All too often, we see individuals that want to look like this person or have a shape like that person. We hardly ever see individuals that are content with who they are. Contrary to popular demand, we were created in God's image. This makes us beautiful just as we are! Outside of God, there is no image at all. Yes the world tries to delete God from our daily lives. This is done because the world understands that to be made in God's image means to submit the life that God gave to Him.

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

When we think of prayer, I don't really think we understand how truly important it is. Before we can pray, we have to first believe or the prayers are in vain. Before God brought Lot out, Abraham was in His presence interceding on behalf of those that were righteous in the city. His family member, Lot, was one of the individuals in that city. Although God still had to destroy the city after Abraham's prayer, He brought Lot and his daughters out.

Our relationship with God is so vital! God saves us and desires to save others through us. We must walk in true relationship with God and pray continuously for the souls of others that don't know Him.


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

When we read about Abraham, we may be thinking, "Why did God have to change his name?" Well at least I thought that. If we really stop and think about our own lives, we would love to erase some of the choices we have made or some of the horrible things that may have happened to us. When we come to Christ and allow Him to restore us, we are no longer who we used to be. Our name changes from sinner to saint. It is nothing that we have done, but God wants us to look ahead to where He is taking us in Christ. We can't hold on to our past and look to our future at the same time.   

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

It is finished! It is already done! He is the only way to the Father! He knows our end from the beginning. He is Creator, He is Lord, and He is God! Allow Him to restore your soul today. What a Good Friday it is!

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

In today's focus, the word perfect is addressed again. This time God is instructing Abram to walk before Him and be perfect. God had a great purpose Abram and it couldn't be fulfilled outside of his obedience. The whole human race depended on his obedience. He had to be able to hear God's instructions, and his life had to exemplify that which God desired. Christ makes us perfect before the Father. Let us surrender to Him. By His power and might, let us walk perfect as He is perfect.

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

What exactly is grace? According to the Strong's Bible Dictionary, grace means acceptance and favor. We too need God's grace. God's grace is free and we are undeserving of it. The word perfect doesn't mean that Noah didn't do anything wrong. It means integrity, moral, sincerely, and whole.  So Noah received God's grace because He chose to obey Him instead of walking in His own way. I'm sure that it wasn't easy.  He didn't have the power to do this on His own. It was God's power that kept Him. He wants to do the same for us.

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

What are some areas in your life where you need to trust God more? As Abraham, we must trust and have faith in God. He is the true God. No matter what His instructions are, or where He leads us, He has a plan for our lives. We may not understand everything but we have to know in our hearts that He holds our tomorrow. His plan is better than ours.   


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

How do you define self-worth? Is it in friendships? Is it in your outer appearance? Is it even in possessions?

In this very self-centered world, we can easily lose focus of our true worth!

What is worth anyway and why is so important? Is it the way that people define us? Or Is it how we feel about ourselves from day to day? The simple answer to this question is No!

The Webster's Dictionary defines worth as the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held; the moral or personal value of something.

After viewing this definition, the word value stood out to me. I was reminded of how I didn't realize that I had value and that my worth was far greater than the choices that I made in my past. Like myself, many others place value on things and even other people, but they rarely stop to reflect on their own self-worth.


So where is our true worth found? Our true worth is found in Christ! This may not be the popular answer, yet it is truth!

In Genesis 1:27 the following words are recorded, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

So we must first understand that we were created in God's image, not the images that we create for ourselves nor how others view us. 

And just what does it mean to be created in God's image? The Strong's definition of image is likeness; of resemblance to. The Webster's Dictionary goes on to define image as a visual representation of something.

Furthermore, Job 33:4 states, "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Isaiah 64:8 records, "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Therefore what can we conclude from these scriptures? We were made by God, for God, and in His likeness. We bear God's image! 

What a life changing revelation! We are so much more than the world's standard and even the false picture that we paint for the world to see! We were made body, soul and spirit. Our spirit man is eternal as God almighty is eternal! We were made beautiful just as we are! No changes needed! No opinions accepted!


We are beautiful because God is beautiful, and we are made like Him! Nothing more, nothing less. We have to accept this truth for ourselves. It begins with surrender and recognizing the divine nature of Jesus Christ! And as we surrender our lives to Christ, He reveals our worth to us. He restores our souls, delivers us from bondage and, through His power He helps us love the beauty that we are in Him.  Then we can come to a realization that no matter what we have been through, no matter what choices we have made; we were created by God and are valued by Him! We have worth and our worth is found in the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth! The Alpha and The Omega, Jesus the Christ!

 If you haven't already, place your trust in Christ and in Him you will understand your value!  Let Him be glorified in your life! He is alive and is the giver of life! In Him, you will never again question your worth!

Enjoy this worship song by one of my favorite gospel artists, Kari Jobe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKzS4SjBeb8

#hope-in-Christ


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

Scripture Focus:
Romans 6:16 NKJV - Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Word Analysis (Blue Letter Bible):
Present - (yield; stand with)
Slaves - (servants)
Obey - (submission)

What is the thing or person that keeps us from fully surrendering to Christ? Is it religious tradition? Is it family? Is it our careers? Friends? Spouse? or fleshly desires?

I ask this question because I had to personally reflect on this myself. First let's look at the definition of surrender?

Dictionary.com and the 1828 Dictionary define surrender in the following way:
To yield to the power of another; to resign; to give up; to relinquish

This definition is very powerful and eye opening! I don't think that we realize how much things or people cause us to draw back from seeking God with our whole heart. Or how we have surrendered to many things, but not Christ.

The scripture above from the book of Romans describes the effects of surrendering to anything other than Christ our Lord. The result is sin and death.

This scripture comes to life for me because recently I walked in stagnation and I had not surrendered my all to Christ. I was reflecting on my past and what man (people) had done to me or spoken against my life. I experienced heartbreak, disappointments, and  even abuse. I was confused and didn't understand why those things had happened to me. One example, I watched my dad suffer through sickness and die from kidney failure. As a result of all of this, I struggled with trusting others. I struggled with religion because somehow I knew that there was more to God than that. I internalized my pain and wanted acceptance and affirmation from others. Sometime later, sickness came as a distraction as well. I was diagnosed with asthma and then Type 2 Diabetes. The Diabetes was partly the result of steroid treatment for asthma.  

Then One day, I begin to have a "But God Experience." God begin to remind me of His promises for my life! He spoke to my heart and helped me to understand that He is all that I need! He showed me that even in the absence of everyone else; I am not alone! He is with me and He will never leave me nor forsake me as other had. You see, He never left my side; I pulled back. I got distracted and begin to surrender to the voices of my past and the voices of my pain. God showed me that some of my faith died with my earthly father. Yet, in His great mercy, He reminded me that He is my father. He is eternal. He is the giver of life, sovereign, just and He created me for His glory. I needed to surrender my heart to Him and so my journey began with a simple "Yes."

Each day Christ continues to draw me nearer as I continue to say "Yes"! I thank Him for His grace and mercy. By His power and great love, He is causing me to surrender it all to Him. Now as I go into my prayer room every morning, I want to stay there and commune with Him. I know where He brought me from and I don't want to return. He is my peace. He is my joy. He is the only hope there is for my life. He is life, life eternal!

So I say you today, put your trust in Him; lean not to your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:6)! The things and the people of this world can not fulfill what is only found in Him. Find our whatever your "it" is and begin to say "Yes" Lord I surrender it all. Then seek after Him with all of your heart. There, in the secret place of the most high (Psalm 91), you will find rest for your soul!


Let us be found only slaves of Christ!


Enjoy this worship song:

I Surrender All!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8tFO7Plm8


#Hope-in-Christ



Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

Scripture Focus:

Romans 10:9 - that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 Cor. 15:47 - The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is from heaven.

Phil 2:9-10 - Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth

As we continue in the affirming truth series of scripture, Jesus is now identified as savior and Lord of all!

In the above scripture references, we find that we must confess and believe in our hearts to be saved. Christ is the only way to be saved from our sins. Therefore, this is another confirmation that Christ is Creator and one with God the Father because no earthly man can save one from sin.

He is the Lord from heaven above according to 1 Corinthians 15:47. His name is above every name according to Philippians 2:9-10.

This devotional causes me to reflect on my own personal experience in coming to the knowledge of truth. From the time I was a young girl, I was not aware of this eternal truth! It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I learned I needed a relationship with Christ and that He is the only way to the Father. I didn't know how to do it or what to even say. I knew in my heart that there had to be more, but I had been raised in religion not relationship.

One day after going through many years of heartbreak and pain. I entered a salon and met the woman that would lead me to this very truth. I went in to be made beautiful on the outside, but God had another plan for my life! He wanted to make me whole! He had been drawing me by His spirit for some time. I had gone through depression and somehow knew that something was missing from my life. God wanted to give me true beauty. Eternal beauty in Christ!

A few minutes after entering, I sat down in the beautician's chair and soon learned that she was an evangelist. I felt very comfortable talking to her and I then begin to open up. She spoke the words that would change my life forever. She stated, "Want God more than you want anything else." I was confused so I asked her to repeat what she had just said, and she did.

As I was headed home, I begin to weep. I begin to talk to God. I told Him that I was sorry for wanting anything more than He. Through supernatural intervention, He led me to the cross of Christ. That day I asked Christ to be my savior and Lord, and I have not looked back. I have been walking with Him for over 10 years now and He is so very faithful!

I am a living witness to this affirming truth! Christ is savior and Lord! In me, He turned a mess into a message. Call upon that name by faith and He will do the same for you. He is that very peace and joy that  we all long for!

Enjoy this worship song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vec_kfgD6Mc

Your turn, leave your answers in the comment section:
H - How do these scriptures help you to know God?
O - What other observations did you notice in these scriptures?
P - Why do you think the words were recorded? Purpose.
E - How do these scriptures encourage you more?

What do you think is the overall message of hope?

Be blessed,
hope-in-christ
 

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.