The Igniting Hope Blog

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

Improve It By Steve Backlund Most of us love new beginnings, but we often underestimate what comes next. Whether it is a new job, a home, a marriage, a ministry role, or a leadership responsibility, these feel like open doors, answered prayers, and fulfilled desires. And they are. But every new “possession” also carries something we don’t always consider at first: Responsibility. What we receive, we get to steward. Possessing Is Just the Beginning It is easy to focus on getti

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 differen