HOPE: How it Motivates and Inspires BUT God’s Sovereignty…

How does hope inspire us to change or get through difficult times? How does hope motivate and help us seek change in our lives? The Webster dictionary says hope is a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation. The Bible says faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (see Hebrews 11:1). We cannot have hope without the faith to believe we will get the thing we hope for.

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Rome in chapter 5 verse 4 that our character produces hope, and our character is perfected by enduring and persevering through trials and hard times (also see James 1:2-4). I can positively testify that my character improves during hard times, can you? Also, Paul wrote to the Rome church in chapter 15 verse13 the following, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

?? Where should our hope be in?

?? What is the result of believing according to Romans 15:13?

?? Who gives us the power to hope and why is this significant?

God’s sovereignty is a tough concept to grasp but know that God’s plans are always for our best. I don’t understand why I lost my job, but because I did, I could write a book I would never have otherwise written. Sovereignty is the state or quality of being superior. Thankfully, God’s purpose for our lives is always more excellent than our plans and hopes. Purpose is something one intends to gain or aim to accomplish. I love the following verse from the book of wisdom; Proverbs 16:9, which says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” This is God’s sovereignty and we can trust Him to do what is best for us.

?? Are you willing to consider that what you are hoping for is not God’s perfect plan for you?

King David, the second king of Israel, wrote the following in Psalms 62:5-8, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. 6) He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7) On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8) Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

?? What do the above verses mean to you?

?? What does it mean that God is a refuge for us?

A refuge can be a person or thing that gives shelter, help, or comfort. It is also a place of safety. (Also look up: Ps. 18:2; Ps. 31:19; Ps. 46:1; Ps. 91.)

And in Psalm 147:11, King David writes, “But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.” (Note: steadfast love is recorded 398 times in the ESV Bible.) Psalm 33: 17-22 also states, “The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18) Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19) that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20) Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21) For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22) Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Also, read Psalm 34:11-14 and Proverb 8:13 to learn what it means to fear the Lord.

?? Why does God take pleasure when we fear Him, that is, revere and obey Him and turn from doing evil?

?? What is steadfast love?

?? Why is it important that we hope in his steadfast love according to Ps. 33:19?

God loves us and wants to give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him (see Ps. 37:4). The Bible is a book that is full of hope. I challenge you to read through the book of Psalms and indicate all the verses related to hope.

Fundamentally, hope motivates and inspires us to strive for better outcomes in our lives. We might hope for a better marriage, improved health, healthier relationships, an exciting career, more money, and greater knowledge for a prosperous future.  Because we hope and desire something better, we are motivated to learn and do the work necessary to achieve what we hope to accomplish. For example, I hope and desire to love from a pure heart. Therefore, I am willing to learn why I am not loving well and change my wrong thinking and beliefs, so I can love from a pure heart. But ultimately, our hope is in God to help us accomplish His sovereign will for our lives.

Each one of us hopes for different things, but do we have the faith to believe things can be different and God will help us? Also, hope connotes a time of waiting in anticipation for something and trusting for the desired result. I hope one day I will have a good relationship with my oldest son. I have to wait on the Lord to bring about my desire.

My website hopeforcompletehealing.com describes the purpose I hope to achieve for all who visit.  I hope and pray that everyone receives complete healing; emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.  Also, you can experience better relationships and discover a new destiny for your life.  On my website, I describe how I found hope for complete healing through my research and trial and error.  As a result, my marriage, my health, and my outlook on life have been transformed.  I invite you to take the time to read the research and how I am achieving complete healing in all areas of my life. Also, I share these truths with the girls who are incarcerated at the county jail.  I have seen incredible transformations from hopelessness to a new hope in God for a better life.  I have hope that you too will see incredible results.

Complete healing begins with spiritual healing.  If you do not have the hope and assurance of salvation and eternal life, confess that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and salvation from the wrath of God (see John 3:36; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:5-6; Colossians 3:5-7).  Confess that Jesus Christ is God the Son, who died to pay the debt for your sin; forgives your sins and frees you from sins control (see John 1:29; 1 John 4:15; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Col 1:14; & Gal 5:1). When you confess this with your mouth and believe it with your heart, then God the Holy Spirit and His love, life, and light enter into your heart (See Gal 4:6 & 1 Cor 6:17), which is the beginning of the healing process.  


If you find my posts and website helpful, then please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Sick and Tired? Change Your Destiny! Be Free From the Infirmity Stronghold

Changing your destiny is as simple as changing your thinking. For example, were you ever told that your illness is all in your head?  Many illnesses can be healed by changing our thinking. Let me explain. When someone suffers from illnesses, they are said to be infirm. Infirmity is defined as weakness and frailness in our minds and bodies. Have you heard of  infirmaries, also called hospitals and medical facilities for those who are sick. When infirmity is chronic, then it is most likely a stronghold that we develop when we are told we are weak and prone to sicknesses and then we believe this, and it becomes a reality, our destiny.

Some people have the subconscious wrong belief that being sick gets them the attention they so desperately want, which was the case with several people I knew. One person recognized it after reading my book called Hope for Complete Healing. The infirmity stronghold also protects the wrong thinking that you have weak genes; therefore, you may say, “I am going to get cancer because my grandmother had cancer,” or “I am going to get diabetes because my uncle has it,” or whatever. For example, my family’s generational history is plagued with mental illnesses, cancer, obesity, and joint problems. Should I then believe that I too will have these same problems? 2Timothy 1:7 states, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, love, and self-control [sound mind].” We have the spirit of power, which is a truth we need to apply to the unhealthy beliefs that leave us powerless to control our destiny. 

The following explanation of mental strongholds is a reminder for those who are just learning about them. Many examples are on my website. Mental strongholds are the mental fortresses that would look like castle walls if they had a physical form.  Bad memories build strongholds to protect us. But in fact, they keep us from experiencing life and love. Mental strongholds are usually built to protect an unhealthy belief or beliefs generated by bad experiences that we have often forgotten about but are in our subconscious and still control us. Visit my website for more details about the many unhealthy beliefs we can have. Authority seats are like thrones within fortified castles. A ruler builds a fortress to protect his or her interests and authority to rule. Our mental strongholds need to be torn down so they can stop controlling our reactions and decisions.

I have discovered that the stronghold of infirmity protects the authority seat of oppression, which holds disease curses and oppressive spirits of sicknesses, weaknesses, illnesses, and distresses of all kinds. Oppression is a feeling of being weighed down or being physically or mentally distressed. When Jesus healed people, He often commanded the spirit that was oppressing the person to be gone, and then they were healed. Acts 10:38 states, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Also, see Matthew. 4:24; 8:16; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:18; and John 10:21.

Often a person feels they have no responsibility for what happens to them because they feel they have no control. The unhealthy beliefs could be: “I am incapable of taking care of myself.” “It does not matter what I do or eat; I will have this illness because of my genetics.” “Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis all run in my family, and I have no control.” As I explained previously, our unhealthy beliefs control our decisions and behaviors and, ultimately, our destiny. If you believe you have no control over what happens to you, you will not think you can be responsible and trust God. I know this firsthand because it was my life for many years. Then I changed my unhealthy beliefs with the truth that I can alter my physical and mental health with God’s help.

God led me to read the book called God’s Way to Ultimate Health by Dr. George Malkmus.  I could not put the book down until I read it to the end. In the book, I read a testimony about a woman who overcame severe depression when she followed the book’s diet principles. I immediately changed my diet and was healed within six months of many illnesses, including depression and endometriosis.

In my research on endometriosis, I learned the growth hormones injected into animals so they grow faster were causing the endometrial tissue to grow everywhere in my body. This condition afflicts hundreds of thousands of women. When I eliminated commercial meats and ate organic meats, I had no more problems. Herein lies the crisis of faith; when I prayed and asked God to heal me, I wasn’t healed. Often our illness is a result of our poor judgment of what we put into our bodies. God gives us the responsibility to eliminate the source of our sickness so we can be healed. Do you see how you can take responsibility for stopping the cause of your oppressive illnesses?

I still suffered from degenerative joint disease (DJD) inherited from my mother’s gene pool. I refused to give in to the unhealthy belief that I have to suffer from DJD. My mother was crippled by the disease and had five back surgeries. My mother’s sister had about every joint replaced or reconstructed because of the disease. I determined that I did not want that for my life, even though I had all the symptoms. I knew a healthy body resulted from what I ate, drank, and amount of exercise. I asked God to help me overcome the degenerative joint disease issue. God led me to the book Live Right (4) Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo, ND. In that book, I learned how “lectins” in certain foods cause weakness and degeneration. Lectins are a specialized protein in foods that can cause inflammation and cell damage and initiate a cascade of immune and autoimmune events leading to cell death.

He recommends that people with certain blood types should avoid certain foods. All blood types need to avoid wheat, corn, and pork because of the lectin reaction in everyone’s body from these foods. When I avoid all products containing these three items, I have no problems with my back or joints. When I eat anything with these ingredients, I have a lot of pain and suffering until my body repairs the damaged cells. I recommend this book if you have an on-going physical issue you would like resolved.

In his book The Strategy Of Satan, Warren Weirsbe believes that a Christian who is careless about his or her health or safety plays into the hands of the destroyer. Satan deceives us with the unseen lie that what we are doing will not harm our bodies so that he can weaken and disable us and even kill us. I believe the reason Satan attacks our bodies is that our body is the temple of God. 1Corinthians 3:16–17 states, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (Also read 2Corinthians 6:19–20.)

What changes will you resolve to make to better take care of the temple of God?

When God created humans, He put them in a garden and said, “Every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food” (Gen. 1:29, NAS). Then after the flood in Gen. 9:3 (NAS) God added to this diet and said, “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life [blood].

Satan may have put the lie into your mind that you don’t like vegetables, so you think, “I don’t like vegetables,” which then becomes a reality and you won’t eat the very food God created as good for man. Replace this unhealthy belief with the truth that you like vegetables because they are good for your body so you can be strong and healthy.

The closer we eat to the way God instructed, and the closer the food looks to the way God created it, the healthier we will be. You may think that the overly processed food you are eating will not harm you, that is an unhealthy belief. Do not believe it. I understand that natural degeneration and suffering comes with aging because we live in a decaying world, and our bodies are decaying.  But we can delay premature decay and mitigate many inevitable diseases if we take care of our bodies by sticking to God’s eating plan.

I currently struggle with fibromyalgia, and I know that one day I will resolve this painful condition as well.  I do know that fibromyalgia is a physical reaction related to stress because when I pray about a stressful situation, my pain subsides.  A researcher told me that many who have been abused as children have the highest incidents of fibromyalgia diagnoses.  Read more about my life story here.  As I heal past physiological stress related to painful memories, my fibromyalgia has improved.  I came up with the following progression from thoughts to destiny, which is similar to other progressions.

Watch What You Think.
What you think creates feelings;
Feelings generate beliefs (true or false);
Beliefs influence behaviors (good or evil);
Behaviors lead to habits (helpful or harmful);
Habits produce character (moral or wicked);
Your character determines your destiny (prosperous or destructive).
Change your destiny by changing your thinking.
Change your thinking with the truth and transforming painful memories

Example of a wrong thought: I think I have no control over my bad health.  So, I feel sad and depressed.  My depression leads me to believe there is no hope.  Because I have no hope, I continue to eat a sugar-filled diet, which I know this behavior is bad for my health.  I become addicted to sugar. Because of my addiction to sugar, I become apathetic.  Apathy destroys my destiny for better health.

Example of a right thought: I think I can overcome my bad health.  So, I feel happy and optimistic.  I believe there is hope.  Because I have hope, I make the right lifestyle changes to improve my health.  I get into regular exercise and healthy eating habits.  My good habits increase my optimism, and I see change.

If you see infirmity and oppression ruling your life, then go through the chapters on my website to understand the neuroscience factors of painful memories and how to change your brain’s reactions. Renew your thinking with the following truth statements.

TRUTH STATEMENTS

• God wants to give me health and healing. (Jer. 33:6)

• As I heal my negative heart issues, then my soul will prosper, and all will be well with me, and I will be in good health (3 John 1:2).

• When I fear the Lord and turn from evil, I will experience healing in my body and refreshment in my bones (Prov. 3:7,8; Psalms 38:3; Mal. 4:2).

• By my faith in Jesus’ power to heal, I will be healed (Luke 7:7-10; Matt. 5:34; Matt. 8:13; Matt. 15:28).

• God wants to deliver me from evil spirit attachments and heal all my infirmities (Luke 8:2; Matt. 17:18; Matt. 8:16).

• By the wounds of Jesus, I have been healed (1 Peter. 2:24).

The above statements are passages from my book called Unseen Battles of Your Mind, which is in the editing stage; and therefore, is not to be recopied without my permission.

STRONGHOLDS—What Are They and How Do They Affect You

I knew I had a stronghold issue by the negative behavior patterns that would control my reactions to situations.  Mental strongholds are unknown to our conscious mind until we seek God to reveal them.  In addition, mental strongholds often come in pairs to ensure we remain in bondage to our unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking.  Also, I learned that mental strongholds protect seats of authority, much like castle walls protect a ruler’s throne.  The authority seat holds beliefs that rule our lives by controlling what we think, and thoughts dictate what we say, and do.  Now imagine having many double-walled castles in your heart, and each one protects a seat of authority that rules your thoughts.   Go to my website to learn more about each of the following stronghold combinations and how to destroy them.

–Authority seat of anxiety is protected by the strongholds of worry and fear.
–Authority seat of insecurity is protected by the strongholds of control and betrayal.
–Authority seat of disappointment is protected by the strongholds of apathy and rejection.
–Authority seat of insignificance is protected by the strongholds of rejection and misplaced approval.
–Authority seat of humiliation is protected by the strongholds of shame and sadness.
–Authority seat of impatience is protected by the strongholds of injustice and unfairness.
–Authority seat of anger is protected by the strongholds of pride and judgment.
–Authority seat of doubt is protected by the strongholds of rebellion and independence.
–Authority seat of deception (lying) is protected by the strongholds of protection and manipulation.
–Authority seat of oppression is protected by the strongholds of irresponsibility and infirmity.
–Authority seat of escapism is protected by the strongholds of loneliness and discontentment.
–Authority seat of desire is protected by the strongholds of pleasure and addictions.

Tearing down strongholds, especially addiction strongholds, requires that we can hear from God.  To hear from God, we need to be in a right relationship with God. Please visit my website to learn more about how you can be right with God and to be free from the bondage of the above stronghold combinations.


All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website. 

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.  

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts. 

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles 

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.