Hope as an Anchor

​As a very large ship glides across the vast ocean, it will encounter some pretty scary stuff. From terrifying weather to the great monsters of the sea, a ship’s captain must use certain tools to ensure the ship’s and its crew’s safety. 
As a smaller fisherman’s boat sails along the water completing its tasks, vast winds can toss the boat from side to side. 
Whether the boat is small or large and regardless of its purpose, all boats face winds and storms which forces them to release a very important and necessary tool- their anchor.

When storms of life arise in our path, we should mimic that of the ship and throw down our anchor which is rooted in Christ and His Word. 
I found something very interesting about ship anchors. Even though a captain may throw down the anchor to stop the boat from succumbing to the waves and wind, it doesn’t keep the boat from rocking back and forth. The anchor, while doing its job underneath the sea, does not keep the boat still. Waves may even crash over the side of the banister. The whipping winds may still cause the ship to become a see-saw on the choppy waters; the crew still having to holdfast 
and sometimes even hunker down. While the ship above the anchor is wavering back and forth, the anchor is actually tightening its drag in the sandy or rocky seabed which makes its power even greater. The harder the winds become, the more embedded the anchor becomes. The stronger the storm pulls ships, the more steadfast the anchor gets. 
If that isn’t the most perfect description of how our hope in Christ should be,
 I don’t know what is. God is so intentional with the words He has chosen for His guidebook to us.

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Hebrews 6:19 says, “ And we have this hope as an anchor for our soul, both secure and steadfast…” 
Like the anchor of a ship holds that vessel securely in place, our hope serves as an anchor for our souls when times get tough, when the world around us is confusing and unstable, when chaos seems to be crashing around us, we have a guarantee that our anchor of hope is tightening its drag in Christ and His promises; holding us steadfast like a big ship in the middle of a storm.

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We see individuals all throughout the Bible who put their hope in God, and used His promises as their anchor through some pretty crazy- difficult trials. 

The encouraging Apostles Paul and Silas who, being imprisoned, gave thanks and praise to God while in awful conditions and in physical chains. (Acts. 16:25)


The determined power couple, Sarah and Abraham, who did not give up on having a child. Talk about a waiting season that was!! (Genesis 21) 


The mother Mary who faced a lot more than just an ordinary mountain when carrying a child before marriage; let alone, not even her soon-to-be husband’s child either. (Luke 1:26-38)


The persistent Hannah who would not allow her lack of a child to rock her faith, but instead held God to His promise and waited until she saw it come into fruition. (1 Samuel 1:20)

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There are so many more. I could go on and on, naming individuals who faced some kind of faith shattering circumstance, and CHOSE to believe the promises God had already spoken. 
All of these bible characters have one thing in common- the precursor to igniting their hope in Christ was trials. The trials they faced activated their hope in God which then led them down the path to receiving their blessing. When the mountain arose in their way, they didn’t turn the other way and run in fear. They did the opposite. They sunk their heels in the ground, stayed focused on the promises of God and used hope as their anchor to keep them unmovable against the storms of life.

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As a teenager, this verse was actually my youth group’s motto for a while. I remember having this enormous ship anchor in the room where we gathered each week. The chain alone connected to that thing was huge. Once it was placed in our meeting room, it wasn’t going anywhere because without the proper equipment, it was unmovable.
Let me tell you something, and listen carefully (or rather read this carefully). 
Satan does NOT have the proper equipment to move your anchor of hope because Jesus took that from him at the cross! Stop giving satan the equipment to move you! Every time we speak negatively over our situation, we give him another tool. How many times have we overwhelmed ourselves because we have allowed fear to take over? 
He would love for you to believe the lie that he is in control. Satan only gains control over our thoughts, decisions, and future when WE allow him to! Stop it!!

When you give into fear because life’s trials just got a little too big for comfort, you give Satan the upper hand. Don’t do it! Throw down your anchor of hope, and ride out the storm with Christ. 
Giving in to thoughts of doubt is giving Satan the equipment he needs to uproot your faith and send you in the wrong direction. 
 
Putting your hope in Christ is not you just sitting in idle, and miserably waiting for the storm to pass. It’s not you just getting by or barely surviving. It gets you through the storm with peace, favor, abundance, and joy until you see the victory! 
So you might be asking, “Well, what am I supposed to do until this trial is over?” 
Let me tell you:  
Make your confession mimic The Word of God. Throw away the negative talk even when you think the hardest part has hit. Find scriptures in the Bible that pertain to what you are going through, and start confessing them right away. Keep confessing them throughout your day, when you wake, before you go to bed, and basically as often as you need them to lift your spirit and get that anchor embedded deeper.

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Do not get tired and weary. Holdfast and believe that when the storm gets stronger, your anchor gets stronger too.  We have promise after promise in the Bible that predicts us as WINNERS over our battles if we put our hope in the Lord. 
Here are just some of these promises from The Word that you can begin to hold onto today. I believe that your manifestation will come sooner than you think, and as you throw down your anchor of hope your faith will grow stronger and more resilient to the trials of this life. Hang in there, and expect to see it happen in your life today. 
 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭AMP‬‬
 
“Return to the stronghold [of security and prosperity], O prisoners who have the hope; Even today I am declaring that I will restore double [your former prosperity] to you [as firstborn among nations].”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭9:12‬ ‭AMP‬‬
 
“Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7‬ ‭AMP‬‬
 
“Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:35‬ ‭AMP‬‬

I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my Hope in his Word.
 Ps. 130:5 CSB
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“because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I am praying that your week will be filled with God's hope and peace as you allow Him to lead you through the storm. 

If this helped you or you know someone it will encourage, please share it!!