Hope Archives | Council Fire

March 14, 2026

http://Gospel%20Freedom—“Cast%20it%20off”

March 14, 2026

Gospel Freedom—“Cast it off”

“And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.” Mark 10:49-50 (KJV) Life is unfair and hard at times. Unforeseen events, pain and tragedy seem to confront us. Events can prevent us from continual spiritual growth and happiness in our Christian life. Blind Bartimaeus begged daily in order to survive. During this time in history, such disabilities were often considered a death sentence. As a result, Bartimaeus was likely hopeless and […]

March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

Never Hopeless

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’ ” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT) The Bible is not clear as to the author of the book of Lamentations but, regardless of who wrote it, it appears to be someone who was in deep distress, particularly over the fact that Jerusalem was being destroyed by the Babylonians. Imagine having your country and people in ruin! It is a terrible loss and the person who […]

March 11, 2026

http://Strengthen%20That%20Which%20Remains

March 11, 2026

Strengthen That Which Remains

“Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Revelation 3:2 (KJV) In Revelation 3, Jesus gave the church in Sardis a warning to repent and turn back to God. It sounds as if most of the believers in the church had become spiritually weak. But there is hope! . . . although death is mentioned, the possibility for renewal remains. Some people have a life motto. My own motto is the title of this devotional. In our little village, language is what kept our people […]

March 8, 2026

March 8, 2026

Seeing Myself

“You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s womb, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this, I have no doubt.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CEV) As a child I had difficulty in seeing value in my life. I looked at other people and compared myself to them. When I didn’t think I measured up (which usually happened), I would look down on myself, thinking I was less than them. That whole thought pattern followed me into my adult years. It took a long time before I realized […]

March 7, 2026

March 7, 2026

Look at Who I Am

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Romans 1:20a. (NIV) Do you ever regret the choices you’ve made? Do you wonder if God exists and, if so, why you are in such a mess? Has a self-proclaimed Christian ever wounded you or led you astray? My faith turned to rubble in 1990. I sifted through broken dreams and shattered trust, trying to find a solid foothold, but I kept slipping on fear, anger, confusion and shame. I lay on the floor crying […]

March 5, 2026

http://No%20Harm%20Will%20Overtake%20You

March 5, 2026

No Harm Will Overtake You

“Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling, there shall be no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your tent.” Psalm 91:9-10 (MEV) Because of my early life experiences, I carried fear into my adult life. As a young Christian, I did not realize that the enemy would use these fears against me. Often when alone, I would hear someone walking in the other room and, at night, I would see ugly faces in the windows. However, it was the evil presence I could feel around me that scared […]

March 4, 2026

March 4, 2026

Celebrating Christmas

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NIV) Sending us to Sunday school that first year prompted my mom to celebrate Christmas—something I didn’t remember doing before. As she decorated the small tree, I asked her who God is. Her reply was simple, and something I have never forgotten. “God is someone who will never let you down. He will always be there for you.” She had been raised in the Catholic faith and sent to residential school. For her to know that and trust God […]

February 28, 2026

February 28, 2026

Every Promise

“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” Psalm 145:13B (NIV) We need to be spending time in God’s Word every day, claiming all these promises. It’s a gold mine, and they are there for us to claim! Sometimes we tend to get discouraged and, for some reason, we choose to stay there. But if we get into the Word, it becomes hard to stay discouraged! I remember there was a time when I was so hurt and discouraged that I found it next to impossible to read and pray, until I realized […]

February 24, 2026

February 24, 2026

Drive Safe!

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Hebrews 12:1b-2 (NIV) I went for an eye exam the other day—my first time since 1994. I thought I should make sure that it was okay for me to drive without glasses. I guess it was, ’cuz I passed! It got me to thinking about the conditions and stipulations we have on our driver’s licenses. Ken Antone (of the Antone Indian Family singers) used to laugh about the “No […]