Faith is the foundation of everything. Without faith hope does not live. Hope is birthed from faith. With faith we have confidence in things we cannot see. This gives us joy, peace and excitement for life. This is what hope is. If we do not have hope life can feel empty. It can feel unsettled and directionless. Hope gives us the means to persevere. Life will surely throw challenges at us. We will feel the tug of struggle, but with faith and the hope that is produced from that faith we will know joy and peace over struggle. Christ is our assurance in what we cannot see. We can put all confidence for our lives in Him.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Following God is a labor of love. It is something that is not easily done, but rather it is something that we must put all our efforts into. When we decide to put our efforts in following God, patient hope is developed. God conceived us before our parents did. We were loved before we were known in this world. God has no bad ideas, thus following Him in all our efforts should be our primary focus. When we follow Him our faith is grown and we are able to endure this sin filled world. We are not overcome with the difficulties that will surely look like obstacles. Our hope will bolster us to endure, because we know the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV
Considerations for your planner:
- Do you have faith in things unseen? Write down what you struggle with having faith for and notice if you also have struggles with being hopeful in those areas.
- How do you notice when you are following God and when you are following the world? Write this awareness down so that it can help you come back to following God when you are tempted to follow the world.
A Story of Hope:
I have been walking with God consistently for the past 6 years. My faith has grown in each area of my life one at a time. There are so many facets of life I was never fully aware of. It was only when I started giving things to God that my awareness of them became apparent to me.
Awareness in needing God has been the greatest source of growing my faith. When I specifically know of a place I need God and then ask for His intercession it is incredible to see Him work. I think my faith has grown, because now I know it is Him working, rather than just speculating that it all just worked out.
Today, I am hopeful for everything I cannot see. I have not always been this way. However, now I know where my hope comes from. It comes from trusting in Him. There are fears and worries that still come up everyday, but they never stay with me. Just as soon as I recognize them I turn to God. I release my human understanding and thank God that He will provide. I know I do not know how, but I trust Him to take care of me. This kind of faith has made my outlook on life amazingly hopeful. I know He has the plan for my life. I just have to keep looking to Him.
- Anonymous
Strengthen the Christian Planner Family by sharing your experiences. We'd love to hear a story about God's work in your life. Use the form linked below to submit your story.
