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God loves us—just as we are, right now. Wow. That’s kind of difficult to accept, isn’t it? I mean, it’s hard to feel worthy of that love, with all our mistakes, our imperfections. Don’t we need to be perfect and holy too, just as He is, before He can love us? No, brother, He loves us—just as we are, right now. If we’re ever going to understand God, if we’re ever going to understand ourselves, in relation to God, we’re going to have to bend our minds toward that truth. He is perfect and holy; we are not. True. What’s not true is that, because of His perfection, He’s drawn only to more perfection. What’s not true is that, because of His holiness, He demands our holiness before He’ll love us, accept us, want anything to do with us. God knows our mistakes, every imperfection. Nothing is hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:13). And, actually, precisely because He knows, He executed the ultimate act of love: He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our King and to save us from our mistakes and imperfections (Romans 5:8). So, the truth is—like a doctor to the sick—He’s actually drawn to imperfection and sin (Mark 2:17). Our relationships with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, begin to work when we accept and welcome that love. Throughout this week, take these words as God’s promise, just to you. Meditate upon them. Let them sink in deep. “. . . neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate [me] from the love of God in Christ Jesus . . .” (Romans 8:38-39)

In the end, all the small things you do make a big difference. Life isn’t about a single moment of great triumph and attainment. It’s about the trials and errors that slowly get you there—the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the small, inconsequential things you do on a day-to-day basis. It all matters in the end—every step, every regret, every decision, every minor setback and minuscule win. The seemingly insignificant happenings add up to something. The minimum-wage job you had in high school. The evenings you spent socializing with coworkers you never see anymore. The hours you spent writing thoughts on a personal blog no one reads. Contemplations about elaborate future plans that never came to be. All those lonely nights spent reading novels and news columns and social media posts, questioning your own principles on life and sex and politics and religion, and whether or not you’re good enough just the way you are. All of this has strengthened you. All of this has led you to every success you’ve ever had. All of this has made you who you are today. And all of this proves that you have the strength and resilience to deal with the challenges in front of you. But first, you need to get your thinking straight. Most of us stubbornly refuse to acknowledge and admit everything we've been through, and how these trials and errors have moved our lives forward. Don't do this to yourself today. Don't deny your story. Own your story! Change your thinking! You've been through a lot, and you've grown a lot too. Give yourself more credit for how far you've come, so you can step forward again with grace. Remind yourself that the mind is your battleground: ... the place where the fiercest and most ruthless conflict resides. ... where half of the things you feared were going to happen, never actually happen. ... where your expectations always get the best of you. ... where you fall victim to your own train of thought time and time again. If you allow these self-defeating thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, productivity, meaning, and ultimately your life. The bottom line is that you are what you think! And you can’t change anything in your life if you can’t change your thinking.

Now is the time to restore intimacy with God back into your life. The enemy's plan is to kill, steal, and destroy intimacy in all relationships, beginning with the most important one: your relationship with God. It is God's plan to restore intimacy with you, making you strong, steady, secure, and sure. His pathway of intimacy is life-breathing, life-giving. In His presence, you will be filled to the fullness of joy, and all provisions needed for your intimacy journey will be provided. Your "sit place with God" can be both visual and physical. Find a place where you can sit with God daily. It is in this sit place that you first worship Him and then share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Pause in His presence. Wait for Him, don't rush this time. First, to receive His care and comfort for your struggle. Second, to receive His truth, to know the path to take that will offer you the help, healing, or hope you so desperately need. This is not a time of monologue, but of dialogue. It is the honoring of both your voice and His voice. Your response in obedience to what He shares with you is your love back to Him. First, create your "sit place with God." Meet with God daily, even throughout the day and night to share your heart and listen to His heart. Second, invite Jesus daily into all your relationships and situations. His presence will give you peace, joy, hope, and so much more versus what the world has to offer in stress, anxiety, depression, and many other emotional struggles. Remove all "Do Not Enter" signs, giving Him access to your whole life. Third, obey what He speaks to your heart. From this loved placed, He will share His truth that will set you free.

Your spiritual core is made up of four values: intimacy, identity, integrity, and humility. These develop as separate entities within your "sit place with God," as well as work together to help you in becoming all that you were destined to be and do. In your identity, it is important that you believe who you are in Christ. God states that you are very precious, chosen, holy, dearly loved, and a people belonging to Him. Believing these truths and so many more is your identity because you are created in the image of God. Believing and trusting in this identity is essential for creating a strong spiritual core. Intimacy has already been presented in the value of sharing your voice (thoughts and feelings) openly and truthfully, pausing to receive His care and comfort, and then listening to God's voice of truth, and taking a hold of His grace in order to trust and obey the words He speaks to you regarding your relationships and circumstances. Psalms 34 expresses this beautiful imagery of intimate relationship. Integrity is presenting to the world that what they hear and see match, that your private life matches your public life. No discrepancies. The world needs to see the good fruit of your integrity in truth, goodness, righteousness, gratitude, humility, and reverence to God. Humility is the fourth value that is needed to strengthen your spiritual core. It is the pathway that leads out from your spiritual core of identity, intimacy, and integrity to fulfill your role in the kingdom. With a strong spiritual core, humility is the spiritual pathway to serve others with your vision (your purpose on earth) and mission (the ways you walk out your vision). Everything God works in you is for the purpose of overflow to others. As He has loved you, so love one another. Commit to fulfilling your role in the kingdom to declare God's grace to others. First, define your identity. If there are any discrepancies in what God says about you, replace them with the truth. Live loved. Live out those words for you and the world to see and enjoy! You are His beloved! Second, develop a strong core of all these values. Spend time with God in the Word, applying all He speaks to your personal life. Let integrity be worked through and through, reflecting God in your words, choices, and responses. Serve others in humility, bending low and lifting up one another. Humility is the essence of love. Third, declare your vision and mission. Write out your vision statement that you believe God gave to you when He created you and then list the ways you desire to walk out in mission that vision statement.

In life’s waiting rooms, as we look forward to a job, or a promotion, or marriage, what is our attitude? Are we frustrated? Are we simply distracting ourselves? Or are we yielded to the Lord, allowing Him to refuel and refine us through the waiting? Do we respond to His provision in the waiting with thankfulness? Do we respond to His preparation with obedience? And, do we understand that the purpose of our waiting is to discover that God is enough? Today, spend a few minutes answering one or all of these questions for yourself: 1. What is one thing you’re thankful for in the waiting? 2. How is God preparing and training you while you wait? 3. What do you believe is the purpose of your waiting? Have you found that God is enough? Let’s pray: Father God, There’s no getting around the fact that this waiting period is hard. I often find myself restless and anxious, ready to give up. But I thank you, today, because Your ways are higher than mine. I thank you because You are teaching, shaping and growing me through this season. I thank you because day by day, moment by moment, I’m discovering that You alone are enough. Amen.

Deep down we all desire community no matter how we’re wired—introvert, extrovert, or a mix of the two. A place where we are accepted and loved for who we are in all our imperfections and yet still called higher and challenged to repent, forgive, and live the life we’re destined for. A place where we can celebrate marriages, births, and job promotions as well as mourn death, loss, and pain—together. This longing almost makes no sense. On the one hand, some of our most painful and wounding relationships have been in the context of community. On the other hand, some of our greatest moments have come from being in loving community in which we have found acceptance, love, healing, redemption, and restoration. So why is genuine community something we long for and at times vehemently avoid? We are created in the very image of God, sealed with His divine imprint, and the image of God in its triune nature is the very essence of community: our God is three in one. As created beings, we instinctively desire to reflect our Creator here on earth. What makes it so hard to attain? Simply put—the fall of man. We followed suit and stopped being bearers of His image, instead becoming self-conscious, covering ourselves, and toiling for protection. The good news is that Jesus came to redeem all that was lost in the garden. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we are connected back to God and therefore restored to our created value and purpose. It’s going to get messy—this calling to live out our faith in community. However, the gospel fills the gap caused by pain in this life. Living life together with family and community means that when loss or difficulty take place in our lives, we have one another to help us shoulder the burden and get through. Life is a battlefield full of land mines, both seen and unseen. It’s important that we have friends and loved ones to keep watch when we are anxious, weary, and in the middle of a fight. Take a moment to consider how you feel about the idea of living life in godly community. Do you have any hurdles or hindrances that keep you from doing life with others? What is at least one way you can practically choose to invest yourself in relationships in a deeper or greater way?

Your Everyday Personal Growth-Focus Journey Pursuing personal growth-focus is a daily commitment towards change, growth, and betterment. Goal-focus is aimed only at results whereas growth-focus desires greater growth and change for permanence. Goals have their purpose within the growth-focus, but your eyes must be focused on the growth that you can ultimately experience, not the goals only. Goals usually have expiration dates, while personal growth-focus is ongoing and offers a greater purpose to help you become all that you were designed and destined to be and do. On your personal growth-focus journey, you would be wise to take with you eight traveling companions. These traveling companions are also your life companions. They are truth, grace, perseverance, tenacity, resilience, support, perspective, and endurance. It is important to remind yourself of the meanings of these words. Perseverance: pushing through produces character. Tenacity: to never give up helps you to become steadfast and immovable. Resilience: when life knocks you down, you bounce back in order to fulfill your life purpose. Support: you were never meant to do life alone and without the encouragement of others. Perspective: it is crucial to know that God can and will work all things out for your good and His glory. Endurance: going the distance, trusting God with your whole heart until His good work is completed in you and through you. First, choose one growth-focus you would like to work on toward change, growth, and permanence. Here are a few ideas: a healthy lifestyle, emotional well-being, marital intimacy, financial security, spirituality, or leadership growth. Second, list the goals or steps you will take every day to move in the direction of your growth-focus. Third, choose your life companions and integrate them with your daily steps. I wish blessings to your personal, daily growth-focus journey.

We men devote so much of our mental attention and hard work to our own greatness. We plan for advancement; strategize next moves; put our heads down and grind. Deep in our inner machinery there’s something that drives us on toward securing greatness . . . of some kind or another . . . for ourselves. Maybe it’s on a small scale. Maybe on a large scale. Maybe in our work, maybe in our communities, maybe even in our faith. The drive is just there. The twelve Apostles—men, human men—had this drive. In the upper room, a dispute “arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24). But Jesus stopped them and taught them (and us) that this drive must be refocused. “But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). That’s our blueprint. His life is the blueprint for our lives. We must follow it and no other. We must reject all blueprints drawn by our pride, or envy, or selfishness. Refocusing this drive, away from lifting ourselves and toward lifting those around us, is one of the most important things we can do as men. It moves us into true masculinity—where we lend our strength to others who need it, rather than use it solely for our own gain. We must trust that this is a better way to live . . . better for God, better for us, and better for those we are to love and serve. Look around you—today, this week—for people you can serve. Keep it simple. Whom will you come into contact with, naturally? Whom do you have influence over, in the normal course of your days? Whom might you have overlooked? Ask yourself what do they need and how can I help?

When we feel powerless over our past, we feel guilty. When we feel powerless over our future, we feel afraid. When we feel powerless over the present, we feel depressed. And when we feel like the people or circumstances of our lives just won't change, we feel angry. A sense of powerlessness is the root to all negative emotions. The thought that there's not much we can do about the economy, or our weight, or the allergies we grew up with forces us to accept and tolerate a mediocre and weak life. LET’S CHANGE IT TODAY 1. Take inventory! God has NOT given you a spirit of fear; but POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. 2. Believe that power is in you. Ephesians 3:20 says, “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that is at work within you.” There is power in you that enables God to do beyond what you can ask or think! 3. THINK AND ASK BIG! Give God something to work with; because He can do beyond. We have to at least give Him a base to begin with. 4. Recognize the Holy Spirit in you. Acts 1:8 says, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you . . ." This power (dunamis = dynamite) is already in you. Romans 8:11 says, "The very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives IN YOU.” 5. Take the limits off. Don't limit God. Psalm 78:41 says that the children of Israel limited the Lord because they did not remember His power (verse 42). We free God's Hand to bless when we remember His previous blessings. 6. EXPECT! Never underestimate the power of expectation. Expect God's power to strengthen you today. Expect to be led by His Spirit. I have POWER in my life right now. Through the Holy Spirit in me, I have the power to overcome temptation, the power to change my life for the better, the power to be healed, the power to forgive, and the power to speak God's Word and see His promises show up in my life. I will think big and ask big, and therefore the POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT WITHIN ME will bring it to pass in my life, in Jesus' Name!

Religion tends to look for outward signs that we are qualified to follow God, but Jesus shatters that paradigm time and time again. He doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up or renounce our lifestyles. He finds us where we are and calls us to follow him. No application or qualifications needed. That’s why I think Matthew’s story is such a perfect illustration of Jesus’ message. So, what was Jesus’ message? It wasn’t that good people go to heaven. It wasn’t that bad people will be judged. Those are cheap imitations of his message. Jesus’ message was grace. It was salvation for all who believe in him. It was mercy and compassion and forgiveness for all who would put their faith in him. And I’ll go even further. Jesus was the personification and the embodiment of grace. In other words, Jesus himself is the message. Jesus is the purpose and the point. The message isn’t mere dogma or doctrine. It isn’t behavioral change. The message is that no matter who you are or how badly you’ve messed up, grace and forgiveness are available in Jesus. That’s why Jesus came to earth in physical, tangible, human form. He came not to just tell us about grace but to literally be grace for over thirty-three years. His life was his message, and his message gives life. The more we follow Jesus, the more we find our lives defined and transformed by the love and grace of God. Jesus’ life is the message of grace. It’s a message of unconditional and unending acceptance by God, based on his grace and received through faith in Jesus. I’ve discovered that it’s one thing to agree with grace or even recite verses about grace, but it’s another to truly understand it and live it. Honestly, that’s where we tend to miss the message the most. We listen to grace on Sunday and then live with guilt, law, and condemnation Monday through Saturday. It’s not hard news, bad news, complicated news, or frightening news. It’s good news. The message of Jesus is one of hope, of joy, of peace, of freedom.

Jesus was called a lot of names. All he did was love and help people, yet he had his share of bullies and critics. Many of the religious leaders of the day were jealous of his success and afraid he would upset the status quo. They wanted to discredit him in the eyes of the public, so they said all sorts of crazy things about him. They whispered that he was an illegitimate child. They accused him of being demon-possessed. They denounced him to the Roman authorities as a rioter, a threat to public peace. Jesus didn’t deserve the hate, but it turns out one of their nicknames for him was true. They called him “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34 ESV). In their minds, that was one of the greatest indictments imaginable. Jesus hung out with bad people, therefore he must be bad too. In their minds, to be a friend of sinners was incredibly shameful. But for Jesus, the title Friend of Sinners was a sign of success, not a source of shame. I can imagine him smiling the first time he heard the phrase. “Friend of sinners? I’ll take that as a compliment.” Why? Because it was the very definition of his mission. I can’t stop thinking about what Jesus’ nickname means for me, for my friends, and for humanity today. What kind of God labels himself a friend of sinners? I could believe “judge of sinners”; I could even believe “Savior of sinners.” But friend? Really? . . . Friendship is far more important to God than we often realize. We tend to think he puts top priority on performance, purity, and perfection, and we assume relationship is the eventual reward for those things. In other words, the more like Jesus we become, the closer our relationship with him will be. Actually, it works the other way around. The closer we get to Jesus, the more like him we become. Relationship comes first; changes comes later. . . . God cares about everyone, regardless of where they are on their journey: spiritually mature or seeker, devout or in doubt, religious or simply curious. All of us need him, and all of us can find him. Whether you consider yourself a saint or a sinner, Jesus wants to be your friend.

There are three approaches to life with God: All In; All Out; and, in the middle, between those, a third approach. This third approach is actually a range—it encompasses every approach between the two extremes. Many of us take the third approach. I mean, we do believe life is better with God—but our belief is more theoretical than not. We get busy with careers, families, finances, and rarely think about actually applying the life and truth of our King, Jesus Christ, to our own, complicated lives. And so, they become indistinguishable from the lives of men All Out. Jesus calls takers of the third approach “lukewarm,” and is particularly frustrated by us: “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). We third-approachers mistakenly presume we’re doing okay faith-wise—not as well as we could maybe, but okay nonetheless. Therefore, Jesus’ words are startling and challenging—and force us to consider All In. So, what does All In require? The world tells us, too much. But that’s wrong. It doesn’t require more than we can give. We’re designed for All In. Jesus isn’t some out-of-touch “high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). He understands our lives. He knows what He’s asking. All In doesn’t require we be perfect; we couldn’t. It requires a soft heart―a willingness to try, genuinely, to use Jesus’ life as a pattern for our own. Pray the All In prayer: Set aside a couple minutes today. Quiet your surroundings. Shut the door. Turn off music. Quiet your mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart. Now, speak directly to Jesus, your King, and say three plain, simple words, “I’m All In.” That’s it.

Human hearts are like soil. Things grow there - thoughts, ideas, and attitudes. Some of the things that grow are good. Some aren't. Even in the most beautiful gardens, weeds grow and need to be pulled so the good plants can be healthy. And even in the rockiest places, where there's no dirt to be seen, trees and other plants find ways to grow. But they can't survive heavy storms, and they won't grow tall and strong without deep roots. Heart "soil" can change. Hard and rocky hearts can be transformed into gentle and loving hearts. Dry and dusty hearts can be changed into joyful and kind hearts. Weedy hearts can be changed into clean and pure hearts. We can't change our hearts on our own. Only God can make that kind of change, which he promises to do if we give up control and trust him to work in our lives. What things might cause a heart to be rocky? shallow? filled with weeds and thorns? What needs to change about the "soil" of your heart? Even healthy soil needs tending - weeding, fertilizing, mulching, etc. How do you tend the soil of your heart? What tending do you still need?

Small decisions - repeated over time - have big results. Great athletes understand that the food they eat fuels their performance. Have you ever wondered how an athlete sticks to their diet? Or how they curb a sweet tooth? Better yet, how they master those cravings in such a way that they actually begin to desire the right fuel overthose indulgences? The right food fuels your body and produces better results. When repeated over time, this has a compounding effect. This effect makes the results easier to see. When we get results, we begin to hunger for whatever fuels the results. This is why high performers track their progress. There is a momentum to making the right choice. The same is true spiritually. What if the best way to increase our hunger for prayer, is simply to pray more? Jesus hungered for prayer. More than 40 times in the Gospels we see Jesus withdraw to pray. Luke notes that Jesus often withdrew to pray (5:16). In fact, prayer proceeds some of the biggest ministry moments in Jesus’ life. He is alone praying before walking on water (John 6:15), before choosing his disciples (Luke 6:12), before teaching his disciples to pray (Luke 11:1), before the transfiguration (Luke 9:28), before multiplying the fish and loaves (Luke 9:16), and before traveling throughout Galilee to preach and perform miracles (Mark 1:35-38). And to prepare for the most critical moment of his life, facing the cross, Jesus was repeatedly seeking the Lord in prayer (Matthew 26:36-45). Prayer was the fuel for Jesus’ ministry and life. He craved connecting with the Father in prayer. The results are obvious. If you are looking to build your hunger for prayer, it starts with…praying! Consistently. The more you pray, the more you will hunger for prayer and its’ blessings. Prayer is the fuel for a connected and hope-filled life. And like a high performing athlete, track it. Write down your prayers and rejoice at how God moves in your life. Your hunger for prayer will grow over time! “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8a NIV). What is a small decision you can make today regarding your habit of prayer? How can you begin to keep track of your prayers? Read about two examples of Jesus’ hunger for prayer in Luke 6:12-16 and Matthew 26:36-45.

You and I live daily within an external—and internal—clash of two worldviews. This is the exact tension within which Jesus himself ministered during his earthly tenure. There is the worldview we might call Materialism, which even Jesus’ followers can’t seem to keep themselves away from and in which the entire unbelieving world continues to swim. And then there’s the worldview of Christianity. So many of the disciples’ problems arise from confusing the worldview of Christianity with the worldview of materialism. And so many of our problems arise from also confusing these worldviews. It’s one reason why taking verses such as John 16:23–24 out of context can be so appealing, even though we’re not doing it intentionally. . . Materialism offers circumstantial experiences and temporary things to satisfy superficial desires. Christianity offers the glory of Christ to satisfy the eternal void inside of our souls. The problem with the materialistic worldview is that it doesn’t go deep enough. We’re all searching for happiness, but Jesus is offering a deep, bottomless, abounding, everlasting well of forever-joy. Like the disciples, many times we think we’re treasuring Jesus but we only see the Jesus we want to see, the Jesus we want him to be. He knows that when we face the prospect of immense sadness—as did the disciples in the three days of his crucifixion and burial—we may be undone with confusion and pain. Jesus knows that his followers have to endure a very difficult life in this expansion of his mission since his ascension. They are threatened, accused, exiled, in some cases tortured, and in many cases executed for their faith. But he makes them a promise. He makes them a promise that is far greater than earthly rewards and earthly successes. . . . The pain is a promise. And your pain is a promise. One day your tears not only will be wiped away but will turn to rapturous joy. He will trade your ashes for beauty. Every single hurt you endure will be stored up and returned to you a million-fold in heavenly bliss.

These days, it’s difficult for people to wait for anything. According to the Urban Dictionary, the term “microwave generation” applies to the many people today who expect instant information on their smartphones and instant gratification in almost every aspect of life. We have become so impatient, says the Urban Dictionary, that we stand in front of a microwave, tapping our foot and yelling, “Come on!” We may have taken impatience to a new level, but being patient was tough even in biblical times. In many of his psalms, David cries out to God with complaints that God has not come through for him and seems distant or even silent: “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” (4:1); “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (10:1); “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (13:1). In Psalm 27, David makes similar pleas to God: “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! ... Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!” (vv. 7, 9). David’s pattern in most of the “complaint psalms” is to follow the complaints with reminders of how God always comes through for him. In Psalm 27, however, David simply makes one confident statement: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” (v. 13). He then finishes the psalm with today’s verse, where he exhorts himself to wait with courage. When God seems distant, we need to follow David’s pattern: cry out to God, remind ourselves of God’s help in the past, and exhort ourselves to be strong in God. The result will be reassurance and confidence that enable us to be patient … even when we don’t want to be.

A submitted life is one that waits patiently on the Lord. This is one of the most remarkable acts of trust and obedience, just to sit when your mind is ready to launch forward and your spirit is filled with revelation. There is a simplicity and a depth in the waiting. As you press into the glory of God to pursue His plans for your life, family, and purpose in the earth, you must accurately discern the time. No purpose is created without the assignment of moments and seasons. There are moments to wait, to observe, to launch, and to build. God has already mapped out the beginning and the end. He has a plan for both the highs and the lows. You may not feel or be aware of it, but if you have surrendered your life to Him, He is working even now. His plans are alive and active even in the moments when the waiting becomes difficult. He makes all things beautiful in His timing. In the waiting there are deep and meaningful lessons to learn, giants to confront, and mantles to catch.

His patience began when he was seventeen, and his brothers sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt, where he ended up serving Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. Recognizing that God was with Joseph, Potiphar made Joseph the overseer of his house. But Joseph was still a slave. Potiphar’s wife decided that she wanted Joseph. When he resisted all of her advances, she framed him for attempted rape, and Potiphar threw Joseph in prison. God helped Joseph gain favor with the keeper of the prison who put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. But Joseph was still in prison. Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker ended up in prison. Both had dreams, which God enabled Joseph to interpret. Knowing that the cupbearer would be reinstated, Joseph asked the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. But the cupbearer forgot about Joseph, and Joseph remained in prison. Two years later, when Pharaoh had dreams that no one could interpret, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, Pharaoh made Joseph second in command over Egypt. Joseph spent thirteen years as a slave and prisoner before God set his feet upon a rock. But those years were necessary for God’s plan. The betrayal of Joseph’s brothers brought Joseph to Egypt. The false accusation made by Potiphar’s wife put Joseph in Pharaoh’s prison. Interpreting the cupbearer’s dream gave Joseph an ally in Pharaoh’s court. Interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams about a famine to come put Joseph in a position where God could use him to save thousands of people, including Joseph’s family—God’s chosen people—from starvation. When you wait patiently, God will come through, not just for you but also for others.

I once read a study produced by the University of Michigan that shed some light on a human fear. They had volunteers wear caps containing electrodes and had the people play a computer-simulated betting game while researchers analysed their brains’ electrical activity in response to winning and losing. The game allowed subjects to place a small bet, and with each bet, their brains showed increased activity within milliseconds. But something that really stood out was that negativity showed a larger dip after a loss than the rise in positivity after a win. In fact, during a string of losses, negativity dipped lower with each loss—it compounded by each previous loss. Researchers came to a simple yet profound conclusion: losses loom larger than gains. In other words, the fear of loss is greater than the hope of gain. This could explain why so many people live their lives defensively. Past losses and fear of loss keep us bound in the present and the future! Sadly, a lot of Christians are very hesitant when it comes to faith living. We allow our fears from the past and our fear of present or future lack dictate nearly all of our faith decisions. We’re so afraid of making the wrong decision, or maybe “putting too much faith in God,” that sometimes we make NO decision. Often, it’s indecision that keep people stuck in their life and in their faith. Rather than living on the defense, we need to switch to living on the offense, and that is what living by faith is. Faith is not defensive, an insurance plan, a backup or a crutch. Tithing and generosity, prayer, fasting, worship and community is offensive living. It's faith-filled and faithful living! We need to be more afraid of missing God opportunities and God potential than in making mistakes. In 1 Samuel 14, verse 6 we see Jonathan’s mindset going into a huge ‘risk’ with an offensive, faith-filled mindset: “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord”. Jonathan’s faith was not defensive or hesitant. He didn’t let fear stop him from pursuing adventurous possibilities and potential wins with God. Because more often than not, the will of God will involve a daring decision that appears ‘risky’. I remember when I was younger, hearing this thought: “When you live by faith, the best you can do is no longer the best you can do, it’s now the best God can do through you!” In this season of generosity, trust that God has more for you than you have for you. Faith steps seem risky but it’s never a risk to trust God!

How often do we mix the two? Most people I talk to assume when they hear "their calling," what’s really meant is "their vocation." But the place that will pay you is not the determining factor to your destiny. The natural world says to have more you need to earn more. But truthfully there is no amount of money that will make YOU a better YOU. Doing what you’re called to do and using the gifts God gave you will bring you a fulfillment money never will. The real secret to fulfillment in your life is figuring out why you’re here and working out that purpose! It’s not to have more, but to BECOME more of who you are meant to be I once heard it put this way: “We don’t just need money to live on, we need something to live for.” Paul said it this way in Acts 20:24: I consider my life worthless. If I don’t do what God called me to do, if I don’t finish the race, what’s the point of running? It’s not just for those written about in the Bible. God has something in you and for you to make a difference too. And believe me, it’s far greater than money! If money weren’t a factor, what would you do? Write down a list of things you’d like to be and be known for.

Don’t you hate "the middle"? The middle between ordering and eating. The waiting for someone else to get ready. The in-between of giving and receiving. Moses was one man who had a big "middle season." Moses had a chance to help his Hebrew people, who were enslaved in Egypt, because he was adopted into Pharaoh's family. But that vision seemed to die when he killed an Egyptian task-master and fled the country as a fugitive. Moses spent the next 40 years on the backside of the desert watching sheep. The hope he once had would seem to be gone. Then one particular day, God was about to invade the "middle" with Moses. “Where you are standing is holy ground.” There was nothing special about the desert Moses was in. A bush that he had probably seen many times before was on fire. And there was God. An ordinary place became holy ground! A regular "middle" moment became the catalyst for change. Why didn’t this happen in a temple? At home? On a mountain top? Because it reveals there is no place and no moment that is without God’s presence! See, one name for God taught in Hebrew culture is “The Place.” God is here, there, and actually everywhere. So it doesn’t matter where you are, HE is there! It doesn’t matter WHO you are or WHAT is taking place. HE IS THERE. Any bush in the desert could be an encounter with God and any middle moment you’re in could be the time God invades your life, answers your prayer, and provides a breakthrough! But Moses COULD have missed this. He could have kept walking past. Instead, he turned aside in his "middle season" and experienced God’s presence. Let me tell you, there is no moment absent of God’s presence in your life. His silence does not equate to His absence. If you’re still breathing, God’s not done with you! The harvest comes because of Him, He is there in the waiting, and He was there with you before sowing. Take time from the middle to turn aside and seek Him. In preparation to receive, go hear from God. Because the more you know Him, the easier He is to trust during any season. What are you in "the middle" of? What breakthrough are you waiting for? What do you do, or could you do, to turn aside and seek God at this time? To see a harvest, there is waiting and there is sowing. Have you decided to sow greatly yet? Are you expecting to receive greatly? Are you prepared for the middle?

Have you ever had a day where you feel like you worked hard and came up with nothing to show for it? As a business owner, I have felt this very same feeling more times than I can count. Some days I feel as if I’ve been pulled from every direction. Other times I feel as if I’ve done a lot of sowing and not a lot of reaping. It is during these slumps where discouragement shows it’s face. We work ourselves to the bone and receive nothing in return. Or do we? Sometimes our fruit hasn’t yet been harvested because it’s still growing. Just because you have yet to receive the results doesn’t mean that you haven’t accomplished anything. Having a sense of accomplishment through the result of your own perseverance makes the fruits of your labor so much sweeter. If they haven’t sprouted yet, then they might still need water! In order to feel accomplished, you have to keep on. You cannot give up just because things get difficult. Accomplishments lie just on the other side of difficulty. Accomplishments are meant to be difficult. They are meant to cause discomfort. It is in this discomfort that we find fulfillment. Today can be a day of fruit. A day of reaping. A day of results. A day in which you reach the goals that you have set for yourself. Despite every setback and circumstance that may arise, you can accomplish that which you set out to accomplish. You have to form this mindset if you expect to accomplish your goals. An accomplishing mindset leads to an accomplishing lifestyle. Having the mindset of David will give you the power to defeat your Goliath! Today is my day of accomplishment 1. What will you accomplish today?

When someone wants to emphasize a point they usually repeat it several times. In Joshua chapter 1, the word courage appears several times. God emphasizes the need for courage as a key ingredient for success. The reason courage is required to achieve success is because the journey towards success is riddled with a lot of fearful situations. Courage is not the absence of fear, but going ahead despite it. Courageous people are just as afraid as everyone else. The difference is that courageous people act despite their fear. There is no need for courage if fear is not present. The fact that we need courage means that fear does not go away, but we have to act despite its presence. Courage is one thing, but there is also one other ingredient just as important to success. Humility. Courage helps us do things that may scare the daylights out of some people. Humility makes us admit that what we are doing isn’t working. It takes a lot of humility to admit we are on the wrong road. It takes even more humility to take an alternative route. Because people lack humility, they can continue on a wrong path just to prove a point. A humble man or woman admits when they are wrong and stops what they are doing. Therefore, to succeed we need to be both humble and courageous. These two concepts work hand-in-hand. In the book of Revelation, we see a picture that seems to be contradictory. A scene unfolds where John, the Revelator, is troubled when there is no one courageous enough to open the scroll. The Holy Spirit told him that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah was worthy to open the scroll. What was strange was when John looked at the One worthy to open the scroll—one who was described as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Instead of seeing a lion, he saw a lamb. Not just a lamb, but one that looked like it was slain. This is a picture of people that become successful. They have this contradiction. They have a lot of fire inside them, but when we look at them, they look like a lamb. They don’t have the outer physical features of a lion, but that of a lamb, and the attitude of a lion. Dear God, I know that on the way to success there are so many roadblocks. Some will require me to be courageous, others will require me to be humble. Help me know how to act accordingly. I commit my success journey into your hands in Jesus' name

Moses and the burning bush is one of the most told stories in the Bible. However, when telling the story, most people emphasize the fact that the bush was burning but wasn’t being consumed. I get that. That is one of the dramatic things that happens in this story. No wonder it catches the attention of most readers and tellers of the story. However, I think it is not the main point of the story. Why do I think so? I think so because I am very sure that not only Moses saw this burning bush that was not being consumed. There were possibly many shepherds in that part of the mountain on that particular day who may also have seen the burning bush. There is a line that most people miss which is so crucial to what is happening in the story. God didn’t call Moses because Moses was a good shepherd, different from the others. No. The thing most people miss in the text is that it was only Moses who stopped to look at this strange site. That is the central point in this story, not the miracle of the bush not being consumed by fire. Curiosity is one of the success secrets from the Bible. A person who is curious always attracts a call to something, moreso than one who goes through life without any sense of wonder. Those who always look for things that make them wonder end up discovering new ways of doing things. In so doing, they end up becoming inventors or founders of great companies. Only the curious discover new things. It is the new things that bring about new business and new organizations.. Every invention and technology comes from curious people. They spend hours and hours observing things to find out why those things behave the way they do and they use that knowledge to invent things to help people. Opportunities are everywhere looking for people with a curious mind. It was Helen Keller who said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight without vision”. Everyone who has eyes can look, but only those that are curious can see. Dear God, Give me eyes that see. In Jesus' name.

Reading through Proverbs has been quite difficult for me because it just holds SO MUCH truth… Sometimes truth can be a difficult thing to face but at the end of the day God instills this truth in us to protect us from doing things that will essentially hurt us. Such as, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” – Proverbs 21:5 Just like your earthly father tells you, “Don’t touch the stove because you will burn yourself”, God tells us that specific actions lead down roads that will only hurt us. Satan thrives on these types of attitudes that us as humans naturally have. The attitude of “I’ll do what I want because it’s my life”. He uses that to steal, kill and destroy. But God has a beautiful plan for your life and everything He says, protects us from what we (wrongly) think is good for us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 God doesn’t tell us this truth to stop us from enjoying life and having fun… He does it because He’s a loving father who only wants the best for us. Lean into Him, lean into His truth. So much good will come from this.

Do you clearly know your life’s purpose? God does, and He created you for a special purpose! Vision is the tool God uses to help guide you to that purpose. Vision is a picture of a desired future that stirs your innermost passion and syncs your mind, body, and soul. The challenge is discovering that vision and finding the courage to live it. What is God’s plan for your future? Can you picture it? For some, this picture comes quickly. For most people, they must go through a journey to discover it. Take a moment and think about your desired future. Pray about it! Let it flow from your heart. This is the first step toward discovering God’s vision for your life.

Is it possible to remain calm and peaceful while chaos is brewing all around you? Yes, it is possible because Jesus demonstrated how to remain in peace even through a raging storm. In the book of Mark, chapter four Jesus and the disciples were in a boat on the sea when a great storm started the brew. Jesus was tired after a long day of ministry and he laid down to rest. While he was resting, the disciples were up worrying and fearful. Does that sound familiar to you? How many times have you worried over a problem and been fearful even after praying about it? At one point the disciples decided that the wind and waves were too overwhelming so they made a decision. Their decision was the sign of their wavering faith in a savior who was right in the same situation as they were. How many times have we been in the midst of our situation and failed to realize or acknowledge that Jesus was right there with us? If he is with us, then he is certainly having the same experience but without the anxiety, fear, and impatience. His perspective is different than ours because Jesus knows the beginning and the end of the matter. When we look at our situation from this same viewpoint it should help us to find a little more patience to endure the test. Storms don’t last forever and neither does trouble, sorrow, or crisis. Patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit, given to us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Just like any fruit, it must be cultivated and pruned in order to grow to full maturity. If we fight the pruning process, we shortcut our growth and have to start over again. Wouldn’t it be great if we just got a whole measure of patience to start with? In theory that would be nice, but then we couldn’t experience all of the other amazing gifts that come along with it. The side-effects of patience include increased faith, endurance and self-control. Spiritual maturity becomes a beautiful cocktail designed to help push us to a higher level in our walk with Christ. This level allows our “salt and light” to be felt, seen and heard in the world around us.

Have you ever had to live without something that you use on a daily basis? It’s a weird, exposing, and vulnerable feeling whenever are having to live without something you depend on and value so much. This is what makes fasting so powerful! The misunderstanding about fasting is that it is self-punishment or just something that Christians do from time to time without really ever knowing why. Fasting is a way for us to get closer to God and to open up ourselves to receive from Him. It’s not meant to be a ritual that everyone does just to say they have done it. It’s also not meant to be a status symbol to bring attention to yourself (Matthew 6:16). The act of fasting is to temporarily take away something that holds value in your life and to let God fill that space in order to know Him more. Fasting may look like giving up social media for a period of time so that instead of scrolling through every morning or night, you take that time to read the Bible or to talk to God. It could be fasting a certain food by making an active decision to refrain from eating to remind you to bring God into your daily thoughts and life. Fasting is the act of taking away something that you value and allowing God to use that space in your life to speak to you.

It's easy to be so caught up in the journey of becoming that one forgets the beauty present in today. To me, it seems quite ironic that we most overlook the very things that are most important in the long term. How often have we promised to spend more time with loved ones only to run out of time to be with them? God is the Giver of all good gifts and it’s only right to thank Him for all He’s done for us. Especially in tough times, it’s important to remember who He is. God is The Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent One. No problem we can face is greater than Him. As you stand in faith on God’s Word to manifest in your situation, what do you do? Fear not. Keep your focus on God and His Word. The circumstance may look and feel intimidating, but the truth is that it is a defeated foe. With Jesus’ resurrection, He made an open show (see Colossians 2:15) of the enemy and all of the enemy’s works. What you know and believe matters. So, how can we be grateful despite our current situations? Keep a tight grasp on God’s truth. He loves us and will never forsake us. If you’re in need, go to His Word and learn His solution for your problem. He is extravagantly generous and eager to bless His children. Your deliverance is as close as your quality decision to know, believe, receive, and act on His Word. I believe that’s something to be quite grateful about!

What is it about doing something affirming that makes you feel good? Whether you do something good for yourself or others, the act of doing good is profound. I like that doing something good for someone else gets me out of my own head and focusing upon what I have that can help someone else. In giving, I gain greater awareness of who God created me to be and where I fit in His big plan. I relearn that my life matters and that others are counting on me to do what I was created to do. These statements may seem lofty, but even at the most basic levels, my connections with others matter. Simple acts of kindness are transformational. A few words of encouragement may override someone’s contemplation of suicide. Some dollars may keep someone from resorting to crime to meet basic needs. A call for justice will give voice to the invisible. We may not know the impacts of our giving, but God does and He’s counting on us to show and share His love with a hurting world. One life does matter and makes a difference. Let’s commit our concerns to God and go about His business of doing good. He’ll take care of us and we’ll meaningfully impact our world for good!

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life— is not from the Father but is from the world. I John 2:16 ESV Pride is the downfall of many an individual, especially those who have been gifted with extraordinary talents or abilities. The temptation to glory in oneself and one’s accomplishments is almost too strong to avoid. However, there are two sure ways of avoiding self-adulation. One way is to give God the glory for everything. One of the most famous composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote the initials S.D.G. at the end of all his church compositions. Translated from Latin, Soli Deo Gloria, the initials mean “Glory to God Alone.” Though he was unquestionably a musical genius, Bach wasn’t interested in fame or fortune. The second way to avoid becoming prideful is to serve others with a humble heart. Bach was a famous composer but he also taught music to many students. He once told a young student who felt discouraged, “Just practice diligently, and it will go very well. You have five fingers on each hand just as healthy as mine.” Bach believed that music was a blessing from God and that music should be used to glorify God and to edify men and women on the earth. Like Bach, instead of allowing yourself or your work to become the focus of anyone’s adoration, turn all the attention back to God, who gave you the gift in the first place

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6 NKJV) There are so many things today that can cause us to worry. There are the worries of the world. There are the worries in our own country, including the threat of terrorism and the threat of North Korea. Then there are personal worries, such as health worries and family worries. It seems as though worries are always there, always closing in on us. But worry isn’t productive. In fact, it’s a failure to trust God. The word worry comes from an Old English term that means “strangle” or “choke.” That is what worry does. It chokes us. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. Modern medical research has proven that worry breaks down our resistance to disease. It actually diseases the nervous system, and more specifically, breaks down the digestive organs and the heart. In fact, 79 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are stress related. Philippians tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We need to turn our worries into prayer. That requires developing a conditioned reflex. We all have natural reflexes, like when we touch something hot and immediately pull back. Then there’s a conditioned reflex, something that becomes natural after we’ve done it so many times. For instance, standing during the national anthem or placing your hand over your heart during the Pledge of Allegiance is a conditioned reflex. We can’t control our universe, as hard as we may try, but we certainly can pray about it. The next time you’re tempted to worry, pray instead. Turn your worries into prayers.

Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. (Psalm 91:7 NLT) There are so many things we can be afraid of in life. We can be afraid to get on a plane. We can be afraid to drive a car. We can be afraid to do this or that. We can be filled with fear over just about everything. But in Psalm 91, we find this promise for believers: “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you: (Psalm 91:7). Isn’t that great to know? It isn’t over until it’s over. Until that time, we can go out with boldness, knowing that God is in control of our lives. I read the story of a courageous Christian who was standing before a king who wanted him to deny Christ. The king threatened, “If you don’t do it, I will banish you.” The Christian replied, “You can’t banish me from Christ. He says He will never leave me nor forsake me.” The king said, “I will confiscate your property and take it all from you.” The Christian said, “My treasures are laid up on high; you cannot get them.” “I will kill you,” the king told him. “I have been dead forty years,” the Christian answered. “I have been dead with Christ; dead to the world. My life is hid with Christ in God, and you cannot touch it.” The king said, “What can you do with such a fanatic?” May God give us more Christians who know something of God’s protection like this believer did. However, there is a difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord. Don’t take unnecessary chances with your life and expect Him to bail you out. Yes, He will keep us in all of our ways—but our ways should be His ways.

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17–18) It’s been said that worry is the advanced interest we pay on troubles that seldom come. We try to justify worry, of course: “It’s OK for me to worry because I’m in a difficult situation.” In many ways we all are—some more than others. But maybe we all just need to lighten up a little when we can. You might think, “Easy for you to say.” I want you to consider the following words of the apostle Paul, who was writing under adverse circumstances. Paul was under house arrest. There was the possibility that he might be acquitted, or he might be beheaded. He didn’t know what his future held. Yet he gave us some of the most inspiring words found in the pages of Scripture: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:4–6). I love these verses. Paul wasn’t sitting in some ivory tower, spinning up practical theories. He was not lounging on some beach in the Mediterranean, eating a falafel and having an iced tea. This was a man who was incarcerated, yet he was able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” By the way, that is a command from God Himself. To put it another way, to not rejoice is disobedience to God. Anyone can rejoice when things are going reasonably well. But when we’re facing adversity or sickness or hardship or death and then we rejoice, we are obeying God. God is on His throne. He loves you and is watching out for you. So rejoice in the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 "For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." You can't touch my joy. You may have heard that said by someone and wondered what in the world are they meaning. There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is a feeling, and Joy is a perspective, and knowing the difference is wisdom. I know people who are sky high one day and rock bottom the next because they let their feeling dictate their happiness. Then I know people who are going through things that should get them down, but they still seem joyful. They are not screwing on smiles for a public appearance, but understand that the same God that is in the good days is in the bad days as well. Paul praised God from the jail cell and wrote several books of the New Testament. If Paul said, "I'm going to wait until I get out of prison and get my life together before I listen to the Holy Spirit", we would not have much of the New Testament. Wind Chasers As that great theologian, Ariel from The Little Mermaid said… "I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty I've got whozits and whatzits galore (You want thingamabobs?I got twenty) But who cares? No big deal I want more" I love the part of our verse that says, "but to the sinner; he has given the business of gathering and collecting." We are all into some hobby that we chase and collect this or that. But I think we all know someone who has taken the art of gathering and collecting to a new level. There's even a show called "Hoarders" about people who want too much stuff. No matter how much this person gathers, they want more. Two guitars are not enough, so I now have 43. Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be."

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25) The world watches with great interest when a Christian faces adversity. Every one of us faces hardship. Every one of us loses loved ones. Every one of us faces sickness. Every one of us encounters difficulties and hardships in life. But when it happens to Christians, nonbelievers watch to see if our faith is genuine. That is the time to show them what Christ can do, even in hard times. Acts 16 tells the story of Paul and Silas, who were thrown into prison for preaching the gospel. Their backs had been ripped open with a whip, and at midnight, in the most unsanitary of conditions, in a filthy environment, with their legs stretched apart in shackles causing excruciating pain, Paul and Silas held a worship service. The Bible tells us that “at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (verse 25). Suddenly an earthquake shook the prison, their shackles fell off, the walls came down, and they were free to go. The Philippian jailer, assuming they were free, knew he would be tortured and then put to death. He took out his own sword and was ready to kill himself. But Paul said, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here” (verse 28). Then the jailer said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (verse 30). Paul and Silas made an impact on him. In the same way, there are people watching you right now. They’re developing an opinion about God on the basis of your life. It has been said that a Christian is an epistle, written by God and read by man. You are the only Bible that some people ever will read. They will be looking at you, and that may determine the course their lives will take.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT) If you want to overcome fear and worry, then you need right thinking. In other words, think about what you think about. We’re told in Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (NLT). If you want personal peace, this is where it begins. Why is the mind important? It’s command central. With our minds we reach to the past through memories, and we reach to the future through imagination. We need to learn how to think properly and biblically. As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (NLT). The next time you’re troubled, you might try talking to yourself. We need to tell ourselves to think biblically, because it doesn’t always come naturally. For example, we see the writer’s despair in Psalm 42: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” But then the writer continues, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (verses 5–6 NLT). Many of the Psalms are songs and prayers. They are honest. And as we read some of them, we may think, “I dare not pray that.” But go ahead and pray that. Go ahead and say, “Lord, I am hurting right now. . . . I’m in pain right now. . . . I don’t understand this right now. . . . I’m struggling with this right now.” The next time you’re feeling down, the next time you think, “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this situation,” quote the Bible to yourself. Remind yourself of the truth of God’s Word. That is what it means to think biblically.

James 3:17 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." situations. Can you imagine the kind of Holy Ninja you’d be with all of the attributes listed in our focus verse? Let’s do a rapid-fire on the attributes of this type of wisdom. Pure - This wisdom is without an agenda. God gives me wisdom on how to handle this business deal or which car should I buy. Pure wisdom is to be able to discern what brings God glory in all situations. Peaceable - If you’ve ever been on social media and seen someone ranting about politics or religion, you would know they don’t have peaceable wisdom. But think of how we would all communicate with each other if we did. Gentle - There are things you know that others do not know due to experience, age, or intellect. It doesn’t mean we have to hold it over them and make them feel inferior. Wisdom with gentleness is a great way to communicate with someone. Reasonable - Wisdom that understands that people need to be talked with and not talked at would make for a great communicator. Full of Mercy - Wisdom that was full of mercy is just what Jesus offered people when he spoke to them. That should be our goal as well. Good Fruits - Wisdom that is full of the fruits of the Spirit would be a great place to lead people to the Good News of Jesus. Impartial - Wisdom that is fair and the center of discipleship (Truth & Grace). Sincere - Wisdom with sincerity sounds like the kind of teacher or advisor that could make a difference in the world. It’s always beautiful to see God define something like wisdom and take it to a place that we couldn’t get to with our earthly eyes. Don’t just seek wisdom, seek Godly Wisdom.

It's an incredible truth: You were strategically placed here, at this time in history, by God for His plans and purposes. He needed someone just like you to love the unlovable - to bring joy to a dark, cold world - to reveal peace in confusing conversations and situations - and to be kind at times when our culture is desolately cruel. God, the Creator of the Universe, needed someone just like you to be constantly optimistic in the face of frustrating circumstances - to hope when there was no reason for hope - and to show patience to obstinate and ornery people. Because God needed you, He created you to reveal His heart. The problem is, as His very own children, we have acquired too many genetic characteristics of the world and have forsaken the lavishly bestowed attributes of God, our loving Father. The problem is, we would rather have it our way than His way. The problem is, we would rather emote a selfish perspective on a situation than to exhibit delightful and delicious fruit. We were created by God to reveal His heart during this singular moment in all of recorded time. We were created to do His good works but instead, we have decided to morph into an emotional counterfeit of who He intended for us to be. God created us because there was a lack of "Godness" on earth, and so He sent you and He sent me. God will only reveal Himself through us to the extent that we allow Him to fill every corner of our hearts and lives. The magnificent and heart-stopping truth is that you can have as much of God as you could possibly want! The question has never changed from the Garden of Eden until today, How much of Him do you want?

Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." There are “intellects” out there that scoff at Christians and think we are fools for believing in the Bible (which they call fairy tales). They believe that we check our brains at the door of the church and do not use reason to listen to the Word of God. Our verse tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”. This verse is less about being scared or afraid of God and more about being in awe of Him. Understanding His Holiness and Power should make us pause with respect, and that is the beginning of knowledge. The latter part of our verse tells us, “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I don’t want to stick my head in the sand being a Christian, nor do I want to abandon reason. My God is big enough that He can answer any of my questions, whether they are related to wisdom or doubt. As the verse states, only a fool would dispose of wisdom and instruction, but where do we get God's wisdom and guidance? Does earthly wisdom have an agenda to pull us over to the world's way of thinking? Is its purpose to take our eyes off of Jesus? Knowledge vs. Wisdom There is an apparent difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is merely “knowing,” learning, or understanding facts as they pertain to certain situations. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to apply that knowledge to given situations. Reading from the Bible about topics from our past gives us the knowledge to apply to our future. Using those Holy Directives to our lives for the Glory of God by accepting Jesus as our Savior is wisdom. Many people who have very high IQs cannot understand the Word of God. Some people who can’t read have come to Jesus. The excellent news…you can have your brain back! 1 John 4: 1-2 — "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,"

A powerful way to make sure that your spirit is growing into the most robust part of your inner man is to pray without ceasing. I did not say whine without ceasing - I said pray without ceasing. So many Christians spend their whole lives whining and complaining to the Lord and then they wonder why their prayers are never answered! When you pray, pray with joy! When you pray, come into His presence boldly and with power! When you pray, leave your emotional soul at the door and take your well-fed spirit into the Throne Room and bask in His wonderful presence! God loves you when you whine ... but when you join your spirit with His Spirit in a grand symphony of praise that is the moment that heaven and earth begin to move on your behalf. As Christians, we are not a people group who limits our singing and rejoicing to sunny skies and magnificent circumstances, but we are determined to pray with joy even when our lives are falling apart. It is part of our DNA to come into His presence with thanksgiving regardless of what awaits us outside the door of His presence. The three Hebrew boys worshipped in the fiery furnace! Paul and Silas sang at the midnight hour in prison! Stephen worshipped as he was being stoned! Hannah worshipped when she was not yet pregnant! Join the throng of believers from every generation in history who have chosen to pray with joy.

It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. — J.K. Rowling If you are striving to “please God,” there are a bunch of voices in your head telling you things like this: I should be more sold out for God. I should care more. I need to get on fire. I must buck up, shape up, and tighten up. Yes, it sounds like the mantra of good intentions and spiritual humility. But… There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25) Thankfully, God has provided another route. But we must back up to the intersection where we made the choice to go with the religious crowd in an attempt to please God by our own self effort. At this intersection, another sign points down a different road. It says, “Trusting God.” This road is definitely less worn than the other one, and it seems illogical. If you are uncomfortable with trusting God rather than pleasing God, a bunch of other voices in your head are saying things like this: When do I get to do something for God? Where's the part where I get to prove my sincerity? Where are my guidelines? Where do I get to give God my best? If you overcome those voices and walk this path, you come to another door which says, “Living Out Who God says I Am.” The doorknob reads, “Humility.” It’s a room full of people who are obviously imperfect, full of compromise and struggle—yet they are authentic. They are both laughing and crying—yet underneath any expression is a genuine joy. Yeah, it’s not nearly as orderly and polished as the room filled with those who are trying in their own effort to “please God.” But there is something real about them… and there is a peace that surpasses all comprehension around them. Yes, this group knows who they are in Christ, and they are resting in what He has done for them.

God made you to flourish and to inexhaustibly thrive. He spiritually designed you for emotional and spiritual abundance in every season of your life. His plan was never that you would be shriveled up emotionally and trampled upon by anger and depression and worry. God knew that we would all experience vicious windstorms and the pollution of our culture, but His creative genius provided a way to stay connected to the Vine during all of life's erratic seasonal changes. God's will for you is to flourish in every area of your life and that includes in your emotions! The word "flourish" is a Hebrew word that is rich in meaning and in usage. It always refers to something or someone who is growing by those infamous leaps and bounds. "Flourish" is a word picture of a plant that is destined to grow abundantly regardless of the climate or drought. The Psalmist declares that "the righteous man will flourish like the palm tree." If the Bible uses the word "righteous" to describe a person, it means that this person has willfully chosen to connect himself or herself to God. You will flourish, then, in direct proportion to your connection with God! If you choose to bask in His presence on a daily basis and spend time in the Word and in prayer, your life will be a grand display of the growth that comes from your connection to His righteousness. Many Christians are more connected to the pain of their past than they are to the reality of God's presence on a daily basis. It really does matter to you emotionally whether or not you read your Bible every day. It really does matter to you emotionally whether or not you worship in spite of your disappointment. It really does matter to you emotionally if you pray for those who have been unkind to you. It really does matter. When you choose well, God will cause the growth! You will begin to grow by leaps and bounds both spiritually and emotionally because you are receiving life from God. The fruit of the Spirit will miraculously make you into someone who has the temperament and personality of God. You must work in tandem with God until your emotional responses to the climate around you are the result of your deep and rich connection with Him.

Few delights can equal the presence of the one whom we trust utterly. — George MacDonald Life is filled with little burdens. Lots of them. You know, the details of life like bills and carpools and in-laws. The flesh tells me that God is pleased when I carry the load, that He will help me when I help myself—particularly on the trivial, little stuff. Sure, I know I can trust God to carry the burden on the things that are beyond my ability—like getting me to heaven or curing a child’s cancer… or getting me out of a speeding ticket. But why should I bother Him with the small stuff when He has all these wars and earthquakes to deal with when I can deal with it myself! Another good question. Why exercise faith and trust Him in the little things? Because God evaluates “success” differently than we do. We measure “success” based on what the flesh can produce, whereas God measures success based on the degree of trust we show. Choosing to do things myself is called independence—the exact opposite of moment-by-moment dependence that brings intimacy with God through trusting Him. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Walking in the Spirit is how we have been designed to live as followers of Christ—every day, every moment, through every burden, large or small. This intimate dependency is part of our new identity in Christ!

Open mouth . . . insert foot. Have you ever been there? You started to talk and quickly wished you could stuff the words back in. Or perhaps you’ve been the recipient of someone else’s foot-in-mouth moment. If so, you’ve likely felt the hurt of misspoken words. As we know from James’ instruction to “be quick to listen, slow to speak,” we all have the ability to hit pause. What we don’t have the ability to do is rewind. Once our words are out there, they can’t be taken back. When we’re under pressure, angry, or in a hurry, it can be easy to let the wrong words come out or to say the right words at the wrong time. We're typically quick to speak, slow to listen—the exact opposite of James’ advice! But by pausing before speaking, we put the needs of others ahead of our own. We give them the opportunity to express their opinions or tell their side of the story. Today, look for opportunities to give others the chance to talk first. Rather than listening in order to reply, try James’ advice—flip the script and be “quick to listen, slow to speak” instead.

Here’s something that’s obvious but often overlooked: Everything everyone does makes sense to them. The neighbor you think mows their lawn the wrong way? They don’t agree. That co-worker who offered an opinion that opposed yours? They did so for a reason. We may not understand their motives or actions, but the people around us are operating in ways that make sense to them. When we don’t take time to understand others’ viewpoints, we rush to hasty, destructive conclusions that often manifest in words we later regret: “That makes no sense.” “They’re so stupid.” “How could anyone believe that?” Unfortunately, we often say these things behind the person’s back. We post our opinions online or share them with a friend, not even giving our target the opportunity to respond. That’s not what God intended. Your words are your responsibility. If there’s something you don’t agree with or don’t understand, ask questions. The goal isn’t to align with the other person. The goal is to honor them. You don’t have to agree, but you should maintain a posture of respect.

It’s instinctive for humans to believe in some form of karma – even if we wouldn’t call it that. At some level, we expect that if we work hard, we will do well. Input correlates to output. People get what they deserve. And at some level, that’s true – we live in an ordered universe where actions have consequences, for better and for worse. But of course, in a world disfigured by sin and transfigured by grace, that’s not the whole story. I once heard a noted theologian say: we think the underlying principle of the universe is cause and effect, but it’s actually death and resurrection. We only have so much control over our circumstances and what happens in our lives and in the world. Thankfully, in the economy of a gracious God, this means not only that we struggle and suffer disproportionately to what we may “deserve”, but that we also find ourselves wonderfully blessed beyond our deserts.

It is been my experience that I am rarely able to "fix" the behavior of challenging people in my life. Responding with emotion to difficult people never produces long-lasting change. I believe that perhaps God has placed you in that difficult person's life not to moderate their irregular behavior, but to pray for them. It is a simple equation that God gives us to deal with those irritable and troublesome hunks of humanity: Love + Prayer = Victory. God's strategy rarely involves emotion but always has liberal doses of love and prayer mixed together for a victorious conclusion. God did not create you to be some whirling dervish who uses words to jab, hurt and control people. God created you to be a man or a woman who was more committed to Kingdom than to self. Difficult people can run away from your words, but they can never escape your prayers. We cannot and must not have a disconnect between what we believe and how we treat others, no matter how difficult they may be. There is an anecdote for bitterness and wrath; it's called kindness. There is a way to overcome anger and clamor; it's known as being tenderhearted. There is also a way to conquer slander; it's recognized as forgiveness. It takes a mature, Godly Christian to bless the persecutors in life. We bless with our tongues, with our heart attitudes, with our emotions, and with our actions. Some of you might be thinking, "Yeah, but you don't know my Aunt.....! She is unlovable in every way imaginable!" You may not want to hear my response to your Aunt scenario but here it is, Somebody loves your Aunt and His name is God, so start acting like your Dad! We are all unlovable in some way, aren't we? We all can become prickly, outspoken and contentious from time to time, but I believe that the reason most of us are unlovable is that at our very core we are crying out to be loved. There will be many times in life when your decision to love a porcupine will disarm them completely. If you refuse to forgive and then bless the difficult people in your life, you are in danger of becoming a difficult person. The equation is no-fail and will guarantee your eventual victory:

What exactly is the blahs? This headache of the soul cannot truly be defined as "depression" because you are still able to function if you have been targeted by the blahs. You are still choosing, however lethargically, to place one foot in front of the other. You are still able to interact with people, although your answers are not quite as scintillating or vibrant. You have not retreated into a cave yet although languishing underneath an afghan, a long nap and complete quiet sure are tempting. Every day. All day. You are able to get up every morning, although you only function at half of your potential. You are not depressed, but neither are you joyful or excited about anything at all. Day after day come and go in a vacuum of gray nothingness. You smile now and then but it never goes all the way to your heart. You're get up and go ... got up and went. Somewhere. You are just not sure where it got up and went to! This is your daily game plan and guaranteed life strategy to beat the blahs. Every day that has been generously given to you by the Lord is a new opportunity to manage your day with praise. God gave you this day and designed it especially with you in His mind. He has a plan for you every single day of your life that always includes a liberal dose of praise. If you want the assurance that you are participating in God's will for your life on a daily basis, it is vital that you start your day with praise, that you fill it with worship and that you end it with thanksgiving. From the first moment of consciousness to your last waking thought at night, make it a choice of your will to only magnify the Lord and never question Him. We are not a people who blame the Lord, we are a people who bless the Lord!

Going from A to B. It is a pretty common saying. Wanting to find the quickest and easiest way to get from where you are to where you want to be is something that we have all felt. Whether it is a location-based changed (i.e., wanting to go to a different place), a physical one (i.e., losing weight), or even if it is a knowledge-based growth, we have all wanted to get from A to B. But most of the time, the fastest route is not the one we are meant to take. Each of us has taken different paths in life to get to where we are. What worked for you may not work for me, and vice versa. Let's look at Joseph. We can find the beginning of Joseph's story in Genesis 37. We see that Joseph is loved by his father more than his brothers, and this creates hatred in their hearts towards Joseph. This hatred festers and pushes them to do something that no family member would or should think about doing. They sold him into slavery. From there, Joseph was taken into Egypt where Potiphar, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites. Already being a slave was a terrible event, but even when he was serving Potiphar, he experienced more hardship. Potiphar's wife framed Joseph after he refused to lay with her. This refusal ended with Joseph being thrown in jail. From being loved by his father to being sold into slavery and then thrown in jail, Joseph was probably asking questions. "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Is this the path I am supposed to take?" Luckily the story doesn't end here. Even in prison, God used Joseph. Years passed, and eventually, Joseph was called out of prison by the Pharoah to interpret his dreams. Joseph was able to read Pharaoh's dreams about the upcoming famine. Because of this, Joseph was able to prepare a system that would help the people not go hungry during the years of famine. Remember, Joseph's brothers? Well, they were in the area that was affected by the famine. They traveled to Egypt to receive food. Now Joseph was able to help them. He would never have been able to assist his family if he had not been on this path. So remember not to be discouraged if the road you are on has some valleys. Sometimes those valley's are necessary to get you where you need to be.