Hope Archives - FollowingJesusUS.com

Hope Still Lives :)

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

Our Hope, and our Help have always come from the Lord. Our country has changed, but our Hope, and our Help, have not!

It’s hard looking at the events in the news this week and not feel that our country, that we love so much, is falling apart. But there is a saying, “Sometimes, when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.”. God has a plan for us, we just need to Trust God.

And here to is a word of Hope from Mary. When Mary appeared in Equador, She spoke of a time to come much like this. And She said that just when all looked lost, the Christian Church, meaning all of us, would be restored. :).

Keep Praying in Jesus’ Name and Keep Your Eyes On Jesus 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Our Hope Is In God :)

“Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise. The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.”-Isaiah 60: 18-19

We look around the world, indeed our own country, and we see violence and destruction in it daily. And it all weighs on our hearts. We can’t help but wonder just what kind of world our children will inherit.

But then we turn to the pages of God’s Word and we are reminded that our Hope is in God, not in this world. And one day, we will return home and worry no more. And our children will have that same path way open to them! 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Mary’s Message Of Hope

During the 16th and 17th centuries, our Blessed Mother Mary appeared in Ecuador to a little known Spanish nun. She gave both a warning and hope for the future. Mary predicted a “spiritual catastrophe” that would occur in the Catholic church, beginning sometime after the mid 1900’s and spread.

One thing that Mary shared was that many would be unable to receive the Sacraments (Holy Communion, Confession, Baptism…). And did this not occur during Covid? While Walmart was deemed “essential”, church was not!

Mary also warned that the Sacrament of Marriage would be attacked. And has it not been? Less and less young people are even getting married. Gay marriage seems to be the law of the land, despite the fact that it is clearly displeasing to God! And in spite of the fact that during the Sacrament of Marriage, we pledge before God to love another person until death due us part, divorce has grown by leaps and bounds.

Does God forgive us if we ask in Jesus’ Name and repent? Of course! God forgives all of those who truly repent though His Son Jesus Christ. But the increase of men and woman breaking the vows that they made before God is concerning. Is Marriage under attack? Yes!

There will, for a variety of reasons, be a decrease in Priestly and Religious vocations. And that is important, for who will teach us? And who will help to hold us accountable? Who will lead the effort to continue the faith?

Many of the sick will not receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. In other Christian Churches, this is simply called a Prayer for the Sick. And it’s also important. For those prayers sometimes bring healing and always bring comfort.

Mary also told us that priests who truly serve the Lord would be attacked. Have they not been? Both priests and ministers who truly serve the Lord ARE being attacked. And their message, found in God’s Word, ARE under attack as well!

Mary also said that many of the Faithful would be Blinded. Truly unable to see what is happening around them and to them, and truly unable to see what God requires of them! Will they be lost?

Mary also said even more people will fall into sin! Too many will pick and choose among God’s Word, seeking to justify their sinful choices, but there will be no justification before God!

“Widespread moral corruption, Profanation of the Sacraments of Matrimony, Depraved Priests, Unbridled Lust, Loss of Innocence and Lack of Priestly and Religious Vocations” are just a few of the evils that Mary warned us would happen.

This will be a time of punishment. But Mary said, ” I will always be there ready to listen to their cries and soothe their pain. Tell them that they should always run to their Mother with confidence and love…”

And Mary also said, “But when evil finally seems to triumph over all, when all seems lost, Complete Restoration of the Church will begin and the Church will finally reawaken.” Because God loves us 🙂

We need to pray daily, both for the courage we will need and that our Faith will grow-despite the difficult challenges we will face. And God WILL answer, because He loves us 🙂

Our Hope, Our Help Comes From The Lord!

Isaiah 61: 1-3

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

²To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

We live in difficult times, but God will make them right. We just have to trust Him. In Isaiah 61 it talks of God’s Great Mercy on His people. His mercy on us.

Beauty and joy will be ours, not ashes and despair.

So don’t give up, focus your eyes on Jesus, our time is coming 🙂

Make Every Day Count!

In Psalm 90:12 it says, “So teach us to number our days”

We don’t often think about that, in fact, some of us actively avoid thinking about it, lol. But the truth is each one of us has only so many days on this earth.

So we only have so many days to share God’s Love & Mercy. To share the Good News about Jesus Christ! And to share our knowledge of how to get to Heaven and just how important that is!

Because make no mistake, Jesus is the Hope for our world, today and everyday, and we are all looking for that 🙂

Make Every Day Count!

Be the Light :⁾

The Joy Of The Lord :)

“¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12, NIV

A friend of mine told me that she was praying this verse, and it got me thinking. What is the joy of our salvation?

And I realized, it’s the way God loves us. It’s different than any earthly love we experience. It’s always there for us, surrounding us, no matter what.

On earth, we’d like to think that love is unconditional-but it’s really not. Imagine cheating on our spouse multiple times? Think they will still love and stay with us? Perhaps not…But when we mess up, God still loves us. And He stays no matter what 🙂 There is no mistake we can make, no amount of failure, no length of time in which we do not honor and love Him as we should that will stop God from loving us. For God is faithful to us, even when we are not.

And there is no time that we can not turn back to Him. Because He loves us and He’s waiting for us with open arms.

So close your eyes for just a moment and imagine this, God lifts you up and twirls you around. And both you and God are laughing with joy. The kind of joy that fills every part of you. Because you are finally home, safe and sound, in God’s arms as you were born to be.

Pray. Don’t wait. Be with God today 🙂

The Blessing

We’ve posted The Blessing being sung in many states and countries. What a gift they have all given us! A reminder that it is our very differences coming together that truely create beauty.

God loves us all. Jesus died and rose again for everyone of us. And we should love each other, just as Jesus commanded. Always.

People follow Jesus all over the world! Each of them are our brother and sister in Christ. We need to be reminded what a Blessing and Gift they are to us all 🙂

Hope In God’s Word :)

We all need hope sometimes, something to hold onto when the going gets tough. There’s a reason God said that we should hide His Word in our heart (Psalm 119:11). Just as there is a good reason that God said His Word would light our path (Psalm 115:105 KJV)

So here are some of God’s Words to hold onto ?

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”-Jeremiah 29:11 (God has a great plan for you)

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10 (Suffering is temporary)

“And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children, because she considered Him faithful who had made the Promise” -Hebrew 11:11 (Miracles still happen)

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (God will help us)

“If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes”-Mark 9:23 (With God, All Things Are Possible)

“But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.” -Psalm 9:18 (With God, there is always Hope. He will provide for us)

^“16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self^[a is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”-2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (No matter how much we are suffering, it’s temporary. Heaven is real and we are going home one day)

“But the eyes of the Lord are on him who fears Him; on those whose hope is in His unfailing love”-Psalm 33:18 (God is always watching after us, because He loves us)

“Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” – 1 Peter 5:7 (Stay in God’s Will and your anxieties will fade)

^“58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”- 1 Corintheans 15;58 (Don’t give up! Jesus is Coming)

So my friends, hold on to these verses in your heart. Jesus IS Coming Back, God DOES Keep His Promises, and Heaven IS Real ?

Making Messes & Asking for Help!

A friend sent me this about creating messes and asking for help. Despite our best efforts, we all create “messes” sometimes 🙂

“Once upon a time, there was a child, who was 6 years old, who wanted his parent to take them to the store to “help” go shopping. The child knew that there was a good chance they would stop at the place next to the store and get their favorite drink – a “Slushee”. As expected, the parent asked the child if they would like to go to the place next to the store. The child replied, “Oh, Yes!!”. They both got something and of course the child requested a “Slushee”. They both sat down at a table and wouldn’t you know – the child accidentally spilled their drink. We are talking blue and red goop all over the floor, the table – everywhere! The child looked up at their parent and immediately apologized. Instead of getting angry, the parent said, “Hey, it happens. Let’s go get napkins and I can show you how to clean it up.” Then they calmly went to get napkins and then helped the child clean the entire mess. As they were throwing the napkins ways, the parent said to the child, “You’re going to be a human being for probably some time, and you have such a smart brain that it’s important you learn how to be more careful of what you’re doing. So next time, just be sure to pay more attention to your surroundings – so accidents like this don’t happen. Accidents like these can be prevented, but it’s still okay if they happen. As long as you take responsibility for your mistakes, the clean up is a breeze. I know big messes seem overwhelming and you might feel like you can’t do it by yourself – it’s okay to ask for help. There is no problem with asking for help when you need it.”
Truly, God’s Children on this earth are born into human nature, which sometimes creates a huge mess. Your Heavenly Father knows this and even helps to guide you around those surroundings, that creates these. He lovingly still gives you a choice – whether to follow His Direction or to create a big mess on your own – all over you and even sometimes all over those around you. He also gives you His Word to help you prevent such problems you may encounter. The best you can do IS really try to follow His Voice in His Will and Purpose for you. When you make mistakes, take responsibility for them – ask your Father to forgive you. Even when they seem overwhelming to you, that you just can’t cope with it all – ask for His Help. He may even send one of His to help you clean up your mess. He IS SO Good like that!
My thoughts and prayers are that you do your best not to make a mess of your life. If you do sometimes, that you not hesitate to ask for your Heavenly Father’s help to wipe away your mess with His Living Water. That especially when you are overwhelmed with the world, that you give yourself to Him and thank Him for helping you. It’s okay to ask for help. In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen”

May Revival Start With Me!

We all, no matter how faithful, have room to grow. Whether there is a sin we need to rid ourselves of, or that we just need to grow in our love for our Lord and all of His people-there’s always room to grow in our faith.

I heard an interesting thing once, “if we expect others to believe what we believe, than we best believe it ourselves”! It makes one think…

If we truly believe that Heaven awaits only those who accept Jesus as their Savior, than we must share that knowledge with others. If we truly believe that there is one God, and only one God, that can protect us, than we must share that as well! And if we truly believe that the Holy Spirit has come to be our Comforter and Friend, than if we love others, we need to share that!

Because if we truly believe all of that, and if we truly believe the only way to Heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ, than we don’t want to leave anyone behind 🙂

As for Revival, we must pray that it starts with each of us. Let us love God and all God’s people with our whole heart and soul. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with that love and the courage to share it, for we were born for such a time as this.

Be the Light :)

Be the Light :⁾