One Simple Truth - Day 4: Hope in Christ is not denial.

“Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭11‬-‭13‬, ‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A while back, the Lord gave me a message on the “Hope Rope.”

You see, because Jesus has already entered into the Holy of Holies, into the inner sanctuary of God, hope in Him assures us that we too, will one day follow Him into that glory.

Jesus is our Anchor. He is already there at the right hand of all power and authority, holding our place for us. Our hope in Him, connects us like a rope, to His finished work.

“God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Holding on to the hope rope, enables us to walk through whatever we must, as we follow after Jesus.

Now, I know denial when I see it. People who seek to “make it through the night,” so to speak, by doing things to divert their attention from their present situation, are using denial as a strategy for survival. Sadly, it’s ultimately a strategy for despair.

Having hope in what God has promised through Jesus Christ, is not denial. Far from it, our hope is based on what faith has already “seen.”

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As we see in our opening scripture, when Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died, Jesus initially told the disciples that Lazarus was “sleeping.” Then He plainly told them that Lazarus was dead.

However, Jesus’ first statement about Lazarus being asleep, was not initial denial of the fact that Lazarus was dead. Indeed, that statement was based on the fact that Jesus knew that He is the resurrection and the life. And as such, Lazarus would be raised!

Child of God, our hope is in Christ. By faith, we believe that we will follow Him all the way into the glory of God. Just as He was sure of His ability as being God, we must be sure of His ability in us. That is to say, we believe we will receive all that God has promised. After all, He has given us His precious Holy Spirit Who will keep our hope renewed, day after day.

Denial brings no permanent relief. Eventually, reality will permeate the smoke and mirrors, and we will be left staring down the barrel of the very thing we feared.

Hope is a permanent solution for navigating this weary land. As we hold on to that rope connecting us to what Christ has already done, we can stay the course until we walk into the glory awaiting.

Christ has already won the victory for us, becoming the Way for us to be where He is. But until then, hope is our rest NOW. And, it will sustain us all the way home.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#resolveforhim #OneSimpleTruth