November 23, 2024

Hope (A Profession)

June 29, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo
So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering
the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it,
for He who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His Word.
Hebrew 10:23 AMP

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In the KJV the same verse says,

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering
(for He is faithful that promised).

What are we seeing here?  Hope is the profession of our faith.  What is  ‘profession’ then?  In biblical terms, this is a calling.  It is ‘an occupation, practice, or vocation requiring mastery of a complex set of knowledge and skills through formal education and/or practical…’.

So if we take the AMP version that we should hold fast…without wavering…the hope, we are saying we should take the profession of our faith without wavering.

In a business world setting, if you know that you are an accountant, anything concerning administration does not concern you because there is nothing you can do about it.  You are not trained for that and you do not have knowledge concerning it. This is also true with the profession of our faith…we are called in this field of hope in which we are being trained to hope in the Lord, we are being equipped to undertake this profession without wavering.

We are called to this profession ourselves because God already knows that we need training.  The training is the faith which needs to be exercised on a daily basis.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God…
Romans 10:17

Once you hear  the Word of God, hope in the Lord moves from one level of glory to the other.   Faith and hope are inseparable professions that we as believers need to know and must have.  We need to combine these professions if we want to live a successful life.  A life of abundance only comes when we take our certificates in the profession which are desire, prayers, and belief.  (“What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them” Mark 11: 24).

For God to act on anything we need to have hope and faith in God.  Don’t doubt God.  Brethren I have never seen the righteous forsaken therefore let us hold fast our profession in God for He never fails.  Those marriages we are hoping for will come…finances needed…babies we desire…. All these will only come when we exercise our profession (HOPE).

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, I thank You for the wonderful time we had in Your Presence.  Thank You for the Scripture we have read;  we pray and believe that grace shall abound in us that we shall do our profession without wavering.  Grant us that grace, Lord, for we need it to exercise our inheritance in Your Kingdom.  For without faith we cannot please You!   We need it time and time again.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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The Promise

June 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

So let us seize and hold fast
and retain without wavering
the hope we cherish
and confess and our acknowledgement of it,
for He Who promised is reliable
(sure) and faithful to His Word.
Hebrews 10:23 AMP

I never said that I would give you silver or gold
Or that you would never feel the fire or shiver in the cold
But I did say you’d never walk through this world alone
And I did say, don’t make this world your home

I never said that fear wouldn’t find you in the night
Or that loneliness was something you’d never have to fight
But I did say I’d be right there by your side
And I did say I’ll always help you fight

‘Cause you know I made a promise that I intend to keep
My grace will be sufficient in every time of need
my love will be the anchor that you can hold onto
This is the promise, this is the promise I’ve made to you

I never said that friends would never turn their backs on you
Or that the world around you wouldn’t see you as a fool
But I did say like Me you’ll surely be despised
And I did say My ways confound the wise

I didn’t say you’d never taste the bitter kiss of death
Or have to walk through chilly Jordan to enter into rest
But I did say I’d be waiting right on the other side
And I did say I’ll dry every tear you cry

‘Cause you know I made a promise that I’ve prepared a place
And some day sooner than you think you’ll see Me face to face
And you’ll sing with the angels and a countless multitude
This is the promise, this is the promise I’ve made to you

So just keep on walkin’, don’t turn to the left or right
And in the midst of darkness, let this be your light
That hell can’t separate us and you’re gonna make it through
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you

Half A Mile
written by Don Poythress and Brian White

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This Week…Romans 5:1-2

June 26, 2015 by

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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through Whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we are continuing a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have shared the Truth given us in this week’s passage reminding us that ‘we boast in the hope of the glory of God’!  Here are a few of their thoughts….

In Spiritual Hope (2), Ann reminds us to trust, and not doubt, God….

Whatsoever God spoke concerning our lives shall come to pass. Let us not doubt God.  We will be rewarded as we believe Him.

For in this hope we were saved.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all.
Who hopes for what he already has?
Romans 8:24

Hope is ‘…expecting something you are visualizing but it is not there yet.’  Brethren, when hoping for something, let us put ourselves in totally trusting God; do not have something in mind already…That is why in Romans 15:4 the Word says “…for everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

❦

In Hope in the Glory of God, Ahmee writes about our amazing God….

God is amazing in so many different ways!  I looked up the definition of the word glory.  It means “…high renown or honor won by notable achievements.”  To say that we have hope in the glory of God is very true. God has done many amazing things.  Some we have seen ourselves and others we have heard from other people and, some even, we have read in the Bible. God is amazing!

To speak up and say “This is possible all by the grace of God!” is an enormous thing to do.  It points to the glory of God – the same glory that is our hope.  So, point to it…continue to point it…and don’t ever stop pointing to it so that others can find the hope that we have. So, that others can hope in the glory of God.

❦

In Helmet of Hope, Tina shares an encouraging quote with us….

I am currently re-reading Derek Prince’s book Faith to Live By. In his book, there is a chapter Faith versus Hope in which he states,  “Hope, in the biblical sense, is a confident expectation of good – a steady, persistent optimism. Hope protects our minds. Every Christian should wear a helmet of hope twenty-four hours a day. If we lay aside the helmet and begin to dwell on negative thoughts and gloomy forebodings, our minds are vulnerable to Satan’s subtle attacks.”

Our thoughts need to be focused on what is positive, good and worthy. Prayer—along with becoming aware of what we are thinking, watching, and listening to—will begin to change our thoughts and behavior patterns.  It will not be given to us.  We will have to focus on what is right.

❦

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By Thee, O God, Invited

June 25, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy], peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand.  And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.

Romans 5:1 and 2

(click here to listen…and sing along…to this beautiful old hymn)

By Thee, O God, invited
We look unto the Son
In whom Thy soul delighted
Who all Thy will hath done
And by the one chief treasure
Thy bosom freely gave
Thine own pure love we measure
Thy willing mind to save
O God of mercy—Father
The one unchanging claim
The brightest hopes we gather
From Christ’s most precious name
What always sounds so sweetly
In Thine unwearied ear
Has freed our souls completely
From all our sinful fear
The trembling sinner feareth
That God can ne’er forget
But one full payment cleareth
His memory of all debt
When naught beside could free us
Or set our souls at large
Thy holy work, Lord Jesus
Secured a full discharge
No wrath God’s heart retaineth
To us-ward who believe
No dread in ours remaineth
As we His love receive
Returning sons He kisses
And with His robe invests
His perfect love dismisses
All terror from our breasts
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Hope in the Glory of God

June 23, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through Whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2

God is amazing in so many different ways!  I looked up the definition of the word glory.  It means “…high renown or honor won by notable achievements.”  To say that we have hope in the glory of God is very true. God has done many amazing things.  Some we have seen ourselves and others we have heard from other people and, some even, we have read in the Bible. God is amazing!

The sad thing is that some people can see the glory of God and yet they fail to hope in it.  Some cast it aside as unreal, unbelievable, or fake.  Truthfully, I can’t blame them.  If someone doesn’t believe in God or trust God, I can understand why they would have problems believing in someone who, not only rose from the dead, but has risen others from the dead.  (In their case) I can understand why it would be  hard to hope in someone who multiplies little and makes it huge. He does crazy amazing things!

I feel that in order to remind others that God is amazing, and glorious, we should continue to tell of all the wonderful things that He has done in our lives and not shy away when the opportunity arises.  To speak up and say “This is possible all by the grace of God!” is an enormous thing to do.  It points to the glory of God – the same glory that is our hope.  So, point to it…continue to point it…and don’t ever stop pointing to it so that others can find the hope that we have. So, that others can hope in the glory of God.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, Your glory is amazing.  You are awesome.  Thank You for all that You have done, are doing, and will do.  Let us never forget about Your amazing glory and may our hope stay planted in You.  Amen.

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Helmet of Hope

June 22, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 
Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2  AMP

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

How many times have we thought, “I am such a worthless sinner, how can God possibly love me, now?”  My friend, Paul so eloquently states here in these verses that, because of Jesus’ intercession on our behalf, we are able to enter into the presence of God.

I am currently re-reading Derek Prince’s book Faith to Live By. In his book, there is a chapter Faith versus Hope in which he states,

“Hope, in the biblical sense, is a confident expectation of good – a steady, persistent optimism. Hope protects our minds. Every Christian should wear a helmet of hope twenty-four hours a day. If we lay aside the helmet and begin to dwell on negative thoughts and gloomy forebodings, our minds are vulnerable to Satan’s subtle attacks.”

Our thoughts need to be focused on what is positive, good and worthy. Prayer—along with becoming aware of what we are thinking, watching, and listening to—will begin to change our thoughts and behavior patterns.  It will not be given to us.  We will have to focus on what is right.

God desires you to put Him first in everything.  We are to trust in His ability to provide for our every need.  Unless we train our minds to think like this, it is difficult to start.  Remember how we constantly thought of our boyfriend or husband all the time in the beginning of our relationship?  That is what God wants from us.  I find myself starting off my day, thanking Him and asking for His provision as my day starts…but often I may not think about Him until lunch time or later in the afternoon.  We need to be aware of Him in every aspect of our life.  We need to fall in love with God again.

Our desires drive us.  This week, let us begin again.  Let us put aside our failures, our hurts, and put on the helmet of hope and ask God to show us how to love again as a child.  A couple I serve with at church has a daughter who is almost 4 years old.  I love how she declares Jesus to everyone.  How she says Jesus died but rose again.  I call her a little evangelist.  She brings a smile to my face whenever I see her.  I pray she never loses her child-like love for her heavenly Father.  And I pray God will use her and our next generation in new and exciting ways!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, we thank You for Your hope.  Let our hope in You spill over to others.  We pray for this helmet of hope to cover us and to be placed there when we forget to ask for it.  Help us guard our hearts and minds against what would destroy us.  Help us to learn to rebuke evil and to be brave when You call upon us to act.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Your Grace On Which I Stand

June 21, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1 and 2

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This anchor for my soul
This everlasting Hope
Your grace on which I stand

It’s where my life begins
My future held within
Your grace on which I stand

Oh, this grace on which I stand
It will hold me to the end
Never failing

Oh, praise the One who rescued me
Jesus, You will ever be
My salvation

And when I’m on the run
The road that leads me home
Your grace on which I stand

And when I see Your face
The only claim I’ll make
Your grace on which I stand

Worthy is the Lamb of God
Who takes away the sin of the world
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
To receive all honor and praise

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This Week…Jeremiah 29:11

June 19, 2015 by

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 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
“They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we are continuing a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have shared the Truth given us in this week’s passage reminding us that God’s plans give us ‘a future and a hope!’  Here are a few of their thoughts….

In Hope for Good, Ahmee wrote reminding us that God is good and only gives good….

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

❦

In God’s Declarations and Thoughts, Ann wrote about the importance of following God’s example in making declarations….

The Jeremiah 29:11 declaration which God made is so powerful.  This shows that declarations are a way of establishing things in our lives.  His declaration shows how He thinks of us, along with His will and His purpose for our lives.

Thou shall declare a thing and it shall be established.
Job 22:28

What is it you declare and think about your life…family…job…school, etc?  Be positive: declare and think that which will make your future bright.  God’s thoughts over us are of good…not of evil; and He declares the same.  As we think of ourselves, we, too, should not think that which is evil but only that which is good and declare it.

❦

In Hope in the Lord, Tina reminded us of Daniel’s example of holding to hope through intercessory prayer….

Daniel, who was one of those who were taken into exile in Babylon.

In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, saw clearly from the books
the number of years given by the word of the Lord
to the prophet Jeremiah, in which the making waste of Jerusalem
was to be complete, that is, seventy years.
Daniel 9:2 BBE

Daniel was a man after God’s own heart.  He immediately began praying, asking forgiveness of sins for himself and for those of God’s people.  Daniel was in reverent awe of God’s mercy, grace, and righteousness toward them.  Daniel’s prayer is an example of intercessory prayer.  We should all strive to do this, and most of us moms do pray and intercede regularly for our children and our family.  Our hope is in God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We have to be willing for God to use us where needed.  He will use our willingness to serve to give hope to those who have no hope.

Often, when we feel we are not worthy, that is when God will use us.  When we are empty of ourselves is when God can fill us with His hope and joy until it overflows and effects others around us.

❦

In The Big Picture, Cynda reminded us of the security our hope gives us because of the One in whom we trust and hope….

Job 11:18 ESV states “And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.”  Hope gives us security.  There is no need to rush ahead, to solve the problem, or to  resolve the issue, without waiting for God’s instructions.  Because we have hope we can rest, secure in the knowledge that God has the perfect plan for us.  He sees the big picture and knows exactly what needs to happen and when.  His time frame, not ours.

When the Lord is our hope,

  • He becomes our Help and our Shield (Psalm 33:20)
  • He shows us mercy and love us steadfastly (Psalm 33:18)
  • He faithfully answers our prayers (Psalm 65:5) [just not always in the ways we think they should be answered]
  • He is our trust and confidence (Psalm 71:5)
  • We are blessed (Jeremiah 17:7)

The Lord is our hope.  We can have confidence that our future is secure in His hands.

Let all that I am wait quietly upon only God.
May I silently submit to Him,
for He is my hope.
Psalm 62:5

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The Big Picture

June 18, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

“For I know the plans I have for you” 
— this is the Lord’s declaration —
“plans for your welfare, not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

H. O. P. E. =  Holding On Praying Expectantly

So many times we’re in captivity or we’re having great problems; we think, “Oh, God has forgotten me.  He is not thinking of me anymore.”  Oh, that’s not so. God is thinking of you.

“But God is always looking down at the end of the road.  Our common mistake is that we are always looking for immediate advantage, immediate fulfillment.”

– Chuck Smith (click here to read entire commentary)

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have jumped into something considering only the immediate results instead of thinking about the long-term consequences.  I wanted the problem fixed NOW and knew just what to do.  How many blessings have I circumvented?  How many additional problems have I caused simply because I didn’t see the big picture? How much different might things have turned out if I had just held on to hope and continued to pray expectantly?

And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in security.
Job 11:18 ESV

Hope gives us security.  There is no need to rush ahead, to solve the problem, or to  resolve the issue, without waiting for God’s instructions.  Because we have hope we can rest, secure in the knowledge that God has the perfect plan for us.  He sees the big picture and knows exactly what needs to happen and when.  His time frame, not ours.

When the Lord is our hope,

  • He becomes our Help and our Shield (Psalm 33:20)
  • He shows us mercy and love us steadfastly (Psalm 33:18)
  • He faithfully answers our prayers (Psalm 65:5) [just not always in the ways we think they should be answered]
  • He is our trust and confidence (Psalm 71:5)
  • We are blessed (Jeremiah 17:7)

The Lord is our hope.  We can have confidence that our future is secure in His hands.  God is always thinking of us.  He has great blessings in store for us when we wait patiently and follow His lead.  He sees the big picture and has our future all mapped out accordingly, as long as we don’t rush ahead.  So my prayer today is:

Let all that I am wait quietly upon only God.
May I silently submit to Him,
for He is my hope.
Psalm 62:5

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God’s Declarations and Thoughts

June 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo
I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

The Jeremiah 29:11 declaration which God made is so powerful.  This shows that declarations are a way of establishing things in our lives.  His declaration shows how He thinks of us, along with His will and His purpose for our lives.

Thou shall declare a thing and it shall be established.
Job 22:28

What is it you declare and think about your life…family…job…school, etc?
Be positive: declare and think that which will make your future bright.  God’s thoughts over us are of good…not of evil; and He declares the same.  As we think of ourselves, we, too, should not think that which is evil but only that which is good and declare it.  “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).  If we are filled with wrong thoughts then the declarations we speak will be of evil and destruction.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done.
The things You planned for us no one can recount to You,
Were I to speak and tell of them, they will be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God.
How vast is the sum of them.
Psalm 139:17

David came to a point of realizing that in anything and in all things about his life was centered on God and that all things were being managed by God.  Let us also align our thoughts with the thoughts God has for us so that we may accomplish His will in our lives.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55: 9

Blessed be the Lord who has good thoughts for us and declares them.  May we  have good thoughts for ourselves, our family and friends and declare good over everything.  May we remember this lesson that we need to be thinking and declaring good things.

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, we thank You for the word that has come at the right time when we needed it most.  Your Word gives us life and teaches us new precepts every day.   Thank You for showing us how deep Your love is to a point of thinking and declaring good things (and not evil) over our lives.  King of glory, we worship You.  May we walk in that grace of thinking and declare good for ourselves, our families, friends and all that concerns us. For with our mouths we shall declare a thing and it shall be established to the glory of Your holy name.  Be exalted always, Jehovah.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

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