Hope means a "confident expectation." Without hope, your faith has nothing to feed. The Word says in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for."
Faith gives substance to hope and causes it to become a reality. Hope is a dream. Have you ever had a pleasant dream? Some of you have dreamed of owning your own business. Some of you have dreamed of doing something else. That's hope—having that confident expectation.
You derive hope from the Word of God. The Word of God is the only source I know of that every time you go to it, it will give you hope.
Hopeless
When you turn a television set on, it doesn't give you hope—"This is CBS, NBC, or ABC…today, inflation is raging; the recession is going on; unemployment is at record highs; factories are closing; hundreds were killed in a mass murder."
Many times when you finish watching the television newscast, you need to go pray to throw all the bad news off of you because it will squelch hope. If that's your only source of information, you are going to be an individual who will be hopeless. You will lose hope.
People are concerned in these days, and I can see why, because of the hard economic times. But when you go to the Word of God, the Word will give you a better picture.
How To Get Hope
Get our your TV guide and turn to Channel Romans 12 or to Philippians 4:19 which says, "My God supplies all your need," not according to the economic woes of the world or of the United States, but "according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
I don't know about you, but whenever I talk to the Lord, the Lord never says to me, "Son, I can't meet your need today, we're having double-digit inflation, and we're having recession in heaving right now; so you're going to have to wait until we balance the heavenly budget before I can meet your needs." He always said to me, "I can supply your need, and I will if you'll believe Me for it. If you'll believe Me for it, it will manifest."
Turn to Channel Matthew 8:17: "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Channel Romans 8:37 tells us we're more than conquerors, and Philippians 4:13 says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. When you go to the Word of God, it always produces hope.
When you feel like there is no way and no hope, turn to the Word, and it will give you hope.
Rejoice!
He says, "rejoicing in hope." What does it mean to rejoice in it? Dance in it. Do something. Don't just sit there crying. He said you have to do something with the hope—rejoice in hope; rejoice in that confident expectation.
How would you act if that dream of owning a business, or of being healed, or of that loved one coming home, or of having that new career were manifested today? How would you act if your dream was to be a millionaire, and someone gave you a certified check for $1 million, with no strings attached? You would act happy, wouldn't you?
If someone gave me $1 million, I'd dance all over the floor!
That's how the scripture says to act in the midst of trials. Rejoice in that confident expectation, seeing the vision and seeing the victory.
Excerpt permission granted by Word Of Faith Publishing