Dear Friend,

God has good things for your future, so don’t give up or grow weary in well doing.

How do we not give up? Through hope and believing that there are good things in store for you.

The Bible exhorts us in Hebrews 6:11-12:

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (NKJV).

We diligently endure every aspect of life through hope. Then, by faith and patience we inherit the promises. It takes time to see the fruit of faith in your life. It won’t happen overnight. It will require a steadfast resolve in your heart, your thinking, and your emotions to see God’s promises come to pass.

If you’ve had a difficult past full of disappointments, or you’ve struggled to stay hopeful, then keep reading—because I believe this is a word from the Lord to encourage you and give you hope.

Hope is essential in our ability to make good choices and think healthy thoughts. I know this because there was a time in my life where I thought I was worthless, helpless, I hated myself, and my life was void of hope.

Since then, I’ve learned that God’s enemy—Satan—will do all that he can to try to corner you, shame you, condemn you, and make you feel like God hates you and you’ll never be good enough to please Him. That is a lie. God loves you, He’s proud of you, and He has amazing things in store for you. There is hope for your future.

I remember the day when I learned there was hope for my future. My family had an intervention after seven years of destructive addiction. Each member of my family went around the room and gently told me:

“I love you. I’m scared for the direction your life is going. I want to be part of your life and help you get better, but if you don’t try, then I can’t be part of your life anymore.”

That takes a lot of willpower to say to someone you love—and be willing to follow through. I thank God for them. Those words made me realize that someone still had hope for my future. Even though I didn’t have hope—they did. Thier hope ignited something in me. It made me realize: “Maybe there is a different option for my future.”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV)

Your faith becomes a tangible substance when you have hope for it.

• Are you believing God for healing? Is hope alive in your heart to bring it into existence?

• Are you believing God’s promises to live a life full of peace and joy? Is it coupled with hope that this could be a reality in your everyday life?

Without hope, your faith is dormant. You need hope to make your faith active.

Hope empowered me to start making new choices. It changed my thinking from:

• “I’m a drug addict and I make bad choices” to

• “I’m a loved child of God, and I make healthy choices.”

This transformed everything, and it was all ignited by one simple spark of hope.

When you have hope, it changes the way you think and the choices you make.

In her book Switch on Your Brain, Dr. Caroline Leaf says:

“We can change the physical nature of our brain through our thinking and choosing. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts. New thought networks grow. We increase our intelligence and bring healing to our minds and physical bodies.”

Science is proving what Scripture has said all along: You can renew your mind and heal your life from the inside out.

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls…” (Hebrews 6:18-19, NLT)

Let’s acknowledge that this verse says, it is impossible for God to lie.

We also know the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16), and His Word is absolute truth (Jhn. 17:17). We know His will for you is only good (Jer. 29:11), and He desires for you to prosper and be in health (3 Jhn. 1:2). Since we know all this, then you can believe it—and hope for it!

When your circumstances contradict God’s promises, that’s when you need hope to keep your faith strong and active, just like Abraham. Then you will see His promises come to pass.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping…” (Romans 4:18–21, NLT)

Is there an area in your life where you’ve stopped hoping? Write it down. Find Scriptures that give you hope for it. Hope will activate your faith—and help you see greater breakthrough and transformation in your life.

This applies to every area: your health, your marriage, your children, your finances, your future. God needs us to use hope and faith to intercede and believe—not just for ourselves, but for others too.

Hope is also a guide for your thoughts and choices. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…”

The horrible way I thought about myself was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I had to put a filter on my thoughts and begin monitoring them. When something negative came, I replaced it with something hopeful and true from God’s Word.

When you’re replacing negative thoughts and emotions, be sure to use your words! This is how you fight spiritual battles.

Jesus is our example when He was tempted by the devil in Matthew 4. Three times he said, “It is written.” He spoke God’s Word out loud to defeat the enemy—and so can we.

You need hope to do any of these things because hope is a helmet for your mind (1 Thes. 5:8)! Please know that not all your thoughts belong to you—you can reject them, take them captive (2 Cor. 10:4–5) and replace them with truth. When I learned these truths, I stopped being a victim in my life and I finally became the victor.

When I was battling fear, it felt so real. My emotions, thoughts, anxiety, and worry felt so legitimate and justified. But God taught me to trust Him more than my thoughts and feelings, and He can help you do the same thing.

We know that fear is not from God, nor is any negative thought and emotion. When we notice anything in our life that opposes God’s Word and promises, then we can hope and choose something different.

Dr. Caroline Leaf also says:

“We are directly responsible for what we choose to think about and dwell on… As you think, it is important to make a distinction between who you truly are—the real, multifaceted, unique you—and the person you’ve become through toxic choices. Fortunately, you can see both and choose to reconnect with the vine (Jhn. 15) and renew your mind (Rom. 12:2). Your brain will follow the instructions and choices of your mind and change its landscape accordingly.”

So let me ask you:

• How do you think about yourself?

• What areas of your mind, emotions, or life do you need to redirect?

Ask the Lord: “Redirect my thoughts, so I can redirect my choices, and redirect my life.”

To do this, we need to know where to find hope, so we can continue to go to the source!

The source of hope is found in God, the Scriptures, and your believing heart:

• Hope is found God: “who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:21, NKJV)

• Hope is found in Scripture: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4, NKJV)

• Hope is found in your believing heart: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NKJV)

God is the God of hope. When you choose to believe Him above anything else, your life will be overflow with His hope and power.

This isn’t your job to carry alone or to make this happen—hope comes from Him. Your responsibility is to believe Him and know Him intimately; everything else will fall into place as He guides you farther and deeper into His truth.

As you go about your day today and the rest of this week, remember:

• Hope is essential in our ability to make good choices and think healthy thoughts.

• Hope is an anchor for your soul and emotions

• Hope is a guide for your thoughts and choices

• The source of hope is found in God, Scripture, and your believing heart

Want more on this topic?

• Watch my Live Bible study from this week’s teaching: “A Future of Hope”

• Get Erin’s resources! Hello, New You Book & Walking in the New You Workbook

• New You Lifestyle Courses for every part of your lifestyle: Faith-Based Healthy Habits, Nutrition, and Fitness!

• Join our encouraging, faith-filled community to support you every step of the way!

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I'm praying that your life is full of hope and joy as you grow in faith!

Love,
Erin

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