Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye  may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.--Romans 15:13, KJV

Ah--hope! It seems from this verse (and from my personal experience) that we must first have hope, before we can have peace and joy. 

So where does hope come from? 

It comes from Jesus, the God of hope! 

Truly, as one internationally-respected apostle and pastor has stated, we can do nothing, are nothing, have nothing, and know nothing without Him. 

If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.--John 9:33, KJV

So how do we get this hope, so we can have more joy and peace?

In believing--in believing in God, and that He is faithful and good, and will not change; that His plans for us are good and only good; that He gives us every breath; that He loves us so much He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross by shedding His pure blood to pay for our sins, so we could repent and receive Christ as Savior and LORD, and be with God in Heaven, when our body dies on earth.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. - Romans 5:6-8, NLT

Yes, faith--believing--is a choice!

You may think you have no faith, but you actually have great faith; that the sun will rise every morning; that the chair will hold you when you sit on it; that the light will come on when you flip the switch, etc.!

You make the deliberate choice to believe that God is, and that He is good. 

He is so good, that He--the God of Hope--will even help you have the hope that you can believe, and He will help you to believe, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith!

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12:2, NKJV

Then, when you have hope, when you choose to believe God loves you so much that He sent Jesus for you--and led you to this article to teach you and remind you of that--you will start to have more peace and joy. 

Hope, which comes from the God of Hope, is always available. In fact, if you have already received Christ Jesus as your Savior and LORD, then He--Hope Himself--is in you, along with peace, joy, love, and the other fruits of the Spirti. 

The God of Hope will help us trust in Him, and keep our minds on Him. It is a choice we must make daily, and many times a day some days, to allow that Hope to rise up in us, and pave the way for the peace and joy to rise. 

Being thankful for all the good things in our lives can cultivate more hope, peace, and joy, for every good thing comes from our good, good God; the God of Hope!

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. - Col. 3:2, KJV

He loves you!

Through books, courses, presentations, service, prayer, worship, and more, Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. Her series for girls, P.O.W.E.R. GIRL ADVENTURES, is now out (books I-V), along with LEGACY; YOUR HOLY HEALTH: VISIONS OF THE KING, and more. See the "River Rain Creative" YT channel.