The Igniting Hope Blog

Decide and He Will Provide By Steve Backlund One temptation we all face is the desire to have complete certainty in details before we move forward. We want to know how everything is going to work out. We want confirmation that the resources will be there. We want assurance we won't fail. Yet God often works differently than we expect. This is a word for many of you today: Decide, and He will provide. While wisdom tells us to pray, seek counsel, and count the cost, faith event

It Is Already Happening (Part 2) By Steve Backlund Looking for Gold, Not Dirt Wendy and I were senior leaders in Central Nevada in the 1990s. We lived in a town that had a massive open-pit gold mine. Hundreds of tons of dirt were moved every day, but the workers were not fixated on dirt. Their focus was the gold hidden within it. As we observed this, we realized it was a powerful picture for leadership and relationships. We made a decision that we would become gold finders, n

It Is Already Happening (Part 1) By Steve Backlund What if God is already doing far more than we realize? In John 4:35, Jesus confronted a mindset that still affects many believers today: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” The disciples were saying, “It’s not happening yet.” Jesus was saying, “It already is happening. You just are no

The Manna Ceased By Steve Backlund “Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land…” (Joshua 5:12). What a fascinating and emotional verse. For forty years, the Israelites experienced miraculous daily provision. Every morning manna appeared on the ground. It was dependable, supernatural, and familiar. An entire generation had built their lives around it. Then suddenly it stopped. At first glance, that sounds disappointing. Why would God remove

Declarations: The Science Behind It By Steve Backlund Declarations are one of the most practical ways we renew our minds and experience transformation (Romans 12:2). It is speaking life (Proverbs 18:21) and “calling those things that do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17). I have written books about it, taught it extensively, and experienced the benefits of it. What we believe greatly impacts what we feel and will experience. And what we say is a main contributor to

Fasting More or Feasting More? By Steve Backlund Fasting is biblical and important. Jesus fasted, and the early church fasted. Fasting helps us detach from unhealthy appetites and increase focus on the Lord. However, I believe many people lack victory not because they fast too little, but because they are not feasting enough. Too often we are: underfed on hope, underfed on testimonies, underfed on identity, underfed on the goodness of God, underfed on worship, underfed on Scr

Testimonies — The 4th Source of Healthy & Fruitful Mind Renewal By Steve Backlund One of the great secrets to healthy and fruitful mind renewal is learning how to feed on testimonies. Most believers understand the importance of renewing the mind, but many underestimate the power of testimonies in that process. Testimonies are not just encouraging stories, spiritual entertainment, or simply reports of what God once did. Testimonies are one of God’s key tools for helping us th

What True Revelation Produces By Steve Backlund What comes to mind when you hear the word revelation? For many, it means: something deep something new something we’ve never heard before a fresh insight that feels profound And while those things can be part of it, I’ve been rethinking how we define revelation. There is a tendency to measure revelation by how impressive it sounds or how different it is from what we’ve heard before. But in Scripture, revelation is not validated

Increasing the Likelihood By Steve Backlund “This is going to be the best day of my life yet!” I frequently say that after I wake up. It does not guarantee it to happen, but the moment I say it, the likelihood of it happening increases. It is a great belief. I do focus much on beliefs—and rightly so—because what we believe is ultimately more important than what we do, but today if we truly believe, our beliefs will propel us into action. Hope-filled people do not just believ

Identity-Based Bible Reading By Steve Backlund One of the biggest reasons people struggle to obey the Bible is this: we cannot consistently do what we do not believe we are. If we do not believe we are loved, forgiven, righteous, empowered, and in Christ, then many of the commands in Scripture will feel like pressure instead of invitation. They will feel like demands instead of pathways into freedom. This is one reason many sincere Christians feel tired when they read the Bib

Being a Prophetic Person By Steve Backlund I used to think prophetic ministry was only about giving a prophetic word to a person, but I have come to realize the greater invitation is to become a prophetic person—someone who consistently sees and speaks through Heaven’s perspective. Many believers experience moments where they feel inspired to encourage someone or share something they sense from God. Those moments are wonderful, but prophetic living goes deeper than occasional

Identifying Your Metrons By Steve Backlund We are tempted as believers to just know God’s promises, but not live in them. God didn’t give promises for occasional encouragement. He gave promises to abide in them (to occupy them). “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). Romans 12:3 says God has dealt to each one “a measure of faith.” The word “measure” comes from the Greek word metron,

Lies Smart People Believe By Steve Backlund Breakthrough is rarely blocked by obvious rebellion. It’s usually limited by reasonable conclusions. The most dangerous lies don’t feel evil — they feel intelligent. They show up as thoughts like: “I’m just being realistic.” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” “I don’t want to be disappointed again.” “That’s just how I am.” “I’m just being humble.” None of those sound rebellious. They sound mature. A logical lie is a conclusion that

I Did Not Expect That to Happen By Steve Backlund There are moments in life (both personally and in society) when we find ourselves saying, “I did not expect that to happen.” It could be a diagnosis that comes out of nowhere, a relationship shifts suddenly, a leader falls, a war breaks out, an election that surprises us, or an economy shakes. Unexpected events have a way of exposing what we truly believe about God, ourselves, and the future. The unexpected is not a sign that

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 bel

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 im

The Power of Repetition By Steve Backlund “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe” (Philippians 3:1). 7.4 - I read once that this is the average number of times individuals heard the gospel before surrendering and believing in Jesus. I cannot verify that this is entirely accurate, but it is clear most heard many times before believing. This is not only true for salvation but also for other truth

The Two Most Important Words? By Steve Backlund Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Igniting Hope. We are so thankful for you. Here is a special word for you to encourage you today. This message will replace our normal Monday blog email. “The weapons we fight with . . . have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor

Stir It Up By Steve Backlund “Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). The Greek word translated “stir up” denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows (a device that provides a strong blast of air). We learn from these verses: Just as a fire can go out due to inattention, our spiritual gifts