Hope is Your Anchor by Joanne Green
Our guest blogger today is Joanne Green. Intrigued with the world of fashion, Joanne became a runway model exclusively for the Lord and Taylor brand in New York and Boston. While enjoying her modeling success, she also earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fashion Merchandising.
Later, managing her home life as a wife, mother and budding designer living in Dallas, Texas, Joanne utilized her entrepreneurial skills, launching “Ezra” a unique custom clothing line for women and children which was sold to boutiques and marketed at trade and trunk shows. Joanne discovered that her work was thrusting her into the brokenness and spiritually bankrupt lives of professionals from corporate backgrounds and lifestyles. Her work evolved from designing for the outward individual to ministering to the inward, so sharing the Word of God became an ensuing passion.
In 1981, she acknowledged and prepared for the prophetic call on her life by attending Word of Faith Bible School. She was licensed to preach and teach in 1984 in Dallas Texas, and ordained in 1994 in Houston, Texas, where she also served as an Associate Pastor for more than twenty years. Her professional experience includes Sales, Marketing and Human Resource Management. She was a former Executive Board Member of L.I.F.E. Inc. and is currently an active Executive Board Member of True Vineyard Ministries which is a non-profit organization ministering to the needs of widows impacted by HIV in Rwanda and throughout Africa.
In 2005 “Ezra” became Ezra Ministries taken from the scripture found in Ezra 7:10 and in 2014 Ezra Ministries became a 501c (3) non-profit organization. Joanne has been called to be a modern day Ezra with the mandate to impact lives through her prophetic gifting to preach the uncompromised truth, teach the Word simply, and to provoke people to become passionate and purposeful about kingdom principles.
Contact Joanne M. Green at 512-270-9059 or at minister green@windstream.net. Website Info: www.ezraministriesinc.org
How often have you found yourself holding on to a promise you have yet to see materialize?
How often have any of us placed our trust in something or believed in someone only to be disappointed when the results were contrary to what we hoped for or expected?
I can honestly tell you I’ve been discouraged, and grew weary in the process while waiting to receive the manifestation of a promise God made to me. I am sure there are many of you who thought what you were hoping for would never become a reality.
What I found interesting is that Proverbs 13:12 described succinctly our emotional state while waiting for the answers to come. It says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Yes, Hope is the seed that will spring up like a tree, flourishing and thriving, planted and deeply rooted. I began to think about how the root system was designed to keep the tree well-watered, nourished and healthy.
Hope has a source.
Solomon, who penned Proverbs 13:12 and who was known for his wisdom, knew a thing or two about the “journey of hope.” His prayer of dedication for the temple of God, found in 1 Kings 8 gives us a glimpse into his journey. Solomon is giving voice to “those hopes” he had for himself and for the people he was charged to govern. In verses 24-26, Solomon reminds God of His word to King David, his father. Now Solomon wants to consummate his agreement with God, to remain on the throne, on the condition he continues to walk in the ways of his father. Solomon placed his hope in a covenant made between God and his father David.
David said in Psalm 130:5 (CJB) I wait longingly for Adonai; I put my hope on His Word. He also said “My soul, wait in silence for God alone, because my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation, my stronghold; I won’t be moved” (Psalm 62:5, 6 (CJB).
This was my “ light bulb moment.”
If we have a “root system” which is the Word of God, in the midst of our waiting, while we journey through our “hoping stage,” we will be nourished and watered, we will be firmly planted until the word or promise is manifested.
So let hope inspire us to hold on firmly with courage and confidence that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are faithful to bring the Word of God and the promises of God to manifestation (Ref. Hebrews 3:6 (CJB). Let’s learn from Abraham, who, contrary to hope, in hope believed so he became the Father of many nations. Abraham embarked on his “journey of Hope” and finally held his promised Isaac.
Do you need hope?
Dig into the bottomless well of hope found in the Bible. Romans 15:4 (CJB) says that everything written in the past was written to teach us, so that with the encouragement of the Tanakh (scriptures or Old Testament) we might patiently hold on to our Hope.
Prayer: I will continue to have Peace with God through my Lord, Jesus. Through Him and on the grounds of my trust or faith, I have gained access to His grace and favor in which I am standing and anchored. I will boast about my hope of experiencing God’s Glory and manifestations. But not only that, I will demonstrate hope during my troubles, because I know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character and character produces HOPE. This HOPE will not let me down, will not make me ashamed because God’s love for me has been poured out in my heart by His Spirit who is in me.
Hope will be my Anchor! In the name of Jesus I pray, AMEN.