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God gives strength and peace to those surrendered to Him. The benefits of being a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ include heaven’s infinite resources. Sin sucks life from the soul and replaces it with fear, while faith compounds calm and offers energy. Man’s methods may manipulate a false feeling of security, but God gives eternal security. Strength in the Lord replaces worry with hope—it’s what gets us through demanding days.

Is there something in your life that not only disturbs you, but makes you a disturbance to others? If so, it is always something you cannot handle yourself. “Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more . . .” (Luke 18:39). Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself. Don’t deify common sense.

Marriage is a covenant before God, not to be messed with by man. It is not a secular ceremony, but a Christ-centered commitment ‘until death do us part’. However, there are tempters, both men and women, who try to take away the trust between a husband and a wife.

Very few Christians invite or enjoy suffering, but it is during this somber season that obedience to Almighty God ascends in superiority to sincere saints. Sorrow seeks to torment a soul’s trust in its Savior Jesus. Self wants the attention when afflicted, but it’s the glory of God that deserves the recognition. Obedience to Christ is the central concern.

There are rival voices in the mind of a Christian that compete for the ear of God. It may a voice of concern over a wayward son or daughter. Another voice cries out for healing of a diseased body. A sincere voice asks to know God’s will and direction for living.

Grace is the guarantor of being in the good graces of Almighty God. It is a gift that only the Lord can bestow, because He is the only one qualified to give something totally unmerited. A gift is not a gift if it can be earned or deserved, so His grace is inexplicable in human terms. The world demands results before being rewarded, but God gives His very best with no expectations of earning His gift of grace. Grace guarantees God’s glory is preeminent.

Jesus voluntarily became a servant for the sake of others. He made Himself nothing so others could be something. He served out of humility and obedience to God. Jesus was first motivated to serve His Master in heaven, which lead to His service of mankind on earth. Some days I don’t feel like being a servant. I grow weary and afraid, but by God’s grace I make myself nothing for the greater something. Choosing to serve Christ is best.

Any individual, family, company, government, church or ministry can spend more than they can afford. Their means to pay can be overcome by their ability to generate income. In earthly economies it is common to over spend and be over budget, but in God’s economy there is unlimited access to the spiritual riches of our Savior Jesus Christ. A Christian’s spiritual riches are never depleted or overdrawn in their heavenly bank account.

Jesus was a visionary leader. He communicated His vision with compelling clarity, and before He ascended back to heaven He commissioned a stunning strategy for its fulfillment. He told His disciples to start as His witnesses in Jerusalem and then progress to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). We can see from Jesus’ example that clearly defined milestones move the mission and vision toward maturity.

The soul longs for rest in the Lord’s love and security. It’s when a body’s activities and emotional capacities run ahead of its soul that distress begins to define a disciple. Rest for the inner life is required for the outward life to leave behind an eternal impression on those it encounters. Indeed, God speaks inwardly with truth and trust to listening hearts.

God’s will is not always understood in the moment, but in retrospect it becomes clear. This is the design of the faith walk: remain faithful today, even though understanding may not come until tomorrow. Delays in the comprehension of circumstances seem like a divine detour, but it is a fruitful path for the Lord to show Himself trustworthy and wise.

God memories help us to remember what is really important in life. The Lord’s wonderful works come in a variety of expressions. For example, we may have seen His hand at work during our conversion experience while attending church or an old fashioned revival meeting. Or, maybe His answer to prayer arrested our hearts during a contemplative conversation with Christ along a quiet creek bed.

Activity can become competition to the best results, because sincere but inappropriate actions can lead to the wrong outcomes. It is not important to be busy in a lot of things, but to be focused on a few essentials for success.

Is judgment escorted by joy? Yes, for the Lord’s earth and Jesus’s followers will walk hand in hand. Almighty God’s judgment is accompanied by the joy of His handiwork. Therefore, celebrate Christ’s coming. Celebrate His first coming for He has done marvelous things.

Fear has been a part of our emotional makeup since the fall of man. When Adam and Eve rebelled against the Lord, they hid themselves from Him and were afraid as recorded in Genesis 3:10.

The Law was to guide the new nation in the ways of God. Joshua, as their commander, was told to be careful to obey it all. If leaders do not follow after God there is a good chance the people will follow that lead. But if they follow hard after God through obedience to His word, many will be challenged to do the same.

The Lord Jesus knows the deepest longings of your heart. It may be possible that you'll find yourself looking around, looking up, looking in and looking down, wondering how on earth you'll get out of the turmoil, perhaps seemingly endless emptiness, inescapable tiredness or even the shallowness of pretense with all that grips the insides of your being. You'd do anything to shake yourself loose of its grip!

I could quote hundreds of passages from the Holy Scriptures to show that God keeps His people and that there is nothing in earth or in hell that can harm a trusting soul.

Yesterday we talked about fears that cause us to lack trust. Today I want to share how I faced and overcame my deeply buried fear (terror) and learned to trust and love again.

What kind of example do you set? Perhaps people you love and generally respect set poor examples for you. You may hear them say bad words or see them cheat or do other things that are not right.

I am convinced that anyone who brings up the question of consequences in the Christian life is only a mediocre and common Christian!

Christianity is distinguishable as a personal religion. It’s defined by a personal relationship with a relatable God. And yet, sometimes, things seem all the more impersonal because of it: when it seems only the ceiling hears your prayers; believing in God but not being able to fully explain him; when the dark nights of the soul take up the daytime; when sicknesses strip the happiness and beauty from life, like a wind that scatters the top soil from a field.

''Tony Campolo tells of preaching a really good sermon in his preaching class in seminary. Campolo felt pretty proud of his outline, his arguments, and his delivery. He felt pretty proud of himself—until he read his professor's comments at the bottom of the page: 'You can't convince people that Jesus is wonderful and you're wonderful in the same sermon.'''

The Bible tells us that, in light of all God has done for us, we should present ourselves to Him. If we do this, then we will know His will for our lives. What does that mean, to present our bodies? It means that you give your whole self to Christ, and Christ alone.

On any given day, we may encounter frustrating people and situations, such as the slow driver, mischievous child, or uncooperative co-worker. We may feel like lashing out, but God wants us to stay calm and be patient with everyone (1 Thess. 5:14).