The Igniting Hope Blog

Big or Small on the Inside? By Steve Backlund One of the hidden tests in life and leadership is what happens inside us when someone else succeeds, and we are not. Most of us enjoy our own victories. The greater challenge is often learning how to respond when someone else receives the promotion, favor, influence, opportunity, or breakthrough we were hoping for ourselves. James 3:13-18 describes two kinds of wisdom. One is characterized by bitter envy and selfish ambition. The

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

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

Trying To Stop Something? Replace It Instead By Steve Backlund Many of us are trying to stop negative behaviors. We focus on what we don’t want to do anymore: “I need to stop this… I shouldn’t be doing that… Why do I keep struggling with this?” But here’s a powerful truth: The best way to stop a negative behavior is not just to remove it—it is to replace it. When we focus too much on what we’re trying to stop, we often give it more attention than it deserves. But when we focu

The Art of a Faster Comeback By Steve Backlund I don’t live in constant emotional euphoria. My goal is this to make my low places higher and not stay there as long. I want to bounce back quicker than I used to. It is called resilience. Resilience is the ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover quickly from adversity, trauma, or significant change. People of hope bounce back faster, not because they avoid difficulty, but because they interpret and respond to life different

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