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January 15, 2021
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
I love the passion and boldness of the Apostle Paul. Look at the image he gives us of the life of a Christ follower. You are so filled with joy and peace that you are overflowing with hope. In fact, your Holy Spirit powered life is so hopeful that it cannot be contained within you. Instead, you’re now infecting those around you with a hope so cleansing that it washes clean anger and pain, replacing them with joy and peace.
How do we access this kind of life? Paul says that we get it, “as you trust in him.” Trust God for what? Everything. There is a popular hymn called, “This is My Father’s World.” It’s a good hymn but it’s a great call to focus. This is our Father’s world and so we look to our Father to tell us what this world is like. We continually ask God to show us what He thinks or wants to do in every situation we see or face. We trust God’s word to give us focus and meaning. We trust God’s power to convict and transform where it’s needed.
I think this trust takes root in us when we practice it regularly. Here are a few rhythms that have helped me during this season.
* Start the day with prayer and scripture reading.
* When anger or confusion start bubbling up, press pause and ask God to help you understand what’s going on inside. Reflect on the thing that’s making you mad and try to find a verse or passage of scripture that addresses what’s going on.
* Spend as much time in God’s word as you do watching the news(or browsing online). Disclaimer – This one has been an absolute game-changer for me. This has been VERY hard but absolutely crucial in keeping me from getting swept away in the emotion of what I was seeing and hearing.
* End the day with a time of reflection. Ask yourself where you saw God move. If there are situations or emotions that seem unresolved, ask the Lord to reveal to you how to take the next step. Anticipate that God is going to do something good during the next day.
These are troubling times but we are already victorious in Christ! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Ben
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