.”

Listen to the apostle Paul in:
Rom 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Are you going to rejoice with Paul who said in:

2 Cor 2:14
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Who wants to keep allowing death and negatism to keep their light dim?
Will you stand on the irrefutable promises of God and believe everything he has proclaimed through his Son?

Luke 6:45-46
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

More questions about yourself. . .
1) When are you going to believe what you see and speak what you see, in your spirit?
2) Will you prefer believing and speaking what your carnal ears hear, what your five senses and your feelings or emotions dictate to you?
3) When will you take a stand to stand on the promises of the Lord,

Wouldn’t you love to be like Abraham? A man who didn’t stagger at the promises of God. We all would! And it’s possible too! Even more so today, because Christ is risen!

Gal 3:6
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Remember, God told Abraham that he was going to give him a son. After Abraham looked at his body, then he looked at the body of Sarah and replied unto God saying, “Yes Lord, I believe.” For out of his heart, his mouth spoke faith, and it was counted unto him as righteousness.

On the other hand, God also told Sarah that He has going to give her a child, a boy. She then looked at her body and no doubt the body of her husband Abraham and laughed.

Remember this. . .
Let me tell you what Sarah’s laugh birthed. It birthed a Hagar. I also birthed a Ishmael. It birthed confusion and dissention in the family of Abraham, which is still going on to this day.

But Abraham believed… and it was counted unto him for righteousness. It brought forth the promise – the child Isaac. Through the promise, the Christ child came.

WHAT IS GOING TO BE BIRTHED IN YOUR LIFE TODAY?