(Hebrews 11:1)
The paradigm of hope versus faith is a resounding and reverberating clarion call for all Christians and Believers alike to reconcile themselves to the truth of the revelation of how the truth can polarize the most well meaning of folk.
Hope precedes faith but does not and cannot exceed it. The only thing that exceeds faith is "belief." It is written, "As soon as Jesus overheard what was spoken, He immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Don't be afraid, only believe." (Mark 5:36)
Hope resides in the wheel house of fear. Hope takes away your comfort. How do I know this? Most people that are hoping (waiting) for something are rooted and grounded in fear. They are desperate and they have anxiety. They are, in fact, uncomfortable! Hope immobilizes you and makes you complacent whereby you are waiting for someone else to do something for you.
Conversely, faith empowers and engages the individual. Faith looks the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" square in the eyes and declares, "I will not submit to you." Faith is the evidence of the presence of God through the person of the Holy Spirit. Faith is righteousness, holiness, peace, love and joy in the Holy Spirit. Faith corrects me. Faith ties us to adversity (kinship with Christ). Faith matches our thoughts with the mind of Christ (His awesome Word). Faith affirms that Jesus Christ is the standard that I measure my spiritual maturity against.
The conclusion of the matter is this: Hope is an occurrence that is deferred sometime off in the future but faith is now...
The Holy Spirit will not stop His work until I am like Christ! Selah...
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