Hope seems to be in short supply these days.
Turn on the news, and it will sap it right from you. Sit on social media long enough, and you’ll feel that sinking feeling in no time. And what about our teens?
Schools are teaching that America is racist, that if you’re a girl, you may want to be a boy, and that climate change will end the world. Where is the hope for our young people? It’s up to us to show them the way.
Maybe you’re facing a situation that seems hopeless today. Overwhelming loss, repeated failure, and betrayals of trust can make hope seem to dissipate into thin air.
Here is the truth.
No matter how severe your circumstances are, you can have hope, no matter what. If you are facing challenges financially, in your health, or your family, don’t give up!
Here are five powerful reasons to have hope—no matter what.
1. Hope is a Spiritual Force
“Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” –1 John 5: 4-5
Three spiritual forces came to reside inside you when you were born again. They are the three most powerful forces ever created and can overcome anything life throws in your path.
What are they? Faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Faith, hope and love will always be the answer to your problem. So don’t be afraid to get your hopes up!
2. Real Hope Is Not a Wish
“According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” –Philippians 1:20, NKJV
According to the Bible, real hope is not “wishing.” That’s worldly hope. People in the world say things like, “I hope I get a good job,” when they really mean, “I want a good job. I don’t feel certain I’ll get it, but it would be nice.”
The kind of hope described in the Bible is not based on wishing or wanting. It is based on your covenant with God and His promises to you.
In other words, as our Founder, Sara, often says, “God will be as big in your life as you allow Him to be.”
3. Hope Always Works
“But if we HOPE for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” –Romans 8:25, NIV
The powerful force of hope is not naivety, as some may claim. It is a supernatural expectancy based on God’s promises and believing that He is a good God! A word of caution: If hope is an expectancy, you can expect something good or bad. If you are expecting something based on God’s Word, your hope will be looking for a positive result. But when you anticipate what the world says you should, you will often look for a negative outcome.
4. Bible Hope Always Wins
“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham KEPT HOPING.” –Romans 4:18
Bible hope believes God even when nothing looks like it is working.
Think about Abraham. God promised him that he would be the father of many nations, but by the time he hit 100 years old, everything seemed to be against that hope. He could have easily slipped into doubt, fear, or unbelief. Instead, he decided to operate in Bible hope. He knew that Bible hope always wins—and it did!
You and your teen can have that hope, too, when you continually renew your mind in the Word of God. Train your mind to hear God louder than you hear the world. It will change your life!
5. Hope is the Anchor of Your Life
“This HOPE is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” —Hebrews 6:19
There is a sign outside House of Hope that has been there for 35 years. Part of the name “House of Hope” has an anchor inside it. It represents the anchor hope brings to the lives of the teenagers and their families who come here for healing. It’s the same anchor of hope available to anyone who chooses to believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus.
Just as a ship relies on the anchor to keep it stable in the wind and waves of the sea, real Bible hope will do the same for us through the storms of life.
Maybe the circumstances of life have left you feeling tossed about. Hope is your anchor.
Dear friend, you already have everything you need to have real Bible hope, no matter what. When you face the storms of life, remember that hope is a force that is already in you, it isn’t a wish; it always works, it always wins, and it is an anchor for your soul.
So, don’t be tempted to give up no matter what—get your hopes up!
