The Lord recently asked me a piercing question: “Do you really believe I am your Shepherd?”

I knew God knew the answer, but He wanted me to realize that I wasn’t seeing Him as my Shepherd because things were tough.

Maybe you’re in a place where you too, are doubting if God really is leading you. Perhaps you are like me, where fear was attached to a lot of the actions I was taking.

Be encouraged that God is leading you even when you don’t understand why the journey is hard or how exactly you’ll get to your desired destination.

Is God calling you outside of your comfort zone? Maybe it’s a new leadership position or a business God is calling you to pursue. Whatever “uncomfortable thing” God is calling you to, remember that He is with you. 

I find comfort reading Joshua 1:9, where God tells Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ‭‭

This same command God gives Joshua is the same command He is giving to us as His followers. Joshua was tasked to lead a whole nation into battles to take on territories. Who wouldn’t be scared of such a task?

The battles you have to face may seem daunting, but remember the God who is with you, fighting your battles. It is God who ultimately will hand us the victories and promised territories we are believing for.

God constantly reminded Joshua that He will give them the promised land they have been believing for. Though we, like Joshua, are called to take action, know that it is ultimately God who will bring us where we need to be.

God says in Joshua 1:5-6, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

When things get hard, we can easily forget that God is near and for us. Be encouraged with what God says in Psalm 37:18, “The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.”

As long as we are living rightly before God, we can be sure that God will always take care of us here on earth and for eternity. This doesn’t mean we will not go through hardships, but that even in the midst of the hardships, He is with us. 

There is never a day when you are not in God’s sight or care. We are promised that even death will not be our end, but we will be raised to life and have a glorious body with Jesus (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

Trust that God will get you through the storm and turn what was meant for your harm for your good and His glory.

When life gets tough, remember you are not alone. The Lord of hosts, who is the King of glory is with you (Psalms‬ ‭24‬:‭10‬).

The battles you face cannot be compared to the Lord who is with you. Do not tolerate fear, but instead walk by faith and seek the Lord’s help and wisdom. Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Many times we wait for perfect circumstances to enjoy life. No matter what you are facing, choose to trust God, do good, and enjoy where you are at.

God tells us in Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” ‭‭

Right before verse 3 in Psalm 37 God says, “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb” (Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭1‬-‭2‬).

The context of enjoying safe pasture in Psalm 37 is even in the midst of evildoers around us. Despite the hardships you may be facing, remember that God is still faithful to get you through safely.

We are invited daily to “feed off His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3).

Find rest that you’re not alone. Every day choose to declare, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

What is the role of a Shepherd? The role of a Shepherd is to guide, protect, and provide for the sheep. That is who Jesus is for us. Jesus is the Shepherd and we are His sheep.

Our call is to simply follow Jesus, our Shepherd.

The meaning of “The Lord is my Shepherd” is to remember that in Jesus, we have everything that we need. Many Bible verses remind us that God will guide and establish our steps, protect us in time of trouble, and provide all that we need. 

May we renew our minds with Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” Even when we feel in lack, remember that you have everything you need in Jesus. Tell yourself, “The Lord is my Shepherd”.

Trust that as you choose to follow Jesus, His goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life (Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬).

Even when you don’t understand the journey, trust that Jesus is still leading you as you choose to follow Him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

So remember, say to yourself: The Lord is my Shepherd. 

Prayer: Jesus, help me to remember Your promises when I feel overwhelmed and to hold fast to the truth that You are my Shepherd. Even when I cannot see the path ahead, help me to walk by faith, knowing that You go before me, fight for me, and lead me into peace.

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It’s not enough to just read our Bible to cross it off our to-do list — we need a revelation of Jesus in the Word every day to receive Him as our daily bread which gives us strength to live in Him. 

We can’t afford to live a day without abiding in Jesus and partaking in him. Just as we need food to operate, we too need Jesus for strength to walk by the Holy Spirit and not our flesh.

We will grow weary if we try to do life without a fresh revelation of Jesus every day. 

I find that as a mom with a newborn and toddler, annoyance creeps in very quickly, causing me to be mean and not like Jesus if I don’t take time throughout the day to remain in Jesus and meditate on His word. 

We must take time throughout the day to seek Jesus in the Bible and ask Him to open up the Word to strengthen us. 

Start your day with the desire and hunger to encounter Jesus and receive Him as your daily bread. Make Matthew 6:11 your daily prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Every day you must be ready to take up your cross deny your flesh. 

The temptation to complain, be angry, lust, feel afraid, and more will arise, but we must say no to these thoughts and feelings. To be a disciple of Jesus will require you to take up your cross and deny your fleshly desires—die to what is sinful by submitting to God and following Him. 

We must deny our flesh if we want to experience the life and love of Jesus. 

Our fleshly desires is what holds us back from truly receiving Jesus. If we would choose to let go of our annoyances, pain, and other sinful thoughts and instead fix our eyes on Jesus, we will then be filled with His love, peace, and joy. 

A life of self-denial and embracing Jesus is the way to follow Jesus. This does not mean that we ignore our feelings, but rather allow our feelings to draw near to Jesus. When we bring our emotions to Jesus, He make room for Him to fills us with His love to remove all that is not of Him. 

His love alone has the power to perfect us (1 John 4:18).

Do you have thoughts and feelings that don’t belong to Jesus? What do you need to die to in this season to follow Jesus?

Jesus wants you to experience an abundant life, but you must first be willing to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

If you want Jesus, you first have to be willing to deny your fleshly desires, live a life of long suffering (carry your cross), and follow Jesus. We allow Holy Spirit to reign in our lives as we choose to die to ourselves. This is when we will see the fruit of the Spirit displayed in our lives: Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

I’m currently in the newborn season with my son who is 2 months old. Any mother knows how difficult it is to take care of a newborn.

As a mom with a newborn, you have to wake up and feed your baby even though you are tired, be available to feed your baby during times when you may not want to feed them, and constantly give of yourself with long-suffering. 

As I go through this season, I’m reminded that we as believers of Jesus too are called to be ready daily to deny our fleshly desires, carry our cross, and follow Jesus. 

There is beauty and satisfaction in following Jesus, but with it also comes the need for you to carry your cross and die to yourself. 

Will you position yourself daily to deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Jesus?

Following Jesus will not always be easy, but it is the best decision you can ever make. Jesus is life and when we have Him, we experience an abundant life.

How would our lives look like if we were to live with the end in mind? Eternity is real and how we live today will determine our eternity to come — whether with Jesus or away from Jesus in utter darkness. 

As we start this new year, let us continue to persevere strong. Jesus promises to save those who persevere and obey His commands until the end. Hardships and troubles will come, but by the grace of God and through His Holy Spirit living in us, we can persevere and end strong in the Lord. 

Jesus says in Revelation 3:10, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

As believers of Jesus, we are promised to be kept safe from the time when God judges the world in the times of tribulation (the trumpets and bowl judgements). 

Will you set in your mind and heart every day to take up your cross, persevere, and follow Jesus?

So remember, take up your cross and persevere. 

Prayer:  Jesus, thank You for being our strength and daily bread. Help us deny our flesh, seek You each day, and walk in Your truth. In every challenge, remind us of the life and joy found in surrendering to You.

Listen to our Podcast “How To Take Up Your Cross And Persevere”

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Hardships are not bad when we use them as an opportunity to find God’s power and strength to sustain us.

My second labor with my newborn was much harder than my first one. I was expecting it to be easier because I came into it with more faith than during my labor with my first child.

To my surprise, this second time around was so painful that I didn’t think I could continue delivering my baby without an epidural. Praise God that by the time I did ask for an epidural, I was already 9.5 cm dilated and ready to push my baby out. 

I questioned why God didn’t give me a painless delivery, but in my questioning, God reminded me of the beauty of my hard labor which was seeing God’s miraculous power sustain me through. 

Paul in the Bible went through many hardships yet he was able to find contentment through Jesus. Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.”

Jesus was the key to helping Paul go through hard times.

As we cling to Jesus during hard times, we will find His strength sustain us through. The beauty of hardships is that it allows us see that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. 

Speak this over yourself: I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength. 

No matter what you are facing, will you look to Jesus and trust in His power to sustain you?

You can do all things through Jesus who gives you strength.

When you’re facing hard times, instead of complaining, take joy and remember that there is an opportunity for you to grow in perseverance and come out stronger in the Lord. God reminds us in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

We can rejoice as we go through hardships when we remember that God works all things out for our good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Sometimes the good work God is doing through us may not be comfortable, but we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.

The beauty of hardships is seeing Jesus sustain us and seeing ourselves become more like Jesus. God is close to the brokenhearted and it is during hard times that we can gain deeper revelations of God’s love for us through Jesus.

Paul in the Bible went through many hardships such as beatings and prison. At one point, many believed he had died from being stoned and dragged outside the city, yet after His disciples surrounded him, Paul got up and went back on a mission to share the gospel (Acts 14:19-20).

Paul went through hardships and was hard-pressed, yet not crushed. 

How? Because of the power of Jesus working in Him and through Him. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Our bodies are just earthen vessels (or like jars of clay that are easily breakable), yet we can be hard-pressed but not crushed, confused but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, and struck down but not destroyed because of the power of God living in us through Jesus.

It’s easy to question God’s love for us when we are going through hard times. We may think, “Where is God? Why am I going through this pain?”

While our hardships and pain may be real, we must remember that God too is real and still with us. 

Our hardships are opportunities for us to find God real and see His power and grace sustain us when we could never persevere without Him. We can conquer our hardships and not be crushed through the love and power of Jesus. 

Will you look to Jesus for strength no matter what you are facing? Will you trust that He is for you and not against you?

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬).

Nothing can separate you from God’s love — not even hardships. Jesus tells us that we will face hardships but that we can have courage because He has overcome the world, which means that we too will overcome our hardships through Jesus. 

Romans 8‬:‭35‬, ‭37‬-‭39‬ says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through Christ, we can conquer our hardships by persevering. Our perseverance is proof of God’s love sustaining us.

Remember what Romans 8:27 says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Not even death can separate us from God’s love because in Jesus we have eternal life. Trust that Jesus is always with you. Lean on His Word and strength when times get hard and you will find His love real to sustain you. Ask the Holy Spirit for Bible verses for strength and courage in difficult times.

So remember, there is beauty in hardships. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our strength in times of hardship. Help us to see the beauty in every trial as You sustain and transform us through Your love. Teach us to trust in Your power and rejoice, knowing that nothing can separate us from Your unfailing love.

Listen to our Podcast “The Beauty of Hardships”

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Bible verses for strength and courage in difficult times

• “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
• “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
• “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” – Psalm 91:1-6
• “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” – Psalm 23:1

There will be days when we will get discouraged, have lack of faith, or be tempted to drift away from God’s Word, but in those moments, we must recognize our need for Jesus and seek Him so that we may abide in Him and His truth that is in the Bible. 

You can stay faithful to Jesus as you lean on Him — He is faithful to finish the good work He started in you (Phil. 1:6). ‭Jesus also promises that as we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit (John 15:5). 

We can stay faithful to Jesus because He is faithful to keep us in the faith and keep our whole spirit, soul, and body blameless at His coming back (1 Thess. 5:22). He who calls you is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Our job is to abide in Jesus and He produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. 

Jesus doesn’t promise us a life without troubles, but He does promise to help and strengthen us in times of need. He tells us in John 16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus is seated on the throne in heaven — He has overcome death and in Him we are promised victory and eternal life. 

No matter what you are facing today, will you cling to Jesus and His Word?

Paul was an apostle in the Bible who experienced much hardship including persecution, yet God strengthened and protected him to finish strong. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

We face battles every day, but the good battles we are called to fight are ones where we fight to keep the faith and take hold of eternal life. God tells us that the fight of our faith is a “good fight”, a fight we should all be pursuing to keep ourselves from departing from Jesus. 

1 Tim. 6:11-12 says, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Will you continue to pursue righteousness and walk in step with the Holy Spirit?

There is nothing more precious on this earth than our eternity with Jesus.

Our walk of faith matters. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile us with His blood and present us blameless if indeed we continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel (Colossians 1:21-23). 

There is One who will judge our lives at the end of this age and that is Jesus. The opinions of this world won’t matter— only the opinion of Jesus will matter. There is only one Lord and One who is seated on the throne (Revelation 4:2). 

Who are you building your life upon? Are you building your life on things that will pass away or on Jesus who is eternal life?

Jesus is the Word of God so we too need to build our lives according to the Bible and not the latest trends or beliefs. What we choose to believe in today matters. There is only one who saves and one whom we are called to keep the faith in and that is in Jesus. 

2 Timothy 4 warns us that people will only want to hear what they want to hear but not necessarily the truth. Let us be the ones who will stay steadfast in sound doctrine.   

2 Timothy 4:1-3 says, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

God has given us grace now to be saved in Christ Jesus which teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly as we look towards the glorious day that our Savior Jesus will come back (Titus 2:11-13). 

Jesus is looking for faithful lovers who will abide in Him now before He comes back. Abiding in Jesus looks like producing the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus (Phil. 1:11). We must be determined to stay rooted in Jesus and in the Bible. 

It will be too late to give your life to Jesus and be saved once He comes back again. Now is our time to make Jesus Lord over our lives and abide in God’s Word. We don’t want to hear Jesus say to us, “‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23). 

Jesus makes it clear that not everyone who says to Him, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of God (Matthew 7:21). Jesus is eternal life. Let us not drift away from Jesus, the Savior of our souls. Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:5 that many will come in His name, claiming to be the Messiah and will deceive many.

We need to keep the faith in the Bible to stay rooted in Jesus. God’s Word is flawless and a truth that we can trust now and for eternity. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” So remember, keep the faith. 

Prayer: Jesus, we are so grateful that no matter what we are facing, we can cling to You. Help us to stay rooted in You and in Your Word, the Bible, Help us to fight the good fight of faith that we may take hold of eternal life. 

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I was feeling stressed and questioning whether I could do everything that was at hand. I entertained negative and defeating thoughts that only made me feel stressed and afraid. 

God reminded me of Philippians 4:8-9 which says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

As we look to Jesus and His Word, we are practicing what Philippians 4:8 says because Jesus is everything that is pure, true, right, and praiseworthy. 

Instead of fixing my eyes on my worries, I found God’s grace and peace empowering me to do all that I needed to do as I fixed my eyes on Jesus and chose to think and speak pure and praiseworthy truths.

God’s strength is enough when we are weak. 

Instead of looking to your circumstances, look to Jesus and His promises. He is faithful and good. “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5).

We serve a supernatural God who is above our weaknesses and the natural. Before we say we can’t let us look to Jesus and His ability — not our ability. God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God’s grace is enough to empower us to do what we cannot do and to produce what we cannot produce.

We must create a habit of looking at Jesus to produce a life of faith. Jesus is all that we need — He provides us safety, love, provision, satisfaction, wisdom, and strength like no other. James 1:5 also reminds us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God for wisdom who gives generously to all without finding fault.

God’s tangible care for us is found as we rest and abide in the Lord. The Holy Spirit will lead us to find Jesus in every area we are lacking in. If we need love, He will reveal God’s love for us. If we need strength, He will give us strength as we wait on Him. If we need provision, He will open the doors for provision to come as we align with His will.

God says in Ezekiel 34:11, “I myself will be their Shepherd. I will search for my sheep and take care of them.“

A good shepherd takes care of their sheep and that is what Jesus does for us who believe in Him and walk in His ways. As the flock of Jesus, we have nothing to worry about on this earth and for eternity. 

We can confidently say as His children, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). 

We have no reason to doubt that God loves us. We have all we need in Him because God has already given us the greatest gift He could ever give — His only begotten Son Jesus.  

Romans 8:31-32 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?“

Imagine someone willing to give you their only child to die in place of your wrongdoing. There’s no greater love than sacrificing what you love most and that is what God did for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Though we were sinners, God sent Jesus to die for us so that we may be saved if we believe in Jesus. Because God has already proven His love to us, let us not doubt His love but instead rest in the Lord and His love. 

When worry arises, trust that God is for you and will provide all you need. Negative thoughts will come, but we must have a habit of filtering out negative thoughts by looking to Jesus. 

Will you create a habit of looking to Jesus and thinking pure and praiseworthy thoughts? 

We will find our minds filled with God’s peace as we look to Jesus and meditate on His Word in the Bible. 

God commands us to not worry, so when worry comes, ask the Holy Spirit to show you God’s perspective. The Holy Spirit will also remind and lead you to specific verses to help you see God rightly so you do not worry. 

Let your weaknesses draw you to seek Jesus. His power is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9). 

There is only one who can meet our every need and deliver us from sin and that is Jesus. 

God will perfect every area of your life that concerns you by His mercy. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” Don’t spend another day in worry, but instead cast your cares unto Jesus and know He cares about you (1 Peter 5:7).

God is here to help you. He is with you and goes before you. So remember, God’s grace is enough.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to stay calm when troubles and problems arise. May I never forget that You are capable of solving every problem that may arise. Your grace and power are enough to overcome any situation I face. 

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I was discouraged about praying because my prayer requests were not being answered. One of them was about my Single but in a Relationship with God books being lost in Indonesia after sending them to my aunt. 

The books were supposed to go to a few important people there. I prayed but after 2 weeks, I heard that they unfortunately couldn’t be found. This discouraged me to keep praying for that and many other things.

One month went by and God reminded me of the power of prayer so I prayed with faith once again for those books to be found.

My aunt then got back to me the same week I prayed again with faith and told me the books were found! I was reminded of the importance to pray always and on all occasions.

Paul in Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.“ God also tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing. We must continue to keep our hearts praying and filled with faith all day even as we go about our day. 

‭‭As believers of Jesus, we have His Spirit living in us. We get to let the Holy Spirit lead us in all our prayers for all kinds of things and people because the Holy Spirit knows what needs to be prayed for. Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Set time daily to pray for the things God has put in your heart to pray for. Let the Holy Spirit guide your prayers and pray in tongues too.

Remember, it’s not enough to just pray — we must pray always. God tells us in Colossians 4:2, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Carry a heart of thanksgiving as you pray knowing that God hears your prayers and is moving on your behalf. The words “continue earnestly” in Greek means to be constantly diligent and to wait on. God wouldn’t ask us to earnestly pray if our prayers were powerless. 

Prayer is a part of the armor of God that we get to use daily against the enemy’s schemes (Ephesians 6). 

Will you commit to praying in the Spirit every day despite what you see?

There is power and purpose behind our prayers. Why pray? It is through our prayers that we get to see God’s purposes happen on earth. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). 

We have access through prayer to know what is in God’s heart and His will to partner with Him. What a beautiful opportunity we have as His children! 

Jesus gives us a parable in Luke 18 to his disciples to show them that they should pray always and not give up (Luke 18:1). 

In this parable, an unjust judge answers the request of a widow because of her persistence. Jesus then says, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? (Luke 18:6-7). 

Jesus tells us if an unjust judge will answer a plea, then how much more will God, a just judge, answer our prayers? 

Whatever you have been believing for, keep praying and believing. Remember the power of prayer. God hears our prayers and He will act upon our prayers in His perfect time.

It’s not enough to just pray—we need to also make sure our lives are right with God. The Bible makes it clear that God hears the prayer of the righteous and that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Proverbs 15:29 says, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.” 

There is nothing in this world that is worth separating you from God. He has already shown us love and mercy by giving us Jesus who died on the cross so that our sins can be cleansed forever if we accept Jesus as our Savior and live in Him. There are so many privileges we get to have living right with Jesus. 

More than ever we need to be praying and watchful of our lives. Jesus is coming back and we are closer to the day when this age will end. A new heaven and earth will be established and those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and live in His ways will reign with Him for eternity. 

How is your heart with Jesus? Is there anything you are doing that is displeasing God that could be hindering your prayers?

Prayer is the key to our breakthrough. So remember, pray without ceasing. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for reminding us daily of the power of prayer. No matter how busy life gets or how disappointed we may feel, may we always continue to pray always and trust in You that things will work out according to your will. 

Listen to our Podcast “Why Pray?”

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God will allow tests and trials in our lives to purify our hearts. He has an amazing way of turning what was meant for our harm for our good as we choose to abide in Jesus. 

Coming back from our missions trip this summer was amazing, but we faced a hard time flying back because my husband and I got food poisoning the moment we stepped into the airplane.

On top of this, we were flying with a toddler. My husband started grumbling and questioning whether the mission trip was worth it, and I too found myself complaining and upset.

It wasn’t until I stopped my negative thinking to tune in to the Holy Spirit that I could see my response was not godly at all. God showed me that my complaints only blinded me from seeing God’s goodness on this trip and even through our hardship with the food poisoning.

As I stopped complaining, God showed me that His grace was with us through our hardships. Our long layover gave me enough time to go to the hospital and we even ended up having a whole empty row to ourselves in the airplane which helped our daughter to sleep well and gave us space to access our bags easily. 

With Jesus, I saw this trial as an opportunity to purify my heart from complaining and selfishness.

Even when things don’t look good, remember that Jesus is still with us. He promises us in Matthew 28:20 that He will be with us always, even until the very end of age. 

When fear and discouragement creep in, look at Jesus and remember the hope you have in Him. Jesus is still in the picture during both the good and bad times.

When you accept Jesus as your Savior and abide in Jesus, you become His child whom He will never let go. He is for you here on earth and until eternity. As children of God, we have no reason to ever worry or fear. Whether we are sick or see circumstances not changing in our favor, we can rest in faith believing that God always has the best in store for us.

In Mark 4 we see the disciples traveling on a boat with Jesus during a bad storm. The waves broke over the boat which caused the boat to be nearly swamped (Mark 4:37). 

Jesus was asleep, so they woke him up in fear and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38)

Jesus then got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He then says to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:38-40). 

The disciples responded and said, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41). 

The disciples forgot Jesus who is God and who loves them in the midst of the storm. Let us not forget the Jesus who is with us in the midst of our hardships. No matter what storm we may face, we can call for Jesus with faith as we remember who He is.

Giving thanks helps us to acknowledge that Jesus is still in the picture. Jesus tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to give thanks in all circumstances because apart from thanksgiving, we cannot see nor abide in Jesus.

When things get hard and circumstances don’t go our way, that is our time to give thanks in all circumstances and find Jesus. Just because things go bad does not mean Jesus has left us. He promises to always be with us (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

Jesus tells us that we will face troubles but to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). This means that we can always have hope because our end story as children of God is victorious. We will reign with Him forevermore despite what we face today. Jesus is coming back to judge the world and make every wrong thing right (2 Timothy 4:1).

Even when things look bad, we can still have hope because Jesus is still in the picture. We know the end story for us as children of God — we will reign with Jesus for eternity. 

Revelation 5:10 says, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

We must remember that our lives in the flesh are temporary. Eternity however will be forever and we are promised to reign with Jesus where there will be no crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

We too can have hope that here on earth God will turn everything that was meant for our harm for our good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Jesus is with us and for us always. So remember, in the midst of the storm Jesus is still in the picture. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for never abandoning us. Help us to give thanks in all circumstances and find you wherever we are. We will look at You through the hard times and continue to trust that You will turn things around for our good. 

Listen to our Podcast “Jesus Is Still In The Picture”

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Instead of worrying about situations that we can’t control, just trust God who has control to do anything. There will be moments in our lives when we will need a miracle, but those are opportunities for God to move in mighty ways. 

We just had our last Discover Your Purpose conference and found that every year brings a new challenge. This year we had 1 week to put a band together for the worship part and we didn’t find a keyboard player until the day before the conference.

In previous years we owed almost $2,000 and had 1 week to get the money to put the conference together. 

Challenges come, but God has always come through. Instead of worrying, we prayed and God gave the solutions and opened the doors that needed to be opened. 

You may be faced with a struggle beyond your control—will you trust God and look to Him?

God reminds us in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” He invites us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to us” (Matthew 6:33). 

When worry and fear come, that is our cue to trust God. Fear can only leave when we choose to give our fears to God and trust that He is able to move for our good. We invite faith or fear by whether we choose to trust God or not. We must always choose faith over fear. 

Inviting faith comes as we choose to simply trust God. There is no point in worrying when we remember we are not in control of our circumstances but that God is. 

Our job is to seek first His kingdom and righteousness and everything else will be provided for (Matthew 6:33). 

God did not call us to worry, but to live faithfully and trust Him. We can rest knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Let’s not forget that we have a Helper who is always with us, the Holy Spirit. When we are stressed or afraid, we can turn to the Holy Spirit who will counsel and comfort us. 

Jesus says in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Remember that the God of the universe is with you. You don’t need to be afraid because you are never alone when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. 

How do we trust God? By looking at Jesus and not our circumstances.

When struggles come, look above to Jesus and not down at your circumstances. Psalm 121:1-2 reminds us to look up and remember that our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

If we focus on our circumstances, we will be faced with the impossibility. As we focus on Jesus, we invite faith to believe that He can do the impossible. 

Jesus is above any hardship we will face. He overcame death, so how could He not overcome your setbacks on this earth? He reminds us in John 16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

There is no other thing or person in this world that can guarantee us anything. Only God can make promises that we can completely trust and only His Word will stand forever at the end (1 Peter 1:24-25). 

Let us not lose perspective of who Jesus is in the midst of disappointments and setbacks. Jesus is seated on the right hand of God and He will reign forevermore (Colossians 3:1).

Instead of worrying about our fears, remember who God is and replace every worry with God’s truth. 

David writes in Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” David wrote this while his life was in danger, but despite his circumstances, he still chose to trust God. The verses right before verse 3 say, “Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride, many are attacking me.”

Instead of focusing on his circumstances, David chose to focus on God and give praise to Him (Psalm 56:4).

Whatever you may be facing, will you trust God that He is in control and is for you?

Whether our lives are in danger or not, we are called to trust God and praise Him. Trust God in all circumstances. So remember, just trust God.

Prayer: Jesus, even when we are faced with what seems to be the most difficult situation, may our first response be to not worry but to trust in You. 

Listen to our Podcast “Just Trust God”

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Every dollar counts towards spreading God’s truth. Help us reach more lives with the gospel of Christ.

I was occupied with many thoughts and started getting distracted by the things around me during worship. At that moment I heard Jesus say, “Will you just look at me?” 

It made me realize that we can sing words to Jesus without truly looking at Him. We too can miss Jesus in our day to day. We can go to school/work or even serve Jesus yet lose sight of His eyes. 

In that moment of worship after hearing Jesus ask me to look at Him, my heart melted. I could feel His loving and longing tone behind His words that were spoken to me. I realized that the God of the universe wanted my attention and there was truly nothing worth taking my eyes off Him.

I looked to Jesus and with just one look, I found Him. I immediately felt His presence and all the distractions and worries left me. 

It just takes one look to find Jesus. We will find Him as we set our hearts to find His heart. Jesus says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

When we look to Jesus, we are guaranteed to leave radiant because He is the light of the world (John 8:12). Fear, shame, depression, anger, and all darkness leaves in His presence.

There is no darkness that can overtake the light of Jesus.

Jesus is the light of all mankind, so when we are in Him and follow Him, we will be in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7).

There is no reason for us to be anxious about anything as God’s children. God commands us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil 4:6).

Life will give us valid reasons to worry, but we need to remember that God is above our problems. Anything is possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

When we call upon Jesus, He hears us and promises that He will deliver those who seek and fear Him.

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed….The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them” (Psalm 34:4-5,7).

Let’s not make worrying a habit, but instead, make beholding a habit. As we behold Jesus and present our needs to Him, His supernatural peace will guard our hearts (Phil 4:7). 

What fears have you been tolerating? Will you give them to Jesus and trust Him to take care of you?

We must live a life that is constantly seeking God which means we are constantly seeking to please Him in all we do. We are promised to never be in lack as we seek God and follow His ways.

Psalm 34:10 says, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

Seeking God should always be our first option. No matter how strong or weak we may be, God is always the solution. 

He can make a way when there seems to be no way. All we need to do is acknowledge Him and seek His presence and truth. God promises that His eyes are on the righteous and He is attentive to their cry (Psalm 34:15).

Find Jesus in the midst of the errands, work, driving, and all else that you do throughout the day.

Finding Jesus is as simple as looking at Jesus. When we choose to quiet our minds, look at Jesus, and invite the Holy Spirit in, we will find His presence and peace.

Jesus says in John 16:7, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

Jesus said it is to our advantage that He leaves so that we will receive the Helper, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus now lives in those who accept and abide in Him as their Lord and Savior. As we look to Jesus and quiet ourselves, we will receive the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. So remember, find Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for helping us in our time of need. As we continue to walk through life, may we always remember to look at You rather than looking at our circumstances.

Listen more in our podcast “Look At Jesus”

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My weakness is worrying. I always have to remind myself to stop worrying when I catch myself falling into negative thinking. 

It seemed impossible for me to believe that I could find 24/7 rest until Jesus led me to Matthew 11:28 which says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I realized that Jesus was inviting me to rest by taking upon His yoke and learning from Him. 

The key to finding 24/7 rest is to follow what Jesus is doing 24/7. He is inviting us to be yoked with Him. In the old days, 2 oxen would be attached together by a yoke to help carry heavy objects for farming.

We now are invited by Jesus to be yoked with Him so that we don’t have to bear the weight of life and our worries. Jesus makes it clear that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). 

As I started to look to Jesus in every moment of every day and seek what He was thinking and doing, I found His ways never led me to worry but rather to peace and stillness.

There have been times when I wanted to finish something for work or errands, but instead, I listened to Jesus and put it off for tomorrow and found that I had enough time the next day. This prevented me from stressing the day prior and allowed me to rest well.

This is just one example of how following Jesus has led me to peace and how He too can lead you to peace. 

Many times we spend time with Jesus to find rest then leave our time with Jesus and ignore His voice and leading. This leads us to be back in distress rather than rest. 

If we want 24/7 peace, we need to practice learning from Jesus throughout the day and follow His leadership.

The only way to find peace and be filled with faith is to look to Jesus. He is the one who established our faith and is the only one who can perfect it. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith.”

When you find yourself starting to stress and worry, that is your cue to look to Jesus and align your heart with His heart. We can only persevere with peace during hardships by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Only He was made to strengthen our souls.

Our job is to look to Jesus and listen to His Words that bring us life. Jesus says in John 6:63, “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”

Will you make time throughout the day to look at Jesus and listen to Him? Perfect peace is possible as we keep our minds stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). 

It’s not our responsibility to worry. Many of us have normalized worrying, thinking it is our duty to worry about our lives and the things we are called to steward. 

It’s God’s job to ultimately take care of us because He is our Shepherd and therefore we lack nothing (Psalm 23:1). 

God reminds us in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Worrying pulls us away from God. Rest comes as we constantly abide in His presence. As long as you are abiding in Him, He will take care of you and you will find peace. 

How many times do we worry about tomorrow? God commands us to not worry because worrying doesn’t add a single hour to our life (Matthew 6:27) nor does it help our circumstances.

As children of God, we don’t have to live in worry because God knows what we need and He is a faithful Father to meet every need we have. God will give us everything we need as long as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

What are you worrying about? Is it your future? Your family? The assignment you are called to do? Whatever your worries may be, it is time to lay them aside and trust God to take care of you. 

Peace and rest come as we remember that Jesus is in charge of our lives and our well-being here on earth and for eternity. So remember, find 24/7 rest in Jesus. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the peace that comes from trusting You. We hand over all our worries and burdens to you in confidence because we know that you hold all things together for us. 

Listen more in our podcast “Find 24/7 Rest In Jesus”

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Please consider donating to the ministry if you have been blessed. You can do so by clicking here: GIVE   

Every dollar counts towards spreading God’s truth. Help us reach more lives with the gospel of Christ.