God’s Gift to Us
We all can get a little stressed this time of year, but stress in our lives is not the “Gift” that God wants you to experience this year. He has a life-altering gift for you, HOPE! A Living Hope, just in time for Christmas! Join in now!
Diana’s Notes
Living Hope
Welcome to the holiday season here at heartfelt conversations with Diana! It took me 4 hours to get home from work the other day due to the weather so fall has left and Mr. winter has arrived! Christmas is coming!
There is something “magical” about shivering and having the cold in your face. Building snow forts and snowmen. Going ice skating and snowmobiling. Seeing the beautiful and amazing ice sculptures at the local winter festivals. And, after all the winter festivities and games and sports you snuggle up to a warm cup of hot cocoa or your favorite warm beverage. The cold makes you feel alive as you feel the warmth being restored to the body. Your toes and fingers begin to move again! The anticipation and hope of Christmas coming can brighten a blustery winter day. But what if you don’t have a family to spend the holidays with. Or, what if you do, but you can’t afford to bless them with the perfect gift that you know they would really like. We all can get anxious this time of year. Obviously we all live different lives, but stress is stress and that is not the gift God has for you. He offers you Hope! A life altering gift, a new beginning - and it begins with Jesus, our Living Hope
King David knew hardships even though God specifically called him to the throne by sending His prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse, to replace the current king whom God had become displeased with. Saul became about Saul, not the will of God so God anointed David to be the next king, but it didn’t happen overnight and David spent many days and nights on the run, hiding in caves, with him and his men hungry , homeless and in fear for their lives. Listen to what David wrote in Psalms 141: 8
But my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord; in You do I trust and take refuge; pour not out my life nor leave it destitute and bare.
David has experience with God as a shepherd, before he was called to be king, so David knows to cling to hope. Not hope in himself, not hope in his “mighty men”, or for his circumstances to change themselves, but David had Hope in his Living God. The same God Who would deliver to us, the perfect gift of hope, Living Hope - Jesus.
Listen to how hope is delivered to our hearts in Psalms 34: 7
The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him( who revere and worship Him with awe) and each of them He delivers.
Psalms 34: 4 is one of my favorite scriptures that I stood on when I needed God to deliver me out of the fog and mess of my life and He did! Not because I am good or worthy; but because He is a good Father and He gives good gifts to His children. To those who seek Him
Psalm 34:4
I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him ( of necessity and the authority of His Word), and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
When you seek Him authentically, out of the necessity of your heart and you believe in the authority of His Word, and because your hope and trust and confidence is in Him, He will deliver you- so do not lose hope!
Proverbs 13:12 tells us why we need to have a Living Hope, to cling to hope - Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Jesus did not come to burden us, to place heavy burdens on our lives, to make our hearts sick from a lack of fulfilled dreams and visions - a life we long for, hope for - He came to bring hope and that Hope is Him.
Matthew 12:18-21 in the Good News translation
Listen to what God said about Jesus in the old testament through His prophet Isaiah.
“ Here is My Servant, Whom I have chosen, the One I love, and with Whom I AM pleased. I will send My Spirit upon Him, and He will announce My judgment to the nations, He will not argue or shout, or make loud speeches in the streets. He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. He persist until He causes justice to triumph, and on Him all people will put their hope.”
It is on Him - Jesus - we are to put our hope.
Jesus is my personal Living Hope! Because He raised me, resurrected my dead, lifeless flesh and He raised me up to a new life - I was born anew. Jesus restored my personhood, who I am as a unique individual, as God’s creation.
1 Peter 1:3-6 AMP
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever- LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Verse 4- Born anew into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay (imperishable) unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you.
5- Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through (your) faith (till you fully inherit that final salvation that is ready to be revealed (for you) in the last time.
6- You should be exceedingly glad on this account though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations.
Verse 6 is saying, yes, there are going to be bad days. Days that just plain suck, but chin up ! LOL Be exceedingly glad because while we wait for our eternal lives to begin God is guarding us, protecting us. Every time we step out in faith, we are telling Him, I’m not sure about this - but I trust You - I AM, Elohim, Maker of the earth. Like Verse 4 promises: When we are born again - We receive Jesus as our Savior, we are Born anew into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay (imperishable) unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you.
I like that my inheritance is beyond the reach of change - decay - unsullied - unsullied means spotless, untarnished. I spent my life with my head hanging low because of my past - but because in Christ, I am reborn - a new person - my past is removed - forever - Jesus redeems me to a spotless reputation in heaven. I love that!
THAT IS a reason to be exceedingly glad!!!
1 Peter 1: 3-6 should be a portion of scripture that we meditate on this holiday season and come see within our hearts, our inner being, to know, recognize and understand that we are loved and adored and highly favored by God Himself. Why else would He , as scripture says, in His boundless mercy for us give His Son to pay for our guilt if He did not love us! He wouldn’t! You cannot try to analyze God or you will drive yourself crazy, okay - more crazy! LOL This is a faith thing - you can only find what you are looking for, searching for, by stepping out -in faith.
Even though I have been resurrected and restored- I still don’t fit into the mold I almost ruined my life searching for - to fit in to! I don’t fit into any predetermined cookie-cut pattern - a mold - a life = that the world would call gratifying, or a status that the world calls acceptable - God did not create me to fit any mold other than His perfect masterpiece. The original designer- life He breathed into me and designed me, placed within me to follow and walk out. He did not create us to fit into the world - but to shine out - light up the world with our individual qualities that only come from the brilliance He created within us.
All praise and glory and honor are due Him!
Romans 11:36 tells us: For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever!
Listen to the beautiful word illustration of Revelation 5:13
And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
I love what the AMP bible has to say about Faith.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their reality - faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses).
If you HAVE to touch it, see it, hold it, then you are not believing by faith. Faith is trusting God for what you know He is working out on your behalf even though there is no physical evidence of it. Faith isn't crazy - faith is solid and secure because when we apply faith to God’s promises to us as part of our inheritance, our title deed to something He says we have claim to as His children - then we can be guaranteed by heaven’s warranty plan that we will have it. We may not know the details, how, when - but we know it's coming!! So we are still and wait and praise God and do His goodwill as we wait. HOPE - we have a Living Hope
It is only by faith do we know and understand that the entire Universe was formed and framed by the Word of God - He spoke -
Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
Psalm 33:9
For when He spoke, the world began! It appeared at His command.
Genesis 1:2-3
The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “let the be light” and there was light.
We have an Almighty God, Who loves us so much He gifted us with eternal life by sending His One and Only Perfect Son to be our Lamb, a perfect sacrifice for us. It is the blood of Jesus we by faith receive to wash and cleanse us by receiving and believing in Him, His life, why He came.
He came into the world as a baby - that is why He is called the Son of Man - our eternal hope, our Living Hope - a promise to us. He is the fulfillment of our salvation.
1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus by the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) our Hope ( the fulfillment of our salvation).
Jesus had to be born so that God could reveal His character ( the fruits we discussed over the fall) His love for all of humanity. The foundational character of God is Love - God is love -
And God demonstrated His love to us.
John 3:16
Jesus was born for the purpose of being the perfect sacrifice and to remove all of our sins and be united to God as our Father. God can not exist with sin so if we are to live for all eternity in heaven then we need to be redeemed back into purity - holiness - and Jesus is the answer. He is the reason for this season and every season of our lives.
In her 2025 Winter Edition magazine, Joyce Meyer asked a really good question - What kind of impact would you make this holiday season if we DECIDE to be happy! And full of Joy! Everywhere! We went!!????
Can we make a decision this Christmas to complain less, get offended less, bah humbug less?? LOL and chose instead to be happy - filled with gratitude, thankfulness, kindness, joy, Let’s rejoice! This is the day, the season, the year that the Lord has made, so let’s rejoice and be glad in it!!! Rejoice! Glad tidings for our Living Hope has come, for unto us a child is born - as Isaiah 9:6 tells us
Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
I have put a link of Pastor Alexa’s message -Hope and Light Waiting The Ache of Advent : - on the notes for this week on our website.
You can find the link of the podcast on -
Heartfeltconversations.com -https://www.heartfeltconversations.com/
I hope you can check it out and remember- Keep your Chin Up - Eyes fixed on Jesus!
NOW! 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. (Romans 15:13)
This Christmas - ABOUND IN HOPE!
Be well! Be Alert and Alive! Be ALL God Created YOU to be!
God bless and see you next week when we talk about our - Living Sacrifice - A Miracle Christmas Story!
Songs to inspire you
Charlotte Ritchie,Reggie & Ladye Love Smith - Rejoice With Exceeding Great Joy [Live]
Exceeding Joy - Hillsong Worship
JOY TO THE WORLD (JOYFUL, JOYFUL) live from @TheChosenSeries Christmas special. 🎄🙌🏼
Foundation Verse
Romans 8:11
The Spirit of God, Who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Chrisr Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you. “
Additional Resources
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/