New Hope Church

BE ATTENTIVE AND AWARE! Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. —I Peter 5:8-9             Let us not forget that we are in spiritual warfare… all the time. Don’t think that our adversary let’s up. He and his demonic horde are always prowling around seeking to be destructive. They hate God. They hate His people. Their desire is to destroy us. Don’t think otherwise.             We are told to be thinking clearly and to be watchful. We need…

FAITHFUL CREATOR Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. —I Peter 4:19             Wow! Do you know that there is suffering that occurs to the followers of Jesus that is in accordance to God’s will? God is at work in suffering in many of His children. He has reasons for our suffering that we cannot fully understand, but He is fulfilling His purposes through it. He is a faithful creator and we are to entrust ourselves to Him in our suffering. Are you suffering? Are you trusting Him in and through the suffering? He is asking you to!…

HE IS WATCHING AND IS HEARING THE RIGHTEOUS For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” —I Peter 3:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQmsEE_2-s&list=UUf1NPIFOBwzTLVQiEDnq4Cw&index=11 You who are living for Jesus, His eyes are on you.   “His ears are open to (your) prayer.”   The implication here is that the righteous are spending time with the Lord in prayer. They are talking to Him and listening to Him. They are taking time to be with Him. Is this the case in your own life? This is what is said about those who…

ENTRUST YOURSELF TO GOD For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted…

LOVINGLY OBEDIENT OR NOT “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into…

PATIENCE! Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door! Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of…

THE ROOT OF VILE PRACTICES For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. —James 3:16             Follow a vile practice back to the one practicing it and you will find jealousy and selfish ambition existing in that person.   Follow disorder back to the one causing it and you will find jealousy and selfish ambition.             Selfish ambition is the root of all vile practice. Just look at our world and the evil in it. It is there because of selfish ambitions. People might not verbalize it this way, but it’s about me, it’s about what I think, it’s about what I want, it’s…

EVIDENCE OF FAITH—FAITH WORKS! In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless… As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. —James 2:17-20, 26 I say I am a carpenter, but you never see me do carpentry. I say I am a nurse, but you…

ROD OF DISCIPLINE OR JUDGMENT… The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. And all flesh shall know that I am the LORD. I have drawn my sword from its…

LOOK TO OUR HEAVENLY HOME!  For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. —Hebrews 13:14              It is all temporary that we see on this planet except for people. All people will exist either in heaven or hell forever. All else is only temporary. Brother and sisters let us keep this in mind and not get rooted down in this life, distracted from that which we have been commanded by Jesus to do (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:8). This is not our home. Our home is in heaven and let us keep running the race until we reach that…