II Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 6:10-20; Matthew 4 - "I Have This Hope"

I woke up at 5:30 with these words going through my mind...

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You're with me and You won't let go

Yes! I do have Hope! His name is Jesus Christ. He is always with me no matter what I am going through. The song goes on...

I don't want to live in fear
I want to trust that You are near
Trust Your grace can be seen
In both triumph and tragedy

Trust is the key to having Hope. Trusting Him in the midst of the trials of life is key to having His peace. Sometimes the enemy tries to destroy His peace in us but we have to stand strong in trusting God so the enemy's tactics don't succeed. We need to put on our full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) so the arrows of the enemy will not get to us. Instead God's breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shield of the Spirit, helmet of salvation, and shoes of peace will protect us. This is all accomplished through living in His presence, staying in communication with Him, and walking the road of obedience to His will. But what happens when we feel worn and torn down? What happens when the enemy's arrows keep coming faster than ever? What happens when we feel like we can't take another arrow? What happens is we must dig deeper in our faith and take our trust to a new level. This is a must or the enemy will win. I've been determined to not allow the enemy to win in my life throughout the diagnosis of MS many years ago; breast cancer diagnosis three years ago; the church building rehab; and most recently the diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer for Doc. The enemy has hit hard in all of these situations but right now the attacks are coming harder and faster. Just when we think things are set he hits again. We have to follow Christ's example of when the enemy tested Him in the wilderness in Matthew 4. After three times of satan testing Him, Jesus replied: Away with you, satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (vs 10-11 NKJV) We are His servants. We have Hope in the knowledge that He is with us on this earth. We also have Hope of spending eternity with Him in heaven as we live a life of obedience to Him on this earth. We know He is greater than any arrows the enemy sends our way. We just have to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in His empowerment to not allow them to take us down. We cannot allow the enemy to tell us we are too weak. We must allow our Hope in Christ to shine brightly from us. On days like yesterday we cannot allow the enemy to win but instead need to pray more than ever as Ephesians 6 tells us to do to fight off the enemy. I'm sure the enemy did not like me praying with the worker in Wal-Mart last night who told me of her physical pain before I even asked how she was doing. But we are also told in Ephesians 6 that we are to speak boldly. Even though there were customers that came up behind me to have their receipts checked I prayed and they waited without a problem. Praying with the man outside of the church building Saturday was bold in that it was the first time I had ever met him. There is also a boldness in a woman praying for a man she doesn't know because of not knowing how they feel about woman. God called me to this place to be bold for Him, not to allow the enemy to stop me from doing His will. He also called me here to not fear but instead trust Him in getting the church building rehabbed so we can minister in that neighborhood. Right now, I can't see how that can be accomplished with this latest 'arrow' but I know it can through Christ. I look forward to seeing how He will be glorified through the process.

Dear Jesus,

Going to bed last night I felt tired and worn. Getting up this morning I feel tired and worn. The arrows from the enemy are coming faster and harder. Father, once again I put on Your armor and ask for Your protection. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. Strengthen my faith and take me deeper in trusting You. I pray the same for Doc. Thank You for the way he was able to accomplish some ministry things yesterday! Thank You for me getting an appointment made for his CT scan! Thank You for being with us every minute of the day! Father, go before us today and be our Strength. May You shine brightly through our words, actions, attitude, and thoughts! Open doors that need opened and close those that need closed. Give Your wisdom for decisions that need made. We need a financial miracle with the rehab of the church building. May You perform that sooner than later! Thank You Jesus for being Our Hope! Amen.