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2022 by Baker Publishing Group
Published by Chosen Books
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Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Ebook edition created 2022
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ISBN 978-0-8007-6242-1 (trade paper)
ISBN 978-1-4934-3584-5 (ebook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021043598
Scripture quotations identified E S V are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations identified G N T are from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version-Second Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified N A S B are from the (NASB) New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Scripture quotations identified N I V are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations identified N K J V are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified N L T are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified W E B are from the World English Bible.
Scripture quotations identified T P T are from The Passion Translation. Copyright 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.
Written by Austin Coleman, Maurice Gavin, Nikki Harris, Hope Johnson and Samantha Vocarte
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Contents
Introduction
Whatever you are facing, with God, you always have hope!
Gods Word offers you the beautiful gift of hope, empowering you to experience His joy and peace, to face your fears with boldness and to walk confidently into your purpose. The hope you have in Jesus Christ renews your strength (Isaiah 40:31), anchors your soul (Hebrews 6:19) and helps you to live in light of eternity (2 Corinthians 4:18).
This devotional is designed to illuminate the hope you have with God in every circumstance you facefrom fighting fear to navigating grief, from waiting on Gods promises to hearing Gods voice. As you read, you will be reminded of the hope you have in Christ, encouraged to embrace this hope and challenged to act on it. You may want to keep a journal to record your journey of hope.
Each days reading is two short pages that contain the following:
- A powerful, hope-filled Scripture. Read it purposefully and prayerfully. The Word of God is able to encourage and strengthen.
- An inspirational meditation you can read in under two minutes.
- A personalized reflective question and a prayer to help you talk to God about what you have read.
- An affirmative declaration to repeat throughout your day, which will help lock in a hopeful truth.
- A practical action that will inspire hope and gratitude, encouraging you to step out in faith with the help of the Holy Spirit.
May the words in this book strengthen your faith, open your eyes to Gods love and faithfulness and empower you to live your life in light of the truth that with God, you always have hope.
With God I Always Have Hope
Gods Good Plans
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the L ORD , plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NASB
What does a hopeful future mean to you? If you were to write a short story about your ideal life, drafting it to be full of purpose, prosperity and joy, what would be in that story?
Sometimes Gods plans for our lives do not feel good in the moment. Sometimes it feels like our stories have been hijacked and we are leaning more toward disaster than prosperity. This verse from Jeremiah is frequently quoted to encourage believers that God has hopeful plans for our lives. But we often miss the context of the passage. God was speaking to His people as they were in captivity.
The true hope of this passage is that the promises of God are solid in spite of hardships. A difficult present does not indicate a hopeless future. With God, our difficult present is primed to be transformed into the rich future He has orchestrated for us.
God knows exactly where your story is going because He wrote it. Every detail is secured and fashioned with you in mind. Even in the midst of difficulties, you can rest knowing His plans for you are still good and still in motion.
REFLECT
What do I feel when I hear God has plans to give me a good future?
PRAY
Father, I believe You when You say that You have counted every one of my days. I have hope for my future because You have already gone before me. You have planned my life with care and purpose. Help me to rest in security and trust that Your plans for me are good.
DECLARE
Gods plans for me are full of hope.
ACT
Share with someone a dream for the future that God has planted in your heart.
The Triumph of Love
So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from Gods love. Im convinced that his love will triumph over death, lifes troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love.
Romans 8:38 T P T
Have you ever been in a relationship in which you had to work in order to feel valued or loved? Jesus love is far better. Whereas human love is often conditional, His love is unconditional.
People often put conditions on relationships. If I do this, then they will like me. If I do that, then they will show me affection. If I dont do certain things, they may not want to relate with me at all. Living in light of these conditions can cause you to go through life with an unhealthy view of love. Rather than viewing love as a gift, you may see love as something you must earn. You may begin to feel that you can never do enough to be loved.
The Bible says that the love of Jesus is unconditional. He did not love us because of anything we did; in fact, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 NIV ). His love is so powerful that nothing you ever do or do not do can separate you from that love.
You do not have to strive for His love and acceptance; rather, you can rest in the hope of His unconditional love.
REFLECT
When have I most clearly felt Jesus love?
PRAY
Jesus, I am amazed that You love me completely and unconditionally. There is nothing anyone or anything can do to separate me from Your love. May I not strive for Your love and acceptance, for I already have it. Help me to rest in this truth, no matter how I may feel.