18 Sep Hopes & Habits (Because you can’t have uphill hopes and downhill habits) Part 5
Over the past few weeks we have begun sharing from this series.
You can have valid and wonderful uphill hopes, but if you have downhill habits you will always be going around the same mountain on a yearly basis!
Let’s review our first five “Eight Habit Helpers”:
- Hope is not a strategy (Heb. 6:19).
2. The things we do and the things we should do don’t always line up (Rom. 7:19).
3. The two greatest gaps in life are “wanting and having” and “knowing and doing”. If you’ll close the second gap, the first gap will automatically close.
4. We are what we repeatedly do.
5. We form our habits then our habits form us.
6. Always point your saying, sowing and serving in the same direction.
7. Always point your mouth, money and ministry in the same direction. Again, this is the same principle as #6 but said in a little different way.
8. Habit will take you further than desire.
Then we jumped into…
Three Different Dynamics:
#1. Renew your hope (Prov. 13:12).
Here the Bible tells us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” As I mentioned before, “hope” is not a strategy. However when you don’t have hope, you won’t ever look for a strategy.
Last week I shared a story about our Multi-Media Director this week we share more stories to Renew your hope…
We have another woman at the church who was in a mental institution and now she is an ordained minister here at Joy Church and an outstanding wife of a doctor, and mother of two! We had another drug user and runner who gave his life to Jesus 14 years ago at Joy Church and now has a Christian television show that goes into millions of homes every week!
This pastor who is ministering to you right now was an alcoholic checking ID’s at a bar 36 years ago! If you only knew! I believe if you’ll apply the teaching in this series on a daily basis, in a year…you won’t even recognize yourself!
Your Bible tells you in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God wants to give you a future and a hope. What you may not realize is that God told the children of Israel this powerful verse right in the midst of Babylonian captivity because of their own sin!
I don’t care how far you’ve gone or how long you’ve been there…renew your hope! Remember this: One thing I discovered about yesterday is that it ended last night! Renew your hope!
Join us next month as we continue this series…