Month: April 2026

FAITH INCREASES THROUGH HOPE AS “AN ASSURANCE OF THINGS HOPED” WITH YOUR INTIMACY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Oftentimes, at the mention of Faith and Hope, the Bible verse that pops up in mind and on our lips as Christians is:
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope.”

And:
Galatians 5:5 – “But we expect to be made completely Holy because of our Faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we wait in Hope.”
(In other words: Faith looks through the word to God in Christ; Hope looks through faith beyond the world to glory.)

These verses above and many others empower us to remember that our strength comes from our FAITH, enabling us to tackle challenges with confidence, as in: Isaiah 40:31: “But those who Hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

These scriptures complement our belief as Christians that our Faith increases by thriving in Hope through the Lord, by highlighting that our endurance and our character produce Hope that strengthens our Faith as Christians.

OUR FAITH IS TESTED BY CHALLENGES: So, fellow Christians, we should bear in mind that challenges may come in the lives of the Christian, so when life feels unsteady, and circumstances shift without warning, hang on to the anchor that does not move. This anchor is Jesus Christ.

Sensational circumstances may rise and fall left, right and center, but remember always that Jesus Christ remains powerful and he is your anchor to strap on.
The promises of the Lord God are not breakable; they are not flimsy, but they are fastened to eternal truth.

All his promises are unchangeable; they are “Yes and Amen.” Therefore, when fear tries to pull you off course, rehearse what the Lord has already promised you; his promises are secured. He has never broken any of his promises to us.

The promises of the Lord are blessings for us as a source of encouragement. This is often used to focus on the strength of our Lord God, the ultimate source of hope, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, rather than human efforts. Our walk with Christ encourages us to persevere and build our faith with him.

[2 Corinthians 5:7] – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Without faith, hope is just empty wishing; without hope, faith has no goal. Have you checked your faith level? Is it mustard seed faith, a little bigger than mustard seed or greater faith, or perfect faith?

We can’t walk with Christ without his instructions, without believing in him, without trusting in him. So the question is, what is your Faith level, my fellow Christian?

Nevertheless, let us get started here to do our own “reality checks” on our faith as followers of Christ using the few Scripture verses below.

Mark 9:23 – “All things can be done for the one who believes.”
Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Matthew 17:20 – “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Accordingly, where do you sit with these Scripture verses?

Romans 15:13 at the start of this write-up enlightens us that we “overflow with Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” as we trust in God (Faith). The Spirit uses the Word of God to fuel this hope, as Biblical hope is entirely dependent on God’s promises rather than current circumstances.

Hence, as a Christian, let your hope in Christ Jesus steadies your restless thoughts and guards your heart from drifting away from Christ. You are not anchored to troubles, but you are anchored to a faithful Saviour. This is the Lord’s assurance grounded in truth, so receive it and walk with it.

No storm can destroy what God has secured and built. Your anchor holds, not because you grip tightly, but because the Lord is steadfast and convinced. So thank the Lord for being your anchor in every season.

Ask the Lord to keep you steady in faith and hope, before the storm, in the storm, until the storm passes. Keep your Faith and Hope alive; the Lord’s love for you is unbreakable.

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HIS PEACE JUST DOESN’T VISIT

To let peace reign in your heart, you must learn how to let the past go away from your life and start forgiving those who have hurt you. Lay them down at the foot of the Cross and think about the sacrificial blood that Jesus shared for the body of Christ.

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” [Colossians 3:15] ESV

Often, to be at peace with others, we must remain indifferent to their hurtful actions. If you have never been in this place in your life before, it is easier said than done.

Hence, what would be the rationale of Jesus crucifixion on the cross if we can’t forgive others for hurting us? He took the punishment for the sins he did not commit on our behalf, so that you and I shall be saved and have salvation that will lead us to meet and live with the Father in eternity. This was by grace and mercy, the grace we did not deserve because we were sinners.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his.” [Isaiah 53:5]ESV

He came to the world for this purpose and to his own to live with them to fulfill this Divine intervention. Nevertheless, in the world, his own rejected him; they hated him, yet he stood in for us – all the way to the cross to die this horrible death.
His own subsequently nailed him to the Cross and killed him, but on the Cross, he was forgiven – he forgave us on that rugged cross by taking all our filthy sins.

Amazingly, in his pain, he still saved one sinner to his right, a repentant robber who was also facing crucifixion as well, promising the robber that he would be in Paradise with him that night while the Roman soldiers were mocking Jesus on the Cross.

And when the hour came for Jesus to give up the Spirit, he said Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing, and cried out with a loud voice Father, it is finished. A conversation with the Father, signing off that the work he assigned to him in the World to save humanity from sins is completed.

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:34] ESV.

Jesus was at peace with the world and submitted to his Father’s will to complete his assignment. Jesus forgave mankind with no regrets, but with love. Jesus forgives all our sins with no strings attached.

So here is the Question: Why is it so difficult to forgive and have peace, rule in your heart? We all have a story to tell and a reason we don’t want to forgive others because of one of the following. For example:
Have been falsely accused,
Have been stepped on,
Have been slandered,
Have had bitter feuds with some family members,
Have had a feud / fight with a friend,
Have had a bitter siblings’ feud,
Have had bitter fights/arguments with colleagues at work, and the list goes on.

The point I am trying to make is: Why has Jesus Christ, the one against whom we’ve sinned, not taken any grudge with us, go to the Cross and die horribly for us to be cleansed from our sins, to be forgiven us all our sins? Forgiven and paid it all.
And so, why can’t we as mankind forgive our friends, our brothers and sisters, if Christ forgave us all our wicked sins then, now, and forever at the Cross?

Forgiveness: Are you in a hard and rocky situation like this in your life now? Can you not forgive? Are you continually battling this canker? The devil is at work. He’s always in the business of divide and conquer.
My Christian friend, do not fall for the enemy when it comes to forgiveness. The enemy is crushing everything in your life, building an “unforgiven spirit” in your heart. Take heed now and forgive all those who have hurt you.

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” [Matthew 6:14-15]ESV

Sensing the danger through your spirit or in physical, take your faith to the next level by aligning your prayer with the Divine spirit through His Holiness, and break away from the unforgiving spirit. Have faith and trust in the Lord to take charge, to speak the Word, and declare the blood of Jesus over the circumstances to pray out the unforgiven spirit that has taken residence in your heart.

As Christians with faith, when we plead the blood of Jesus, demons flee, and darkness runs. His blood is more powerful than any force in the universe that comes against us. Unforgiveness is a demonic spirit for certain. We should not allow the enemy to control the peace in our hearts. Break the spirit by speaking to it with faith and hope that it shall be well.

Question: Do you have faith in the words you speak? Examine what’s ruling your heart and exercise that faith now. Is it unforgiveness, fear, worry, or unrest? Or is it the peace of God? His peace doesn’t just visit— it stays, it rules, if only you will let him.
Keep your Faith and Hope alive.

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REST ASSURED, YOU HAVE ALL THE SECURITY

As a Christian, your protection is held securely by the Lord Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega. In Christ, you have divine protection while walking in God’s will, often in the face of dangers – his anchor will hold you.
“For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.”
[Psalm 91:11]KJV

Beloved, thank the Lord for his strength and support for you. Keep your eyes fixed on him, trust him at all times, most especially in hard times. And with your Faith in him, expect that your security is assured, because of his faithfulness and promise.

God has given the Angels charge over us to protect us in the same way the Angels encircled Elisha and his servant from the Syrian army and protected them in time of need. In that same way, the Angels are surrounding his faithful ones and protecting them the same way today as at then. We have to continue to abide in him, trust and align our divine spirit to his Holiness, as the children of God.

It doesn’t matter what storms are surrounding you now or would in future. Even if you are in the midst of a crowd, you are anchored under the cover of the Lord. In that frenzied moment, you could be that one man or woman alone among them, remaining completely calm because of your faith. So, through your deep-rooted faith in Christ, your word of wisdom or prayer will not anchor you alone but will be supportive and comforting to all.

As we choose to make God our refuge and our dwelling place, he will command His angels to watch over us and surround us with this divine protection. God is our refuge and strength, and we should not by any means lose sight of this promise. He is our protection, and he has commanded angels to come to our assistance every time. Do you believe that? Oh, yes, I do. Trust in him and strengthen your faith in him, and I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

You may ask why the all-powerful God needs Angels to protect his children.
Here is why – Yes, God is more than powerful enough to function without Angels, but he chooses to use them to uphold his will for mankind and beyond. He chooses to use them to declare to the world what his will is, but more importantly, he uses them to protect us from the evil one and his evil plots against his children daily.

A clear example of Angels used for our protection can be established in the second chapter of the book of Kings as the basis for my topic from Psalm 91:11 at the start of this write-up, “… he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways”, meaning what? He will protect his children in every way without hesitation to win the battle for them.

It is very clear that the children of the Lord are often being sought for destruction by the devil and his cohorts, but God never forsakes us and has all the protection and resources his children need at every time. Hence, we as the children of God have to be “eye openers,” very shrewd, and be discerning in the spirit because our battle is not physical but spiritual.

That said, we must take comfort that, whether it is war or in personal storms of any kind, grieving and lamentation, the Lord is always anchoring us in his care by giving “his angels charge over us.”

To take courage and increase our faith, let us avail ourselves of the testimony of Prophet Elisha and his servant at the time when the king of Syria was at the throat of the people of Israel. The Syrian army could come anytime, kill, ransack and loot everything now and then without any notice or Israel being aware.

Then came Prophet Elisha, so powerful and could prophesy everything about Israel, present and future and the attacks from Syria. The Syrians then grew weary of Elisha, who was leaking every move of their invasion against Israel, rendering them failures. So the attention was drawn to eliminating Elisha.

Elisha knew that the Syrian king had sent soldiers to surround the city to kill and eliminate him. So Elisha and his servant woke up in the morning, seeing hundreds of chariots and horses of soldiers surrounding them.
Elisha, on his part, was not afraid because he knew how the story will end. God has sent his Angels over the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire, all around him and the servant.

And so, this is how the Scripture narrative revealed what happened, to the panicky servant’s surprise, through the divine power of God.
He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. [2 Kings 6:16-17]ESV

Here Are the 3 Takeaways:
1) The servant saw only the physical danger, while Elisha saw the spiritual reality
of God’s protection over them. The servant’s faith had grown weary with fear.
2) Despite how devastating our circumstances appear, God’s invisible presence
is stronger than any adversary.
3) As believers, we have to trust the Lord and align our spirit with His Divine
Holiness to discern beyond circumstances with faith in God’s power.

As a Christian, you have all the help and protection you need, so do not fear but rather be aware of what you have and strengthen your faith.
We never would have known Christ’s love if Christ had not died for us. We could neither have seen the Fathers’ affection and faithfulness towards us. His asking, trust in me, have confidence and faith with hope in him.

And if you do, rest assured you are always secured because “he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.” Keep the Faith and always keep Hope alive.

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