Restart your hope sharing

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:14-16

Hopefully as we have joined through this season of prayer and fasting you have found that being more intentional about focusing on God, listening to His voice rather than the negativity of the world, letting Jesus refresh and restore your weary soul has helped renew and restore your hope.

Our hope comes from knowing that Jesus has the final victory. Our hope comes from knowing this life on earth is not all there is. Our hope comes from knowing one day every tear will be wiped away. Our hope comes from knowing that every wrong we have suffered will be made right by God. Our hope comes from knowing nothing we have gone through and struggled with is unseen by God. Our hope comes from knowing we can cast all our burdens on the Lord for He cares for us.

But this hope is not just for us. This hope is available to all who will call on the name of Jesus as their Lord and honour him in their hearts as holy. This hope is meant to be shared.

God never intends for us to be reservoirs, collecting up hope and blessing for ourselves. He intends for us to be streams, letting what He pours out into use flow onwards and impact others. He blesses us so we can be a blessing to others. God promises Abraham in Genesis 12:2 to make of him a great nation, to bless him and make his name great so that he will be a blessing. God does not mean for us to keep the blessing to ourselves – he blesses us so we can go out and be a blessing to others. He gives us hope so that we can carry that hope into a world that desperately needs hope. What the world needs most is the message of hope that comes from knowing the love of God, who so loved the world that He sent Jesus to bear the weight of our sin and make a way for us to be restored to relationship with Him. We must always be ready and willing to share that hope with anyone who asks about the reason for the hope we have. As we continue through this season of prayer and fasting, as your hope in God gets restored and renewed, let it be seen by those around you. Don’t keep this to yourself. There are people around you who desperately need the hope that we have. Be intentional this year about sharing it.

Prayer focus

Ask God to open your eyes to people in your life that you need to share the hope of the Gospel with. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you boldness to share the reason for the hope that is in you