HOPE in a broken world

Do you ever find yourself on a spiritual high when life is all sunshine and roses (perfect as can be), only to crash into the pits of despair?

I found myself in a pit recently and had to think, "How did I get here?"

So as I often due when upset, I went surfing (not in the ocean, online ;) only to find myself looking up old songs I used to hear on the Christian radio station I grew up with and the song "Home Free" by Wayne Watson resonated with my soul.

It was then that I realized that indeed, I had fallen prey to an attack by the enemy. You know that when you're thinking turns negative and you don't see hope or how God's helping you in troubling situations, that it can be an attack from the devil. He works hard to take our minds off of God and the promise of eternity for God's faithful followers and today he had me held captive by thinking about the negatives in life.

But through study of God's Word (The Holy Bible) and listening to this beautiful song by Wayne Watson, I realized that what happened was a distraction and a lie woven from the temporary trappings of this world.

Life here on Earth is not the final chapter to our life stories-- heaven and eternity await for those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Now I say "faithful followers" because the Bible says in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, verse 6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." The reward, dear friends, is Heaven. The Bible tells us, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

God has great plans for our future (Jeremiah 29:11) so let us not forget that HE is in control and may we not be distracted by the temporary trappings of this world. These trappings that have the power to consume our minds are just tactics to keep us bound to worries and our connections to this world which is not our home. While we are to live in this world and occupy until Jesus comes, the hope in the midst of our troubles is God's promise that He will return and take the people He finds to have been faithful to Him, to heaven. As the song by Wayne Watson says, "We will be home free."

Before I share the song "Home Free" with you, I would like to direct you to the current post on (in)courage ministry co-founder Holley Gerth's blog where you can take a "Thoughts Quiz" to help you determine if the thoughts you are having are truth from God or lies from the devil. Here's the link to the quiz and article by Holley- http://www.holleygerth.com/heart-to-heart-with-holley/2011/10/23/thoughts-quiz.html

In closing, I would like to share this Bible verse with you: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." -- Psalm 19:14.

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the song: