The Igniting Hope Blog

Avoiding Destructive Pendulum Swings in Our Lives By Steve Backlund “But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . .. self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). There are many areas in which we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to control and overcome negative impulses. One area we will see self-control manifesting is in helping us not to overreact to perceived doctrinal error or to negative information we hear about people.  Here are two good verses on self-control.  “All things are lawful fo

Who Do You Say They Are? By Steve Backlund “Who do you say they are?” Could this be the third most important question in all of life? The most important question to answer is who we say Jesus is.  “ (Jesus) said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

Flipping the Script on What We Believe is Hard By Steve Backlund The belief that something is hard (or difficult) is almost always a bigger problem than what we believe is hard.   Steve Backlund Hard means “ difficult to bear or endure”.  “Steve, this city is hard for the gospel.”  This is what I was told in 2001 in the first week of my new pastorate. The person who told me this was sincere in expressing his experience, but I knew if I believed and renewed my mind with that b

2026: You Are the Burning Bush By Steve Backlund “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro (Moses’) father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.   And the Angel of the Lord appeared to (Moses) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush . . . “ (Exodus 3:1-2). This unexpected encounter (after 40 years of believing he had missed his opportunity) launched Moses into a history-impacting purpose.  As

Christmas Story Prophetic Words for You By Steve Backlund “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Testimonies are one of the five sources of healthy mind renewal (Romans 12:2). These are:  God’s promises Our biblical identity Prophetic words Testimonies Decisions and commitments we have made Testimonies of what God has done are important in establishing our belief systems about what our future will look like (Mark 8:18). Every testimony we hear

The Abundance Mindset By Steve Backlund “I have come to give you life, and life more abundantly” (John 10:10). “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not lack” (Psalm 23:1) I remember when THIS hit me. I cannot do the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 if I am in lack  ( the state of being without or not having enough of something). Jesus said, “Go into all the world and make disciples of nations.” This “going” requires an overflow of resources. As I commit myself to positively