The Two Wolves: How to Feed Your Hope and Starve Your Sin

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.

3 Scriptures to Feed Your Hope

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.