To Hope - Make use of Identity and Authority

Identity and authority are necessary to hope. This isn’t a quick lesson. But you’ll learn where to start today.

I go into more detail in my books and my classes and my coaching.

Hope has been a motivator in my life and I’ve learned how to hope in some really hard times. It’s not the same kind of hard times you’ve had to go through, because your journey is different than mine. But we all need to know how to battle for hope.

He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 1 Samuel 30:16

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Identity and Authority is needed to hope

David and his men have lost everything in an attack on Ziklag. David strengthened himself in the Lord, he asks God what to do, he gets a plan and gets moving. Then a bunch of his men need to stay behind the rest go forward and attack. That’s where we’re at in the story.

To hope you need to make use of your identity and authority

Have you ever noticed when Jesus says something and in the next few sentences he’ll say something that is apparently quite contradictory?

He tells us,

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Matthew 6:7-8

A few verses later he says:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

Those statements almost seem counter-intuitive. First, we’re not to babble like the pagans who think they’ll be heard with their many words, next we’re told to ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking, knock and keep knocking.

What’s going on here? Jesus said both in the same message.

Identity and Authority - what I’ve discovered

What I have discovered is I don’t need to beg God for the necessities of life. I have a good Father who takes care of what I need, that’s living out of my identity.

There are things in my life that I am becoming. Who has God entrusted me to be? Those things I need to pray into existence. I need to ask and keep asking. I need to seek and keep seeking. I need to knock and keep knocking. In context when Jesus told us to do that he was talking about not judging others.

Who needs to live that out in their life?

How does identity and authority work? I have some really crazy stories about how I’ve learned about authority and identity.

I want to default to my identity. I want my Good Father to take care of me so why do I have to be worried about anything.

But there are times and seasons I need to live out of my authority. In this journey of hope there will be a time you need to press in.

How do you know when to exert your authority?

The best advice I’ve ever heard is this: “If you think it’s a season you need to use your identity and rest and nothing happens, maybe try using your authority. If you think you’re in a season to live out of your authority and you declare it and proclaim it and name it and claim it and blab it and grab it and nothing happens, maybe try resting and receiving from God.”

4 Identity and authority tips for knowing which one to use

1. If one doesn’t work try the other.
2. If God’s answer is a promise, it’s time for me to grow in my authority.
3. If I’m moved by compassion, it’s time to use my authority.
4. Peace comes from trusting God and when I trust God I move in His authority. Peace is the proof of my authority.

I don’t know what season you’re in, but I want you to remember you have a Good Father who is taking care of you AND you have a Good King who has granted you His authority in a lot of the matters you might be struggling in.

Can I help you?

Live LIGHT Rhythm (group) coaching can help you move from busyness to blessing. Learn more today https://revtrev.com/group

Hope needs momentum even if it’s a little

Hope needs momentum, even if it’s a little. Learn what you can do today to have a little more hope.

David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit v.9-10

Hope needs momentum and trust

Remember to hope, we need to trust God. Don’t forget we need to trust God with our whole heart.

That means it’s not just an emotion - which should be peace, it means a decision of the mind but it’s action that needs to take place to show our hope is in God.

When David and his men took off, two hundred were too tired to continue and David told them to stay and look after the bags so the rest could pursue faster.

That is the thing that each of us need to understand when our health, finances or relationship is attacked. After we’ve made the decision to obey, it’s not that we need to do a lot. It is that we need to do something.

Hope needs momentum, even if it’s a little.

Hope needs momentum, even if it’s a little.

David ends up instituting a rule that those who stayed behind got the same plunder as those who went ahead to plunder and recover all.

Each of us needs to do what we can.

When you battle for hope and you hear from God and you decide to obey - you might not be on the front line fighting the battle, but you need to commit to do what you can.

What is something you can do to show yourself you're trusting God?

What has he told you to do that you’ve been making excuses to obey?

Obey and do what you can to move that needle just that little bit.

Do you need help?

Do you want to learn how Live LIGHT Rhythm (group) coaching can help you move from busyness to blessing? Learn more https://revtrev.com/group

To Hope - Refocus from the Pain to the Promise

We need to remember to hope we need to refocus from the pain the the promise. How do you do that? You can and must. Here’s how…

David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine,

Refocus from the pain to the promise

There is a shift in David’s story in 1 Samuel 30 when him and his men turn from the pain they feel and mov into attack mode.

The same thing happens to us.

It’s easy for us to get stuck on something.

It happened to me.

After my heart attack I was focused on what I could do and what I could control. I could only control how I exercised and what I put into my body.

But there came a time for me to do more.

One day I was journaling and I wrote down what I felt God was responding to me. I was surprised to write. “You’ve been accepting and lamenting, now it’s time to start receiving and believing.”

I needed to realize that while I had boundaries for what I could do, and it might be true I could never do again what I used to do, those boundaries are blessing boundaries for me. God can bless the little I have to offer. My loaves and fishes can feed more than I imagine.

It was a change for me.

It was a necessary change for me.

Might it be for you?

Do you need to refocus from the pain to the promise?

Whatever experience you may be going through, whatever relationship may be falling apart, whatever illness has your full attention, you may be accepting the reality of today fine…but you might be lamenting something or everything that you’ve lost.

Do you believe God can still bless the little you have to offer?

Isaac planted seeds in a famine and God blessed, he really blessed, he really, really blessed and Isaac received 100 fold harvest.

You might only have a seed, but it doesn’t do anybody any good if you look at it and wish it was the fruit it came from. Plant it in good soil and see what God can do.

Do you need help?

Do you want help with this? Find out what Live LIGHT Rhythm (group) coaching can do for you. https://revtrev.com/group

To Hope - Listen for the Lord

Do you make the time to listen for the Lord? Learn a tool that can help you listen for the Lord effectively today.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

A tool to listen for the Lord

There is a tool that helps me listens for the Lord. I call it conversational journaling. I know I’ve told you about it before but my question for you during this time of of self-imposed exile for the good of the realm is - Do you regularly listen for the Lord?

Habakkuk 2:1 says “I will look to see what he will say to me”

Don’t to enjoy poetic prophecy? How do you look to see what God will say? How do you see what anyone says?

Although I think we all get it. Anyone who has seen the voice of God gets it.

Anyway, it goes on and God answers Habakkuk’s complaint -

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.”

That’s where we get Conversational Journalling from.

Here’s how you do it.

1. Get in the place you feel God’s presence (look to see)
2. Write down a question you want to ask God (what He will say)
3. Write down His response with your stream of consciousness (write it down and make it plain)
4. Later, edit it for spelling and grammar and give it to someone you trust who’s a spiritual parent who is willing to tell you what they think of it. Get someone who can speak the truth in love. (so a herald may run with it).

You’ll be surprised at what comes out and how God can direct your steps with it. I should really do that again today. God has really been encouraging me in my journalling this week. He gave me a tool for writers that I was asking him if I should look through my files for the last 15 years to find what I did in the past. The one he gave me was WAY better than what I had come up with before.

How do you use conversational journaling or how else do you listen for the Lord to see what God will say? 🤔

He will encourage you when you stop to listen.

#CopeWithHope 😊

Learn what Live LIGHT Rhythm (group) coaching can do for you today https://revtrev.com/group

To Hope - Strengthen yourself in the Lord

How do strengthen yourself in the Lord? Since hope is a process, you better know how to do it. Learn how you can strengthen yourself in the Lord today.

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. v.6

How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?

When I was in seminary, I often told pentecostal jokes. I figured it was the group I grew up in, so we’re the only ones I should probably poke fun at. Apparently some people didn’t’ know that about me.

One day I came back into the class with a fresh cup of coffee before the break was over. There was a group in the back corner and I went to see what was going on. One of the guys turned to me and said, “Can you believe these guys still think tongues is still a gift for today?”

“Hey me too!” I laughed, then challenged “How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?”

I don’t know if I ever talked to that guy again.

But it’s a good question.

How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?

If you want to #CopeWithHope you need to know how you can. Think about doing something daily, or even several times a day.

The Bible gives us more ways than just speaking in tongues.

You can do this yourself through:

• praise and joy;
• the Word;
• waiting expectantly on the Lord and
• praying in the Spirit.

You can get encouragement from others through life-giving relationships.

How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord? Do you have a go-to Rhythm?

Tell me in the comments.

Live LIGHT Rhythm coaching is my group coaching program. Learn more about today at https://revtrev.com/group

Hope Avoids Bitterness

Hope avoids bitterness. The two can’t exist in the same place. We need to know how to avoid bitterness in our disappointments in life.

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. 1 Samuel 30:6a

Two Keys to Avoid Bitterness

Two key areas where we can grow bitter are when we are offended by others and when we live offended at God.

Key 1 Hope avoids bitterness through Forgiveness

When we forgive others we need to remember to do if from our heart.

To forgive from the heart we need to make the decision to forgive, we need to have action that shows we’ve forgiven and we need to feel the peace that comes from forgiveness.

Have you decided to forgive?

If not, choose to

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)

Can you bless the offender?

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28

If not, follow your emotions

Do you feel like you’ve forgiven? -

If not, use this tool

ASK

Ask Holy Spirit to show you a time you felt the same feeling you’re feeling when you think of the offender. Ask Him to show you another time. When you can’t think of another time, ask Him what lie you’re believing from that memory. Ask for forgiveness for believing the lie. Ask for the truth of that memory.

THANK

Thank Him for the truth.

CHECK

Go to the current offence you don’t feel you’ve forgiven. How does it feel? Go through the process again if it still doesn’t feel like you’ve forgiven.

We don’t have a choice we need to forgive…and forgive with our whole heart to avoid bitterness.

Key 2 - Hope avoids bitterness through Confession and Repentance

The second way we can grow bitter is by choosing to live offended at God.

How do you know you might be living offended at God?

Have you stopped praying or do you leave praying without having peace? If so, you may be living offended at God

Do you find it difficult to remain in His presence or be still and know He is God? If so, you may be living offended at God.

Do you hear yourself saying or do you feel yourself thinking, “I can’t trust Him to good.” If so, you’re probably living offended at God.

Two tools for living offended at God are confession and repentance.

Most of us can’t theologically agree that we’re living offended at God. It offends us to think to think that’s a possibility. Confession is agreeing with God that I’ve been living offended at God.

Repentance is doing the exact opposite of what we’ve just confessed you’ve been doing. God is gracious, He hasn’t been surprised or offended that you may be offended at Him. Check out the Father who runs to greet the prodigal son. That’s our good Father. He will empower you to accomplish every good work prompted by your faith.

Life is short, so keep short accounts with people and keep short accounts with God.

We can’t have hope with bitterness. We need to be like David who strengthened himself in the Lord. More on that next time.

#CopeWithHope

Have you checked out what Live LIGHT Group Coaching can do for you? https://revtrev.com/group

Hope Accepts the Circumstance

Hope accepts the reality of what has happened. It’s not wishful thinking or denial. Learn what that means today.

When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 1 Samuel 30:3-4

Hope Accepts and the Stockdale Paradox

You’ve heard me talk about the Stockdale Paradox. I’ll do it again, in case you don’t remember what it is.

James Stockdale, former vice-presidential candidate, who, during the Vietnam War, was held captive as a prisoner of war for over seven years. He was one of the highest-ranking naval officers at the time.

During this horrific period, Stockdale was repeatedly tortured and had no reason to believe he'd make it out alive. Held in the clutches of the grim reality of his hell world, he found a way to stay alive by embracing both the harshness of his situation with a balance of healthy optimism.

Stockdale explained this idea as the following:

"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

I see this same thought in Scripture. Hebrews 12:7 tells us:

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?”

I’ve come to learn to balance the idea that I will not blame God for the works of one who comes to steal, kill and destroy. I cannot blame God for works of the enemy.

But I also must assume God will turn all things out for my good, so He uses the work of the enemy for my discipline.

So I need to endure hardship as discipline. I need to confront the most brutal facts of current reality. I can’t ever lose sight of the fact God will make it beautiful in His time.

Does this thought help you #CopeWithHope?

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