Hope is powerful! 

The foundation of our faith is in our hope in Jesus. As His followers, His return gives us hope.

The Gospel would be incomplete if it ended with our forgiveness of sins but held no future hope to be with Jesus. God completes all He starts. He promises to bring His followers to Jesus. Philippians 1:6 promises this: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

My fourth step in navigating life, especially when life is hard, is to remind myself this life is temporary. But that Godhas a permanent blessed existence awaiting all who know and love Jesus!

My hope in Jesus helps me to endure. Endurance is necessary in order for God’s people to live for Him.

Remember the exhortation in Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [Berean Bible] 

This verse ends with the reminder that Jesus is alive and well, and at the Father’s right hand! Jesus is God and He is with His Father who is God. There is no one with greater power than God!

How is Jesus using His power? The following verses provide some answers to that question.

Ephesians 1:19-21 reveals that Christ being at God’s right hand means power, position, privilege: “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age”

Romans 8:34 gives us further information on what Jesus is doing at the Father’s right hand: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Since Jesus is interceding for us, and He has told us that He has prepared an eternal home for us [John 14:3: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”], we should be encouraged through our temporary struggles in this life.

All earthly struggles are temporary for those who love Jesus and are called for His purposes. Whether money matters, sickness, or interpersonal heartaches, Jesus understands. They will all be settled when we go to live with Him for eternity. Belief in Christ provides me with perspective, and helps me to trust Jesus to carry me through my struggles. 

Praise and thanksgiving are also “tools” God has given us to help us navigate through our challenges. There are ALWAYS reasons to give God thanks and praise, no matter what we are enduring. Rejoice in all things!  See 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

When we struggle to find something to thank God for, we can ask Him to help us see what we should be grateful about. Even when Jesus went to the cross, He never complained. He knew He could trust that His Father’s will was best. We can also trust that God’s will is best. 

Keeping our eyes on the eternal, and not the temporary, can help us find reasons to praise and thank God. After all, what could be better than the hope we have in Jesus! We will be forever dwelling with Jesus and without sin!!

This is meant as a guide to help you navigate life as You walk with Jesus by His Spirit.

May God use His Word to help you navigate this temporary life by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

May you find deep seated peace that comes only from God as you let go of tomorrows and stay within today. 

May the hope set before you bring endurance in this sin-laden life that comes with so many struggles. 

May God receive ALL the glory and honor as you testify to His goodness in your life.

You can reach me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com. I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.