Having True Bible Hope by Joseph Prince
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=210375&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Joseph Prince
"O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" 2 Chronicles 20:6 When faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today's scripture is part of his prayer. Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is. He proclaimed boldly that "no one is able to withstand" the Lord—no one! In a hopeless situation, he hoped in the Lord.
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"O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" 2 Chronicles 20:6
When faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today's scripture is part of his prayer.
Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is. He proclaimed boldly that "no one is able to withstand" the Lord—no one! In a hopeless situation, he hoped in the Lord.
I call that Bible hope! Hope is a beautiful word in the Bible. Hope in the New Testament is the Greek word elpis, which is defined as a "favorable and confident expectation" or "the happy anticipation of good." This means that when you hope in the Lord, there is a joy in your countenance (simply put, a smile on your face). There is a confident assurance in your heart that, bleak as the circumstances appear to be, it's not over yet.
Unfortunately, the word "hope" as used in our modern vernacular is completely different and sometimes even antithetical to the way the Bible defines it. When we say things such as, "I hope that I will get the job," our use of the word connotes uncertainty, doubt, and ambivalence.
Counting on His Promises
The Word of God declares that "this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us"(Rom. 5:5, NLT).We can have true hope—a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good—when we rightly believe how dearly God loves us! There is a direct and proportionate correlation between hope and rightly believing in God's love for you. Hope springs in your heart when you believe that God loves you.
No matter how adverse your circumstances may seem today, put your trust in the Lord. Believe that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and that He is turning the situation around for your good (see Rom. 8:28). All His abundant heavenly resources, His power, His healing, His restoration, His deliverance, His provision, His favor, His help, His comfort, and His love are with you and on your side, waiting to be unleashed upon you. The Lord your God will open up the windows of heaven over your life and pour out for you such a blessing that there won't be room enough to receive it! When our entire hope and trust is in Him, we can count on His promises toward us. This hope never disappoints, which means that your greatest victories are ahead of you.
Joseph Prince
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Irreversibly-Blessed-by-Joseph-Prince-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
"Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it." Numbers 23:20 Take time to reread today's scripture. They are precious words, and they reveal how God sees you and me today. They were spoken by a prophet named Balaam, who had been hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to invoke a curse to drive his enemy, the Israelites, from his territory. However, when Balaam opened his mouth to curse, blessings from God flowed out upon the Israelites instead (Num. 23:21–24)!
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=A-Man-Under-Grace-Sees-and-Appreciates-His-Blessings-by-Joseph-Prince-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength....For he shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes. Jeremiah 17:5–6 One of the saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—"who ....makes flesh his strength"—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way. As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don't put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances, and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Jehovah-Shalom-is-Your-God-by-Joseph-Prince-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:33 I'm sure you want the Lord to manifest Himself as the God of peace when you are fearful. So, let's go deeper into what the "God of peace" means. Don't forget that Paul was Jewish, so when he said, "the God of peace be with you," he was saying "Jehovah Shalom be with you." "Jehovah Shalom" is Hebrew for "the God of peace." Now, the first appearance of the name Jehovah Shalom is in the Old Testament story of Gideon in Judges 6.