Day 29: Hope-Full

Today's Reading: Romans 15:1-13

What might make you uncomfortable:

Is there an area where you need a hope-filling today? Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to discover we are lacking in an area - but God has something good in store for our lack.

Today's Devotional:

God is a God of hope!

Paul ends our current section of Romans with this prayer:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (15:13).

The God of HOPE wants to fill you with HOPE. We wants you to overflow with HOPE as you encounter of the Holy Spirit. One author says this:

every area of your life that doesn't glisten with hope is an area where you're believing a lie - Francis Frangipagne

If there is an area of your life that feels hopeless, that doesn't glisten with the faith and hope of Jesus, then today you might need a hope-filling.

How do we get a hope-filling? Paul tells us earlier in Romans 12:12...

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

• Rejoice in hope - in the areas of your life what do not glisten in hope, it's important to find things to thank God about. Thanking God transforms our way of thinking and allows us to be filled with what we need. It's also important to joyfully DECLARE God's purpose in this area of your life. Feeling hopeless in finances? Declare abundance. Feeling lost in your career? Declare purpose.
• Be Patient in tribulation - Patience cannot be imparted, gifted, or transferred by prayer. It is a fruit of the Spirit that grows in our hearts as the result of careful diligence. Patience is more of an attitude than an action. When we feel our heart getting impatient, we must be quick to declare God's goodness so that we don't leave hope by the wayside.
• Be constant in prayer - In the most difficult times of life, it is essential to worship and pray continually. Steal time away with God. Spend time God with each morning. Put reminders in your life. Do what it takes to keep God's hopeful perspective before your eyes.

Application

Which of the above three areas is a growth area for you? Ask a friend to hold you accountable.