Today I am thinking about hope. On my way to work this morning
it was a cold frosty sunrise of that pink and bright yellow/ orange sky that
looks like it goes a great distance which makes you draw your eyes to the sky
because of the bright colors. It reminded me of hope I think that is what hope
does when it draws our attention away from the everyday dramas of life to
meditate and think of the things we hope for.
We need to grow our hope
because as the morning sky fades and the sun rises so does our day and soon
another day has gone by on our dreams. We need to invest on our dreams each day.
Take time to write out some of the things you hope for and begin to pray over
them. Begin to see yourself in those roles (Walking by faith). Sometimes if you
look hard enough at this new you, you will see the courage in your new vision of
self to conquer old and bad habits that have you where you are today.
Something is holding you back from becoming what you know is the true you in our Messiah. Ask Him to reveal those things to you and really open up to his voice as it will come in many ways such as through someone who really cares about you,
during your worship service or even a bumper sticker, but somehow He will communicate with you on what is holding you back from changing into what Messiah has for you regarding home, health, wealth, peace, joy etc.When he does reveal it don’t harden your heart or convince yourself otherwise but begin to work on visualizing yourself with the change He is prompting you to make.Reading Romans 6 gives us an example of visualizing overcoming sin. This is the New Living Translation.
Romans 6:
1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with
Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to
sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is
right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. 15 Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become
slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. [Rom 6:1-23 NLT]
When we have hope to change things in our lives so we can be more fruitful it may mean some things get pruned but it also means we will have new growth and new fruit.
Shalom
D'Vorah
it was a cold frosty sunrise of that pink and bright yellow/ orange sky that
looks like it goes a great distance which makes you draw your eyes to the sky
because of the bright colors. It reminded me of hope I think that is what hope
does when it draws our attention away from the everyday dramas of life to
meditate and think of the things we hope for.
We need to grow our hope
because as the morning sky fades and the sun rises so does our day and soon
another day has gone by on our dreams. We need to invest on our dreams each day.
Take time to write out some of the things you hope for and begin to pray over
them. Begin to see yourself in those roles (Walking by faith). Sometimes if you
look hard enough at this new you, you will see the courage in your new vision of
self to conquer old and bad habits that have you where you are today.
Something is holding you back from becoming what you know is the true you in our Messiah. Ask Him to reveal those things to you and really open up to his voice as it will come in many ways such as through someone who really cares about you,
during your worship service or even a bumper sticker, but somehow He will communicate with you on what is holding you back from changing into what Messiah has for you regarding home, health, wealth, peace, joy etc.When he does reveal it don’t harden your heart or convince yourself otherwise but begin to work on visualizing yourself with the change He is prompting you to make.Reading Romans 6 gives us an example of visualizing overcoming sin. This is the New Living Translation.
Romans 6:
1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with
Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to
sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is
right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. 15 Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become
slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. [Rom 6:1-23 NLT]
When we have hope to change things in our lives so we can be more fruitful it may mean some things get pruned but it also means we will have new growth and new fruit.
Shalom
D'Vorah