Merry Christmas

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." 
     -- Luke 2:10-11

Wow!  What amazing things could happen in our lives if we would continue to stand on these words today.  What was the first thing the angel  told the shepherd?  "Do not be afraid"!  This command is still valid today. We are charged to not be afraid. Fear is faith in reverse.  Fear opens the door to our enemy.

Great Expectations: The Effect of Expectations on Your Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

     -- Hebrews 11:1

Yes, I know I've used this scripture already in my blog. You'll just have to accept that I'm going to use and reuse a lot of the same scriptures because they are really important, key scriptures when it comes to discussing faith.

If faith is the substance of things hoped for, what, then is hope? I turned to Miriam Webster to see what the dictionary definition of the word "hope" is, and this is what I found: