Righteousness Based on Hope

We know that hope is an expectation of good and that it is the opposite of despair. We also know that hope is not an aspect of the unredeemed nature but is an aspect of the Divine Nature. If a person does not walk in love, he will have no hope in him.

In order to have faith for provision, it is vital to access the hope that God’s love affords us. What happens a lot of the time is that believers are simply assenting to righteousness, then trying to believe in God for all kinds of provision. But without hope, despair will mar any attempt to sustain faith for provision for anything beyond a very short period of time.

So when it comes to expectation in the life of a frustrated and despairing believer, I am convinced that we can achieve a lot more by narrowing our expectations to right-standing with God, freedom from guilt, peace and joy. When we have these fundamental, primary promises of God operating in our lives, we are then in a position to trust in God for anything.

The more a person is prone to doubt and despair, the more grace from God is required. Therefore, if an anxious person is able to experience peace and joy, through acknowledging Christ, in situations that would normally throw them into a state of panic – then they know that something supernatural has taken place. They know that the promises of God as written in the Bible are indeed true. If the primary promises of Jesus are put into effect, then we can rejoice that every other promise of God’s Word will be put into effect in the perfect moment.

The beginning of a life of faith in Christ begins with a person being able to see their need of God’s righteousness as a free gift by faith in Christ. This first step also continues with the attainment of faith for right-standing with God, freedom from guilt, peace and joy. I would say that everything just flows from there. This is the solid basis for hope, which is the expectation of good. Without that hope, a person will always have a sense of despair and apprehension about them. This apprehension will always counteract faith because it opposes trust and belief in God’s promises.