The God of Hope

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Episode Transcript

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Welcome back to Beyond Sundayand Day 14 of Anchored in God's
Promises.
If you've been with me from thestart of this series, I hope
you've begun to notice thedifference it makes when you
start your day with a promisefrom God's Word.
And if you're just joining usfor the first time today, you're
in the right place.
Our verse today comes from thebook of Romans.
It's not just a promise, it's aprayer, it's a blessing.
Paul spoke over believers andit's one that I wanna speak over

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you right now.
Romans 1513 says this, may theGod of hope fill you with all
joy and peace as you trust inhim.
So that you may overflow withhope by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Paul starts by calling God theGod of hope.
That means that hope isn't justsomething God gives.
Hope is part of who He is.

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Hope has a source and thatsource is God.
When we think about hope, weoften treat it like wishful
thinking.
I hope this works out.
I hope I get the job.
I hope the weather's good forthe weekend.
That kind of hope is fragile.
It's dependent on circumstanceslining up.
But biblical hope is different.
It's confident expectation inGod's character and promises.

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Let me say that again.
Biblical hope is confidentexpectation in God's character
and his promises, and when yourhope comes from the God who
never changes, you can have thestability.
Even when life feels unstable.
Hope isn't just a nice idea.
It's oxygen for your soul, andGod is the source of that hope.

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Paul prays that the God of hopewould fill you, not just
sprinkle you with joy and peace.
Why joy?
Because joy is the deep gladnessthat God is still on the throne,
even if the situation isn't whatyou wanted.
So why peace?
Because peace is the calmassurance that you are in his
hands.
No matter what the headlines sayor what the doctor's report

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shows, notice it says All joyand all peace.
This isn't.
Partial or conditional.
God doesn't give halfway.
He doesn't ration his joy.
He doesn't give peace andteaspoons.
His desire is to fill.
You completely.
Think of it like pouring waterinto a glass.
God's goal is not to fill youjust enough to get by.

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He wants it to run over.
Now, there's a condition here asyou trust in him.
This isn't about earning joy andpeace.
It's about opening the door forthem.
Trust is the posture that says,I believe you are who you say
you are.
Even if I can't see how thiswill all work out, sometimes you
and I, we miss out on joy andpeace because we're trusting in

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the wrong thing.
Our own plans, our own timing,our own understanding.
Paul is reminding us that joyand peace flow most freely when
our trust is placed in God.
Paul's prayer doesn't end withyou being filled.
It ends with you overflowing.
God's desire is to give you somuch hope that it spills into

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the lives of people around you.
You become a walking reminderthat God is faithful.
Your peace becomes contagious.
Your joy becomes a light insomeone else's darkness.
When the Holy Spirit fills youto overflowing hope stops being
something you clinging to inprivate.
It becomes something you carryinto every room you enter.

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I once knew a man.
His name was Mark, who had beenthrough a series of losses, his
job, his health, and eventuallyhis spouse.
By all accounts, he had everyreason to live in bitterness.
But when you talk to Mark, hecouldn't help but feel lifted.
He wasn't fake.
He grieved openly, but his eyescarried hope.
He would say, I don't know whattomorrow holds, but I know who
holds tomorrow.

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People around him were drawn tothat hope.
His trust in God didn't justcarry him.
It overflowed into the lives ofeveryone that knew him.
That's Romans 1513 in action.
That's the God of hope at work.
So here's your challenge today.
Identify one area of your lifewhere you've been trusting in
your own control instead ofGod's care.

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Write it down and then pray thisverse over it.
God of hope.
Fill me with all joy and peaceas I trust in you so that I may
overflow with hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit.
Pray it slowly.
Let each phrase sink in, ask theHoly Spirit to make it real in
your heart.
Let's pray.
God of hope, thank you that youdon't just give us a little joy

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or a little peace you fill us tooverflowing today.
We choose to trust you with thethings we can't control.
Let our lives reflect yourfaithfulness and let our hope be
so full that it spills into thelives of others.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Thanks for joining me today onBeyond Sunday.
If this promise filled yourheart with hope, again, share it

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with someone else.
Who might need the reminder,just shoot them that verse in a
text.
I'll see you right back heretomorrow.