Posts with the tag “trust”

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies." – Romans 8:33 Sometimes, there can be a voice we hear in our heads that never seems to shut up. It creeps into your thoughts when you fail, when you remember your past, or when you try to step into something new. It tells you you're not good enough, that you're a hypocrite, that you’ve messed up too many times to be used by...  Read More

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." – James 2:17 You don’t earn your salvation. That’s settled. No amount of rule-following, church-attending, or box-checking could ever make you right with God. The only way to be saved is by grace through faith. Period. But once you’ve been saved, something shifts. That same grace that rescued you now starts reshaping you. Real faith do...  Read More

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." – Romans 8:37 Sometimes we assume that if we are walking in God’s will, life should get easier. We expect the road to smooth out, the setbacks to fade, and the confusion to lift. But the reality is that even the path of destiny comes with pressure. Even those in the center of God’s plan feel pain. That doesn’t mean you...  Read More

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son." – Colossians 1:13 Rescue stories usually end with relief. Someone trapped gets pulled out, someone injured gets carried to safety, and that’s where the credits roll. But when it comes to your life, God didn’t save you just to leave you on the sidelines. His rescue always comes with a reason. Col...  Read More

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." – Romans 8:31, 37 It’s easy to drift through life assuming everything will somehow work out in the end. That we’ll all arrive at the same place. That as long as we mean well or live decently, God will handle the rest. But the Bible doesn’...  Read More

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." – John 15:5There is a deep hunger in all of us to feel significant. To know we matter. To believe that our lives are making a difference. But that hunger can easily twist into a dangerous pressure. We try to prove our worth. We chase approval. We run ourse...  Read More

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession." – 1 Peter 2:9 Most people spend their lives trying to earn a name for themselves. They chase identity through achievement, relationships, or recognition. But when you belong to Jesus, your identity is not something you earn. It is something you receive. God has already told you who you are. You are not...  Read More

"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." – Colossians 1:12 Every child born into a family receives something from their parents. It may be a name, a legacy, or even a material inheritance. But when you were born again into the family of God, you received something no earthly family could ever offer. That is, an eternal inheritance tha...  Read More

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" – Romans 8:35 You never asked for the storm you're in. You didn’t plan for the pain, the confusion, or the pressure. But here it is. Life has a way of dropping you into places you would have never chosen for yourself, and when that happens, it’s easy to fee...  Read More

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession." – 1 Peter 2:9 Most people today are taught to live like they are their own. Their dreams, their choices, their life. It sounds empowering on the surface, but it leads to a burden we were never meant to carry. When you try to be your own master, you become your own source of identity, direction, and str...  Read More

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 Some of your deepest wounds probably didn’t come from life circumstances, but from people. Maybe someone walked away when they promised they wouldn’t. Maybe you were betrayed by someone you trusted. Maybe you were overlooked, misunderstood, or even blamed for something you didn’t do. When people hurt u...  Read More

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10 When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Most people see flaws. They see the weight they wish they could lose, the mistakes they wish they hadn’t made, or the potential they’re scared they’ll never live up to. In a world where worth is constantly m...  Read More

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9 There is nothing random about your life. If you belong to Jesus, you have been chosen. That means you were not overlooked. You were not a backup plan. You were not a last-minute addition...  Read More

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord." - Colossians 1:9-10 You are not expected to figure this life out on your own. The moment you gave your life to Jesus, you were not only rescued, you were resourced. God did not just...  Read More

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 Some days it feels like you’re just trying to make it to tomorrow. Life can shrink down into schedules, struggles, and survival. You might look around and wonder if your story matters at all. Maybe you’ve started to believe the lie that you’re just another face in the crowd, not especially gifted or chosen, not someone God would use in any m...  Read More

"When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him." - Matthew 1:24 Every plan God gives comes with a choice. Joseph understood that. He stood at a crossroads when God revealed a path that looked nothing like the one he had imagined. His future shifted in a single moment. His expectations ran into God’s will. And before anything in his life changed on the outside, he had t...  Read More

"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21 Long before Jesus ever took His first breath, God declared who He was. His name was not chosen by Mary or Joseph. It was given by God Himself. Jesus would not grow into His identity. He would not discover His purpose along the way. Before He was born, the Father spoke it clearly. S...  Read More

"But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:7-8 The birth of Jesus is more than a moment in history. It is the clearest evidence that God keeps every word He speaks. Long before a manger held the Savior, God had promised a ...  Read More

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." - Romans 5:6 Life rarely moves at the pace you hoped for. Some seasons feel slow. Others feel confusing. There are days when you wonder if God is doing anything at all. Romans 5:6 gives a needed reminder. At the exact moment God planned, Jesus stepped into history and carried out the greatest rescue the world has ever k...  Read More

"He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light." - John 1:8 John the Baptist had a powerful ministry. Crowds came to hear him preach. People respected him. Some even wondered if he was the long-awaited Messiah. But John never let the attention confuse his assignment. Scripture says he was not the light. He came to point to the light. John understood something we often struggle wit...  Read More

"And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream." - Matthew 1:19-20 Most people love the idea of God’s plan until it interrupts their own. We like direction, but we prefer when it matches our expectations. Mary and Joseph understood that tension w...  Read More

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son." - Galatians 4:4 Timing affects everything. When something comes too early, you are not ready for it. When something comes too late, you feel forgotten or frustrated. Most of life sits in the tension between what you want right now and what God is preparing for later. That is why Galatians 4:4 is so powerful. It reminds you that the ...  Read More

"Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12 Light is essential for life. Without it, nothing grows, nothing thrives, and nothing survives. Darkness is not just the absence of brightness. It suffocates, confuses, and distorts what is real. That is why the Bible uses darkness to describe...  Read More

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son." - Galatians 4:4 We spend a lot of time planning our lives. We dream, prepare, adjust, and try our best to make everything fit the way we imagine it should. But life has a way of reminding us that our plans are fragile. They shift. They collapse. They disappoint us. In those moments, it is easy to feel like everything is falling apar...  Read More

"Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed. All came to pass." - Joshua 21:45 Promises carry weight, but only when the one making the promise can be trusted. Most of us know what broken promises feel like. People change. Circumstances shift. Even with good intentions, we fail each other. But Joshua reminds us of something different. He stood bef...  Read More

“Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!’” – John 21:22 In John 21, we see that Peter had just been restored by Jesus after denying Him. He was given a mission and a calling. But before he even took a step forward, he looked at John and asked, “What about him?” It’s a moment that feels all too familiar. Jesus had just spoken directly to...  Read More

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." – John 10:9 You don’t have to look far to find things that steal your peace. Life has a way of pushing in, stirring anxiety, and threatening your sense of safety. Whether it’s fear about the future, wounds from the past, or just the chaos of daily pressures, you probably know what it feels like to li...  Read More

"Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." – Psalm 90:12 Sometimes it takes a brush with death to really start living. In one of Dostoevsky’s stories, a man faces what he believes to be his final moments before execution. But when his life is spared, everything changes. He walks away seeing life with new eyes. The trees are greener, the faces are brighter, and every moment fe...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms." – John 14:1–2 When most people think about Heaven, they picture a far-off place. Streets of gold. Gates of pearl. Maybe even some reunion with loved ones. But when Jesus talked about “home,” He wasn’t just giving directions to a future location. He was pointing to Himself. The place our hear...  Read More

"Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves." – John 14:11 There is a deep human instinct to want everything to make sense before we commit. We want certainty. We want proof. But Jesus didn’t say, “Understand me and then believe.” He said, “Believe in me.” That distinction is everything. Belief isn’t built on perfect clarity. It’s...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.'" - John 14:9 We all have moments when we ask God to make Himself clearer, to give us a sign, to show up in a way that removes every doubt. Philip was no different. After years of walking with Jesus, watching Him heal the sick and raise the dead, Philip still said, “Sho...  Read More

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." – John 10:9 There is a restlessness that lives in all of us. You have probably felt it in those quiet moments when the noise dies down, but something still feels missing. It is that sense that life is supposed to be fuller than this. Even in success or comfort, there can be a lingering ache underneat...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." – John 14:1 When life feels uncertain, the first thing we usually reach for is control. We want explanations. We want clarity. We want to know how things will turn out, what the next step should be, and why God hasn’t acted yet. The disciples were no different. In John 14, Jesus had just told them He was going away, and their h...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Resurrection isn’t just something that happens after your heart stops beating. Jesus wasn’t only pointing to a future moment in a cemetery. He was talking about right now. There’s a resur...  Read More

"To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 It’s one thing to know about God. It’s another thing to be known by Him. That’s what Jesus is getting at when He calls Himself the Good Shepherd. This isn’t a distant, formal relationship. He knows His sheep. Not as a group. Not as a general category. He knows them personally...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." – John 14:6 When life gets confusing, our instinct is to ask for directions. We want a clear path, a five-step plan, or a detailed map. Something to help us navigate the unknown. But what if the thing you're really searching for isn’t a roadmap at all? What if what you need is a person? Th...  Read More

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:14 There’s a scene in the old play Our Town by Thornton Wilder that hits a little too close to home. A character who has died is given a chance to relive one day of her life. She picks an ordinary day, her twelfth birthday, thinking it will be sweet. But as she watches it unfold, something happens. She notices...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live... Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Martha believed in God. She believed in the idea of a future resurrection and had confidence that one day everything would be made right. But when Jesus showed up at her brother's tomb, He challenged her to believe something deeper. Not just th...  Read More

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 There’s a big difference between being in the crowd and being known. You can sit in a room full of people and still feel invisible. You can show up, play your part, smile when expected, and still wonder if anyone really sees you. But Jesus does. Jesus isn’t building a fanbase. He’s not collecting numbers...  Read More

"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." – John 10:7 There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t come from sin or suffering; it comes from religion. Maybe you’ve felt it. You tried to walk into a church but felt like you didn’t belong. You asked questions and were met with shame. You wanted to know Jesus but ran into gatekeepers who seemed more interested in guarding traditions than openi...  Read More