Posts with the tag “trust”

“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19 According to Jesus, the way we treat God’s Word matters not just now, but forever. He tells us plainly that one day, God will evaluate our lives based ...  Read More

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." – John 17:17 There is no shortage of opinions in our world today. Everywhere you look, people are sharing what they think, how they feel, and why their view is the right one. But with so many competing voices, how do you know what’s actually true?  That’s the question a young college student asked her professor on the first day of class. When the p...  Read More

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” - Matthew 5:17 If you claim to follow Jesus, then you should see Scripture the way He did. And Jesus never once questioned the authority of God’s Word. Not the New Testament, and not the Old either. In fact, right here in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it crystal clear. He...  Read More

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” - Matthew 5:13-14 Jesus was sitting on a hillside when He preached what we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He looked at a group of ordinary people, His disciples and a crowd gathered around, and gave them a brand new identity. He said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” Those weren’t compliments. T...  Read More

“You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world.” - Matthew 5:13-14 The people who gathered on the hillside that day (in Matthew 5) to hear Jesus teach weren’t elite or influential. They weren’t leading cities or running businesses. They were fishermen, laborers, and ordinary families just trying to get through life under Roman rule. Many of them probably felt powerless and unimpo...  Read More

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:57 If you’ve ever rooted for a losing team, you know the pain. The frustration. The hope that rises in the offseason, only to crash again by midseason. As a Cowboys fan, I know that feeling way too well. When the losses pile up year after year, winning starts to feel more like a fantasy than a possib...  Read More

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17 When we talk about spiritual health, it’s easy to think it only applies to church stuff like prayer, Bible reading, and serving on Sundays. But in Colossians 3, Paul pushes that thinking a whole lot further. He says whatever you do. Not some of what...  Read More

“And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.” - Colossians 3:15 Peace doesn’t usually show up on its own. It’s not something that just drifts into your life without permission. You have to let it in. That’s exactly what Paul is getting at in the verse above when he says, “Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts.” That word “rule” is p...  Read More

"Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well." - 3 John 1:2 When someone asks you, “Are you healthy?” What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For most people, it’s physical. They start thinking about their body, their weight, maybe their cholesterol or blood pressure. For others, maybe a smaller group, the first tho...  Read More

"But in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 Have you ever caught yourself saying something like, “I don’t want to bother God with this”? Maybe you’re good at bringing the big stuff to Him when life hits hard or the bott...  Read More

"Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes." - Nehemiah 4:14 When Nehemiah gathered the people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, it looked like a construction project on the surface. But if you really look at what was happening, you’ll see this was never just about a wall. This was a...  Read More

“And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” - Nehemiah 4:9 Pursuing God’s vision will not be easy. If you’ve ever stepped out in faith, you already know that. The moment you say yes to God, the enemy starts drawing up his plan to stop you. That is not a coincidence. That is spiritual resistance. Nehemiah faced it every step of the way. The moment he began...  Read More

"So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days." - Nehemiah 6:15 Nehemiah was never supposed to be the guy who would build the city. He wasn’t a contractor. He wasn’t a general. He wasn’t a strategist or a builder. He was a cupbearer. His job was to serve drinks and stay quiet in the presence of royalty. And yet, when God gave him a vision, Nehemiah stepped ...  Read More

"And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me." - Nehemiah 2:8 When God gives you a vision, He never leaves you empty-handed. That is one of the clearest lessons from Nehemiah’s story. God had called him to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem, but Nehemiah had no materials, no money, and no manpower. On paper, the plan was impossible. But when Nehemiah stepped ou...  Read More

"And the king said to me, 'What are you requesting?' So I prayed to the God of heaven." - Nehemiah 2:4 Have you ever looked around at your life and wondered, “Why am I here? Why this job, this school, this neighborhood, this circle of people? Maybe it feels random or even frustrating. But what if it is not? What if God has placed you exactly where you are for a reason? Nehemiah was not a pastor or...  Read More

"Send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it." - Nehemiah 2:4 Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do something that made no sense? Something that felt too big, too heavy, too impossible for someone like you? Maybe you felt the nudge to lead a Bible study even though you have never led anything before. Maybe you felt the tug to share your story...  Read More

"Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied." - Luke 9:16-17 One of the most incredible miracles in the Gospels began with a little boy’s lunch. That is all it was. Five loaves and two fish. Not enough to feed a small family, much le...  Read More

"But so that we may not cause offense, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." - Matthew 17:27 Have you ever felt the pressure of a financial need with no idea where the provision would come from? That is where Peter found himself in Matthew 17. He was asked to p...  Read More

"The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." - Exodus 14:14 Have you ever been in a spot where you feel completely stuck? You cannot go forward, and going back is not an option either. That is exactly where Moses and the Israelites found themselves in Exodus 14. Pharaoh’s army was chasing them from behind, and the Red Sea was blocking them up ahead. There were no boats. No bridge...  Read More

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.'" - Exodus 16:4 Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a desert season? Not a literal desert, but a stretch of life where everything feels dry and directionless. It’s like you’re walking, but you’re not really sure where you are going. That was the Children of Israel. They were free from Egypt, but not yet in t...  Read More

"The Lord said to Gideon, 'The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, My own hand has saved me.'" - Judges 7:2 Have you ever looked at what you have in your hands and thought, there’s no way this is enough? That’s exactly how Gideon must have felt. At first, he had 32,000 men ready to go to battle. It still felt like a long sh...  Read More

"But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you." - Genesis 6:18 When God gives you a calling, He also gives you the tools to walk it out. That is the story of Noah. He was not a shipbuilder. He was not a seasoned leader. He did not have a background in zoology or disaster response. He was a regular man with a ho...  Read More

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." - Ephesians 3:20 Sometimes God gives you a vision that seems completely out of reach. Maybe it even sounds crazy to the people around you. Maybe it sounds a little crazy to you. But when God puts it on your heart, the next move is not to analyze the odds. It is to step out in...  Read More

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act." - Psalm 37:5 When God gives vision, He rarely shows you the full picture. He gives a burden. He stirs your heart. And He invites you to take one step of faith. That’s all it takes. One yes at a time. Sometimes, saying yes to God feels small. A quiet prayer. A conversation. An idea you cannot shake. Other times, it feels costly. You give...  Read More

"Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace." - Nehemiah 2:17 Sometimes God gives you a burden that you can’t ignore. And with that burden comes a call that won’t go away. It starts quietly, an ache in your spirit about something that’s broken. Then comes the prayer. You bring it to God, not even knowing what to say, but knowing you can’t carry it alone. And if y...  Read More

"When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens." - Nehemiah 1:4 When God gives you a burden, He does not expect you to carry it alone. He expects you to bring it to Him in prayer. That is what we see in Nehemiah. His heart broke for the people in Jerusalem, but before he picked up a tool or made a plan or asked the ...  Read More

"When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens." - Nehemiah 1:4 Big visions don’t usually begin with inspiration. It begins with heartbreak. When Nehemiah heard the news about Jerusalem, he didn’t shrug it off. He didn’t say, “That’s a shame,” and move on with his life. He sat down. He wept. He fasted. He prayed. Be...  Read More

"Where there is no vision the people perish" - Proverbs 29:18 Have you ever looked at your life and thought everything felt a little blurry? Like you were trying to move forward, but could not quite see where you were going? That is how life can feel when you are not seeing through God’s eyes. There is a kind of spiritual 3D that you and I can miss without realizing it. In our natural state, we ca...  Read More

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." – Romans 8:1 One of the greatest promises in Scripture is this. If you belong to Jesus, you do not have to fear judgment. You do not have to worry about standing before the great white throne of God in condemnation. That is not your courtroom. That is not your verdict. I heard about a long jury trial where the jury spent w...  Read More

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12 Not long ago, I found myself driving early one morning through a heavy, blinding fog. I could barely see the road lines, and construction barriers loomed somewhere on both sides. I slowed to a crawl, unsure of where to go, feeling a little s...  Read More

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world." - John 16:33 If you’ve ever asked, “Why would God allow this?” You are not alone. In over two decades of ministry, I’ve sat in orphanages filled with children longing to be loved, stood by hospital beds as families prayed for miracles that didn’t come, ...  Read More

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18 You don’t need me to tell you there’s pain and suffering in this world. You’ve seen it. You’ve felt it. Maybe you’re feeling it right now. From the heartbreak of illness and broken relationships to the devastating images of war, injustice, and disaster on the news, suffering surrounds us every day. And it raises...  Read More

"The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." - Psalm 121:7-8 When the Bible talks about God as our source of security, it’s not just a temporary promise. It’s a permanent one. God’s protection is both for today and for eternity. That’s what makes His security unending. Let’s break down wha...  Read More

"Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." - Psalm 121:4 The United States Secret Service is considered one of the most elite security teams in the world. Every single day, they protect the President and his family, preventing tragedy and constantly staying alert. But even the best security team is made up of people who get tired, hungry, and distracted. No matter how skilled th...  Read More

"He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber." - Psalm 121:3 When I read the verse above, I am reminded of a winter storm we faced back in January. Our driveway was coated with ice so thick that our cars couldn’t make it up the hill. I tried everything. Salt, shovels, even a propane torch, but nothing worked. At one point, I even slipped and slid down the driveway on my b...  Read More

"My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:2 We all have things we run to for security. For some, it’s money. You feel safe because your bank account is full and you believe those dollars will catch you if you fall. For others, it’s relationships. As long as you have certain people in your life, you feel like everything will be okay. Or maybe your sense of security comes...  Read More

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1-2 When life knocks you down, who are you looking to for help? That’s what David was asking in Psalm 121. He said, “I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?” That’s not just a random question. It’s a question of security and hope. When you f...  Read More

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17 We’ve spent a lot of time talking about who you are in Christ. That’s your being. When Jesus saves you, He changes your very identity. The old you is gone. The new you is raised with Christ, and you live with a new perspective and a new peace. That’s n...  Read More

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15 If you belong to Jesus, then His peace should rule your heart. That’s what this verse is saying. But what about those moments when you don’t feel peace? What if you love the Lord and are trying to follow Him, but you still feel anxious or unsettled? Before you start qu...  Read More

"Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth." - John 17:17 There is a dangerous trend where people claim that God told them to do something that directly contradicts what He has already said in His Word. Maybe you have heard it before. Maybe you have even thought it yourself. But the truth is that God’s voice will never contradict God’s Word.Over the years, people have said all kinds of things...  Read More