There’s an old and often told bit of wisdom which says that in every person live two wolves. One wolf is named greed or fear or anger or bitterness. The other wolf is named generosity or courage or peace or forgiveness. And every day, in every moment, these two wolves fight each other.

The one that wins is the one you choose to feed.

There is a lot of truth in that little tale – there is the recognition that all of us are threatened from the inside by our own sinful desires. But then again, there is also the Spirit of God working in us. And then, of course, is the main truth of the tale – we get to choose which one of these wolves wins. 

To stamp out bitterness, stop feeding it.

To stamp out greed, stop feeding it.

To stamp out envy, stop feeding it.

And so the list could go on. Of course, it works the other way as well – that we can choose to feed our joy. Or our generosity. Or our grace. Or our hope. But what do we feed these things? They hunger for more than mere circumstantial evidence; they need real nourishment. And for that, we turn to a greater source of truth than what our senses can behold. We turn to God’s Word.

If you want your hope to grow, then, look to God’s Word. Feed it with His truth. And here are three specific Bible passages that do just that:

1. Isaiah 40:30-31.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

This passage feeds our hope because it reminds us that all of us – no matter how young or energetic or naturally optimistic – will be discouraged. But all of us can also find new strength if our hope is positioned rightly.

2. Romans 8:24-25.

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

These verses feed our hope because they remind us that the nature of hope itself is one of longing. We don’t need hope if we have what we long for. So our hope is fed by grounding it in reality. Even though we do not have what is coming to us, we hope with certainty because it’s only a matter of time.

3. Titus 2:11-13.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

And here our hope is fed because we find the basis of our hope. This passage focuses our hope to the right place – it’s not for a change in circumstance or income or position or anything else – our true hope is in Jesus coming back. For when He does, He will make everything right. Just as it should be. Then – and only then – will we hope no more, because there will be at long last no need to do so.

This post originally appeared at thinke.org.