MARCH 11: AVOID THE FAILURE OF THE HOPER – CONDITIONS FOR EXPERIENCING GOD’S PRESENCE

So many have mistaken hope for faith. They have a confused idea that if they hope strong enough, they can bring the desired thing to them. They do not know that hope is in the future.

Believing is action. Faith is the cause of the action. “Faith is giving substance to things hoped for”. It is bringing into the present tense, things that are in the future for us. Therefore, we can see that hope is never in the now. If I hope for my healing and only have a hope, the sickness might lead to death.

Hope is the most beautiful child of the senses. The word is filled with fragrance. The unthinking have often mistaken it for faith. Faith is always in the now. Hope is for the future.

Abraham had to change hope to faith. Hope is vigorous; it is full of vibrant enthusiasm. Now a man’s investments are all in the future. He bought stocks hoping its value will increase. He bought a piece of land hoping that he might sell it for profit. The hoper is merely an assenter to the Word. He admires it, knows it is true, but he does not act on it.

Salvation that is based on hope never comes to maturity. Stand by your prayers when you have prayed. Danger of Seeking Experiences: A person may say, “I know it is true for I experienced it”. Faith in our experiences is not always faith in the Word. Sense experiences always leaves one empty when the experience grows old. Experience seekers are always unstable in their faith. They act on the word of man and it breaks under them. You don’t receive Eternal lie by tarrying and struggling for it. You receive Eternal life by acting on the Word. The same is true regarding all the blessings of God in the bible, our healing, abundant supplies of all our needs. Act on the Word as if it is true before you see it come to pass. Tarrying means that the Word is not true and you have to do something to add to its truthfulness, to its veracity.

Meditate and Apply: Faith is the creative element of God. Hope paints the clouds at the setting of the sun and makes the dying day beautiful. Hope cannot create, and its dominion is oft-times dangerous. Faith is a builder. Faith that grows out of the Word, out of the recreated human spirit, has given us all that is beautiful and real, all that is Holy and all that is actually worthwhile in life. It has brought man into union with Deity