There is no cancer, no sickness, no sin, no reversal of fortunes, no curse, no heartache – nothing – that’s greater than Jesus. Jesus heals. Jesus restores. Jesus brings life.
Jealousy is a tough thing to carry because it causes us to compare and compete. It silences us from celebrating and affirming. When we live in families that compare and compete, but can’t celebrate and affirm, we live at war.
If we truly want to change, then we need to understand our dependency on the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Our change is more about trusting and less about trying.
Some of us have incredible potential, but we don’t want to try anything bold because we don’t want to fail. The easy choice: live in the relative safety of mediocrity because we think that’s better than rejection.
Whatever giant we’re battling might be big – but it’s not bigger than Jesus.
Father, thank You for hearing my cry from the pit. I receive Your grace today and stand on the solid ground of Your righteousness. Every time I think of how You rescued me, my mouth can’t help but sing Your praise. I love You and am so grateful for You. Let my whole life sing Your song. Amen!
You should never count God out. What He has planned and dreamed for your life far exceeds the circumstances of your day. He is always at work, painting on a canvas bigger than we can see or imagine. Not only is this true today; it’s been true of our entire story to this point.
Your circumstances may be black, but Scripture says that God is light. Trust in him, and he will give you a comeback. He will give you a fresh start. He will give you a change of heart and provide a powerful spiritual turnaround. He is with you in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, and I invite you to praise him and trust his purposes for your life.
I know a lot of us feel like that. We come to a place where we’re walking through the fires and trials of life, and we don’t know where to turn. What we need is a fresh start. We need our story to go in a new direction. What we need is a comeback of our own.
As long as our eyes are on the problem, and the solution lies within ourselves, the X’s are going to pile up on the calendars of our fight, marking the days little to nothing has changed. But all that changes the day Jesus enters our Valley of Elah. The moment we stop staring at our giant and lock eyes with Jesus. The moment our hope shifts from us to him.
Worship is like corrective lenses for our souls, bringing God clearer into view. That’s important for all of us, especially when life goes off the rails.
If we live for people’s approval, we will die by their rejection.
God has already torn down the biggest obstacle we will ever face, the veil of our sin that separated us from His holy embrace. He will, in the same way, lead you through every challenge you will ever face.
If you ask me, the church needs a whole lot more grace addicts because grace has a name, and the name is Jesus.
Victory over our hurts and pain is not found by delving deeper into our wounds, but by clinging to the wounds of Jesus.
Let these two small phrases roll through your mind and heart. Life is short. God is big. Life is short. God is big. Life is short. God is big. Do you hear that voice? Oh, I pray you hear that voice. We begin to listen by worshipping God. When we breathe in worship, we know and feel that life is short and God is big. Our hearts are emboldened. We are ready to move into action. Complacency leads to inaction, but worship moves us into action. It puts holy urgency in our lives.
The story is never just about you and me; it’s always about God’s glory and his work on planet Earth. We need to grasp this: it’s not all about me and my issues and my deliverance. It’s about God’s purposes in the world. He needs to get me involved in his plan because I’m connected to a bunch of other people and their involvement with his plan.
Nothing worth having comes without a cost. A.
Our giants keep taunting us, so we need to hold God at his word: that he is already victorious. We need to believe that our pain can be overcome. We need to remind ourselves that those giants don’t need to be giants any longer.
Sabbath is not so much about a day off as it is a “day up” – a day to remember that He is God and we are not.