A Prisoner Of Hope

Reading from the Book of Zechariah 9:12

¹² Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I declare that I will

 render double unto thee.

As "prisoners of hope" we must allow ourselves to be captured by and filled 

with hope.We must think hope and we must talk hope. When you face a 

seemingly hopeless situation remember that in God, you are a prisoner of 

hope. There is no way to get away from the hope that is in Him.

What is a prisoner of hope? It is someone who refuses to stop hoping in God,

no matter how bad his or her circumstances are. Abraham was such a man. 

We learn from God's Word that all human reason for hope being gone, 

Abraham hoped on in faith that God's promise would come to pass in his life.

Godly hope is not the same quality as what the world calls "hope". Usually 

when we hear people say they are hoping something will or will not happen, 

they are vaguely hoping, but clearly doubting. They speak negatively and   

complain about almost everything and then wonder why nothing works out for

them. True biblical hope is a solid foundation. It is a springboard for our faith 

to take off from and actually take hold of the promise of God.

I know this may sound simple, but I think we can say real hope is a constant 

positive attitude that no matter what is happening currently, things will change 

for the better. Satan cannot defeat a person who refuses to stop hoping in 

God. Abraham refused to give up hope, and just as God had told him, he did 

become a father when he was to old to father children. Hope is powerful. It 

opens the door for the impossible to become possible. All things are possible 

with God, but we must cooperate with Him by being hopeful and full of faith.

God promises that He will restore double what we have lost or had stolen if we 

will stay hopeful. It does no good at all to be hopeless. It only makes us 

unhappy, critical, and grouchy. Hopelessness leads to depression and many 

other problems. Be the kind of person who absolutely refuses to be negative, 

and get ready to receive a double blessing for your former trouble.

Become a "prisoner of hope".

Nuggets of Truth

Reading from the Book of 1Peter

First Peter is such an encouragement to those of us who believe because it reminds us that we always have hope in Jesus. This letter is full of practical advice for everyday living, especially in the midst of hard times, and urges us to keep the glory of our inheritance in view while we are living here on earth.

First Peter teaches us that there is such a thing as godly suffering. Some suffering is done in Christ and some is done for Him. When a believer suffers in order to do God's will, that is causing for rejoicing. 1Peter 4:13 says, "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."
Saying no to self and suffering in the flesh leads to the death of selfishness, and that kind of hardship yields tremendous freedom and strength.

First Peter also calls us to develop lifestyles that are holy and pleasing to the Lord. It addresses not only our behavior, but also our intentions, and causes us to examine our hearts so we can operate from pure motives.

The words of this book also give us "nuggets of truth" to fight the spiritual war and overcome the enemy.