What The World Needs Now is Hope
What the world needs now is HOPE
What is hope? A wish?
According to the dictionary: Hope is the constant expectation or grounds that something good will happen. Hope is a feeling of expectation or wanting something to happen. What are the grounds for our hope? The grounds for our hope are found in the Word of God, which contains His names and many promises. An assurance like in the song is a promise to give us confidence in something.
Foundational Scriptures:
Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Romans 15:13
Psalm 62:5-6
Proverbs 13:12
Mark 9:19
Proverbs 13:12
We all hope: WE are a people of hope. We were created to hope. We all hope things like:
We hope that our kids will be o.k. -that life will be good to them
We hope for the best in a financial or legal situation or criminal
We hope that our medical tests come back normal
We hope that we win the lottery Ex. Lotto Max
We hope that our prayers are answered
We hope that we get lucky in business or love that is Lady Luck would smile at us
We hope to get the job or raise or promotion
We hope to grow old gracefully because growing old is a privilege that is denied to many especially during this pandemic
We hope to check items off our bucket list ex. Go on that trip or family vacation
We hope this pandemic will be over soon
We hope we meet our soul mate or get married
We hope to fulfill our life assignment or destiny
We hope above all hopes to make it to heaven or through the pearly gates
We all hope. God created us to have hope. Because God himself is hope. Our hope must come from God not man then it can never be shaken or taken away. We have to base our hope on the rock of God’s word not the sinking sand of the world or life. If the world didn’t give us our hope, then it can’t take it away.
Circumstances and situations in life are always changing-only God is Constant and never changing. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. James 1:17 says there is no variation or even a shadow due to change in God.
So, we must set your hope upon the Rock for He changes not!
Faith and hope work together. First you have to hope for things to get better than you begin to believe that things will get better based on the Word, prayers etc. and then they do. So, Hope leads us to faith. Faith leads to answered prayers because faith moves the hand of God.
What is faith?
Faith definition: Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
So, Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. You have to have both faith and hope. You must be hoping for the right things. There is a right hope and a wrong hope, and we will see that as we go forward.
Real life examples of being tempted to lose our hope:
Imagine if you lose your job or your business goes bankrupt, if you are a person of hope you are not devastated because that wasn’t your source. Your job wasn’t your source. You aren’t going to hang yourself in the garage like so many did when the market crashed in the 90’s because why? Because God is your source and your provider.
Philippians 4: 19 says that God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory. Therefore, we know that God is our provider.
Therefore, a person of hope says, “When one door closes, a better one opens because the bible says we go from glory to glory “. Jehovah Jireh (1 Chronicles 29:12), which means God my provider, is one of God’s names. We put our hope in God’s name. We don’t fall apart because we are a people of hope.
HOPE SAYS “God has a better job for me in Jesus’ name. When one door closes, a better one opens” We don’t fall apart because we are a people of hope.
Another example is when your marriage falls apart or a relationship ends, a person of hope is not destroyed because your partner was not your source of happiness and security. You don’t get thrown in jail for inappropriate behaviour like stalking, you don’t drink yourself to death, NO, because why? Because God is your source. You will be upset but your partner was not your source. God is Jehovah-Rah-our shepherd and Jehovah-Nissi our banner. SO, WE CAN BE HAPPY IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BECAUSE GOD IS WITH US. He promises to never leave us alone or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8 & Hebrews 13:5). God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Even though that marriage or relationship ended, God promises He’ll never leave us or forsake us. God is everything that we need Him to be.
HOPE SAYS,” My God can restore my marriage”. “God will never leave me.” We don’t fall apart.
What about when you fall sick or have an unfortunate accident-when you receive a bad doctor’s report-You don’t fall apart, A person of hope doesn’t get all depressed and grumpy and miserable or lose hope NO! Because your hope is not in doctors, medicines, surgeries etc. but it was in God. The bible says that one of God’s names is Jehovah-Rapha-which means God our healer.
The doctor’s may say that you just must accept their diagnosis and that there is no hope BUT God says No! Never settle or accept anything less than God’s best for your life especially when you have a promise in the bible to stand on. Look at 1 Peter 2:24 says that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed. That is present tense, which means now! Hope is future tense, but faith is now. Hope looks like someone who’s making future plans while lying on a bed of sickness.
Hope sounds like “I believe I’m healed in Jesus’ name. I’m feeling better every day.
HOPE SAYS, “God is able to heal me and make me whole. I will get better every day.”
We are putting things in context for you today. I feel that someone listening is considering giving up today. Too much time has passed, and nothing has changed so you want to give up. Giving up on a dream. God is saying, “Do not give up your hope! Don’t settle! “It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or even if it looks worse than before. Do not give up your hope! Hang onto your hope!
Another example is when your child goes astray with addictions, get mixed up with the wrong crowd, dropped out of school, married the wrong person etc. You are hurt /shattered/shocked but not decimated because you have a promise, you have a hope from the word of God in the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). What we say and do in our situations determines the end results. Our words are powerful.
“Words that are unsaid are inactive. Prayers that are unsaid are inoperative”.
Natalie Masucci
How do you know someone is a person of hope? Because hope is shown in our words. Hope is also shown in words too.
Natalie Masucci
What does a person of hope do? What does a child of God do when a child, or husband, brother or sister or a dear friend goes astray; they go down the wrong path?? What do you do? You decide to pray for your prodigal because of your hope that they can be delivered by God. You pray because of your hope. Prayer is the corresponding action to your hope. When you go to God with your prayers in hope. When you do, He fills your mind with peace that passes all human understanding because He is Jehovah-Shalom-the Lord our peace. When we bring all these things to God in prayer, we stop fretting and worrying because we have hope.
In hope we begin to confess, “my son/daughter are delivered! My child is coming home in Jesus’ name! God is restoring this relationship.
Thank you, Jesus, for sending good godly friends along my child’s path”. That’s what hope says.
5. In Mark 9:19, the story when they took the boy to Jesus. Jesus said to bring the boy to him because He is able to deliver him. The disciples could not deliver the demonized boy BUT Jesus is the Breaker of chains. And He was able to deliver the boy! Jesus said, “Bring the boy to me.” I believe that Jesus is saying the same thing to us today. Bring them to me. Bring your children to me. How? In prayer. In hope.
Some of you may have gone to therapists. Therapists are well meaning people however they are instructed to tell you that you just have to learn to accept it because your child, friend have free will and they are exercising their free will… BUT the bible says that nothing is impossible to him who believes! If God was able to change Jonah’s mind about going to Nineveh then He can change your child or spouses’ or parents’ or friend’s minds too. Listen God changed the entire course of Paul’s life therefore He can do it for your prodigal. If God could do it for them, He can do it for your prodigal. So, renew your hope today. Hope is missing right now. We have so much to be hopeful for. Be encouraged and empowered today.
HOPE SAYS” My prodigal is coming home in Jesus’ name!”
Jesus is our eternal hope. When everything fails, when it looks like we aren’t going to make it, He tells us to stay focused on our Hope found in His word and to think of home. The bible says that Jesus endured the cross for the hope that was before Him. It was the hope that caused him to endure. Our hope is to spend eternity with Him. Eternity is forever. This life is short. These momentary trials are but transient and temporary. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 4 that our light afflictions/problems/trials are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we are in a win-win situation. Even if we aren’t healed, even if the situation doesn’t
change, we will spend eternity in heaven. This is our blessed hope therefore we cannot lose. Now that is something to be hopeful about!
Having hope is a choice and it’s a mindset. Hope is part of an eternal mindset or growth mindset. This mindset says things like: “Life is more than just this short time on earth. This is just the dress rehearsal for heaven.” “God is the author of my life’s story. I am part of something bigger than myself. “I’m part of God’s great plan of redemption. I’m part of God’s love story. Satan has had his chapters, but God has the final act or the ending. God determines the ending.
There is a saying that I say a lot. I have it posted everywhere.
It’s the most forceful statement of faith and hope that I know “It will be as God has said!” It may not be that way right now but if it’s in the Word, if God said it then I can have it and I believe it. It will be as God has said. When we get this way we start to expect and say things like “Something good is going to happen either to me or through me!” This is what a person of hope says and expects daily. We have to have expectancy for it.
HOPE SAYS or a person with an eternal perspective says, “This pandemic will end. Satan’s days are numbered. Things will get better, they may not go back to “normal” but they will be better for God’s children, for God’s body, the church. Why? Because we’ve been in the book. We know what it says. Our hope comes from His word. Revival is coming! The glory of God in the form of the latter rain is on the horizon. Can you see it? Can you see it with eyes of hope and faith? Look up. Can you see the rain clouds forming? Can you see it by faith? Revival is coming. The rain is already falling. But we need to be expecting it. We need to be waiting for it and wanting it. God is going to use those people who are hopeful and expectant who are saying “God use me, fall on me Holy Spirit.” That is the hope that I’m talking about.
HOPE SAYS, “It shall be as God has said!” This is a powerful statement of hope and faith. As I said earlier, hope is expectancy. “Something good is going to happen to me or through me”.
“We have hope because we’ve been in the Book!”
Natalie Masucci
Hope is essential in our faith walk. This a play on words because many things were deemed not essential during the lockdowns caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. I would say that Church is also essential. If the LCBO, Cannabis clinics, big box stores, Netflix are essential then church, bible studies, ministries are also essential for our mental health. Church gives us our hope-to counter all the fear and anxiety and depression.
“Hope is the antidote to fear, anxiety and depression”
Natalie Masucci
The world wants you to numb your fears BUT God wants us to face our fears. Hope makes us resilient. What is resilience? Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or hardships. Another definition states to spring back quickly like an elastic band. Take it one step further, God’s definition of resilience is to spring forward into the new things that He has for us (Isaiah 43:19).
The world or situations tell us “we don’t have a hope in hell” OR “That we have two hopes; Bob Hope and no hope” thus no hope! . The world is not hopeful. Just listen to the news BUT God tells us to “hope against hope” or cling onto a mere possibility. God tells us to hang onto His promises however slim or impossible the odds. Why? Because impossible odds are God’s normal! They are nothing for Him. We make such a big deal about stuff but God’s not sweating up there. He’s seated on the throne. He’s got things under control!
The bible says in Psalm 62:5-6 that hope springs eternal with each new day. It is our human nature to find fresh cause for optimism. Every day we can be filled with new hope because God’s mercies are new every morning and our spirits are being renewed day by day. That is a reason to hope.
HOPE SAYS “Today was a bad day BUT tomorrow is going to be a better day. Things are changing in my favour. God is with me and He’s fighting my battles. I may have lost this battle BUT I am going to win the war!” This is what hope sounds like!
Let God be your source of hope today. Not the world, the stock markets, the economy, the doctor’s report, your job, not your education, your bank account, your family, your friends, your spouse, your possessions, our hope should not come from how many followers you have on social media, or your fame or reputation-put your hope in God alone.
All those things I mentioned are blessings sent by God to help you during various seasons of your life BUT they were never to be our source. Many of us make that mistake; we mistake these things as our source or lifeline because they helped us through a hard time. We give them the place that only God should have in our life as being our source and because of that we get disappointed and hurt. We need to learn to rely on God only. People that have always been there for us will let us down. People change. People will let us down. Our hope must be in God alone. Let God be true and every man a liar! If our hope is in God, then it can’t be shaken or taken away.
It doesn’t matter what happens. You are standing on a solid rock, and you can’t be moved!
Today I’m asking you to refuse to give up your hope. Decide, “I cannot be defeated because I will not quit.” Refuse to give up your fight. You cannot be defeated if you do not quit! The enemy will try to discourage you but determine never to quit. You’ve come too far to quit now. God didn’t take you this far only to leave you here. God is faithful. He will finish what He started in your life. God is not a man that He should lie, if He said it then you can have it! It shall be as God has said! We need to focus on God and not our troubles. When we focus on God and His greatness, His power, His faithfulness it renews our hope, and it strengthens our faith.
“Where you set your focus determines your outcome. Where you set your hope determines the outcome of the situations of your life”.
Natalie Masucci
I believe there are many who are struggling to stay in hope today. We’ve been through a lot these past two years. The world has completely changed with this pandemic. Our world has been turned upside down. There has been so much change that it would be easy to lose hope. A lot of people have lost hope. In order to stay in hope God encourages us to bring your troubles to Jesus in prayer. He’s good and gracious, He will even help our unbelief. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. God loves you. Jesus is all you need. He is our hope. We can trust Him with all our problems.
HOPE SAYS” God can bless me in the middle of a pandemic.” Anything is possible to him that believes. Hope is an essential part of faith therefore we have to hang onto our hope. So, determine to be a person that lives in constant expectation of good things happening either to you or through you. This helps us to keep the right perspective. God blesses us to be a blessing. No matter what it looks like because we know that things that are seen are only temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18).
A person of hope says, “This problem is not here to stay. This sickness cannot stay in my body in Jesus’ name. Devil you came to the wrong address. I don’t live there anymore. The same way this problem came, it’s got to go!”
My prayer is that Jesus strengthens us and gives us a renewed hope today. That He would make us resilient when the tests of life come. Lord helps us to understand that the weapon was sent to destroy us but You will turn it around and use it to mature and promote us. Nothing that God has allowed in our lives didn’t have a purpose. Everything had to go through His hands therefore we can have hope.
Proverbs 13:12 says Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. When the hope is crushed, the heart is crushed too. The only time you fail is when you refuse to get back up.
Refusing to get back up and keep trying is because you’ve lost hope. Satan will give you a sucker punch. He wants you to stay down for the count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, like in a boxing match.
“Satan doesn’t realize that God is the ultimate fighter-He is the universe’s heavy weight champion”.
Natalie Masucci
You may have already been knocked down, but you say, a person of hope says to the devil” you obviously don’t know who you are messing with because you do not know who my daddy is?” “You’re going down! I’m getting back up!” When your hope is crushed your spirit is crushed also therefore it is so important to keep our hope. Wow! Indescribable in human words.
How sweet is it when a hope/dream/goal/prayer is realized? It brings life and it empowers us to believe for even more next time.
We are a people of hope. We were created to have hope. Our Father’s name is hope. We have a bright future. Our best days are ahead of us. The bible says that our latter days shall be greater than our former days (Job 8:7).
Therefore, there are good days ahead. You may have had a wonderful youth but stop saying things like” the good old days” because that’s wrong and not scriptural. Our best days are still out in front of us if you’re in the Word.
If you are feeling tired from the fight/battle today, if you feel like giving up hope today, I want to encourage you to not give up. No matter how bleak it looks, God is a god of the impossible and miracles are His normal. They are nothing for Him. He is the universe’s heavyweight champion! Not the worlds but the universes’ champion. Therefore, we can put our hope in Him.
If you are feeling discouraged today, I encourage you to get into the word of God. The bible is a huge book of encouragement. You cannot read it without getting empowered. God knew that we would need to renew our hope and strength in this life, so He filled the bible with nuggets to bless us. Read and meditate on the scriptures given today.
“The promises of God are golden nuggets of hope”.
Natalie Masucci
What is hope? A constant expectation and grounds that something good is going to happen to me or through me every day.
We are going to say a faith declaration together.
Things look bad right now, but the bible says that they are going to get better. So, we can wake up in the morning and say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. God thank you that things are changing in my favour. Something good is going to happen to me and my family, my business in Jesus’ name. I thank you that I’m getting better every day. Getting stronger every day. “What we say is very important. Hopeful words are in line with God’s word, and they bring about the change that we want to see.
Hopeful words cause our hopes to materialize in our lives. Hope Declaration:
I declare I will live with constant hope and live victoriously. Something good is happening to me or through me. I was created in the image of God. I have the DNA of a winner/overcomer/conqueror in me. Goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. I have the mind of Christ and great is my peace. I am wearing a crown of righteousness and favour. Royal blood flows through my veins. I am the head, never the tail, above never beneath. I will live with hope, purpose, passion and praise, knowing that I was destined to live in constant expectation and victory. This is my declaration in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you receive it say Amen.
I decree that your hope was renewed today in Jesus’ name.
We always have hope. Hope turns to faith and faith changes things. God Bless you!
By Natalie Masucci B.A. B.Ed. OCT
Founder of Empowered Ministries International empowered_ministries on Instagram