Hope That Starts with Identity

“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit.” 1 Peter 1:2 (GNT)

Many people in our broken world wonder why things so often don’t go the way they should. They want to know, “Is there any hope?”

Hope is essential.

We need genuine hope—not just optimism. Optimism is psychological; it’s based on the way I think. Hope is theological; it’s based on who God is and his relationship with me. Optimism is positive thinking. Hope is passionate trusting.

The book of 1 Peter is a letter of hope. Peter wrote it to Christians who were suffering persecution in the Roman Empire.

In the first seven verses of 1 Peter, God gives five roots of radical hope. 

The first root of radical hope is this: God chose you before I chose him.

The Bible says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2 GNT).

My salvation is no accident. Long before I chose God, he chose me. I was his idea. Before God even created the universe, he decided he wanted to create me.

Look again at 1 Peter 1:2. It says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God.” That means God has a purpose for my life. What is that purpose? He wants to make me holy for heaven.

In other words, God has chosen me to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal! In fact, it’s the highest honor I could ever receive.

And it’s the first reason I can have hope, no matter what’s going on in my life.

Let this root of radical hope grow down deep in my life: Before I chose him, God chose me to spend eternity with him.

In summary:

In a broken world where many question whether there is hope, 1 Peter reminds me that true hope is not based on optimism or positive thinking, but on trusting who God is and His purposeful relationship with me. Hope is theological, not psychological—it is rooted in God’s character and promises. The first foundation of radical hope is knowing that God chose me before I ever chose Him, and that my salvation and life are no accident. According to 1 Peter 1:2, God intentionally chose me and is shaping me by His Spirit to be holy (set apart) and to spend eternity with Him. This truth—being chosen by God for an eternal purpose—is a powerful, unshakable reason for hope in every season of life.

Bottom Line:

My hope is secure because my life is not an accident—God chose me on purpose, is shaping me by His Spirit, and has called me to an eternal future with Him.

Next Step:

This week, clearly articulate and share (in one place) the truth that identity precedes impact: before we do anything for God, we are chosen by God. Turn this into a short devotional, LinkedIn post, coaching prompt, or opening framework for your workshops that helps people move from performance-based living to purpose-driven living.

Start with this line: “Before you ever chose God, He chose you—and that changes how you lead, decide, and endure.”

When I help people settle their identity, I empower them to live with confidence, resilience, and hope—and that’s exactly the impact I'm aiming to make.

 

Radical Generosity Starts with the Heart

“If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t.” 2 Corinthians 8:12 (TLB)

Generosity is about far more than giving money. It’s about living generously in every area of your life.

The Bible says this about generosity: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV).

What does it look like to “be generous on every occasion”? It means being generous with my time, praise, sympathy, forgiveness, love, compliments, and kindness. It means being generous with my listening so that I can seek to understand others. And it means being generous with my attention so that I can be aware of the needs of people.

But God isn’t interested in how I you give in life. He cares about why I give and how I give. He cares about my motivation—my heart. That’s the difference between normal generosity and radical generosity.

Radical generosity is an attitude, not an amount. 

The Bible says it this way: “If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t” (2 Corinthians 8:12 TLB).

God doesn’t need my money, talent, or time. In truth, he really doesn’t need anything from me. But what he wants from me is my heart. What he wants is my love. The Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV). When I give my life to Christ, my heart will be with him.

No matter what I do or what I give, it’s important to check my motivation. Why? Because God wants me to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). He wants me to be radically generous.

There is an impact that my radical generosity can have on your life. It will change me and the people around me!

In summary:

True generosity is not measured by how much I give, but by the heart and attitude behind my giving. God calls me to live generously in every area of life—not just financially, but with my time, attention, forgiveness, kindness, and love. Radical generosity is an attitude, not an amount, and God desires that I give what I have with eagerness and sincerity rather than focusing on what I lack. Ultimately, God isn’t after my resources but my heart, because where my treasure is, my heart follows. When my motivation is rooted in honoring Christ, radical generosity transforms not only me but also the lives of those around me.

Bottom line:

God isn’t concerned with how much I give, but with the condition of my heart—radical generosity flows from a willing, Christ-centered motivation and changes both me and those around me.

Next Step:

Choose one intentional act of radical generosity this week that costs you something meaningful but not monetary—your time, attention, encouragement, forgiveness, or presence—and do it quietly, without recognition. Then reflect on how it shifts your heart and the other person’s posture.

Your Problems Are Preparing You for Eternity

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)

I need more than positive thinking to survive in this world. I need hope.

In 1 Peter 1, the Bible offers five reasons I can have hope through Jesus Christ:

God chose me before I chose him.

God always treats me with grace and mercy.

God has secured my future.

God’s power will protect me.

I can have hope because God is preparing me for eternity.

God is using everything in my life—the good, the bad, and the ugly—to get me ready for eternity. Once I understand this, life begins to make sense. I stop saying, “Lord, why is this happening?” because I know why: He’s preparing me for eternity.

The Bible says, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT).

Those verses describe six truths about problems:

Problems are temporary. They won’t last forever.

Problems are necessary. They are an indispensable part of preparing me for heaven.

Problems are varied. I’ll experience trials of all different shapes, sizes, and levels of intensity.

Problems test my faith. I build muscles by testing them. In the same way, when my faith is tested, my faith grows stronger.

Problems purify my motives. God is much more interested in my character than in my comfort. He’ll use trials to refine my character.

Problems prepare me for my rewards. The trials I'm going through now don’t compare to the rewards of heaven.

The troubles I'm experiencing now aren’t fun. They may even be painful. But the Bible makes it clear that they’ll make my faith stronger. Then, my faith will produce perseverance.

That’s why I can have hope, no matter what’s going on in my life right now.

In summary:

True hope goes far beyond positive thinking and is found in knowing that God is using every part of my life to prepare me for eternity. First Peter reminds me that trials are temporary but purposeful—they test and strengthen my faith, refine my character, and prepare me for eternal rewards. God chose me, treats me with grace, secures my future, protects me by His power, and is shaping me through both joy and hardship. Though suffering is painful and varied, it is never wasted; like fire refining gold, trials prove my faith is genuine and will ultimately bring glory to God. Because I understand this, I can endure the present difficulties with confidence and hope, knowing that joy and eternity are ahead.

Bottom Line:

No trial is wasted—God uses every difficulty to strengthen my faith, shape my character, and prepare me for eternal joy, which is why I can live with hope even in hardship.

Next step:

Intentionally share my hope story. This week, take one current or past challenge that stretched my faith and clearly articulate how God used it to shape me, not just how He resolved it. Share it—through a short LinkedIn post, a brief devotional, a coaching conversation, or within my leadership circle—focusing on the lesson, not the outcome.

Trust God Even When You Don’t Understand

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (HCSB)

Many people ask God to guarantee their success before trying what he’s asked them to do—but that’s not faith. Faith always requires risk.

Faith means obeying even when you don’t understand. For example, forgiveness never seems like a good idea before I do it, but it’s one of the greatest tests of my faith. When someone hurts me, it may not feel right to forgive that person; it may not appear just. But forgiveness is always the right choice, regardless of whether I understand it.

Remember when I was younger and my parents told me to do something that didn’t make sense? Later I looked back with 20/20 hindsight and understood my parents’ perspective.

That’s how it works with God too.

Faith is doing what’s right even when it seems absurd. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (HCSB). I'll never know the whole picture, but God does.

The Bible gives a great example of this in the story of Gideon in Judges 7. Gideon led 300 Israelites to battle 135,000 enemy soldiers. The odds were 450 to 1. God had the soldiers take torches, trumpets, and clay pots—a command I’m sure Gideon thought was ridiculous.

But then God told Gideon to put the clay pots over the torches so the light would be hidden at night. Next he told them to go surround the enemy’s camp. God’s instructions were something like this: When I tell you, blow the trumpets, smash the jars, and let the torchlight blaze out in the darkness. It will look like a vast army is surrounding the camp. The enemy will panic, fall into confusion, and turn their swords against each other.

Gideon obeyed, even though it didn’t make any sense. The Israelites blew their trumpets, broke their pots, and revealed the light from their torches. The enemy soldiers woke up in shock and started fighting each other instead of the Israelites. Because Gideon did what God told him to do—even when he didn’t understand it—the Israelites won the battle.

Sometimes God asks me to do something that seems foolish—like stepping into a difficult situation against overwhelming odds. But when I have faith, I obey him even when I don’t fully understand what he’s asking.

Like Gideon and his soldiers, I can’t live by faith without risk. But God sees the big picture with 20/20 vision. I can trust what he’s asking me to do. 

In summary:   

Faith means trusting God completely and obeying Him even when His instructions don’t make sense to me. Proverbs 3:5 reminds me not to rely on my own understanding, because I never see the full picture—but God does. Forgiveness and other acts of obedience often feel risky or unreasonable, yet they are tests of faith that God always honors. The story of Gideon shows this vividly: though God’s battle plan seemed absurd, Gideon obeyed and God brought victory against impossible odds. In the same way, God may call me into situations that seem foolish or overwhelming, but true faith requires stepping forward in obedience, trusting that God sees what I cannot.

Bottom Line:  

Faith means obeying God even when it doesn’t make sense, trusting that He sees the whole picture and will work through my obedience.

Next Step:

Identify one area of your leadership or ministry where God is prompting me to take a step that feels risky or unclear, and intentionally act on it this week in obedience. Choose something aligned with my mission—launching a small teaching segment, sharing a devotional publicly, inviting someone into a coaching conversation, or moving forward on a workshop or email series—and take the step before you feel fully ready. Acting in obedience will build my faith, sharpen my leadership voice, and move my mission forward.

This World Is Not the End of the Story

“I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NIV)

No matter what I'm going through, no matter what adversity or discouragement I experience, I can be thankful that the pain is not going to last. God has prepared a home for me in heaven! This life is not all there is.

My current home that I love is nothing compared to the place that Jesus has been preparing for his bride, the church. How long has God been preparing heaven for me?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world’” (Matthew 25:34 NLT).

That’s a long time to prepare! God has been preparing heaven since the creation of the world.

There is more to life than here and now, and one day God is going to settle the score and right the wrongs. This is not the end of the story!

Heaven will be beautiful and enjoyable and restful and rewarding. But the best part is that we will be with Jesus—walking and talking with him and sitting at his feet. He said in John 14:2-3, “I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (NIV).

What an incredible promise! I get to be with Jesus forever. God wanted a family, so he chose me and is preparing a place for me. If I trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord of my life, that promise is for me.

In summary:

Jesus promises that no matter what struggles I face now, they are temporary because He has been preparing a place for me in heaven since the creation of the world. This life is not the whole story—God will one day make all things right, and the home He is preparing will be beautiful, restful, and rewarding. But the greatest part of heaven is being with Jesus Himself, the One who said He will return to take me to be where He is. God wanted a family, chose me, and offers this promise to all who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Bottom Line:

My present struggles are temporary because Jesus has prepared an eternal home for me, and the greatest promise is that I will be with Him forever.

Next Step:

Pause today to thank Jesus for the eternal home He’s preparing and then choose one worry or discouragement you’re carrying—and consciously place it in His hands, reminding yourself that this life is not the end of the story.

God Can Work Everything into His Plan

“We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (GNT)

I need to face it. I do foolish things from time to time. I make mistakes.

But nothing I'll ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. I make mistakes, but God doesn’t.

The Bible says it like this in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose” (GNT).

When I make a foolish mistake, God promises he can use it for good.

I want to be clear, though. This isn’t a promise for everyone. The verse doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes.

The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I don’t always get it right. But I want to do the right thing. I want to trust you, and I want to follow you.” Do that, and God will take it all and use it for his good.

That’s a reason for joy.

When I put my life in his hands, it doesn’t mean I'll never goof up again. I'll still make bad decisions. I'll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans.

There is no plan B for my life. God knew all the mistakes I'd make before I was born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan.

That means I can relax. I can stop being anxious. I can rest. Do my best with what God has given me. He will work everything into his plan.

In summary:  

God can use even my foolish mistakes for good when I choose to love Him and live according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 reminds me that while I still make errors, none of them fall outside God’s ability to weave into His plan. This promise isn’t for those ignoring God, but for those who sincerely desire to follow Him—even imperfectly. Because God already knew every mistake I would make and still included them in His purpose, I can let go of anxiety, trust Him, and find joy in knowing there is no “plan B” for my life—only His perfect plan working all things together for good.

Bottom line:  

God can redeem every mistake when I trust Him and live according to His purpose, so I can let go of anxiety and rest in His plan.

Next step:

Choose one area of your life where I feel discouraged by past mistakes and intentionally surrender it to God—pray, “Lord, use even this for Your purpose,” and then take one small, faithful action that aligns with trusting Him rather than fearing failure.

Faith Built on God’s Track Record

“Sing praise to the LORD; tell the wonderful things he has done.” Psalm 105:2 (GNT)

Sometimes in life, I don’t realize God is all I need until God is all I have—and that’s exactly what he wants me to learn.

When I experience pain and feel weak and defeated, when I think I have no support and are afraid I'm going under, that’s when God’s strength shows up best. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Each time [the Lord] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Have I ever thanked God for the fact that, while other people and circumstances are working against me, he is working in me to make me more like him and to show off his strength and power?

God says in Psalm 50:23, “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me” (NLT).

I can learn to be more thankful today by remembering what God has done for me in the past. When I take time to remember what he has brought me through and how he’s provided for me, it’s like a sacrifice to him. It honors him when I stop and thank him for his past grace.

Even if I'm are experiencing hardship right now, I can still thank God for what he has done.

“Sing praise to the LORD; tell the wonderful things he has done” (Psalm 105:2 GNT).

What wonderful things has God done for me in the past? How has he shown his glory in my life by using my pain for good? How have I become more like him through the changes in my life? How can I honor him today with a sacrifice of praise?

I need to take some time to write down one story of God’s faithfulness to me. Maybe it was a time when people from the church or your small group showed up for me. Maybe it was when I had to give something up but learned how to sacrifice in faith. Maybe it was a transformative experience as I served other people. Or maybe it was a quiet moment, a lesson learned, or a decision made.

As I remember what God has done in the past, I'll understand better why he is all I need today, and I'll thank him even more for it.

In summary:

When life strips away my strength and support, I often discover that God is truly all I need—and it’s in those moments of weakness that His power shines brightest. Scripture teaches that giving thanks honors God, especially when I remember how He has faithfully carried me through past challenges and used my pain to shape me into Christlikeness. Even in hardship, I can offer a sacrifice of praise by recalling and telling the wonderful things He has done, just as Psalm 105:2 encourages (“Sing praise to the LORD; tell the wonderful things he has done.”. By taking time to reflect on specific moments of God’s faithfulness, I grow in gratitude, deepen my trust, and recognize more clearly that He is enough for whatever I face today.

Bottom line:

Remembering God’s past faithfulness strengthens my confidence in Him today—because His power shows up best when I am weak.

Next step:

Write down one specific story of God’s faithfulness in my life—something He brought me through—and thank Him for it in prayer.