Never Be Shaken

It’s audio devo day!

Is your heart glistening with hope? If not, you probably need a fresh drink of it from Holy Spirit. Sit back, get comfy, and receive exactly that from Him as you listen here:

(Does this encourage you? If so, maybe there is someone in your life who needs an encouragement boost today too. You can either share this link with them, or find the same devo on my Feeding on Jesus podcast for sharing and subscribing purposes. Available on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and most other podcast platforms!)

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“Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in” (Col. 1:23, TPT).

The other morning, I woke up to a message from a dear friend. In it, she shared this thought with me (which she also gave me permission to share with you):

“I recognize… the intent of the enemy for everyone right now. He is trying to confuse things… and make them look bleak and hopeless… but that isn’t what Daddy wants…”

As I went into my quiet time with Jesus after that, her words kept circulating through my heart. Sitting in His presence, my spirit began to sense that my friend nailed it right on the head. She’s right. There are two kinds of ugly spiritual slime the enemy has been working hard to smear over everything recently. One of them is the spirit of fear. The other is the spirit of hopelessness. And she’s right again: this is exactly the opposite of what our Daddy God wants for us.

Instead, what He longs to impart to us is hope. As I was listening to Colossians on my audio Bible recently, I noticed that the word “hope” appears in the first chapter no less than three times. One of them is our verse for today. “Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in.” Never be shaken, my friend. Hope is yours, and it is mine.

All three hope verses in this chapter associate hope inextricably with our core set of beliefs: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hope, and the gospel, are inseparable. Did you know that the word gospel in Greek means “good news”? Amazing news it is indeed! Truly, this beautiful news that has transformed our lives… it glistens relentlessly with hope.

Today, I am struck by Paul’s instruction. Let me share it with you one more time. “Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in.” Never, dear one. Never be shaken. Yet again, I see here the dance into which Daddy invites us. The steps are a beautiful interplay of His moving in our hearts, and our response. He breathes hope into our spirits. And then He invites us to hold onto the gift of His hope with all that is within us. Hope is yours, He says. Never be shaken.

Do you remember? Romans 15:13 calls Him the God of Hope. This is one of His names; one of the breathtaking revealers of His identity. This is one of the places where we get to know His heart. Living hope is an essential aspect of Who He is, emanating unceasingly from the core of Him. When we get into His presence, we drink from His refreshing waters of hope. Joyful expectation of His goodness gets renewed inside of us. (How inexpressibly vital is it to spend time regularly, at length, with the Source of our Hope. It’s Christ in us, the hope of glory!)

You know, it’s true, what many people are saying. We are watching fulfilled prophesy unfold before our eyes. So many signs indicate that these are the last times before the Lord’s return. Should we be afraid? No. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, even the Book of Revelation is brimming over with hope. After all, the One who authored it is our very own God of Hope. His deepest heart overflows with passionate desire to give us a future… and a hope!

The timeline of human history was recorded in God’s Book before the beginning of time. As we march forward through its glorious unfolding, there is so much good ahead! Never, my friend. Never be shaken from your hope!

“Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!” (Col. 1:27, TPT).

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Pastor Steve Backlund gently asserts that any area of our lives that is not overflowing with hope in an area where we are believing a lie. What do you think about this statement?