hope

today at Edinbrook we heard about HOPE.
ive been battling lately with not focusing on the rational and the "world's ideas and opinions" but focusing on God...on the eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18. v.18 says "we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
Tom Gildow preached on that passage last week...and something he talked about was how if we are looking at the temporary, if thats where we find our hope - in what we see...then when it ends - and it will, because God says its temporary - that's it for us.
but if we are focused on eternity, on what is unseen...when the temporary ends its just an affliction. it wont crush us, because it doesnt make or break us! in fact...when we are focused on eternity - and the temporary things around us end...it can even energize us to keep going and find out what we are supposed to be doing instead.
so why pour all our energy into the things that will end? why not look to eternity and be constantly renewed by God's spirit???

this morning he talked about hope...and how hope is a waiting period. we cant hope for something we already have. and why do we have to constantly go through a waiting period? because in the circumstances of waiting we become who we are called to be.
our calling is to constantly be becoming more and more like Christ...and all satan has to do is get us to believe the lie that we have already ruined His plan, and its over for us and there is no hope anymore...

but its not true!
Phillipians 1:6 has our hope...He who has begun a good work in us will bring it to completion... if we just fight. if we just wait. if we just HOPE that what He says He will do - He will do.

All satan has to do is STOP OUR BECOMING. to TAKE OUR HOPE.
the moment we take our life into our own hands and out of God's - we walk right into satan's plan for our lives.

so we need to just keep hoping!
no matter what, even when the evidence doesnt support it, even when the world says no, even when there are no facts or rationale behind what we are hoping for...nothing is impossible for Him. nothing. and while we hope, while we wait...He will strengthen us. He will form us. He will prepare us and continue to help us become more and more like Him every day...

so dont listen to the Lie, embrace the waiting, and just keep hoping...

the last month of this trip process has been this...hoping that we heard the calling right, hoping that we are not crazy, hoping that we'll have the right ppl...and trying to ignore the enemy who wants to take our hope. and i think its safe to say there wasnt a lot of rational evidence to back us up...but our HOPE was in God. in His calling, in His faithfulness.

this has been a waiting period...and God has strengthened...God has stretched, God has broken us and built us back up...and coming out on the other side of just one of satan's many attempts brings a joy like only God can give. knowing that God is shaping us, knowing He is strengthening our foundations, knowing that He is in charge...its a beautiful thing and it brings a whole new meaning to James 1:2-4 "count it all joy, my brothers, for you know that when your faith is tested it produces steadfastness......"

AMEN! thank you God that you want to form us and grow us into who you created us to be!