Priscilla Shirer discusses the danger of hopelessness. Listen in as Priscilla Shirer, Laurie Crouch, Victoria Osteen, Chrystal Evans Hurst and Elaine Fisher discuss how drastically hope can change your life. This video was brought to you by TBN Networks®. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/TBN/feature… For nearly 50 years the mission of the Trinity Broadcasting Network has remained unchanged: To use every available means to reach as many individuals and families as possible with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Launched in 1973 by Christian television pioneers Paul and Jan Crouch, TBN began as one low-power television station broadcasting a few hours of Christian programming each day to viewers throughout the Los Angeles area. In the years since, TBN has grown into a family of over thirty twenty-four hour global networks reaching every inhabited continent with entertaining, inspirational, and life-changing programming for every family member and demographic. TBN began as a dream to “build a Christian television network that spans the whole world.” Today that dream is reality…and still expanding! #tbn #priscillashirer #hope
hopefulness is so powerful to keep your
chin up when it should be down to have
you anchored by a piece that as the
scripture say passes understanding like
you nor anybody around you can figure
out why you’re still that peaceful given
what they know about what’s going on in
your circumstances and yet somehow
they’re still able to have a sense of
security and stability and Sanity in the
midst of circumstances that should be
driving them and saying that’s proof of
the hopefulness that comes to us when we
believe that God is who he says he is
[Music]
whenever I think of Resurrection
I think back to the very first time
which now was nearly 20 years ago that I
had the opportunity with my parents to
go to Israel and
gosh the impact of walking into the
garden tomb area where it is believed
that Jesus body was laid and at the time
they had something on the door there
when you walk up to the Garden tomb
there’s a little doorway that’s open so
you can see inside of the Tomb there’s a
sign on the door that says he is not
here
oh
we could have had a whole Holy Ghost
Church moment right there because the
fact that he is not there I’ve never
been so glad in all my life to not see
nothing there was nothing to see there’s
no no
um body laying there there’s nothing
mummified there’s no Museum it’s an
empty tomb and the resurrection is our
receipt that he is who he said he is and
that he has accomplished for us what he
said that he has accomplished and so the
scriptures say that it is through his
death that we’ve been Justified and
reconciled to God but even more by his
life
we are saved we are graced we are
empowered to be able to walk in Victory
so I want to talk about the hope of the
Resurrection because on this Good Friday
we can look forward to Sunday already in
our hearts and experience the hope that
comes from knowing that he got up out of
the grave and the same power that
conquered the grave is the exact same
power not like a lesser dumbed down
version of that power but the same power
that was capable and able to get Jesus
up out of that grave is the same power
we’re supposed to be walking by the
spirit that power every single day of
Our Lives so when you look forward
toward what Sunday means on an Easter
weekend like this what kind of hope that
does that give you to live through and
press on in the trials of life and the
details of what you have going on in
your own experiences
so good you know I think about
um
Friday and it’s horrible Jesus’s
disciples they’re his friends his mother
is watching him die unbelievable it’s
horrible yeah it’s horrible
and how you know on Resurrection morning
the women were at the tomb
um
but not the disciples
like
you know there’s shock you know when the
women are telling them and Peter
discovers and he’s running to tell
everybody there’s this shock
that he actually isn’t there and I often
think what does it feel like to go from
Friday to Sunday
with expectation
and what does it look like to go from
Friday to Sunday in disappointment and
despair
and what I’m wanting to do in my life is
live as if
Sunday’s coming yeah because I get to
choose how I go from Friday to Sunday
doesn’t mean it’s not traumatic it
doesn’t mean that I’m not thinking oh I
wish this wouldn’t have happened this
way but it certainly changes my Outlook
and my excitement one of the worst
things that can happen is that you lose
hope yeah I mean it’s it’s life is hard
enough but to hold on to hope that that
things can get better that Sunday is
coming that God does reign in Victory
that Jesus is coming back from the dead
to to be able to hold on to Hope keeps
you going when you live without hope
that is just an awful feeling but I have
to tell you that there are many times in
my life where
sinking into despair is my first
reaction yeah you know and I’m not
looking
you know I’m not looking with an
expectant hope and so that’s as I think
about that I’m thinking about that
reality in my life what does it look
like for me when life is hard and I’m
living through Friday to live with
expectancy about Sunday
because it changes how you talk it
changes whether or not you’re smiling or
not it changes how you engage with other
people and honestly it changes whether
or not you actually live on Saturday
like if I don’t think Jesus is coming
back
then every Saturday of my life I’m going
to want to stay in the bed I don’t want
to engage with anybody I want to hide
away
if I believe that he’s coming back on
Sunday that I live on Saturday it
changes everything do I believe that
Jesus who got up from the dead that as
I’m praying over this child or as I’m
praying over this marriage or if I’m
praying over my passions and my the
personal Pursuits of my life as I’m
praying over my finances do I believe
that that same power
can change the trajectory of my child
can change the trajectory of my marriage
can change the trajectory of what I even
think I should do with my life can
change do I believe that that’s real
because if I do
it changes how I operate it totally
changes how I operate so it’s I mean
being positive is great but being
totally convinced of the power of God
that results in Resurrection is so much
better yeah we’re gonna need that kind
of Hope through right there have been so
many layered difficulties that
corporately all of us across the globe
it’s Collective trauma I mean and not
just one pandemic it’s been like layers
of pandemic whether it’s racial pandemic
or political pandemic medical pandem I
mean it’s been there have been so many
things War there have been so many
things to disrupt our peace to to really
take us out of this sense of being able
to face another day because on top of
all of the global things that we have
all faced there have been so many
personal griefs and losses and life has
been sort of up turned upside down and
so many hard things I do not know how
anybody could make it from day to day
without anchoring ourselves in something
else other than Earth stuff right
because this stuff is so uncertain and
disappointing lets you down well if we
all think that we need to play God if
we’re Godless I mean I can’t imagine
what people without God are doing right
now without a source of a higher being
that loves us takes care of us and knows
what we need you know and thinking that
we need to play God that’s right it’s
just crazy but when you live in the
power of the cross I love talking about
the power of the Cross and what Jesus
did for us first of all it Vindicated
who he said he was right and then he
destroyed
he said I’ve come to seeking to say the
lies I have just come to destroy the
works of the devil and then he said it
is finished now you go
you do what you’re called to do and I’m
going with you yeah right so if we
didn’t know that God was going with us
to empower Us in the Holy Spirit but if
we believed that
truly every person believed
yeah that we had the power of the Holy
Spirit to go and do that’s what Jesus
has done for us yeah he has given that
to us it’s a free gift and he has done
it he he he has all power and he’s done
if we all truly believe that think of
what would happen right I love the fact
that when I think about the cross and I
think about what Jesus did there’s that
he took two things that were separated
and brought them together
he gave us access to him
you know what we don’t need anyone to go
in for us we have access to the father
through Jesus and I think that’s the
most Miracle of all miracles is we Being
Human we literally can have access to
God because of what he did on the cross
and the same power that raised him has
empowered us yeah so it’s not that we
are weak here it’s not that we are
defenseless but we have the power of the
holy spirit in us and so I think that’s
what’s so embolding to say there is hope
yeah
I am I have hope because I have God in
Me you know and that’s what gives us the
hope that’s what anchors us uh is the
fact that yeah when the whole world
seems like it’s turned upside down we
know there’s still a God that’s
empowered us to to to rise above it all
to live as a light in the world and so
that’s that’s the beautiful thing is
that we’re not separated those the
division the anger the Wrath everything
it’s been done away with we have peace
with God and that’s just a beautiful
thing to think we can literally go to
God you know face to face we can come
boldly what does the Bible say to the
throne of grace to obtain mercy and find
help in our time of need and that’s what
I think so so wonderful because there’s
nothing like you know like they had to
go to the priests you know they had to
wait for the priest to come out they had
to wait for someone to prophesy they had
to do so much stuff but we get access to
God personally which is is pretty incred
edible yeah because he didn’t have to do
it he didn’t have to make a way for us
to have a relationship with him and to
have direct access so the fact that he
just was merciful enough and gracious
enough just loved us enough with all of
our faults and weaknesses and
deficiencies to just make a way and that
way was so costly for him his son we
said to my youngest son the other day we
were talking about just having a
conversation about some things that we
had read in the Bible and as we were
discussing the crucifixion and the
resurrection specifically Jerry my
husband looked at Jude and said you know
if I had to sacrifice you on behalf of
anybody else in the world those people
would be in trouble there is no way in
the world I would sacrifice my son for
that and so he said as a father Jude you
will never know the beauty of and the
power of what God did until you have a
son until you have a daughter and then
you will look at that child and realize
what the father must have gone through
and how much he must have loved you if
he was willing to give up his son for
you
unbelievable love especially Sinners
especially for Sinners
65 says I allowed myself to be found by
those who weren’t even seeking for me
yeah I allowed myself to be discovered
by those who weren’t even looking for me
they didn’t even care and still he made
a way for us to have a relationship with
him it’s breathtaking yeah thank you
Jesus
isn’t it cool too that we get to sit on
the other side of the story yeah like
we’re not sitting on the Saturday going
I think he said he was going to rise
from the dead like we’re standing and
I’ve heard you share this in a message
I’ve read it in a commentary like we get
to stand and fight from the victory like
every day our Saturdays that come our
Fridays of disappointment that come we
get to look back and go wait I already
know the end of this story like the
victory has already been won and so I
don’t have to worry about my life I
don’t have to worry about where I’m
going to be if I’ve put my faith in
Jesus if I put my trust in Jesus then I
know I’m secure in him and I don’t have
to worry about that and I just I think
it’s very exciting to know the end of
the story and not you know you don’t
have to sit in the movie and go I think
the superhero is going to save the day
you know he already saved the day like
the day has been saved and now you get
to stand in that hope and be in the
restoration of it and have the personal
relationship it’s not this fake
relationship it’s a one-on-one
conversation in a personal relationship
with the Lord and he did that all for
you the great love of a father
absolutely and it’s just incredible to
me like man that’s a really sweet father
I love what you said about seeing the
end of the story it made me think about
you know maybe think about going to the
movies you know I never think if I go to
a Marvel movie you know I got a house
full of boys right now they’re dragging
me all these movies I don’t want to see
it’s like can we do a comedic romance or
something you know
um biography something yeah um so I’m
watching all these movies
no
goes in
expecting anything other right then the
movie for the hero to come out on top
yeah
yeah so you go in with expectancy
you know you enjoy your soda your
popcorn you know you get your snacks you
through all these other emotions you’re
there for the ride you know
and um you know as you’re talking about
that I just think the expectancy Factor
you know what are we looking for God to
do and if he would not spare his own son
you know he’s a father that gives good
gifts to his children if he wouldn’t
spare his own son then not only can I
expect the victory in my life but I can
expect the victory at no expense yeah I
mean like that’s just like he’s gonna
ensure we can know that he can do
exceedingly abundantly above and beyond
anything that we can even ask or think
so normally when we’re approaching our
lives and we can’t figure out how God’s
gonna show us the victory in a certain
area it the natural my natural tendency
is to have like trepidation of like I
hope this is going to turn out I don’t
know how this is gonna you know I mean
that’s my first way to approach it but
if I approached his exceedingly above
and beyond his at no expense victory
the same way I approached a good movie
which is let me see how he’s going to
work this out I mean not only does it
change my Approach and how I live but it
also I think changes my witness what
does it look like for people who believe
on Jesus Christ not only for their
salvation but believing that he’s going
to come again how does that impact what
we look like you know just the
expectancy stuff with no fear with no
fear exactly you know you know and even
if we feel it because you in the movie
you’re like oh this is it doesn’t change
the fact that you’re there with
expectancy that you don’t operate based
on the fear you know and so I think and
you don’t walk out with that fear and
you don’t walk out with it you know yeah
he didn’t care if it was just and that’s
that’s what I want to see in my life I
want to see that in my life more is just
not the knowledge of Victory but the
walk because of the expectancy of
Victory you know because it does change
how you move through your life
hopefulness
changes your life hopefully hopelessness
is what is destroying people yes it’s
destroying I mean literally to the point
of suicidal right yeah hopefulness can
destroy someone’s entire existence in
life and in the same way hopefulness is
so powerful to keep your chin up when it
should be down to have you anchored by a
piece that as the scripture say passes
understanding like you nor anybody
around you can figure out why you’re
still that peaceful given what they know
about what’s going on in your
circumstances and yet somehow they’re
still able to have a sense of security
and stability and Sanity in the midst of
circumstances that should be driving
them and saying that’s proof of the
hopefulness that comes to us when we
believe that God is who he says he is
and he’s going to accomplish the victory
for us he already has and is going to
give going to give us the experience of
that in our existence no matter what
happens right hope is The Confident
expected expectancy of what God is going
to do yeah so
he’s going to do something good and
sometimes we can’t figure it out I think
sometimes we think well did I make the
right decision did I make this thing go
wrong did I interfere am I making the
right choices you know did this happen
because I didn’t do this right you know
like I made the wrong choice here and I
wish God would have helped me but you
know we have to understand that God’s
all-powerful he’s in control it doesn’t
matter if we do make a bad choice he can
turn those bad choices around all things
work together even the mistakes even the
mistakes they work together for the
girls yeah and so I think sometimes I
know I have that I’m like well am I
doing the right am I am I am I saying
the right things am I doing the right
things am I going to make this thing
turn out right when it’s you know I can
only do what I can do I can only seek
God try to make the right choices you
know and then believe that God can turn
even my mistake into a masterpiece
somehow some way you know and so I know
there’s people out there thinking well
you but you don’t know what I’ve done
you don’t know what happened to me you
don’t know how with the childhood I had
you know I could never get out of this I
could never quit thinking like this I
could but God is a god Miracles and he
wants to transform our life and he wants
to turn things around for us and that’s
where the Hope comes in if he can raise
Jesus from the dead like he said he was
then he can resurrect your dreams he can
resurrect those promises he can
resurrect your life I love that I love
that you know it’s it’s this idea that I
am not powerful enough to mess up
whatever God has done but I have to tell
you that you know there have been
seasons in my life where I didn’t
believe that Sunday was possible and I
didn’t act like Sunday was possible
because all I could see was what I could
see and I really didn’t need other
people to speak encouragement into my
life I mean that’s why I’m glad we live
in a day in an age where it’s not just
television it’s the Internet it’s your
phone it’s podcast you can be surrounded
by God’s word everywhere you turn books
are everywhere
um but the encouragement that people
need you know in order to
to believe what they cannot see
um
it’s like you know talking to a young
mother and you know I mean you just
drive me crazy you know you be in the
store and some more mature woman would
come by and she’d be smiling and then
she’d lean over and say enjoy these days
they go so fast and you’re just like
but her perspective
is different her perspective is
different and so
um I you know the ebb and the flow of
many many things just throughout my uh
20s and 30s I remember my mother would
say you know with that knot of knowing
I know it’s hard but this too shall pass
I don’t I don’t want to hear that you
know what I mean like just fix it I want
Jesus to fix it but what I can say is
that those voices of encouragement you
know when and and that’s you know what
we have to be intentional about doing
what I have to be intentional about
doing is even as a Believer is
surrounding myself with voices of
encouragement that remind me about
Sunday yeah you know that I have to
remind myself that’s why you have to
stay in the word about Sunday that I
need people who are stronger in the
faith that are further along in the
faith in me to to say I I know it’s hard
but you know it is no secret what God
can do what he’s done for others he’ll
do for you you know I mean these are the
things that this is why Community is so
important that just like the disciples
were huddled together
in dismay and even waiting to see if God
is going to come they were together you
know and so I I have to remind myself
when I start feeling the pull of
Saturday and I know that Victory belongs
to Jesus and I know that
um he’s coming back one day but we have
to walk through life and we have to walk
through the hardship and we have to we
find ourselves asking the questions it’s
to Avail myself of encouragement
anywhere and everywhere I can
um and to allow other people who are
more mature in the faith to listen to
them and put myself in the spaces where
they are and then to believe that
despite what I see and despite what I
feel that God is capable he’s not a man
that he should lie that he will finish
what he started and I can’t believe that
that’s how you build your faith yeah
that’s how faith is built right because
faith is the substance of things hoped
for yeah the evidence of things not yet
seen so we have to have people speak to
us things that we can begin to see
because when you’re discouraged
you can’t believe that’s what that’s
what happened to the Israelites that
when Moses was trying to say this is it
I’m delivering you out of the hands of
the of the Pharaoh the Bible says they
were too discouraged to believe they had
been under the weight of that oppression
for so long they couldn’t even see how
it could change and so that’s why we
need people to speak faith into our life
to tell us about the Miracles that’s
happened to them to get the word like
you said anything to get that Faith
built up and to meditate and dwell on
those things to build that Faith because
it is hard when you’re discouraged you
know so I love the fact that that’s why
we do need each other that’s why we do
need to stay in the word I think too
this is the power of context like we’re
in a generation right now that we have
social media and we see everything in
like 15 second blocks and we don’t have
the power of the context of the whole
story and if I get stuck in my Saturday
I don’t have the power of the context of
the whole story and so I think some of
it is just allowing yourself to be in
the atmospheres that I go give me the
context the older mother goes I have
context for where you’re going I have
context for where you are and where
you’re headed and like the the
Israelites there’s context if they can
understand I’m only in the middle if I
got up in the middle of a Marvel movie
and I left and I didn’t see the end I
lose my power of context and I’m in this
moment now where I’m in hopelessness
because I’ve lost the power of context
and so I think in our generation right
now we have to go back and go I need
context I need Community I need the
older to remind me I need the younger to
pour into I need this context so that I
don’t get stuck in my Saturday yeah
because encourage them not to bow out
right and they’ll they’ll have suicidal
thoughts or they may try to give up
earlier they may go well you don’t know
my situation it’s like well you don’t
know my God you’ve lost the power of
context because all throughout the Bible
I’ve seen your story and I’ve seen a
lost person find Jesus I’ve seen a blind
receive their sight I’ve seen leprosy be
healed off of a person’s body like yes I
have the power of context and so I think
that’s the other thing is we have to
really that’s why we can’t stop with
Friday we can’t stop with Saturday we
have to go through and say the hope of
Sunday is the power of the context of
the whole story and that’s where we can
receive a full heart of Hope to go God
you have more context than I do so I’ll
surround myself to know the power of it
yeah okay well the Gospel of John
Chronicles this moment when a woman
comes to the tomb and finds it empty
and she is bawling tears as she kneels
there in the garden realizing that her
savior is not where she supposed he
would be
and she feels someone come up behind her
and she supposes he is the gardener
because who else would it be and through
the blur of her tears she has no way of
being able to really clearly see that
that guy standing behind her is not the
gardener it’s the Risen Lord
and it’s not until he says her name
when he says her name the way her name
rolls off of off of his lips there’s
something about that her name being
spoken by this guy that lets her know
this is the one who freed me who
delivered me who changed my life and so
my prayer is that through the course of
us just talking about Hope and the
resurrection and the empty tomb that the
Holy Spirit has whispered somebody’s
name
and their tears their despair their
disappointment that maybe has blurred
them to Jesus and a relationship with
him up until this point that today
they’ll hear their name and they’ll be
restored in their hope and that they’ll
come into relationship with him so let’s
pray about that
Lord I Thank you that you call our names
I thank you Father that you know our
stories I thank you that you’ve given us
opportunity to have a personal
relationship with you I thank you for
the hope that you have given us because
of the Resurrection father I thank you
that your story did not stop with your
son dying on Friday and continuing Lord
to be buried and to remain in death but
father he is resurrected to life and
because he was so are we so I thank you
Father for the hope that you have given
to each and every one of us into anyone
who does not feel that sense of hope who
is wallowing father because of their
circumstances in a sense of hopelessness
and despair we pray right now in Jesus
name that you would by the power of your
Holy Spirit call their name so loudly
and so clearly that they would have no
choice but to run to you and that you
would restore the hope of their
salvation in Jesus name we pray amen
thank you