I have been working on an article about the dangers of pornography and how porn destroys marriages. While I was working on this article, my thoughts began to wonder. My thoughts were on how people like my friend whose marriage was destroyed because of porn and her ex’s decisions make it though these life changing events.

I’m not sure about you, but I use the phrase, ” I hope things work out” or that “we always have hope”. As I thought about these statements as I was working on the dangers of pornography article, I realized that for many people hope isn’t real.

My sister Joyce and my friend who ended up divorced because her spouse made the decision to turn her life and her children’s life upside down over porn and cheating on her. When you have someone who is feeling hopeless and alone, they have a difficult time helping themselves out of their situations. They have a great sense of loss and helplessness. That’s when it is important to bring them the good news of Jesus Christ and all that Jesus Christ has to offer them.

John 10:10 NIV- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I don’t know about you, but I know I have felt hopeless and alone.One of the biggest problems we have in the world is that there are millions of people who are dealing with sickness, financial problems, political concerns, family problems ect. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, there is going to be woes. It’s as if there is no hope in the world.

For myself, without God, this world is a place that is filled with hopelessness. But, with God, we can make it. No matter what is going on in your life or whatever situation you are dealing with, there is hope. You may not be able to see it while you are going through your situation, but there is hope.

I was rereading some of my blog posts from a number of years ago. I was just done with it. I felt there was no hope and if God took me home to be with Him, I would be OK with that. Also during that time, I wasn’t putting all of my hope and trust in the Lord. A friend of mine who I haven’t talked to in a number of years pointed out to me that I wasn’t trusting in the Lord. I wanted to control my situation. She was right. I wasn’t trusting in Him.

I was wallowing in self-pity and it was only because of God that I was able to find my way out and to find hope. He also put the right people in my life to help me. I couldn’t do it alone. You may not be able to see or feel the hope, but it is there for you. How do we find the hope? There is only one place where hope can be found, and that is in Jesus Christ.

As I was working on the pornography article and I started thinking about the word “hope”, I found some pretty awesome Bible verses.  David found himself dealing with some pretty difficult situations and was loosing hope. He needed to be reminded that hope is very real and it comes from God.  Psalms are packed with awesome Bible verses about hope. Here are a few Bible verses about hope:

Psalms 39:7 NIV “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”

Psalms 42:11 NIV “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalms 33:18 NIV “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”

Psalms 119:49 NIV– Remember your word to your servant,  for you have given me hope.

Trusting in God has been a hard thing for me. I always thought I fully trusted Him, that was until my friend told me that I was still trying to control my life and that I wasn’t fully trusting God. At first I wanted to throw her out of my house. How dare she tell me that I wasn’t trusting in the Lord. I thought she had some nerve. But, she was telling me the hard truth. A friend doesn’t just tell you what you want you want them to hear, a real friend tells you the truth. God wants us to fully and 100 percent to trust Him.

I  was trusting in myself and my own choices that I was derailing my life. It wasn’t a good thing. As I consider my relationship with my sister and my friend, I have felt that even if they got upset with what I had to say, it is better to be truthful.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV– For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Because of the choices that my friends ex husband made, she is now a single mom. She has had more than her share of disappointments and feels alone. But, she can still have hope. My sister has also had more than her share of loss and disappointments.

God will send the right person into her life. When I’m needing to find encouragement and I grab my Bible. I will ask God to direct me to the Words that I need the most. So, I close my eyes and open my Bible up.

When I have opened up the Bible in need of hope, it never fails to amaze me that He directs me to the right Bible verse and the words encourage me and ignites the flames of hope that have been hidden deep inside my heart.

Paul writes in Romans these words of encouragement:

Romans 5:5 NIV “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 15:4 NIV “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Hope is real. God offers Words of Hope for our lives and your situations. Words of hope that He has given us and are found in the Bible.  I have these verses on my prayer wall. When I wake up, I see the verses and I see the printout of “Trust God”. I have had these on my wall ever since my friend told me that I need to be trusting God more than relying on myself. Hope Is Real. It comes from God!

Psalms 31:24 NIV- Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 NIV-  but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Romans 12:12 NIV – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 8:24 NIV – ” But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Psalms 119:74 NIV May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.

In closing I just want to say that whatever it is that you are going through to take it to Jesus. If there is someone in your life that is in need of hope, share Words of encouragement that can only be found in the Bible.

Romans 15:13 NIV- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.