In this season of turmoil with this pandemic and the riots, I have encountered many fearful people. Some tell me they believe in God and claim to have faith, yet they possess no expectant attitude, or confident belief that their prayer or deepest desire will come to pass. This expectant attitude basically defines hope. A Christian psychologist told me that you can have faith without hope, but you can’t have hope without faith.
Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Faith
If it sounds confusing, let me explain. We have a beautiful example of this in the story of Abraham in the Bible. God had called him to leave everything behind and to take his family and move to a foreign land where He promised to bless him with descendants as numerous as the sand on the sea shore. Abraham was 100 years old before he saw a glimmer of that promise. When his son Issac was a young boy, God asked him to sacrifice the child. Yet Abraham still believed God would keep His promise. As he approached the mountain with Issac to offer his sacrifice, his son asked where was the lamb be sacrificed, and Abraham responded “God will provide it.” He believed that if he acted in obedience, God was able to restore the life of the child, in keeping with His promise. As Abraham lifted his arm, knife in hand to slay the boy, God intervened and stopped him. Then they both saw the ram God had provided, caught in the thickets. The point here is Abraham not only believed God would keep his promise which demonstrated faith, but he never lost hope despite his circumstances. He kept the expectant attitude! Abraham spoke what he believed. He had hope which is only possible with faith.
Hope
I recently found myself telling a friend about some troubling circumstances I was going through. She asked me what I hope God will do about it. After telling her the hope of what I believed, she told me to start proclaiming those very words. She said anytime I speak anything contrary to that, in essence I am nullifying my prayers.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 NIV
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB
This is what Jesus tells us to do with all of our thoughts before they become words out of our mouth. Although we know God is all powerful and able to do more than we an ask or imagine, out of our heart comes the attitude that determines outcome of our prayer. In my last post, I spoke about spiritual warfare. Well, when negative emotions like fear, anxiety, anger and lack of hope arise within us, we are being spiritually attacked. These feelings are normal protected emotions, but it’s what we do with them that determine how God perceives our prayer and where we place our trust. Despite these negative emotions, God still wants you to act with evidence of faith, like Abraham.
Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17
And without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 NIV
First off, in order to believe God, you must know God. Through a personal relationship with His son Jesus and through His word in the Bible, we find promises of hope and an abundant life. If we don’t believe God will do what he says or what we ask, then we are not trusting in Him. And that begs the question; who are you believing? Who do you want to please, God or the devil? Because without fear, you can’t please Satan, a.k.a. the devil. This puts faith and fear at opposite ends of the spectrum just like God and Satan, good and evil. This is what Jesus says about the difference between Himself and Satan:
“The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come so you may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
When our difficult circumstances dictate the negative emotions we feel, we are believing the lies of the devil before taking those thoughts to the Lord in prayer. The enemy cannot hear your thoughts, only your words. So be very careful what you speak about. Tell God your problems and listen to His still small voice in your heart, or find His response in His Word. Don’t reinforce those problems by voicing them, but rather speak life! Declare out loud to yourself or your loved one or whomever you may be struggling with, the hope of what God will do.
Lately I’ve been declaring to someone I know who is struggling with missing the mark of God’s perfection, that they will get the victory and one day be preaching God’s word to help others. His first response was a snort of sorts. The next time I declared it, I got an AMEN! By the way, amen means “so be it.” And there you have a beautiful response of faith in the hope of what is not yet seen. It is like borrowing from the future. You borrow money all the time when you make purchases with credit cards, expecting to pay it back with money you hope to earn. Well you can apply this same principal here. It’s great to have dreams and a hope for the future. Wait in joyful expectation for that hope and although it is not a reality yet, borrow the joy of that hope now. The following scripture has become my favorite and it was also the very first scripture I ever memorized. It is the hope found in that promise that I rely on because I trust and believe God.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11
We can trust Jesus to give us our best life ever, we don’t have to believe the lies of the enemy who comes to steal our joy and destroy our faith with lies of fear and other negative thoughts and emotions. We can overcome these negative thoughts when we respond from a place of obedience to God’s word rather than emotion. God alone is sovereign! When He is the one in whom you put your trust, you can live a joyful, abundant life. After all, God alone knows what that looks like. He is faithful to fulfill His promises when we hope and trust in Him. Check out the short abide meditation below on the source of hope. And listen to Jesus these words of encouragement and overcoming fear.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 NASB
Hair
Speaking of the hair on your head, one of the reasons God gave us this is for adornment. Who doesn’t want beautiful hair and what does this have to do with hope? Hmmm, well I suppose you can hope to have beautiful hair, or you can hope your hairdresser doesn’t mess up your hair. A little while ago, we hoped the hair salons would re-open. And all of these are possible, as salons are now open again in many places. But be sure to bring your mask and show off those beautiful eyes and keep yourself and others safe in this season of Covid 19.
So let’s talk about a face-flattering hairstyle to go with those beautiful eyes. Face shapes are individually unique and come in a variety of descriptions, round, oval, oblong, rectangle, triangle, square, diamond and heart. Years ago, the cosmetology books were written to teach stylists to create hairstyles that made one’s face appear oval, as that was believed to be the perfect face shape. Today we believe all faces are created equal just like people. God doesn’t make mistakes. Yet sometimes we are not content with what we have and that’s ok, because face shapes can be enhanced or diminished with certain styles. That’s why God gave us hairdressers; we help everyone look and feel more beautiful. It’s a gift, and I thank God for mine. So don’t worry about your hair or your face shape, one way or the other… THERE IS HOPE! Just talk to your stylist with an expectant attitude that you’ll get the look you desire. Be clear and bring pictures of what you like and dislike. Discuss how your preferences will work with your individual features. Hopefully you’ll understand each other. An old friend once said to me “when in doubt, don’t!” So if you are still unsure about your stylists suggestions, hold off on that haircut and get another opinion. If you have already booked that appointment for a haircut the day you are there, you can always opt for just a blow dry and tell the stylist you need time to think about his or her suggestion. In most salons, consultations are free so booking just a consultation is also an option.
Determining your face shape
When I speak of enhancing ones face shape in regard to asking for a new style, be sure you are not looking at one that will diminish your best features. And If you are unhappy with certain features because of your face shape, certain styles can be created to diminish those features that you feel uncomfortable about. So what shape face do you have?
Tips for accentuating or diminishing certain features
A longer face, whether it is rectangle, oblong or diamond can appear shorter with bangs or a fringe at the forehead. Long hair will accentuate the length of the face. Therefore, round or square shapes can be softened and lengthened by longer hair without bangs. Heart-shaped or triangle-shaped faces can minimize width at the forehead with bangs, or minimize width at the jaw line with a chin length style. Wide faces can minimize width at the cheek bones by hair moving toward the face. Consider a bob or a shorter style that is wispy around the face. If you wish to enhance your cheekbones, wear your hair away from your face. If you have a double chin, a longer inverted bob will detract from that because the weight of the hair moves forward, shadowing the chin. These are just a few of the many options to get the most face-flattering style. Find a stylist who takes time to understand your desires, through a thorough consultation and go for that new look, trusting God that you’ll look marvelous. God is good, He even cares about something that seems as trivial as your hairstyle. After all, if he cares for the sparrows, how much more so does he care for you, right down to the smallest detail.
Thank you for reading my blog and letting me encourage you in the faith. For further information on some of the foundations for my belief in the power of new beginnings through a personal relationship with Jesus, please let me know so I may continue to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. If you desire a free personal consultation on determining your face shape you can email me. I’ll be back next week with advice on changing your style and a promise from God in these uncertain changing times. Jesus loves you and so do I!
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