Keep Hope Alive with Gretchen Keskeys

"As a man thinks, so he is" Proverbs 23:7 "Whatever is true, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy… think on these things" Philippians 4:8, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. I could write for hours all the scripture that addresses our mental health. God cares about our mental health, our hearts, our minds. He is our loving Father and Creator and He cares for His children. No one heals or gives peace like Jesus Christ. I know this personally. The world's answers aren't working. Those who want to remove God from our society are seeing the very tragic results that ultimately affect us all. We need restoration in this country. A new day with real hope, peace and love. We want true answers and a world that we can give our children that provides them with a safe place to grow. Jesus Christ loves all, died for all. He wants no one to perish but to live abundantly. Today we will look at this crisis and the beautiful ways of Christ who is the unfailing provider of lasting mental health.

"For there is no clock on a heart that's been shattered. Saying it's time to be put back together. And when the days make the loss grow deeper and you wonder, do others remember? Yes God knows that your heart still breaks and He knows of your secret pain. When whispers say it's time to move on, His understanding has just begun." Jesus Christ is called "The Man of Sorrows" for all He endured on this earth. He is our greatest counselor, confidant, comforter and friend when we are mourning and grieving loss in our life. Whether that be a beloved person or a dream that has died. Today we look at grief and loss and the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

When thinking of confidence, I picture Julie Andrews singing, boldly swinging her bag in "The Sound of Music" until she sees her "mountain" up close, all that confidence she mustered kind of gets shaky. Isn't that how life is? Today on Keep Hope Alive: Confidence. I share my own hills and valleys of confidence and how landing on the Solid Rock and putting my trust in Him gave me the confidence I never had. No matter our beginnings or current situation, we can get up again and stand strong in confidence in the One who never fails: Jesus Christ.

We are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that your adversary (not the adversary) the devil is like a roaring lion, sneaking around looking to attack. Yes, we have our own personal enemy looking to strip away our power, discourage us, disable us, to try and make us ineffective and afraid to use our gifts that glorify God and bless others by sharing the gospel. Today we look at some lies that can be stumbling blocks to fully sharing all God has given us. And Jesus' wonderful promises of how He equips us with everything we need.

Looking at ourselves through the perceived eyes of society can lead us to ruin. And those eyes today can seem crueler and harsher than ever. Today on Keep Hope Alive: Our identity in Christ. Looking at ourselves through the eyes of our loving God.

Some of the best selling self help titles of the day are: "How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness" and "You Are a Bada**." We have a society full of people thumping their chest, yet it seems we see more dysfunction and depression than ever. Today on "Keep Hope Alive" we look at the true way to a life of purpose and fulfillment. It really goes completely opposite to these titles. "More of You God and less of me, for power, peace and victory. Not me who lives but Christ in me." If you are feeling in need, there is One who provides it all. Today on Keep Hope Alive.

"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind, but now I see." - We hear a lot about "blindness" in the Christian life, but it wasn't until I was a born again believer in Jesus Christ I truly understood what true spiritual blindness is. Everything now made sense. I could see clearly! Today we keep hope alive by looking at spiritual blindness. What it is and how it affects us when we deal with a spiritually blind world or loved ones. And how we can stay strong in Christ in these relationships. There is always hope in Jesus Christ even when someone seems hopelessly lost and blind. Nothing is impossible with God. Yes He saved a wretch like me! He gives sight to the blind. And when He does, everything comes into focus.

The Christian life is not one of heavy burdens and that includes the progress we make, the work Christ promises to do in us in Philippians 1:6: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Today we keep hope alive in our lives by looking at this journey and how the Christian life is a process as God molds and shapes our lives. How we can stay hopeful even when things seem off track and discouraging. In all things, God is always doing great things!