Lifelines of Hope...

Bible readings... 
“Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” I Peter 1:3
“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
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​Hello everyone…and a big welcome to Sunday Inspiration…through the Risen Hope Ministries! I am so glad to have you with me today and if you are here…looking for a piece of hope to hold to; I pray that this will be the moment, when you find that hope you need!
 
You know…we can experience moments in our lives, when we just can’t seem to find any kind of hope to hold to. At a time, when we need God the most; the questions begin to come, as we cry out to God and say… “Where are you?” The trials we experience can make us feel as if we are in the midst of troubled waters…as thoughts begin to convince us; that we are about to go down, for the last time.
 
Today, I would like to throw out four lifelines of hope to you…hope that is already available to you; at a time, when you need it the most. The first lifeline of hope came through the cross…a time, when Jesus’ great love and mercy offered us a life of new birth and new beginnings…a time, when we could begin anew. You see…even as Jesus paid the price and offered us a new life through His death on the cross; there was also another important part to His suffering and death and that was the resurrection…when everything was finalized and made new again…a time when hope came back into existence.  As we go through our own moments of suffering, we don’t have to remain in bondage anymore; but instead, we have the hope that through Jesus death and resurrection; we too can once more rise above despair and be made new.
 
The second lifeline of hope that I would like to offer you today; is a hope that can be found, through God alone. How is it that we worry, fret and doubt a God, who already has everything under control? In fact, He knows more about what is going on in our lives; then we could ever begin to imagine. Actually, if we were to slow down and think this through, we would come to see that this lifeline of hope can definitely keep us above the troubled waters…just knowing that God will never allow us to be swallowed up, within these moments of despair. You know…sometimes, we just need to quit looking at the troubled waters that surround us and experience a settled feeling within our minds and hearts; knowing for sure that God will never fail us…but will always be there to care for us…in the same way that He loves us. Remember one thing today…moments of suffering don’t come from God…they only come from evil and even though there may be times, when God allows these moments to enter our lives…for a reason we may not always understand…He still has control over every little thing that pertains to us.
 
Ok…let’s move on to the third lifeline of hope that I would like to offer you today, which is hope for a better future. We must remember that whatever God allows within our lives…these moments are only being allowed, as a means of bringing about something better; otherwise, God wouldn’t allow these difficult moments in the first place. As I look back on my own life, I see how each difficult moment became a stepping stone; that God used to lead me, to where I am today. Like the saying goes…“Sometimes we have to experience pain, before experiencing gain.” In other words…these painful moments we experience aren’t meant to torture us; but to break us down, to the level that God longs for us to be in life. Once we reach His level; we will once more see how God is working to give us a better future and a greater hope.
 
As I look back on the 3 lifelines of hope that God has already offered us…I see these lifelines, as a means of sustaining us and keeping us afloat, until the final lifeline of hope comes and frees us once and for all…and that lifeline of hope is Heaven.
 
For those of us who have truly believed and accepted Jesus into our hearts and into our lives…a day will come, when we won’t have to stay afloat any longer; but rather, we can take hold of a lifeline that will pull us out of these waters and take us to a place, where we won’t have to experience the troubled waters anymore.
 
If you would like to experience a lifeline of eternal hope and you haven’t come to accept Jesus into your heart and life; then please pray this prayer with me… “Lord Jesus…I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died to free me from sin and despair. Come into my heart and be the lifeline of hope that I so desperately need. Thank you Jesus, for coming into my heart…and until you return for me…please be the lifeline of hope that can keep me above the troubled waters in my life…Amen!
 
As we close, I pray that each of these lifelines of hope…that has been offered to you today, will sustain you through these troubled times and will help you to rise above the troubled waters, rather than falling beneath them!
Blessings so much on your Sunday!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
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