In order to speak words of hope, you must maintain hope in your heart. Therefore, you must purpose to believe God. Remember His Word to you, as well as His faithfulness to you. Recount in your heart what He has done for you. Just as you stir up the gifts by way of remembrance, so do you stir up hope (see 2 Timothy 1:6). When you testify of His goodness you received, you express hope to others. In turn, it stirs up in them the desire for God, and with that desire, faith as the result of hearing the Word of faith. With faith comes hope, and with hope in the Lord, joy. With joy comes strength to continue in Him with all hope and peace.
As it is written, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). Without hope, there is no strength of heart because there is no joy. Hope and joy are connected.
Many struggle with depression because they have no hope.
As believers, we are to be carriers of hope, and as carriers, we are also givers of hope. If we withhold hope, we actively feed depression. By speaking contrary to the Word of God, we resist hope both in our lives and in others. If we agree with hopelessness, we can actually perpetuate darkness. Anything that removes faith, imparts death; for, we live by faith (see Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
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Walking by faith actually increases hope. Therefore, if we want to bring hope to the world, we must make a conscious decision to walk by faith. A result of walking by faith is that others are afforded the opportunity to see God working in the life of another. “If God will work in his life, perhaps He will work in mine as well.”
When people are drawn to you because of the hope that you have, you have a place of influence.
They will want to be around you because they want what you have. They want hope. Hope works like a spiritual magnet. People follow hope. Those who are desperate crave it. It gives them something to hold onto during the darkest of times, and helps them maintain their course as they navigate through life.
Obviously, those who love darkness more than the Light will never have true hope. As long as they embrace it, they will only know depravity and hopelessness. At best, they will find temporary fixes in the world. Ultimately, apart from repentance, they will find sorrow upon sorrow with eternal hopelessness. That being said, do not be surprised if some people are actually repelled by you, even if you have hope. Hope is the fruit of light, and those who love darkness may crave the hope, but they want nothing to do with the Light.
The Word of hope has been delivered unto mankind. In some places of the world, it has free course, and in others it doesn’t. Nonetheless, it is unstoppable. In some places considered free, the Word of hope has actually been restricted by that very freedom. Restricted in the sense that those who have it, take it for granted. They don’t understand and appreciate its value. In those places that outright restrict God’s Word, it is greatly appreciated by those who have it. It’s a commodity to them. It is precious, where His Word is considered precious, it grows and spreads rapidly.
As eluded to already, the Word of God is more restricted in some free societies where the governments have no law banning the Word than those that don’t. Why? Because those who “have it” are more concerned about the material world than the Kingdom of God. Since the Word of hope is not as precious to them, they don’t share it with others as they could. Status and acceptance is more important. As Jesus said, “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the Word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22 [NASB]). When the world is more important, people become less concerned about others having hope.
Some say they don’t know the Bible well enough to share the Word of God with others, and are incapable of discipling them. If they don’t spend time in the Bible, how can they know it? If worldly things have priority, then their Bibles will simply collect dust, and they will become unfruitful.
We are exhorted to not love the things of the world; yet, some people believe grace endorses their lack of commitment.
It’s as if grace gets them off the hook in relation to the work of the Gospel. They fail to recognize that even though they are saved from the wrath to come, they are not exempt from the Judgment Seat of Christ. They will give an account. Those with careless attitudes don’t realize the loss they are suffering even now. They have forgotten the exhortation to store up treasures in heaven. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13. each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (see also Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10 [NASB]).
Carelessness is overcome by love.
When you love well, you will care well. Your concern turns outward. Instead of trying to gain worldly goods, you focus on giving the Kingdom of God to others. The Word of hope becomes important to you, and the desire for others to have it intensifies. When you love God, you love the things of God. Obedience to Him becomes the priority, and that includes evangelism. The Bible becomes important as well because it reveals the One you love. That love increases the desires to know Him. What is imperative to the Lord becomes imperative to you.
