Living Hope

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…"James 2:13This week we will be looking at the word that Pastor Louis Els shared on Resurrection Sunday on ‘Living Hope’.Firstly, it is important to call to remembrance what this significant weekend means for us as Christians. Without this weekend, we wouldn’t have the freedom and victory we now have. But because of this weekend and what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can live with hope. We no longer need to be influenced by our circumstances or how we feel, but we can rely fully on Jesus, and through Him, we can receive the hope for tomorrow, the hope for the future, and we can be hope carriers.  Secondly, we need to recognise that Jesus willingly, intentionally and lovingly, laid down His life. He CHOSE to do it - for YOU. We no longer have to live in bondage, fear, or confusion, but we can place our trust in Him.   Finally, we need to check where we are getting our hope from and whether our lives are being influenced by it. Are we really placing our trust in God, or has it become a cliché or religious saying? We need to get to the place where we can acknowledge that we can’t do it on our own, and fully surrender to Jesus. We need to allow Him, who is our stronghold of Hope, to shower us with mercy and grace.  Do you find yourself saying that you trust God and believe, but still make your own plans?Are you having conversations in your head where the enemy is taking advantage of you?Are there any areas in your life that you need to surrender to God again?