Why We Must Hold Fast Our Hope

 Why We Must Hold Fast Our Hope

When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:17–18)

God is not inconsistent. He does not exert himself with promises, and oaths, and the blood of his Son, simply to anchor down one end of our security while leaving the other to dangle in the air. 

The salvation Jesus obtained by his blood was everything it takes to save his people, not just part of it.

So, we are prone to ask, Why does the writer encourage us to hold fast to our hope (Hebrews 6:18)? If our holding fast was obtained and irrevocably secured by the blood of Jesus — which it was (that’s the difference between the new covenant and the old) — then why does God tell us to hold fast?

The answer is this:

What Christ bought for us when he died was not the freedom from having to hold fast, but the enabling power to hold fast.

What he bought was not the nullification of our wills as though we didn’t have to hold fast, but the empowering of our wills so that we want to hold fast.

What he bought was not the canceling of the commandment to hold fast, but the fulfillment of the commandment to hold fast.

What he bought was not the end of exhortation, but the triumph of exhortation.

He died so that you would do exactly what Paul did in Philippians 3:12, “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” It is not foolishness, it is the gospel, to tell a sinner to do what Christ alone can enable him to do; namely, hope in God.

So, I exhort you with all my heart: Reach out and take hold of that for which you have been taken hold of by Christ, and hold it fast with all your might — which he mightily works in you.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 17, 2026.

SUBJECT: THE SPIRIT-LED LIFE!

Memory verse: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8 vs 6.) 

READ: Romans 8 verse 5 - 8:

8:5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

8:6: For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

8:7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

INTIMATION:

We observe from our memory verse that we relate with two minds in us. These are the mind of the flesh, and the mind of the spirit. That does not mean you and I have two brains, it simply means that we receive information from our natural mind (which operates without the Holy Spirit), and we get information from our spirit mind (through which the Holy Spirit communicates directly to us).

According to the Scriptures, to be a child of God, we are not to be led by our carnal mind, but by the Holy Spirit: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8 vs 14). The evidence of our sonship is being led by the Spirit of God. The Spirit-led life is a life of victory, and conquest of the devil, because it manifests the fruit of the Spirit that has no law against it, therefore, the accuser of brethren has nothing to accuse you of: “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23.)

The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit is the only One who knows the mind of God, and is the revealer of the truth. (John 16 vs 13). Therefore, the Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ control. We cannot obtain by trying to get them without His help. 

This Scriptures tell us that “we have the mind of Christ.” This is because the Spirit of Christ—Holy Spirit lives in us. The problem is that although we have the mind of Christ and know the Word of God, we don't listen to our spirit which is being enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Instead, we listen to our natural mind, which relies strictly on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit. And this mind “is enmity against God, hence cannot please Him.”

In every situation of life, our head will be trying to give us information. It will be yelling at us so loudly, and if we don't turn our attention to our spirit we will never hear what the Lord is saying to us in the situations we encounter in life, nor know those things which pleases God. That is why we must learn to live out of our spirit and not of our head; we must be led by the Spirit.

Incidentally, evil spirits constantly bombard us with negative thoughts. If we receive them and dwell on them, they become ours because, according to the Scriptures, as we think in our heart, so are we. (Proverbs 23 vs 7.) If we accept the lies of the devil as reality, then they will become reality to us because of our "faith," that is, our believe in them.

That is why in moments of worry, stress and turmoil we have to simply take the time to turn to our inner man, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and say, "Lord, what do You have to say about this?" If we listen in faith, He will speak to us and reveal to us the truth of that situation, and what we will do to please Him.

You and I have two huge vats of information within us. One is carnal information that comes off the top of our head. The other is spiritual information which wells up out of our heart. One is muddy. polluted water, and the other is clean drinking water. It is up to us to decide which source we are going to drink from.

Some people try to drink from both sources. That's what the Bible calls being double-minded. (James 1 vs 8.) Do you know what it means to be double-minded? It means that your mind is trying to tell you one thing, and the spirit is trying to tell you just the opposite. Instead of saying, "I'm not going to believe that of the mind because it's a lie," you get in a cross-fire, going back and forth between the two thoughts.

If you are ever going to live the happy, victorious and successful Christian life the Lord wills for us, you are going to have to decide which fountain of information you are going to drink from. You are going to have to learn to live out of your spirit and not out of your head; you must be led by the Spirit.

Prayer: Abba Father, You have adopted me as Your son, and has graciously given me Your Spirit. Help me to always listen, and take counsel from Your Holy Spirit indwelling me that I may lead a victorious and conqueror’s life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer’s Exclamation Point

 Prayer’s Exclamation Point

All the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Prayer is a response to promises, that is, to the assurances of God’s future grace. 

Prayer is drawing on the account where God has deposited all his stores of future grace.

Prayer is not hoping in the dark that there might be a God of good intentions out there. Prayer banks on the promise of God, and goes to the bank every day and draws on stores of future grace needed for that day.

Don’t miss the connection between the two halves of this great verse. Notice the “that is why”: “All the promises of God are Yes in Christ. That is why (therefore) we pray Amen through him, to God’s glory.”

To make sure we see it, let’s turn the two halves around: When we pray, we say Amen to God through Christ, because God has said a decisive Amen to all his promises in Christ. Prayer is the confident plea for God to make good on his promises of future grace — for Christ’s sake. Prayer links our faith in future grace with the foundation of it all, Jesus Christ. 

Which leads to the final point: “Amen” is a full and precious word in times of prayer. It doesn’t mean primarily, “Yes, I have now said this prayer.” It means primarily, “Yes, God has made all these promises.” 

Amen means, “Yes, Lord, you can do it.” It means, “Yes, Lord, you are powerful. Yes, Lord, you are wise. Yes, Lord, you are merciful. Yes, Lord, all future grace comes from you and has been confirmed in Christ.” 

“Amen” is an exclamation point of hope and warranted confidence after a prayer for help.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MARCH 16, 2026.

SUBJECT : CRAVE FOR THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart I will send Him to you." (John 16 vs 7.) 

READ: John 16 vs 12 - 15:

16:12: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

16:14: He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare to you.

16:15: All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine, and declare it to you.

INTIMATION:

How are you guided or driven? Who, and what guides or drives you determines how purposeful your life will be. Everyone is guided or driven in life by something. What guides you determines the driving force in your life. Many of us are driven by life's circumstances they face at a time. Some are driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. Some by painful memory, a haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. 

There are several circumstances, values, and emotions that can drive your life. But your ultimate, and God ordained guide is the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of God Himself. When you are driven by circumstance(s), it unfortunately leads to a life outside God's purpose because these are the works of the flesh. The most common ways people are driven, outside God's purpose for their lives include the following:

1. Driven by guilt.

Many people are driven by guilt. They spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding their shame. Guilt driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. They often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging their own future.

2. Driven by resentment and anger.

These category of people hold on to hurts and never get over them. Instead of releasing their pain through forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in their minds. Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past.

3. Driven by fear.

Many people are driven by fear. Their fears may be the result of a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high-control home, or even genetic predisposition. Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people often miss great opportunities because they're afraid to venture out. Fear is a self-imposed prison that keeps you from becoming what God intends for you to be.

4. Driven by materialism.

Many people are driven by materialism. Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of their lives. The drive to always want more is based on the misconception that having more will make them more happy, more important, and more secure, but all three ideas are untrue. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. It's a myth that if I get more, I will be more important. Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Your value is not determined by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not material possessions!

5. Driven by the need for approval.

Many people are driven by the need of approval. They allow the expectations of parents or spouses, or children or teachers or friends to control their lives. Others are driven by peer pressure, always worried by what others might think. Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it. One known key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a guaranteed way to miss God's purposes for your life.

These aforementioned forces, and many others, which are the works of the flesh, can drive your life, but all lead to the same dead end: unused potentials, unnecessary stress, and unfulfilled life—life outside the God’s purpose. Nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose(s) for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing it; not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. 

It’s only God, through His Holy Spirit indwelling the believer, that will reveal His purpose for your life. The Spirit-driven life is a purposeful life in accordance with the Will of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God who knows the things and thoughts of God, and only Him can lead you accordingly. If your life is not guided or driven by the Holy Spirit, you are completely walking toward a dead-end, away from the Will of God for you. Therefore, we should be concerned about how much of us the Holy Spirit has. Submit yourself daily to His leading and draw constantly on His power to be in tune with God’s purpose for your life. 

Those who seek a spiritual relationship with God will seek God’s direction through the inspired Word of God. Therefore, those who are led by the Spirit depend on God. Those who have turned from depending on themselves, that is the works of the flesh, have turned to depend on the direction of God. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in the lives of those who seek direction from God for moral attitudes and behavior. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23.) The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to His: We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbors.

Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God’s law. A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I call Him my Senior Partner because He is my Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Standby, Strengthener, Counselor, Comforter, Empowerer, and Encourager. Strengthen me in my inner man through the leading of the Holy Spirit to live for You, dedicated to You in all aspects of my life, in Jesus’ great Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus Will Finish the Mission

 Jesus Will Finish the Mission

“This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

I don’t know any more inspiring missionary promise than this word from Jesus.

Not: This gospel should be preached.

Not: This gospel might be preached.

But: This gospel will be preached.

This is not a great commission, nor a great commandment. It is a great certainty, a great confidence.

Who can dare talk like that? How does he know it will? How can he be sure the church will not fail in its missionary task?

Answer: The grace of missionary service is as irresistible as the grace of regeneration. Christ can promise universal proclamation because he is sovereign. He knows the future success of missions because he makes the future. All the nations will hear!

A “nation” is not a modern “country.” When the Old Testament spoke of nations, it referred to groups like Jebusites and Perizites and Hivites and Amorites and Moabites and Canaanites and Philistines. “Nations” are ethnic groups with their own peculiar language and culture. Psalm 117:1: “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!” Nations are peoples — people groups, as we call them.

As the sovereign Son of God and Lord of the church, Jesus simply took up this divine purpose and stated as an absolute certainty, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14).

The cause of world missions is absolutely assured of success. It cannot fail. Is it not reasonable, then, that we pray with great faith, that we invest with great confidence, and that we go with a sense of sure triumph?

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MARCH 15, 2026.

SUBJECT: GOD IS AT WORK IN YOU TO PLEASE HIM!

Memory verse: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2 vs 13.)

READ: Hebrews 13 vs 20 - 21:

13:20: Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

13:21: make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

INTIMATION: 

To please God is to do His Will; to walk in accordance with His precepts. It’s on this pivot that all pertaining to life and godliness revolves. Jesus clearly expressed this fact when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all other things will be added to you” (Matthew 6 vs 33). Every kingdom has a king, and the words of the king is law in the kingdom, and must be obeyed for a favorable and peaceful habitation of the kingdom.

God has not left us alone in our struggles to do His Will—to obey His laws. He wants to come alongside us and be within us to help, hence His gift of the Holy Spirit—our Helper. God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. God created you for His specific purposes that are predetermined by Him, even before the foundation of the world. Consequently, only Him can work out His plan and purpose in your life. 

In Ephesians 1 vs 11, the Scripture says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will.” God is sovereign and in control of all things. He works all things in us according the counsel of His Will; ‘His counsel stands, and He does His pleasure’ (Isaiah 46 vs 10). God’s purposes for the believers cannot be thwarted, no matter how hard Satan tries, or what he brings their ways.

Godhead—the Trinity, in union with one another, is at work in the world, and in every believer. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never work independently of the other. The Will of the Father is accomplished by the Son with the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. Thus, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God’s promises, even the promise of everlasting life with Him. 

God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day, helping us accomplish the Will of God for us. This is the Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus, and continues until Christ returns to perfect us and take us home to the Father.

Sometimes, by human assessment, you feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life, especially when sometimes you fall into sin. But be of good cheer, it is a gradual process that will only come to perfection when Christ returns to take us to the place He has prepared for us in His Father’s house where there are many mansions. 

All that is required of the believer is to believe Him and keep His commandments. The same commandments He has sent an Helper—the Holy Spirit to help us in our weaknesses. God works in us to make us the kind of people that would please Him, and He equips us to do the kind of work that would please Him. Ours is to yield to the total control of the Spirit that His fruit will be fully manifested in us—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In the real sense of it, He does all things. What a benevolent Father!

Now, look at this Scripture, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1 vs 6.) Be confident that when God starts a project, He completes it! God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow in grace until He has completed His work in our lives. Never let your shortcomings, and your feeling of incompleteness, or distress becloud you of God’s promise and provision.

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender my total being to you. Work Your work in me that to do Your Will at all times will be my way of living, and that I may be perfected by Jesus Christ at His coming, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Subversive for the Savior

 Subversive for the Savior

When Jesus met the man filled with demons at Gadara, the demons cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29)

Demons learned a mystery here. They knew they were doomed. They knew the Son of God would be the victor. But they didn’t know until it happened that Christ was coming before the time of final defeat. 

Christ is not going to wait for the end of the war to lead his troops into combat. He has begun to lead a subversive force into the territory of Satan. He has trained a “life-squad” to perform daring rescue operations. Christ has plotted many tactical victories before the time of the final strategic victory.

The resulting wartime mentality is this: Since Satan’s doom is sure, and he knows it, we can always remind him of it when he tempts us to follow him. We can laugh and say, “You’re out of your mind. Who wants to join forces with a loser?!”

The church is the liberated enemy of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We are the guerrillas and the gadflies. We are the insurgency against the rebel kingdom of “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). 

It is not safe. But it is thrilling. Many lives are lost. Satan’s forces are ever on the lookout for our subversive activity. Christ has guaranteed resurrection for all who fight to the death. But he has not guaranteed comfort, or acceptance from the world, or prosperity in enemy territory. 

Many have gladly given their lives behind the lines running errands for the Commander. I can think of no better way to live — or die!