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Hopes: A desire for some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it.
Greek: elpizo [el-pid’-zo]: trust[18], hopes[10], hope for[2], things hoped for[1], from (elpis); to expect or confide :- (have, thing) hope (-d) (for), trust. Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
I defined hope as the goal setter or thermostat of your life. When the temperature plummets to 20 degrees and it begins to get a bit chilly in your house you step up to the thermostat and turn it on or up. Whichever, your expectations of something good are very high. This is the spirit of hope. We walk in it every day of our lives for without hope, you will die; physically, mentally, financially, spiritually, and/or socially. You will quit trying and the things around you will grow vaguely dim and any expectation of good will begin to wane.
Most of the world has lost their hope in that they can’t see the possibilities of change in this dark and dying life they are leading. Sad to say, it is a disease that runs rampant in the church. You must keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector [finisher] of your faith. Being in the Word daily is so huge in the end results and Jesus said, Romans 10:17 (NASB) “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” And Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
I have been a carpenter and builder for neigh onto 54 years, and the Lord expressed this hope to me this way. He said that Hope was like a blueprint [goal setter] of a home and that faith is the substance [building materials] of the home that we are constructing. It still takes work or effort to put the hope and faith together to end up with the finished product we are wanting. This is what James meant in James 1:23 (HCSB) “Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror.” Without one of the 3, it will not become a reality. We must take our hope [blueprint] and mix it with faith-substance [building materials] and put our hand to the plow [doer] and we will end up with the results desired. Exercising my beliefs using this 3-fold principle has carried me through many victories and has placed me on the other side of the mountain [place not seen] where we find great blessings.
So, hope is an integral part of the ventures of believing God for a thing. It gives us directions [blueprint] of where we are headed in life, and without it, we will lose our way. Get some hope [vision or blueprint] and never let go of it. The Lord will help you fine tune it as you move forward with your endeavors. He will never let you down.
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