Day 14: Refrain from Discouragement, Embrace Hope

Good Morning My Friends! As you know, I’ve been waiting on God to show me what He wants us to refrain from and embrace each day. Today, we have hope!

This morning I really spent time reading some Scripture, praying, and seeking God for what He wants us to embrace today. I was feeling the pressure to find something because I noticed time slipping away. I admit, I panicked some so I actually started writing about a different topic. I no more than started researching verses and writing on that topic when God let me know, that wasn’t what He wanted me to share today.

So, I deleted. Yes, deleted all I had written, and I yielded to His leading. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing anyway. Sorry everyone. I almost didn’t give you today what God wants you to hear.

So, here we go.

Refrain from Discouragement and Today Embrace Hope!

I know some of you are discouraged. Some of you are being challenged with some difficult circumstances in your life. Difficult situations can really drag our spirit down. Before we know it, our hearts are downcast. We can’t see how things will improve or change or be bright again.

One of my favorite people in the Bible is David. He was a man after God’s own heart, but wow did David experience a lot difficulties in life. He struggled with discouragement too. Listen to this:

“So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed” (Psalm 143:4, NIV).

There are multiple verses where David cries out to his soul and asks:

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:5a, NIV).

Clearly David was disheartened. He had cause to lose spirit. His courage and confidence were being challenged.

David was depressed, and he knew it.

Do you know what David did after asking his soul why it was so discouraged? He encouraged his own soul and reminded himself how to change his downcast spirit! Let’s see what he said to himself:

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5, NIV).

Soul, put your hope in God!

Can you imagine how David’s soul began to feel with instructions like that?

I can! Hopeful!

I’ve mentioned Paul a few times in other posts. He, too, was challenged.

“He [Jesus] has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10, NIV).

Paul was near death many times. He was beaten, tortured, and imprisoned for preaching about Jesus. Like David, Paul had plenty of reasons to be discouraged too.

But Paul remained hopeful. He knew God would deliver him. God was his hope.

He encouraged others that no matter what, we are to remain hopeful, which means we need to trust God.

Rejoice in Hope

Just like David and Paul had hope even though they experienced difficult circumstances in their lives, we too can have hope.

We need to be joyful!

 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12, NIV).

We need to remember that God is our helper!

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20, NIV).

Practical Application

In order to live a life of hope, first we need to do like David and Paul did. Tell our souls to put our hope in God.

Then we need to check our attitude.

Personally, I think hope is an expectant positive attitude. We expect something good is going to happen.

We need to put aside the negative, self-pity attitude and put on some positivity to live our hope today.

Here’s just a couple of ways I think we can embrace hope today:

1. First, we have to pray and ask God to fill us with joy and hope today.
2. Practice hospitality. Seriously, sometimes when we give to someone else who is in need, our spirits are lifted and then our hope rises. Remember, it’s not just the receiver who is blessed. The giver is too.
3. Read some Bible verses on hope. There are over 160 verses on hope in the Bible. Reading God’s Word is the surest way of producing hope in our lives.
4. Finally, trust God will provide hope to you. Choose to believe this truth!

My blessing to you today:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13, EVS).

Just for Today

Refrain from Discouragement. Embrace Hope!