FAITH AND HOPE
Faith and hope are not the same. Many times we confuse hope with faith and thus never receive what is hoped for. Hope without faith is dead, just as faith without works is dead being alone.
Faith comes to the heart but hope is stored in the mind. Hope within the mind that is produced by faith within the heart is certain and powerful, but without faith from the heart it’s only wishful thinking. The hopes dreams and aspirations that we have in our minds are sometimes disappointing and never produce the desired effect. A steadfast faith at work within the heart produces a hope within the mind that you can depend on. Hope is stored in the mind and protected for the future whereas faith is now. Scripture never speaks of delayed faith, it is always referred to as either being present or absent. The delayed results of faith are called hope and they will surly come to pass. Like salvation, the hope of our salvation is anchored in our faith.
When God imparts faith, it sinks into the heart and seeps into the mind. Then we have what Ephesians chapter 6 refers to as the "Armor of God" to protect both our hearts and our minds. The helmet of salvation is given to protect our minds - where hope is stored, and the breastplate of righteousness is given to protect our hearts - where faith is received.
I share all this to give some explanation as to why so many of us Christians become disenchanted and lose hope when what we were hoping for never happened. When you begin to lose hope, remember that it was by faith that you received Jesus into your heart and He will never leave you or forsake you. The life of Christ that is by faith within you will never let the hope of your salvation die. All hope that is conceived in faith is kept by faith. It can never die. You may lose the kind of hope that makes for dreams and great expectations but you will never lose the kind of hope generated by faith that comes to the heart and then from the heart to the mind. Faith is not an idea or even a decision that comes from the mind; it is more an attitude of the heart.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and He will keep your soul and mind. When we abide in Him, His word abides in us. In that relationship, faith produces the fruit that hope waits for. His living word in us will produce the promised fruit, but only in its ripened appointed season.
Pastor Tilson Shumate
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