“What drives more of your activities: hope or fear?” –Unknown

Hope or fear, of the two options, which one is the driving force behind more of your activities? Each day, we can choose hope or fear to control our thoughts, help us make decisions and motivate us to take action.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

If I had to choose between hope or fear as the driving force for my activities, I would have to

admit that I like others, alternate between the two. I can be more of a glass half empty person, but honestly, the more time I spend in the Word, prayer and worship the more hope I have and the less fear torments me. There is a wonderful app called Scripture Typer. It is a Bible verse memorization tool, that I have been using for the past year and I currently have memorized 20 new verses as a result.

As long as we have breath in our lungs, we should have hope. Between hope or fear, I think we should be motivated by hope. Because, hope means that we are trusting in God and His promises and fear means that we may doubt Him and His ability to keep them. I don’t think we can err on the side of having too much hope but, we can definitely be paralyzed by having too much fear.

Hope or fear can motivate us to set and accomplish goals, but are they equally helpful? Everyone is motivated for different reasons and they can be varied and individual. But, of the two what drives more of your activities, hope or fear?

For example: a person might be motivated to make a lifestyle change, because they hope that it will give them a better quality of life and health, versus, a person being motivated to make a lifestyle change because they fear pain, disease and premature death.

As Christians, our activities should be motivated by hope. However, even hope can be misplaced if the quest for meaning and happiness in life lies in the temporal things of this world, which will ultimately disappoint us.

The Bible gives us many reasons to have hope in Christ, because He will not disappoint us.

Therefore, believers should be motivated by hope, because we have a risen Savior and every

promise that has been made is yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Romans 5:5 says, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (NIV)

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. (Hebrews 6:19 NLT)

Hope that is based on faith in God; is encouraging and positive, because we are placing all our trust in His promises which are for our benefit; versus, fear which usually means that we are not trusting God and thinking as though everything depended on us.

Have you ever heard anyone say they are struggling because they have too much hope? No,

usually people are struggling because they have fear.

Are you motivated by hope or fear? The Bible also tells us not to fear over and over again.

• Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (NIV)

• Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NIV)

If you are dealing with fear, because you are discouraged, you can put your hope in the Lord to encourage you again!

Psalm 42:11 says, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (NLT)

It has been reported that people fear public speaking more than death! Most people would rather die than have to speak in a public setting.

Fear can truly paralyze us, especially, if we spend too much time worrying about what others think or if we allow it to torment us to the point of stunting our growth and maturity.

However, the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). So, we

should have a fear of God, or reverence which is a deep respect for Him, because of who He is

and His great power.

But, if we are in Christ, then we are under grace and we know that God loves and has forgiven

us, so we don’t have to fear His judgment.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 ESV)

In addition, we don’t want to allow fear to immobilize or cloud our outlook on life by causing us undue paranoia and suspicion. Tormenting fear is not from God.

• 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (NKJV)

• 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (NIV)

Our hope in the Lord and healthy fear of Him should be what drives our activities.

Please comment below and answer: What drives more of your activities: hope or fear?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

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Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. -Psalm 116:2 NIV

We can call on Him as long as we live, as the Psalmist declares, and know that our Heavenly

Father will listen when we come to Him in humility; acknowledging that we need His help.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

We can call on Him, even more frequently than my children used to call on me for help with

every small and large task, when they were quite young. I remember how I would always try to give them my undivided attention, whenever they wanted to speak to me. I would stop what I was doing, bend down to their level, make eye contact with them and pay attention to what they said. I would turn my ear to be near their mouths, because I wanted them to know how much I loved them.

Even now, as adults, they’re so accustomed to me listening, that they let me know whenever I’m distracted and wait until they have my full attention again. And while I am grateful that they still call on me for help, I also try to encourage them to call on Him, who is completely trustworthy and faithful.

We can call on Him, because He turned His ear to the Psalmist. Our Heavenly Father will bend down to listen even more attentively and compassionately to His children, than a human parent does.

The Psalmist vowed to call on Him as long as he lives, because God, turned His ear to listen

when the writer of this verse was in great need. In fact he was near death, but God showed him mercy.

We can call on Him when we are overcome by distress and sorrow. When we are down, we are usually in a posture of humility and willing to acknowledge our need for God’s help. He can save and deliver us, as we call on Him to listen and answer our prayers.

Our tempest tossed souls can find rest in Him once more; just as a ship finds safety in the calm waters of a harbor.

• Psalm 116:1 says, “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” (NIV)

• Psalm 17:6 says, “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” (NIV)

• Psalm 6:9 says, “The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.” (NLT)

But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. (Psalm 66:19 NLT)

Christians can call on Him, through Jesus Christ confidently and know that He hears us, if we pray according to His will.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (NIV)

How wonderful to know that because He turned His ear to answer the prayers of those in the

Bible, we can know that God will listen and answer our prayers as well.

We don’t need an appointment. We can call on Him in every situation and know that He is

accessible to us 24/7. He is never too busy and always available.

The Creator of the Universe wants to hear from us!

As God’s children, we can call on Him when we are in trouble or facing difficult circumstances, and He will listen and answer our prayers.

• Psalm 50:15 says, “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (NLT)

• Psalm 31:2 says, “Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.” (NIV)

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. (Psalm 116:1 NIV)

We can call on Him as long as we have breath in our lungs in difficult as well as good times, to give Him thanks and praise, because our God listens and answers prayers.

• Psalm 146:2 says, “I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” (NIV)

• Psalm 116:17-19 says, “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,   in the courts of the house of the LORD—in your midst, Jerusalem.” Praise the LORD. [a]” (NIV)

Do you call on the Lord?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. -Psalm 116:2 | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

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One touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling.–A.B Simpson

One touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling. In this world we will all experience some

degree of struggling and suffering; and Christians are by no means exempt.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

I didn’t know that one touch of Christ could so radically change my life when I accepted Him in my late 20’s and I am so grateful for all He has delivered me from. I also didn’t know about

struggling as a Christian. I thought everything would go smoothly and it did for about the first two years. Then the trials came fast and furious.

I didn’t realize I would need to be discipled as a new Christian to mature in my faith and that I would need a plan for spiritual growth, so I could learn about sanctification, spiritul warfare; and so many other things. Over the years, it’s taken a lot of mentors, Bible study and sermons to grow. But, now I am thankful for the struggling that has brought growth. In addition, I know that God is with me through the difficulties and that He will use them for my good and His glory.

It’s amazing that just one touch of Christ can save, empower, rescue, deliver, forgive and heal sinners; who are willing to accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

In addition, one touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling; when we consider the sufferings of Christ on our behalf. The Father wanted to give us one touch of Christ, so He sent His Son to bear the sins of the world to save us.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

God gave His Son, so we could become one with Him: Immanuel.

• Matthew 1:23 says, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” (NLT)

• Colossians 1:27 says, “And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.” (CEV)

He made a way to indwell and empower believers through His Holy Spirit.

One touch of Christ is powerful enough to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness and bring us into His Kingdom.

• Colossians 1:13-14 says, “For He has rescued us from the darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” NLT

• John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (NLT)

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:18 NIV)

Whether our lives are short or long, one touch of Christ is more valuable than anything, because personal contact with Jesus changes everything.

One touch of Christ:

Cleansed lepers: (Matthew 8:2-3 NLT), (Luke 17:11 NIV)

Healed the blind: (Matthew 20:34 NLT), (Mark 8:22-25 NLT)

Healed the sick: (Matthew 8:14-15 NLT), (Mark 5:27-34 NLT), (Luke 4:40 NLT), (Luke 14:1-4 NLT)

And so much more as John 21:25 says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of

them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (NIV)

Would you like to experience one touch of Christ?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or

otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance.

Thanks for your help!

One touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling. A. B. Simpson | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How To Grow Through a Season of Loss

• How To Overcome The Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

• Podcast: Is It Okay to Be Angry with God

• Podcast: Why Aren't My Prayers Answered?

• Four Steps To Climb Out A Pit of Depression

• Who Needs Jesus? I'm A Good Person

• Podcast: Isn't Christianity Arrogant to Claim to be the Only Way to Heaven?

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• Quick Video - The Wilderness Gardens Mill, the Scriptures and the Spirit.

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth.