Count It All Joy. Really?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

We don’t like it very much when things don’t go our way. 

You may have your day planned out perfectly, but that doesn’t mean that everything is going to work out how you’ve pictured it. 

It happens to me a lot, especially when it comes to my time. For example, I’ll plan to do a certain task from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. I have chosen this time frame because it best suits my needs.

But then something comes up. It might be some sort of emergency, or I have to run an unexpected errand. Whatever it is, it disrupts my flow and causes me stress.

Or it may not have anything to do with my time. It might be that the A/C quits working in the house when it’s 90-plus degrees outside.

Whatever it is that causes you frustration, anxiety, and fretting — that’s what the Bible calls a trial. The Scriptures mention these trials a number of times.

One of the most well known examples is found in James 1:2-4:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

When we mention to someone else that we’re experiencing difficulties, they may quote this verse and tell us to count our troubles as blessings. 

If you’re like me, you find it extremely hard — almost impossible —- to be joyful when the contents of your water heater are pouring out all over your hardwood floor.

Yet that’s what the Lord has told us to do.

Count. It. All. Joy.

When calamities happen, I often find myself questioning God. 

“Why did you let this happen to me, God? I went to church this week. I tipped extra at dinner the other night. I’ve been GOOD!”

But God isn’t necessarily worried about making our lives easier during hard times — even when we think we’re extra worthy of His favor. 

He’s more interested in how we respond to life’s challenges. I believe He allows difficult times in our lives as a means to an end. 

I’ve always heard it said that faith is like any other muscle in the body. If you lift weights regularly, your arms will begin to get stronger as your biceps and triceps grow.

He wants these trials to help grow our faith, because the more we use and stretch our faith, the stronger it becomes. And the more our faith grows, the more our patience develops.

I’ll admit that most of the time I don’t want to be faced with the choice to grow my faith or not. 

I’d much rather MY life go according to MY plans so I can look back at the end of the day and say, “I created a fine day for myself. Everything happened just as I wanted.”

Not only did my faith not grow that day, I also left God completely out of the picture. 

Without any reason to test my faith —and to trust Him in difficult circumstances — I instead relied solely on my own abilities.

With no challenges to face, I didn’t need to seek His will for my life that day, and I didn’t need to ask Him for wisdom to see difficulties through His lens.

However, when I have life’s challenges to deal with, I get the opportunity to ask God, “What do you want me to learn from getting a flat tire on the side of the road?

That is a better response than becoming bitter about having to change the tire in the hot sun and getting my clothes dirty.

Remember, James tells us to count it all joy when we’re faced with trials, not if.

I may as well accept this fact of life and get used to things not going perfectly. After all, God has everything under control and isn’t going to let any trial go to waste. 

He’s always working things out for our benefit — to help us become more like Jesus and prepare us for eternity with Him.

James says in verse 12 of the same chapter:

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

I’ll be better off as soon as I understand that life’s difficulties are just one of the many tools God uses for His purposes.

What’s the Difference Between God and Jesus?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

Ever since I was a young boy, there has always been a kind of disconnect between the concept of God, the concept of Jesus, and the difference between the two.

When I was little, I knew God and I knew Jesus, but they weren’t the same. In fact, it seemed like they were in competition with each another. 

I grew up going to a Methodist church where there was little, if any, mention of Jesus. I don’t remember any real teaching from the pulpit about who Jesus is.

I do remember hearing the crucifixion story in my Sunday School class, but that was about it.

Hung on the back wall of the sanctuary just behind the choir loft, there was a painting of a man wearing a robe.

One Sunday when I was probably about 4 or 5, my family and I were waiting for the service to start. I pointed to the image and asked my mom, “Who is that — God or Jesus?”

She told me it was Jesus.

From that time on, I always thought of God and Jesus as separate and not equal. 

In fact, I began to see Jesus as in competition with God. 

God is the One we worship. Who is Jesus to come along and try to take His place?

A few years later, when I was about 10, a group of boys spontaneously shared the gospel with me in the middle of the street where I had been riding my bicycle.

I believe it was the first time I ever heard that I needed to accept Jesus as my savior in order to go to Heaven. 

I had always been led to believe that I, along with all the other “good” people, would just end up there when we died.

Thinking about Jesus in this way was different than I had ever looked at Him before. It didn’t really sit well with me, because it felt like an “addition” to the religion I had been taught. 

There is only one God. His name is God. We worship Him and Him alone. Why do we need Jesus? It all seemed unnecessary and sacrilegious — even though I didn’t really understand that concept yet. 

Even though I dismissed the need for Jesus that day, the encounter stuck with me for years. 

What if those boys were right and we do need Jesus to get to Heaven? But what about God? Would I be cheating on Him if I added Jesus into my life?

It was all very confusing to my young, developing, but inquisitive mind.

There’s God on the one hand and Jesus on the other. How does it all work together? 

After my mom and I started attending the Baptist church in our little town, where Jesus was mentioned a whole lot more often, I began to think more seriously about my eternal destiny. 

Eventually, when I was 15, I accepted Christ into my life. I had finally come to terms with how the Father sent Him to die for my sins on the cross.

Fast forward 40-plus years. 

To this day, there still seems to be a sort of disconnect between God and Jesus. 

Of course, I believe that Jesus is God and that He and the Father are separate Persons of the trinity, along with the Holy Spirit.

However, I don’t truly understand the role of Jesus in my everyday life as a believer. 

I mean, should I pray to Him or to the Father? Do I rely on Jesus’s strength, the Father’s strength, or just the strength of God in general?

Admittedly, when I think of a divine being, the first image that comes to mind is of a man in the sky wearing a white flowing robe and controlling the universe at will.

I don’t usually picture a triune God, or even just Jesus and the Father. I think of that one Person in the sky. 

And that is my version of God most of the time.

However, I know that Jesus should be a vital part of the believer’s life. After all, we are called Christians after His name.

I’m just not sure how to incorporate Him into my life.

To a degree — more than I’d like to admit really — it still feels like cheating when I talk to Jesus or think of Him as my Lord. 

After all, what about God? Is he going to be upset that I’m not giving Him the honor He is due?

You would think that having been a Christian for four decades I wouldn’t struggle with these kinds of fundamental questions.

Honestly, it’s embarrassing to still struggle with my faith in this way. I should be more mature in my beliefs and move onto bigger theological challenges.

That’s where I’m at, however. 

I often have to remind myself that while God is God, He is also the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

If we want the Father, we have to go through the Son, and the Holy Spirit draws us to Him.

That’s the truth.

Trust-Fear-Love

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!
Psalm 128:1

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:13

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:7

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
1 Corinthians 2:9

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

The Bible reveals many promises to us. If we take time to dive in and read it, we’ll find an abundance of treasures designed to give God’s people hope to get through life’s challenges.

On several occasions, I’ve heard someone say something like “There’s hardly anything God won’t do for the person who _______ Him.” 

That blank has been filled in with either fear, trust, or love. 

After I had heard this said a couple of times, I decided to go on a search for biblical references that tell us the outcome of fearing, trusting, and loving God. 

I found quite a few verses that fall into this category and included just a few of them at the top of this post.

I believe these three verbs can transform our lives if we’re dedicated to living them out. 

Fearing God

We must fear God if we are to be His people. Fearing Him doesn’t mean to quake in our boots at the mere mention of God Almighty. 

As you’ve probably heard before, to fear God actually means to have a healthy, reverent respect for Him.

Those who have never joined into fellowship with the Father through Christ are the ones who need to shake in fear — not His children.

Our fear and respect for God compels us to serve and honor Him. We don’t obey Him because He commands us to, but rather because we want to. 

The more we realize the significance of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross in delivering us from punishment and promising us eternal life (John 3:36), the more we long to serve our Creator.

Trusting God

God is our provider. He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave them everything they needed for sustenance and a fulfilling existence. 

Even though they ultimately sinned, nothing has changed about God’s desire to provide for His creation. 

True, life is more difficult as a result of our ancestors’ fall. However, God still wants to see us thrive. 

We can rely on Him to give us all the foundations for life — food, water, clothing, etc. (Matt: 6:30-33).

We can lean on God during the inevitable struggles of life, knowing that He will always walk beside us. We may not see Him, but His word promises that He has a plan for our lives (Jer. 29:11).

Loving God

Just like an earthly father, God longs for us to reciprocate the love that He first showed to us. He has great plans in store for us if we do. 

In return, God wants to bless His children who love Him, promising to protect us and deliver us from harm.

We’re even told that our Father will work everything out for good if we love Him and follow His will. Is there a better promise than that?

As His children, we can count on Him for care, just like a child can depend on a good and loving father. 

Taken all together, these are wonderful Biblical promises if we’ll just put our faith in God and rely on Him for our needs.

So why don’t you go ahead and trust-fear-love God more today?

Feel Better With a Stronger Focus on Spirituality, Not Psychology

/ Clay D. / 1 Comment

If you were to take an informal survey, you’d probably find that the majority of people would like to have better mental and emotional health. 

No one wants to live their lives dealing with depression, anxiety, guilt, and other negative feelings. 

The question is, what is the best approach to achieving a healthier state of mind? How do we go about bettering ourselves so that we can live our best life? 

There is certainly no shortage of self-help gurus out there, waiting to give you their advice on how to improve your life (and usually at a price). They promise the latest and greatest, newly-discovered secrets to a better, more fulfilling life.

While people like this may indeed offer us some valuable psychological insights on managing our emotions and putting ourselves on a better track for life, we have to be careful. 

We can easily wade in too deep to the psychological approach and completely neglect the spiritual aspect of our lives.

I’ve always had the mindset that there’s nothing inherently wrong with using psychology to improve our thought processes and better ourselves.

The Bible gives us a number of psychological insights, around which most of the modern day approaches to positive thinking, cognitive therapy, etc., have been tailored (either knowingly or unknowingly).

I see it much like the field of medicine.

Even though the Bible doesn’t offer a wealth of information about treating physical ailments, God gave humans the ability to research, discover, and learn. That’s how we’ve developed our knowledge of treatments and medications over thousands of years. 

The same is true with psychology. We can take the principles God gives us in scripture about how to face mental challenges, refining and enhancing our approach to give the best results. 

Psychology should work with biblical principles, not against them.

That’s why when we get too far into the realm of modern pop psychology, we can find ourselves on the wrong track. 

Too many people today focus on “I” when trying to climb out of depression or eliminate anxiety in their lives. 

God tells us in Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is the basis for how we should approach mental healing. The answer is not about us — empowering ourselves, feeling better about ourselves, being proud of who we are. 

While it’s fine to take pride in our accomplishments, our true worth and purpose come from God. Committing our time and energy to His purposes is where we’ll find fulfillment in life. 

When we’re feeling down and depressed, looking to God will take our focus off ourselves and help align us with His thoughts and His will. Giving all our fears and anxieties to Him relieves us of the burden of dealing with them on our own.

Another way to help renew our minds (Romans 12:2), is to serve others.

Recently, I heard pastor Rick Warren speak on this subject. In a nutshell, he said that we should look outside ourselves and seek to serve God by serving others. 

We’ll never be happy or content, he said, as long as we’re consumed in our own affairs and wondering what’s wrong with us. By looking for ways to help others, we’ll find true joy and happiness in life.

Psychology would tell us to look inward and focus on what’s wrong inside of us. 

There’s nothing wrong with introspection, as many people deal with deep trauma in their past, but becoming too focused on ourselves can make us feel even more despondent.

The point is to balance the psychological approach to self-improvement and healing with a firm understanding and application of biblical principles. 

Using modern psychology can certainly be beneficial, but it should never overshadow God’s word and the wisdom He has imparted to us through it.

If we take time to search the Bible and look for the nuggets of truth God has left for us there, we can then meditate on them and let these words sink down deep into our soul.

These treasures will be in our heart when we need them most — during that next season of depression or anxiety, or simply when we’re facing a stressful day. 

4 Biblical Paradoxes That Represent Profound Truths

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

I am often perplexed when it comes to the truths found in the Bible. It’s hard for us humans to fathom the nature of God and His ways. 

When I’m feeling frustrated about my lack of understanding, I’ll often remember that God tells us:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways (Isa: 55:8).

Reading this verse usually makes me feel better about myself, as I once again realize this profound truth: that there is a God, and I am not Him.

I believe that there are certain holy truths that we’re not meant to fully grasp. We can try all we want, but our brains are just not capable of understanding the ways of a God who created and maintains the entire universe.

That being said, following are some of the most notable paradoxes that we find in the Bible. These aren’t contradictions as skeptics would like to call them, but rather dual truths that we can’t fully explain.

I can’t take credit for coming up with these. Although anyone could read through the Bible and discover them for themselves, I came across these on a recent message from Dr. Michael Youssef called, “How Does Our Attitude Affect Our Joy?”.

So let’s dig in.

Jesus is fully God, yet fully man.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Col. 2:9).

[God] was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16a).

Christianity is the only religion I know of where its deity actually came to earth to live with mankind. In all the other religions of the world, the creator is a distant being who is untouchable and unknowable to its adherents.

Not so with the living Jesus. He was born in a lowly manger among animals. He didn’t perch Himself on a throne and order His subjects to bow at His feet. 

Rather, He submitted Himself to the will of the Father and died a gruesome, tortuous death to secure salvation to those who would choose to believe in Him. 

In this way, Jesus became as much human as you or I, yet remained as much God as the Father is. 

Difficult to explain? Yes. But also true.

The Bible is written by human beings, but every word is authored by the Holy Spirit.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever (Isa. 30:8).

God wanted us to have His preserved, written word. But rather than just personally hand it to us, He purposely used man to help write it down. 

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, around 40 authors over about 1500 years recorded God’s words. Although each book of the Bible contains elements of the individual who wrote it, each is ultimately written by the divine Author as He saw fit. 

Just look at the four gospels that give the account of Jesus’s life. Each author tailored his book to a different audience with a somewhat different focus, yet each tells the story of Jesus without contradicting the other gospels.

Every other book of the Bible is the same. They tell God’s story and the redemption of mankind while allowing the individual authors to insert a little of their own personalities into the manuscripts.

So—authored by God, written by man.

God eternally secures the believer’s salvation, yet we are commanded to obey Him.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).

The “once save, always saved” debate is alive and well in the church today. Yet God’s word stresses the point that once we accept Christ, our destiny is sealed. 

Some would ask if obedience to God is necessary to maintain our salvation. 

However, it’s not a matter of obeying God to remain saved and hold on to our eternal inheritance. Rather, Christians willingly choose to obey God because He sacrificed His son for our salvation.

God expressed His love for us first, even when we weren’t worthy of it. Consequently, we love and honor Him in return by following His commandments. 

Even though we may sin after becoming a Christian, this doesn’t negate our salvation.

Instead, our confidence in our eternal destiny gives us hope that even when we make mistakes, God still loves us and will welcome us home when the time comes.

God is sovereign in dealing in the affairs of His children, yet He responds to our prayers.

He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Dan. 4:35b).

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16b).

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7).

This paradox is particularly difficult for me. How can God control the entire workings of the universe and, at the same time, allow us to have influence over individual events in our lives through prayer?

It’s easy to tell ourselves that God’s will will prevail no matter what. While this is true, it is important to understand that our prayers play a crucial role in shaping our lives and those around us. 

Yes, this is difficult to grasp. But it is an important doctrine of our faith and represents God’s willingness to allow us to impact our world.

The important thing to remember about these paradoxes, and any others we find in the Bible, is that they shouldn’t shake our faith in a good, loving, all-powerful God. 

Instead, we should focus on the fact that God’s nature and power are so far beyond our comprehension, we can never hope to fully understand them on this side of Heaven. 

That’s where faith comes in. And faith “is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

Does God Really Want the Best for Us?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment 
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-8).

Why would a God who paid such a high price for us not want anything but the best for us?

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how much God truly loves us humans. In the busyness of our everyday lives, it’s easy to forget that He created us to love us, because God IS love (1 John 4:8).

The above verse in Romans shows us just how much God adores His creation. He knew we were weak and sinful, and yet He still allowed Jesus to die a painful, lowly death on a cross so that we could live forever with Him.

He redeemed us to show us His love and kindness, knowing that we had no way to repay Him for what He had done for us. This is true love, the kind of love that earthly parents show toward their own children. 

Just like human parents, God’s love burns fiercely for us—so much so that He will do everything within the bounds of His will to allow us to be with Him and commune with Him for eternity.

With all that being said, how could we possibly doubt that our loving heavenly Father would not want the best for us? 

Good and loving parents want their children to thrive and succeed, even to the point of doing better than they themselves. 

God is no different from the human parents He populated the earth with. He loves His creation and wants us to do well, to succeed, and to be happy and prosper.

Before we go any further, it’s important to understand that this doesn’t mean everything is going to go our way all the time. As long as we’re in these earthly bodies, we’re going to have difficult times and tough challenges in our lives.

We’re not always going to be on top of the world with no worries or concerns.

And it definitely doesn’t mean that just because you’re a Christian, you should automatically be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. 

For some of us, it may certainly mean that. But for the average Christ-follower, God’s provision probably won’t look like a huge mansion accompanied by a garage full of expensive cars. 

However, Matthew 7:11 tells us:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

God wants to take care of us and lavish us with worthwhile gifts. After all, we’re His children and He loves us. But I’ve heard it said many times (and you probably have, too) that God is much more interested in our character than our comfort.

Our Father’s desire is to build us up on the inside, not just satisfy all our external needs. He can and will do that as well, but His ultimate concern is to see us grow in Christ and become more like our Savior.

In desperate times of struggle, it’s difficult to see how any good can come out of our trials. But we can rest assured that everything we go through in life is working together for our good (Rom. 8:28). 

Our challenges probably won’t be pleasant at the time, but we can be confident that God is looking out for us and has everything under control. There’s nothing that surprises Him or falls outside His realm of knowledge.

If we love God and strive to honor and obey Him, we know that He’s working behind the scenes to bless us and turn things for the better, no matter what we’re facing. 

God sent His innocent Son to suffer an excruciating death on our behalf. We only need to look at the evidence and we can conclude that God truly wants only the best for His children.

These are words that I need to take to heart every day. Too often I forget that my Father cherishes me and wants me to get fulfillment out of my life in Christ. 

Dare I say that He even wants me to enjoy life? Yes, I believe that He does. And He wants the exact same thing for you, too.

Jesus Wants to Be Our Everything

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

Like many people, I’m guilty of accepting Christ as my savior years ago, then basically forgetting about Him as the years pass. I don’t mean that I’ve completely abandoned Christ. Rather, I’m confident and secure in my salvation, but I don’t look to Jesus and His presence in my everyday life.

I’m glad that I’m going to Heaven. It’s great knowing that I will live for eternity with God, worshipping Him and living in paradise with other believers, including the people I’ve cared about most in this life. 

But I don’t think that we were saved to simply “live life.” We weren’t supposed to just say, “OK, now my eternity is secured. Thanks for that, Jesus,” and just go on about our merry way, with little or no thought about Him. 

Jesus is, of course, our salvation, our connection to God the Father whom He sent to earth in human form to die for us. 

But if that’s all that we think of Jesus as, then we’re missing out on who He really is and can be in our lives. 

Because He’s our Savior, our lifeline to the Father, He represents God to us. And I don’t believe that that’s all God wants for us.

It’s also about accepting and nurturing a deep relationship with Jesus, letting Him into our lives and letting Him truly be a friend—just like we would anybody else.

He wants to walk us through life, to be by our side through all the ups and downs as we rely on Him to get us through the next challenge.

After all, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We can count on His loving devotion to see us through the hard times. 

There are many examples in Scripture where Jesus reminds of His willingness to comfort us:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1).

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

It’s not that we have to “choose” Jesus over God—Jesus IS God. 

Rather, we’re taking advantage of our esteemed position in Christ to have unfiltered access to God, allowing His love, comfort, and wisdom to have full effect in our lives. 

What this means is that, because of Jesus, I can come boldly to God with all my needs, wants, and even my complaints (Heb. 4:16).

He wants to be my everything. All I have to do is keep letting Him be a vital part of my life every day. 

When I consistently do this, I’ll be on my way to living the rewarding, fulfilling life that God wants me to experience.

Why Is It So Hard to Trust God Completely?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

What does it mean to have faith in God? It seems like a simple, straightforward question, and it is. The answer, however, may take us deeper than we could imagine. 

To have faith in God means to place the very outcome of our lives in God’s hands, to accept that His way is best and to acknowledge our desire to submit our will to His.

This faith means accepting the fact that there’s something—or in this case, Someone—who’s more intelligent, more powerful, and more capable than we are.

Placing our total faith in God is admitting that He knows more than we do, that He knows better than we do, and that His way will work out for the best in our lives.

Putting our trust in God means that we completely rely on Him and His provision for everything in our lives.

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Even though all that sounds simple, I have to be honest—I’m no giant of faith. I’ve been a Christian for over four decades, and I’m not happy with my faith life.

I wish it were deeper and richer. I wish that I had no doubts about God’s goodness and His willingness to provide all my needs. I hate to admit it, but my faith has not really grown much over the years.

Of course, I trust God for my salvation. It’s comforting knowing that I’ll spend eternity with Him in paradise. No tears, no heartache, just peace and calm—it all sounds great to me. I can definitely get onboard with that.

However, when it comes to trusting the Lord in the day-to-day, that’s when I struggle the most. Even though I’ve read all the promises in the Bible countless times, it’s still hard for me to believe that they’re true for me. 

Sure, these promises might work for other people. But for me? I’m not so certain. My life is not like everyone else’s. It seems that things that work for others don’t really work for me. 

Deep down in my heart I know that’s not true. After all, God is no respecter of persons. But in my head, a big part of me feels that I’m not worthy of having God work on my behalf—that His promises don’t apply to my life and my situation. 

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Faith that’s been tested through trials can be trusted, just like gold or silver that’s been purified by the furnace.

We may say we have faith in God, but until we’ve been through hard, crushing times and held onto our faith in the midst of them—not losing hope in the God who loves us and cares for us—we don’t really know the value of our faith.

In fact, 1 Peter 1:7 tells us that:

Our tested faith is even more precious than gold and “result[s] in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Our faith is nothing if it doesn’t withstand all the challenges that come with living in a fallen world.

But once it’s proven, our faith is rock solid, and is more valuable than anything else. When we have faith in God, we can come through anything that this world or our enemy throws at us. 

Jesus has already won, but that doesn’t stop the enemy from trying to drag us down to his level. He constantly hurls challenges at us to trip us up.

Ephesians 6:16 tells us:

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

Our tried-and-true faith will protect us against the schemes of the devil. 

Along with the other important armor mentioned in this chapter, our faith is crucial in helping us live a godly life—like Christ intended for us as a result of His death on the cross.

In fact, we are told, “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6a).

We can never hope to live the life that God has in store for us without a strong, proven faith.

Our faith will see us through the hard times, when it looks like all hope may be lost. Faith will help us keep on trying another day, for it tells us that God will provide for us one day at a time, just as He did the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert for so many years.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” we are taught to pray in Matthew 6:11. And farther down the chapter in verse 34, we’re advised: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”

You may wonder how to develop deep faith. It is grown by using it regularly. 

Start by trusting God for something small in your life. However, make sure your request is on solid biblical ground. 

1 John 5:14 tells us:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

When our prayers and our faith are in alignment with God, we can be assured that He will give us what we need.

We’re also told in Philippians 4:19:

‭‭My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Notice that Paul says “need” and not “want.” We don’t necessarily receive everything we want in life, but God will always give us what we need if we trust Him.

Once you see His hand at work in this way, your faith will grow. You’ll learn that you can trust Him for bigger and even more substantial blessings in your life.

My Approach to Worship Shifted As I Got Older—And Not For the Better

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

I’ve recently realized that my approach to worshipping God has changed over the years since I became a Christian. 

When I was first saved, it was all about God and what Jesus had done for me on the cross. I was so grateful that I had been redeemed that I was happy just to give God the praise that He deserves. I read the Bible faithfully, soaking in its truths and learning more about God every time I read. 

I don’t believe I had any real thoughts about what my worship or Bible reading would do for me. Maybe I did think about it, but if so, these thoughts weren’t very profound. I just wanted to worship and serve God. I wasn’t really concerned about my own welfare. 

Part of this may be from the fact that I was only 15 when I accepted Christ, and didn’t have any real concerns about money or my livelihood. At any rate, I remember those early years of my Christian walk as pure and innocent. 

There were times when I strayed away and didn’t follow God closely, but I don’t remember my approach to Him ever being, “What can You do for me?”

All that changed, however, as I graduated college and became an adult. My focus gradually shifted from serving God to being served by God. I viewed my relationship with Him as a means to better my life. 

I began reading the Bible in search of verses and passages that promised how God would take care of my needs. While there is certainly nothing wrong with standing on the promises of God, my approach to Bible reading became a search for truths that would help me get what I wanted. 

I looked for passages that told me in essence, “If you do this, then God will bless you.” Or, “This is what you need to do to earn God’s favor.”

And without realizing it, that has been my focus for the better part of the last three decades. Although I’ve worshipped God over the years, it hasn’t always been with a pure heart. 

Sometimes consciously, sometimes not, I’ve had an ulterior motive. In the back of my mind, I’ve thought, “Well, if I can worship God in the right way and please Him, He’ll bless me, and my life will be better. I’ll have more money, more happiness, and a better quality of life.”

I regret that I’ve lived my life like this for so long. I’ve missed out on being able to worship God purely and simply, without the thought of “How is this going to help me?” For far too long, I’ve thought of God in terms of a genie who, if I rubbed the right way, would give me blessings and a more enjoyable life. 

While it’s true that God wants to bless His children, His desire is that we worship Him for who He is—not for what He can do for us. 

Even though I realize that type of worship is wrong and sinful, it’s hard to break out of that habit. Too many times over the years, I’ve heard that “God is waiting to bless you,” and “You deserve all that God has for you.” 

I long to have the pure approach to worship I had when I first accepted Christ. The cares of life have largely choked out my desire to simply serve God and bring Him glory through worship. There’s so much in the way now—concerns about money, health, relationships, career. The list goes on and on. 

Even though the few concerns I had as a teenager may have seemed significant at the time, I didn’t have the weight of decades of life hanging on me.

Maybe that’s all too philosophical and just an excuse for not putting God first in my life. I need to get back to basics and take inventory of what God has already done for me—and not just focus on what I want Him to do. 

Worshipping God should be in response to His glory and greatness, not about His potential to fulfill my wishes. The sooner I can come to terms with that, the better off I’ll be.

Harness the Power of Gratitude in Your Everyday Life

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

In today’s hectic world, it’s easy to take everyday blessings for granted. 

With so many demands on us—ranging from jobs to kids to health issues and much more—we tend to forget that, in almost all cases, things could worse. 

I often find myself midway through my day before I even pause long enough to think about all the good things going on in my life.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges and struggles—there certainly are. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any situation where you can’t be grateful for something. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God actually commands us to be thankful for His blessings. 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The Scriptures also say in Colossians 3:17:

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.

In these two verses, we find that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we are to be grateful.

I believe there are several reasons that God tells us this.

Not only does our gratitude bring God glory, it also has practical benefits. Being grateful for what we have, even when things look bleak, can help us be more joyful, content, and focused.

Research at Syracuse University concluded that showing gratitude will help you be more positive and can lead to reduced depression and anxiety. 

That’s good news for sure!

When our minds are freed up from depression and anxiety, we can then replace all the old negative thoughts with the positive things in our life.

In Philippians 4:8, we’re reminded to think about:

whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.

Pointing our mind to the good things in life is the perfect companion to practicing gratitude. This 1-2 punch is a knockout to feelings of doom and gloom.

The Center for NeuroWellness believes that there are at least seven ways that gratitude rewires our brains.

Among these are the ability of gratitude to strengthen positive neural pathways in our brain. The brain actually adapts to positivity, a trait known as neuroplasticity.

This means that the more grateful we are over time, the happier and more well adjusted we’ll feel.

Positivity builds more feelings of positivity. It’s like a good Catch-22. We do our future selves a favor when we show God gratitude because this actually forms new, positive neural pathways in the brain.

However, gratitude is also good for our physical bodies. It benefits our health in many ways.

First of all, being grateful triggers our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps lower our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate so we reduce stress and are able to relax.

In addition, oxytocin is released when we’re grateful, which also helps lower blood pressure and protect our heart health. 

Gratitude can boost our immune system as well. It reduces levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can actually suppress the immune system. 

Life Extension Magazine details how gratitude has also been linked to an increase in Immunoglobulin A, an antibody critical in helping the immune system fight diseases and viruses.

We see that showing God gratitude for all He has done in our lives is good for us in many ways.

Not to mention that it is also God’s will that we do this.

So follow God’s command, and do something good for yourself at the same time by showing Him gratitude today.