NEVER without hope!

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us”
Ephesians 2:1-4 English Standard Version (ESV)
 
“And his fullness fills you, even though you were once like corpses, dead in your sins and offenses. 2 It wasn’t that long ago that you lived in the religion, customs, and values of this world, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm who fills the atmosphere with his authority, and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God. 3 The corruption that was in us from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of our self-life. We lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else.
 
4 But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy.”
Ephesians 2:1-4 The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
The second chapter of Ephesians starts off by describing the hopelessness of mankind without Christ. Many people see Christianity as an intellectual exercise or an emotional experience, but it is much deeper than that. When you see what your condition was before you received Jesus it helps you to appreciate what you now have, in Christ. You were a corpse – dead in your sins and offenses. Your sinful nature was full of corruption and you were bound by instincts of that nature. “But God…” It doesn’t matter if you were a decent person and lived a good life, or a really bad one who sinned a lot – all of us were dead in sin and needed a Saviour! When we saw the light and received Jesus everything changed, and we passed from death to life!
 
“He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule [authority] of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son.”
Colossians 1:13 The Passion Translation (TPT) – brackets TPT footnotes
 
The greatest miracle that you could ever have experienced was when you came from death to life after receiving Jesus! You were rescued from the authority of the devil and were supernaturally translated into the kingdom of Jesus! The hopeless became the hope-filled! Now, as you think about that, consider the challenges that you are currently facing, or problems that could come your way. It doesn’t matter how bad your circumstances may become because you are now full of hope!
 
Just think about all the in-Christ-realities you’re learning about. Think about who you are in Christ. How can you not have hope with those truths in mind? The problem is that we tend to focus on circumstances and problems more than we focus on the spiritual reality of who we are in Christ and what we have in Him. Do you need a job or healing? Are you in a seemingly hopeless situation where you need a miracle? Maybe, you’re lonely or in need of some companionship? Have you been abused, misused or taken advantage of? Do you feel like there is no hope for the future? Maybe your marriage feels like it is cold and dying? Are you facing financial ruin? Maybe you’ve given up on receiving that healing after trusting God for it for so long and seeing no results? It doesn’t matter how bad the situation is: with Jesus, there is always hope.
 
Say it out loud: “WITH JESUS THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE! I AM FULL OF JESUS, THEREFORE, I AM FULL OF HOPE!”
 
There may be a few storms on your horizon. The clouds may look thick and dark, and that is why you should never forget this: “But God”… Paul writes about mankind’s hopelessness in Ephesians 2:1-3, but he doesn’t leave it there. In verse 4 he jumps into the glorious solution by saying, “but God”!
 
“But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. 5 Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace! 6 He raised us up with Christ the Exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!”
Ephesians 2:4-6 The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
God did not leave us without hope. His great love for us moved Him to compassion and mercy. He reached out to us and rescued us from the hopelessness that we were in and He placed us in the best position of all – He united us into the very life of Christ and saved us…! We are now seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. That is not a place of hopelessness but a place of authority and victory!
 
Jesus Himself said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 ESV)
 
There is always hope!
 
Q: What situations are you currently facing that are making you feel hopeless? Write them down in the space provided; no matter how insignificant they may seem. Then read the full sentence out loud. For example: “This seems hopeless: I can’t find a job BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!”
 
This seems hopeless: ___________________________________________________________BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! I’M NEVER WITHOUT JESUS; THEREFORE I’M NEVER WITHOUT HOPE!
  
“But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us”
Ephesians 2:4 Amplified Bible (AMP)
 
As you focus on God’s love for you – His intense, extravagant and passionate love – faith will rise up within you (Galatians 5:6) and you will no longer feel hopeless!

Read Romans 5: 10 and Romans 8:21-39. Write down some thoughts on God’s love for you.