As we grow older, we tend to become jaded. Inevitably we are hurt by others and we become guarded. We are burdened by life's many responsibilities and forget how to play. We lose our desire to explore and get outside of our "norm", so we settle for a lifestyle of complacency. There is so much out there that God still has for you if you would come to Him with child-like faith.

I strive to treat the Bible with the same amount of ease and enthusiasm as my garden, maintaining my soul daily to avoid rot, damage, and pests. I don't often succeed at this, because it takes more effort for me to crack open the Word and take a good look at myself than it does to fix plants. But I know the results will be priceless.

When we disregard God’s commands and give into our sinful desires, it’s like staring into the headlights of an oncoming eighteen-wheeler and hoping not to crash. Whenever we allow our eyes to look upon the things that God clearly commands us not to look upon, this leads to patterns of unrighteous living, which eventually leads to death.

I had gone into the woods hoping to hear from God, but I think He was delighted for the opportunity I had to simply be with Him. The best kinds of relationships in life are not transactional. Sadly, I have a tendency to treat my relationship with God as if it was. The best and most intimate relationships are ones that don't require an agenda, or an outcome. God keeps gently reminding me that he didn't save me just so that I could serve him (although that is part of it). He saved me simply because He loves me and He wants me to be with him...Today, tomorrow and for the rest of eternity.

While we are running short on wisdom, inspiration, and direction, God never runs out. When our way seems dark, we must only hold tighter to His hand.

Through footprints unseen, we have confidence that God causes "all things to work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). With each passing wave, let these trials have their full effect: producing an enduring faith that makes us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It blows my mind that God is infinitely more generous and creative than this. I often don't pray for my dreams and desires, thinking God will discard them as pointless or unnecessary. However, Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." He knows how time, space, my finances, my family, and the world all fit together together like complex machinery, while I have no such perspective. Don't be afraid to ask God for your dream, the deepest desire of your heart. He may see a way where you see a wall.

The human heart is prone to wander which is why it is so important to remind ourselves of the truths of Jesus every day, every hour, every moment if need be. The gospel reminds us that Jesus is the only thing worth putting all faith and trust in. His love for us was proven at the cross, and for those who believe, it is not only what we fall back on, but the very thing on which we stand.

I've found that as these doubts arrive, God gives us sweet assurances of his grace as we continue to press into him. He is true to his word. He WILL work in and through us if we believe and obey Him. My prayer is that we will no longer be surprised, but never cease to be amazed that we serve a loving God who saves sinners, transforms lives and uses ordinary people like you and me to accomplish his purposes in a broken world.

As soon as you commit your life to Christ, you are not alone. Immediately, you are mortared onto the strongest, most unbreakable structure that ever was, a building that will only grow taller throughout eternity. It's easy to get bogged down in personal conflicts, the state of the modern church, or pain we've experienced from Christians in the past. But through all of that, do not forget - if we belong to Christ, we belong to the His building, along with all the prophets and apostles of old! We are unbreakable.

Regularly taking a moment to pause, praise and give thanks may seem insignificant, but I am convinced that our habits are constantly forming us into the people we are becoming. If you're like me and you tend to get caught up in the busyness of the day, take a moment now and ask God to grow in you a heart of constant gratitude! He hears your prayers and desires to help you!

Because of God’s great love for us he sent his son Jesus Christ into a broken world to take sin and death upon himself so that we could have a new and greater life. A life in relationship with Him. This life begins today and goes beyond our time here on earth into an eternity spent with our Maker. Because of the love of Christ I have HOPE- hope for Chris, hope for you, hope for me and anyone who calls on the name of Jesus...Because even in death, a life hidden in Christ can never be taken away.

We glorify God when we claim our identity in Him, and call upon him in times of need! When life gets hard, straightening my crown and calling out to my Father should be my first instinct, not my last.

I believe God, in his grace, allows us to fall so that we are reminded that we don't have it all together and we still need His grace, forgiveness, healing, and instruction. This reminder makes me thankful for Jesus, who took the fall for me when he was beaten, mocked, and scorned while he hung on a cross for my sins.

God does not call us to be perfect, He calls us to surrender. When we surrender and give Him our hearts, He will do the work in us to help us overcome our sin. But we are human, so we will always fall short therefore let us always remember that His mercies are new every morning.

I can say without question, when you begin to share your faith with others, you will grow deeper in your faith in Christ. It's important to note that God doesn't ask us to share with others what we ourselves don't already know or have. Many times our issue is not that we don't know enough, it's that we are not willing to live out what we already know with those around us.

Like any restoration, our spiritual renewal can be slow and arduous and it can uncover things that we wish we didn't have to deal with. But I’ve also found, as God restores me into the person he’s created me to be, I feel the weight of my own brokenness being lifted off of me and I can honestly say, “Thank you Jesus, you are worth it”.

Just because our bodies want something, or our hearts long for something, just because something feels good or happens at what we deem the right time, we still need to go to God for wisdom and discernment.

God's nature is not transactional, it’s relational. It’s out of intimacy with our Heavenly Father that He empowers us to do His work. Intimacy with God precedes ministry, not the other way around.

No matter how "good" or "necessary" the task, if it is not done from a heart of worship and thanksgiving to God, it becomes idolatrous very quickly. It becomes worship of productivity or self or others - the list goes on.