{"id":2490,"date":"2019-03-04T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2490"},"modified":"2019-03-04T00:00:31","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T00:00:31","slug":"hope-my-breakthrough-by-alan-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2490","title":{"rendered":"Hope-My Breakthrough by Alan Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"autumn-3753910__340\"<\/a>Our pastor spoke at a service and concluded by praying that the Holy Spirit might reveal to each of us in attendance where we needed a breakthrough. <\/p>\n

What I \u201cheard\u201d (perceived intuitively) however was vastly different and somewhat revelatory to me; \u201cHOPE\u201d. I was instantly able to identify with the veracity (look it up) of that impression, and also realized I didn\u2019t know how to affect a remedy for myself. I needed to hope again like peanut butter needs jelly, like Dun needs Bradstreet.<\/p>\n

Holly (loving, cute, spunky life partner) and I had experienced a fairly prolonged wilderness season. I was stuck, axle-deep in the mire of negative expectation, also slightly torched that God had \u201clet\u201d this malaise last so long. I do have to add, in my own defense, that we experienced a true \u201ccross\u201d experience, one in which we had participated\/endured\/sat relatively still while God put us to death. I also have to add for those who have not yet experienced such a season that you won\u2019t be having a near-death experience\u2026<\/p>\n

In any event, as I ran the following day, I devoted my banter towards heaven with the question: \u201cWhat do I do now? What is my responsibility in producing hope in my own situation? Aren\u2019t you (God) the only source of hope?\u201d I knew I was unable to deliver myself, (quick learner) and was of the opinion I was \u201cwaiting on God\u201d.
\nJohn 6: 28-29 seemed to drift into my consciousness; 28 Then they asked him, \u201cWhat must we do to do the works God requires?\u201d
\n29 Jesus answered, \u201cThe work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent.\u201d Simple enough, but how do I manifest belief? I realized I was going to have to recapture a sense of spiritual initiative, which had long ago perished in my desert wanderings. According to Hebrew 11:1, I had to believe and act as if my actions would, in partnership with God\u2019s purposes, be rewarded; be successful again. Paul said in 1 Peter 3:15, But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. Someone needed to look at me with complete perplexion ( poetic license), dumbfounded that I could smile, given my circumstances. I had to overcome the spiritual inertia, which I had allowed to descend on me, put a patch on my tube and grab the pump again.
\nI need to emphasize at this point that the renewal of optimism I crave is spawned more from a change in perspective than effort. I was made aware that I did not need to build a hive, but eat the honey. To painfully reiterate: More effort is not the solution, believing again is. My responsibility is, to pick up my rifle, jump out of the bunker and stand erect on the battlefield once more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our pastor spoke at a service and concluded by praying that the Holy Spirit might reveal to each of us in attendance where we needed a breakthrough. What I \u201cheard\u201d (perceived intuitively) however was vastly different and somewhat revelatory to me; \u201cHOPE\u201d. I was instantly able to identify with the veracity (look it up) of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2270,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2270","url_meta":{"origin":2490,"position":0},"title":"Let God Speak Through You","author":"hollysmith","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Western civilization tries to process everything mentally instead of waiting for the Holy Spirit to reveal it to the heart and show us mysteries of God in the unseen realm. If it\u2019s in the heart, we will know it. If it\u2019s in the head, we will only know about it.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=18"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0462","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_0462-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1155,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1155","url_meta":{"origin":2490,"position":1},"title":"Breakthrough","author":"hollysmith","date":"April 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently was asked to speak at a Powerful Journey Conference at Hope Center in Plano. As I was preparing, I seemed to encounter an age old nemesis: self awareness. My husband heard me practicing from his adjacent office, and weighed in with an observation of his own about my\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=1155#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/photo-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":106,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=106","url_meta":{"origin":2490,"position":2},"title":"A Woman to Remember","author":"admin","date":"February 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Col. 1:24-25 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dedications to Special Friends Lost"","block_context":{"text":"Dedications to Special Friends Lost","link":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hollywsmith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/IMG_4149-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2809,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2809","url_meta":{"origin":2490,"position":3},"title":"Identifying with Joseph","author":"hollysmith","date":"June 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What works God has called you to do are impossible to do in your own strength. God is preparing you for ministry. He is still fulfilling His promise to you. He has to make you strong and mature to withstand the pressures of the world. Just like in the life\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2533,"url":"https:\/\/hollywsmith.com\/?p=2533","url_meta":{"origin":2490,"position":4},"title":"6-23-19 Persevere","author":"hollysmith","date":"June 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Gal. 5:7-8 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 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