10/26/2026

Fear has a way of showing up when we least expect it. Sometimes it comes through a phone call, a medical report, a financial concern, or a situation involving someone we love. Other times, it creeps in quietly when we’re lying awake at night, thinking about things we cannot control. We can know God is faithful, believe His promises, and still find ourselves struggling with fear. I’ve come to realize that faith doesn’t mean we never get afraid. It means we learn where to turn when fear comes knocking.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
- Isaiah 41:10 ESV

There is something deeply personal about this promise. God doesn’t simply tell His people to stop being afraid. He gives them a reason they don’t have to be controlled by their fear. And that reason isn’t found in their circumstances, their abilities, or their understanding of what comes next. It’s found in Him.

Think about that for a minute. God doesn’t promise that everything will work out the way we want it to. He doesn’t promise that life will be free from hardship, disappointment, sickness, or loss. What He promises is His presence, His strength, His help, and His sustaining hand.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to hear.

When Isaiah delivered these words, God’s people were facing uncertainty and the threat of powerful nations around them. They had plenty of reasons to be concerned about their future. Yet throughout Isaiah 41, God reminds Israel that He has chosen them, that He has not cast them off, and that their security rests in His faithfulness rather than their own strength.

That context matters because this wasn’t some generic motivational statement intended to make people feel better. It was a covenant promise from a faithful God to a people who needed to remember who was holding them.

And while we should recognize that God originally spoke these words to Israel, the character of God revealed in this passage hasn’t changed. Through Jesus Christ, we too have the assurance that our Heavenly Father will never abandon those who belong to Him.

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. We spend an incredible amount of energy trying to eliminate the things that make us afraid. We want answers. We want certainty. We want to know what tomorrow looks like so we can prepare for it today.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with planning or preparing. But somewhere along the way, we can begin believing that peace will come when we finally have everything figured out.

It won’t.

If peace depended on knowing exactly what tomorrow holds, none of us would ever experience much of it.

Peace doesn’t come from knowing what tomorrow holds. It comes from knowing the One who holds tomorrow.

I know that sounds simple, but living it out can be incredibly difficult.

There are times when we pray about something, surrender it to God, and then spend the next several hours trying to figure out how we’re going to fix it ourselves. We tell God we trust Him, but our thoughts keep returning to the worst possible outcome.

I’ve often wondered whether some of our greatest struggles with fear aren’t really about what might happen, but about how much control we’re afraid of losing.

We want to trust God, but we also want a guarantee that trusting Him won’t lead us somewhere uncomfortable.

Yet that’s not how faith works.

Faith isn’t demanding that God explain every detail before we agree to follow Him. Faith is trusting His character when we cannot understand His plan.

Notice something else about this verse. God makes five powerful declarations. He is with us. He is our God. He will strengthen us. He will help us. And He will uphold us.

Every one of those promises directs our attention away from what we can accomplish and toward what God will do.

That’s significant because when life becomes overwhelming, our natural response is often to look inward. Am I strong enough? Can I handle this? What if I fail? What if things get worse?

God redirects those questions.

Instead of asking whether we’re strong enough, we can trust that He will provide the strength we need. Instead of wondering whether we can hold everything together, we can rest in the assurance that He is holding us.

There’s a difference between God giving us enough strength to stand and God promising to hold us when we cannot stand on our own.

Isaiah 41:10 speaks to both.

And I love that.

Because there are days when we feel strong in our faith. We pray confidently, trust wholeheartedly, and move forward without much hesitation.

But there are also days when we’re exhausted. When the prayers seem harder to pray. When the uncertainty feels heavier than it did yesterday. When we know what Scripture says, but our emotions are struggling to catch up.

God’s faithfulness doesn’t disappear on those days.

He doesn’t look at us and say, “Come back when you’ve got your faith together.”

He meets us in our weakness.

The apostle Paul experienced this personally. In 2 Corinthians 12, he pleaded with the Lord to remove something that was causing him great difficulty. God’s response wasn’t to remove the problem, but to assure Paul that His grace was sufficient and His power was made perfect in weakness.

Sometimes God changes our circumstances. Sometimes He changes us as we walk through them. And sometimes He does both.

But His presence is never dependent on our circumstances improving.

I also want us to understand something about the command not to fear. God isn’t condemning us for experiencing the emotion of fear. Scripture is filled with faithful men and women who were afraid. David was afraid. Elijah was afraid. The disciples were afraid.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s choosing to trust and obey God even when fear is present.

So when you find yourself afraid, don’t add guilt to what you’re already carrying. Bring that fear to the Lord. Be honest about it. Tell Him what concerns you, what you’re struggling to understand, and where you’re having difficulty trusting.

He already knows, but there’s something powerful about bringing our fears into the presence of the One who loves us.

And here’s one final thought.

God says He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. Throughout Scripture, God’s right hand represents His power, authority, and ability to accomplish His purposes. This isn’t a picture of a God who is barely managing to keep us from falling.

It’s a picture of the Almighty God sustaining His people with a strength that cannot fail.

Whatever you’re facing today, you may not have the answers you want. You may not know how the situation will unfold. You may even be walking through something you never imagined you would have to face.

But you don’t have to face it alone.

The same God who has been faithful through every generation is faithful today. His strength hasn’t diminished. His promises haven’t expired. And His ability to sustain His children hasn’t changed.

You don’t have to be fearless to be faithful. You just have to keep trusting the One who is holding you.

Action Steps

1. Identify what is feeding your fear. Be specific. Is it something happening today, something that might happen tomorrow, or something completely outside your control? Bring that concern honestly before God rather than allowing it to occupy your thoughts unchecked.

2. Replace anxious speculation with God’s promises. When your mind begins rehearsing everything that could go wrong, return to Isaiah 41:10. Remind yourself of what God has promised, not what fear is predicting. Trusting God doesn’t mean ignoring legitimate concerns; it means refusing to let those concerns have the final word.

3. Take one faithful step forward. Fear often convinces us to stand still until we feel certain. Is there a conversation you need to have, a decision you need to make, or an act of obedience you’ve been avoiding? Ask God for the strength to take the next step, even if you cannot see the entire path.

Challenge for the Day

Identify one fear you’ve been carrying and surrender it to God in prayer. Then take one practical step of faith that demonstrates you’re trusting His strength rather than allowing that fear to control your decisions.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You know the things that weigh on my heart, even the ones I struggle to put into words. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed fear to speak louder than Your promises. Help me remember that I don’t have to figure everything out or carry every burden on my own. When I feel weak, strengthen me. When I’m uncertain, guide me. And when fear begins to take hold, remind me that Your hand is still holding mine. Teach me to trust You not only when life makes sense, but especially when it doesn’t. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/25/2026

Have you ever been in a conversation where you were so focused on what you wanted to say that you barely heard what the other person was saying? Maybe you were already preparing your response before they finished their sentence. Or perhaps you’ve found yourself doing something good for someone, but deep down, you were hoping they would notice and appreciate what you had done. I think if we’re willing to be honest, we’ve all been there. It’s amazing how easily our desire to be right, recognized, or appreciated can creep into even the best of intentions. And sometimes, the hardest person to get out of the way is ourselves.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
- Philippians 2:3 ESV

There’s something about this verse that makes me a little uncomfortable. Not because I disagree with it, but because I know how easily I can fall short of living it.

Paul doesn’t say to occasionally put others first when it’s convenient. He doesn’t suggest that we practice humility when people deserve it or when we’re likely to receive something in return. He says to do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit. Nothing. That’s a pretty high standard.

And before we start thinking about all the people we know who need to hear this verse, perhaps we ought to ask ourselves how well we’re living it.

Paul wrote these words to believers in Philippi, a church he loved deeply. They weren’t necessarily doing terrible things. In fact, there was much about this church that brought him joy. But Paul understood something about human nature. Even among people who genuinely love Jesus, pride can quietly work its way into our relationships.

Sometimes it looks like wanting credit for something we’ve accomplished. Other times, it’s insisting on having the final word in an argument. It can show up when we become frustrated because someone doesn’t recognize our sacrifice or when we secretly compare our accomplishments to someone else’s.

And here’s where it gets particularly challenging. We can actually do things for God while being motivated by something other than God.

We can serve because we want to be noticed. We can give because we want to be appreciated. We can lead because we enjoy being in charge. We can even help someone while quietly believing we’re a little better than they are.

The activity might be good, but the heart behind it needs some attention.

I think that’s why Paul takes this conversation further in the verses that follow. In Philippians 2:5, he tells us to have the same mind among ourselves that belongs to us in Christ Jesus. Then he describes how Jesus, although fully God, willingly humbled Himself and took the form of a servant.

Think about that for a minute.

The One who deserved all honor, glory, and worship chose to serve people who would misunderstand Him, reject Him, betray Him, and ultimately crucify Him.

Jesus didn’t serve because He needed anyone’s approval. He didn’t wash His disciples’ feet hoping they would recognize how wonderful He was. He served because that’s who He is.

And that’s the kind of humility Paul is calling us to demonstrate.

There’s a distinction I think we need to understand. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.

God doesn’t want you walking around believing you’re worthless or insignificant. After all, He created you in His image, gifted you with purpose, and loved you enough to send His Son to die for you. Your value isn’t in question.

But neither is the value of the person standing across from you.

That person who frustrates you at work? Made in God’s image.

The spouse who doesn’t always see things your way? Deeply loved by God.

The person whose political opinions make absolutely no sense to you? Someone Jesus died for.

The individual who can’t do anything for you in return? Just as valuable to God as you are.

And when we begin seeing people through that lens, something changes.

We become more willing to listen instead of interrupting. We become quicker to apologize instead of defending ourselves. We start looking for opportunities to encourage someone rather than waiting for someone to encourage us.

Now, I don’t want us to misunderstand what Paul is teaching. Counting others more significant than ourselves doesn’t mean allowing people to mistreat us or refusing to establish healthy boundaries. Jesus demonstrated extraordinary humility, but He also confronted wrongdoing, spoke truth, and sometimes walked away from those who rejected Him.

Humility doesn’t require us to abandon wisdom or truth. It requires us to abandon the belief that everything revolves around us.

And I’ll tell you something else. This is especially important for those of us who lead, whether that’s in our homes, our churches, our businesses, or our communities.

Leadership can become a dangerous place for pride if we’re not careful. People begin looking to us for answers. They value our opinions. They thank us for what we do. And somewhere along the way, we can begin believing our own importance.

But Jesus showed us that the greatest leader is the one willing to serve.

Sometimes the most Christlike thing a leader can do is admit they were wrong. Sometimes it’s stepping aside so someone else can succeed. And sometimes it’s doing something that nobody will ever know about except God.

I wonder how many of our relationships would improve if we approached them with one simple question:

What would it look like to put this person’s needs ahead of my desire to be right, recognized, or appreciated?

Imagine what that could do for a marriage. Imagine how it might change a disagreement between friends. Think about how differently our churches would function if we were more concerned about serving one another than getting our own way.

Paul isn’t asking us to become doormats. He’s inviting us to become more like Jesus.

And becoming more like Jesus means allowing the Holy Spirit to confront the pride that sometimes hides behind our good intentions.

The wonderful thing is that we don’t have to manufacture this humility on our own. As we spend time with Christ, surrender our attitudes to Him, and allow His Spirit to work in us, He begins changing not only what we do but why we do it.

That’s where genuine transformation happens.

Because the goal isn’t simply to appear humble in front of other people.

The goal is to have a heart that looks more and more like Jesus, even when nobody is watching.

Action Steps

1. Examine your motives. Before doing something for someone today, ask yourself whether you’re serving out of love or hoping for recognition. Be honest with God about what you discover.

2. Practice putting someone else first. Look for an opportunity to listen without interrupting, surrender a personal preference, or help someone without expecting anything in return.

3. Invite God to reveal hidden pride. Spend a few minutes in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to show you where selfish ambition, comparison, or the desire for approval may be influencing your decisions.

Challenge for the Day

Do something meaningful for someone today without telling anyone, expecting recognition, or looking for anything in return. Let your only motivation be to reflect the heart of Jesus.

Prayer

Father, I know there are times when pride gets in the way of the person You’ve called me to be. Sometimes I want to be right more than I want to understand. Sometimes I want recognition more than I want to serve. Forgive me for those moments. Help me see others the way You see them, with love, dignity, and compassion. Teach me to lead with humility, serve without expecting anything in return, and examine my motives even when my actions appear good. Lord, I don’t just want to do things for You. I want to do them with You and become more like You in the process. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/24/2026

Have you ever walked outside early in the morning, before the noise of the day begins, and just looked around? Maybe you’ve watched the sun rise over the hills, stood beneath a sky filled with stars, or listened to the rain falling on the roof. There’s something about those moments that can make us feel incredibly small and, at the same time, deeply connected to something much bigger than ourselves. I wonder how many times we walk right past those reminders of God’s greatness because we’re too busy thinking about everything we have to get done.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Psalm 19:1 ESV

David understood something that I believe we’ve lost a little of in our busy lives. God doesn’t only speak through the pages of Scripture, through prayer, or through the preaching of His Word. He has also surrounded us with evidence of His power, creativity, and majesty. And much of the time, we’re simply too distracted to notice.

Think about where we live here in the Texas Hill Country. There are mornings when the sun begins to rise over the hills, and the colors stretching across the sky are absolutely beautiful. Then there are those clear nights when you can look up and see more stars than you could ever count. Nobody had to hang those stars in place. Nobody had to tell the sun when to rise. Yet everything continues according to the order God established.

And here’s what amazes me. The God who created all of that knows you personally.

David wasn’t writing Psalm 19 as a scientist trying to explain the universe. He was worshiping the Creator of it. He looked at what God had made and recognized that creation itself was continually announcing something about the One who made it.

In fact, the next few verses tell us that this testimony never stops. Day after day, night after night, creation continues to reveal God’s greatness. There are no spoken words, no audible voice, yet the message reaches across the earth.

That’s a pretty remarkable thought. God has given us a testimony of His glory that doesn’t depend on a microphone, a church building, or even a common language.

But there’s something else I want us to consider.

It’s possible to admire what God has created without ever acknowledging the God who created it.

We can appreciate a beautiful sunset and never offer a word of thanks. We can marvel at the complexity of the human body without considering the wisdom of its Designer. We can stand beneath a sky filled with stars and still spend the evening worrying about things that seem enormous to us.

And I think that’s where this verse begins to challenge us.

Sometimes our problems become so large in our minds that our understanding of God becomes incredibly small.

A financial concern, a difficult relationship, a medical diagnosis, or uncertainty about tomorrow can consume our thoughts. We spend hours trying to figure out how everything is going to work out. Before long, our attention is so fixed on the problem that we’ve forgotten the greatness of the One we’re praying to.

Now, I don’t believe David was suggesting that looking at the stars would somehow make our problems disappear. He knew hardship. He experienced betrayal, fear, loss, and disappointment. But David also understood the importance of remembering who God is, especially when life becomes difficult.

When we look at creation through the eyes of faith, we’re reminded that the God who holds the universe together is not overwhelmed by what’s happening in our lives.

That doesn’t mean He will always answer our prayers the way we want Him to. It doesn’t mean every difficulty will be resolved tomorrow. But it does mean that our circumstances have not somehow exceeded His ability to care for us.

There’s another beautiful connection in Psalm 19 that I don’t want us to miss.

David begins by describing how God reveals Himself through creation. But beginning in verse 7, he turns his attention to the Word of God. He talks about how God’s Word restores the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes.

Why the change?

Because creation can show us that God is powerful, wise, and glorious, but Scripture reveals His character, His will, and His plan of salvation. And ultimately, Jesus Christ shows us the Father in a way creation alone never could.

The same God whose glory fills the heavens loved us enough to send His Son to redeem us.

Think about that for a minute.

The One who spoke the universe into existence entered His own creation. Jesus walked beneath the same sun, looked up at the same stars, and experienced the same human struggles that we experience. Yet He came for a purpose far greater than simply showing us how to live. He came to reconcile us to God through His death and resurrection.

Creation declares God’s glory, but the cross reveals the depth of His love.

And when we understand both, worship becomes more than something we do on Sunday morning.

Worship becomes the way we respond to God throughout the ordinary moments of our lives.

It happens when we pause to thank Him for another sunrise. When we recognize His provision in something we’ve been taking for granted. When we choose to trust Him with a concern we cannot control. When we open His Word because we genuinely want to know Him better.

I wonder what would happen if we began paying more attention to the things God has already placed around us.

Maybe we would complain a little less and give thanks a little more. Maybe our worries wouldn’t disappear, but they would begin to find their proper place beneath the greatness of God. Maybe we would rediscover a sense of wonder that has slowly been crowded out by schedules, responsibilities, and distractions.

And perhaps we would begin to see that every sunrise is another opportunity to worship the One who made it.

God’s creation has never stopped declaring His glory. The question is whether we’ve stopped paying attention.

Action Steps

1. Look up before you look down. Before you pick up your phone or begin working through your responsibilities today, spend a few minutes outside. Look at what God has created and thank Him for something specific.

2. Put your concerns in perspective. Identify one situation that has been weighing heavily on your heart. Rather than allowing it to dominate your thoughts, bring it before the God whose power and wisdom are displayed throughout creation.

3. Listen to both of God’s testimonies. Read Psalm 19 in its entirety today. Notice how David moves from the glory of creation to the beauty of God’s Word, and finally to a personal prayer about the condition of his own heart.

Challenge for the Day

Sometime today, spend five uninterrupted minutes outside without your phone or any other distractions. Look at what God has created, thank Him for His greatness, and surrender one worry you’ve been carrying. Don’t just admire His creation. Allow it to lead you into worship.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve been so consumed with my own concerns that I’ve failed to notice the beauty and wonder of what You’ve created. Your greatness is on display all around me, yet I sometimes live as though everything depends on my ability to figure things out. Help me to see Your handiwork with fresh eyes and to remember that the God who created the heavens is the same God who loves me and cares for me. May Your creation remind me of Your power, Your Word guide me in Your truth, and Your Son continually remind me of Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/23/2026

Have you ever worked so hard to make something happen that you forgot to ask God whether it was supposed to happen in the first place? I think most of us have been there. We have an idea, develop a plan, put everything in motion, and then ask God to bless what we’ve already decided to do. And when things don’t work out the way we expected, we wonder why. Maybe the problem isn’t that we haven’t worked hard enough or planned carefully enough. Maybe we’ve been trying to carry something God never intended for us to carry alone.

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”
- Proverbs 16:3 ESV

There is something about this verse that challenges the way many of us approach life. We like having a plan. We like knowing where we’re going, how we’re going to get there, and what the outcome should look like. And there’s nothing wrong with planning. Scripture actually encourages wisdom, preparation, and diligence. But Solomon reminds us that there is a difference between making plans and surrendering those plans to God.

The word translated “commit” carries the idea of rolling something onto someone else. Picture yourself carrying a heavy load. You’ve been holding it for so long that you’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to stand without the weight of it. Then someone stronger comes alongside you and offers to take it.

That’s the picture Solomon gives us. God isn’t asking us to stop working, thinking, or planning. He’s asking us to roll the weight of those things onto Him.

And that’s harder than it sounds.

Because committing our work to the Lord means giving Him more than our plans. It means giving Him the right to change them.

Think about that for a minute. It’s one thing to pray, “Lord, bless what I’m doing.” It’s another thing entirely to pray, “Lord, if what I’m doing isn’t what You want, show me, and give me the courage to change direction.”

That second prayer requires trust. It requires humility. And sometimes it requires letting go of something we’ve invested a great deal of time, energy, and emotion into.

I’ve noticed that we can become so attached to our plans that we begin measuring God’s faithfulness by whether He allows them to succeed. If the doors open, we assume God is blessing us. If the doors close, we wonder whether He’s listening.

But an open door isn’t always God’s approval, and a closed door isn’t always His rejection.

Sometimes God redirects us because He sees something we cannot see. Sometimes He allows a delay because there’s work He wants to accomplish in us before He accomplishes something through us. And sometimes He simply says no because what we’re pursuing, even with the best intentions, isn’t His best for us.

Now, we need to be careful with the second half of this verse. Solomon says our plans will be established, but that doesn’t mean God promises to make every idea we have successful. Proverbs 16:9 adds another important truth: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

God is not obligated to fulfill every plan we place before Him. As we submit our work to Him, He directs, corrects, and establishes what aligns with His purposes. Sometimes the plan He establishes looks very different from the one we originally brought to Him.

And that can be difficult to accept, especially when we’ve convinced ourselves that our way is the right way.

I think this applies to nearly every part of our lives. We make plans for our careers, our finances, our families, our ministries, and our futures. We set goals, establish timelines, and create expectations. Then life happens. Something changes. A relationship becomes strained. A business opportunity falls apart. A medical diagnosis changes our priorities. A door we were certain would open remains firmly closed.

Suddenly, the plan we trusted doesn’t look so dependable anymore.

But here’s what I want you to consider. God never asked us to place our confidence in the plan. He asks us to place our confidence in Him.

There’s a tremendous difference.

When our confidence is in the plan, peace depends on everything going according to schedule. When our confidence is in God, we can have peace even when the schedule falls apart.

That doesn’t mean we won’t experience disappointment. It doesn’t mean we won’t ask questions or struggle with uncertainty. It simply means we know Who is holding the future, even when we don’t know what that future holds.

There’s another part of this verse I don’t want us to overlook. Solomon says to commit our work to the Lord. Not just our dreams or our wishes, but our work.

That means faith doesn’t replace responsibility.

We still have to show up. We still have to make difficult decisions, have uncomfortable conversations, prepare carefully, and do the things God has placed before us. Committing our work to Him isn’t an excuse to sit back and wait for everything to happen.

It’s choosing to work faithfully while trusting Him with the results.

And maybe that’s where some of us need to make a change today.

Perhaps you’ve been working so hard to control an outcome that you’ve lost the joy of simply being faithful. Maybe you’re carrying anxiety over a decision that hasn’t been made, a situation that hasn’t been resolved, or a future you cannot predict.

What would happen if you stopped asking God to guarantee the outcome and started asking Him to guide your obedience?

You might discover that surrender doesn’t mean losing control as much as it means acknowledging that you never had complete control in the first place.

And there’s freedom in that.

God cares about the work of your hands. He cares about the decisions you’re making, the responsibilities you’re carrying, and the people those decisions affect. He wants to be involved in the ordinary details of your life, not just the moments when everything seems to be falling apart.

So make your plans. Work diligently. Use the wisdom and abilities God has given you. But hold those plans with open hands.

Because a plan surrendered to God is far better than a plan accomplished without Him.

Action Steps

1. Bring your plans before God. Identify one area of your life where you’ve been making decisions without intentionally seeking His direction. Spend time in prayer, asking Him to reveal whether your priorities align with His Word and His purposes.

2. Release your grip on the outcome. Think about something you’re trying hard to control. Ask yourself whether you’re trusting God or simply asking Him to make things happen your way. Be willing to accept His direction, even if it requires changing your plans.

3. Be faithful with what’s in front of you. Don’t allow uncertainty about tomorrow to keep you from obeying God today. Take the next responsible step, do your work with integrity, and leave the results in His hands.

Challenge for the Day

Before making an important decision today, stop and pray, “Lord, am I asking You to bless my plans, or am I willing to follow Yours?” Then be willing to change direction if He leads you differently.

Prayer

Father, I confess that sometimes I make my plans and then expect You to bless them. I want things to work out the way I’ve imagined, and I struggle when they don’t. Forgive me for the times I’ve trusted my own understanding more than Your wisdom. Teach me to bring my work, my decisions, and my desires before You with an open heart. Give me the courage to change direction when necessary, the patience to wait when You haven’t opened a door, and the faithfulness to keep working when the results aren’t clear. I don’t just want You to bless what I’m doing. I want to be doing what You are blessing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/22/2026

There are moments in life when walking away would be easier than staying. When relationships become complicated, circumstances change, or the future looks uncertain, we begin asking ourselves whether it’s worth continuing. Sometimes leaving is the right decision. But there are also moments when God calls us to remain faithful, even when we have no idea what that faithfulness will cost us. The story of Ruth is one of those moments, and I believe there’s something here that speaks to how we love people, how we make decisions, and how we trust God when the road ahead is anything but clear.

“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.’”
- Ruth 1:16 ESV

To appreciate what Ruth is saying, we need to understand what brought her to this moment.

Naomi had experienced tremendous loss. A famine had driven her family from Bethlehem to Moab. While living there, her husband died. Her two sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah, but eventually both sons died as well.

Now Naomi was a widow who had buried her husband and both of her children. She was grieving, financially vulnerable, and facing an uncertain future.

When she heard that the Lord had provided food for His people back in Judah, she decided to return home. She encouraged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab, where they might remarry and rebuild their lives.

And honestly, Naomi’s advice made sense.

Orpah eventually kissed Naomi goodbye and returned to her people. Scripture doesn’t condemn her for that decision. She was doing what Naomi had encouraged her to do.

But Ruth made a different choice. She chose to stay.

Think about what that meant. Ruth was leaving her homeland, her culture, her familiar surroundings, and whatever security she might have found among her own people. She was following an older widow into a country where she would be a foreigner, with no guarantee of provision or acceptance.

There was no promise of a better life waiting for her in Bethlehem.

Yet Ruth refused to abandon Naomi.

That’s what makes her commitment so remarkable. She wasn’t staying because she knew things would work out. She was staying because she had decided to be faithful.

I wonder how many of us struggle with that kind of commitment today.

We live in a culture that places tremendous value on convenience. If something becomes difficult, we’re encouraged to move on. If a relationship requires sacrifice, we’re tempted to look for something easier. If serving someone becomes inconvenient, we begin looking for reasons why we shouldn’t have to.

Now, I want to be careful here. Faithfulness doesn’t mean remaining in an abusive or dangerous situation. God doesn’t call us to enable destructive behavior or ignore healthy boundaries.

But I do believe we’ve become so accustomed to protecting our own comfort that we sometimes forget what genuine commitment looks like.

Ruth reminds us that love is more than something we feel. Love is often demonstrated through the decisions we make when our feelings would lead us somewhere else.

And there’s something else in Ruth’s declaration that we shouldn’t overlook.

She doesn’t simply say, “I’ll go wherever you go.”

She says, “Your God will be my God.”

This was more than loyalty to Naomi. It was a declaration of allegiance to the Lord.

Ruth was a Moabite woman, raised among people who worshiped other gods. Yet somewhere along the way, through her relationship with Naomi and her family, she had come to recognize that the God of Israel was the God she wanted to follow.

I want you to focus on when she made that declaration.

God had not blessed her with a new husband. She hadn’t experienced a financial windfall or witnessed some extraordinary miracle.

She made it while standing beside a grieving widow, facing an uncertain future.

That’s faith.

It’s easy to declare our trust in God when everything is going well. It’s another thing entirely to say, “Lord, I’m following You,” when we don’t know where the next step will lead.

Unlike us, Ruth didn’t have the benefit of knowing the rest of her story. But we do.

We know she would eventually meet Boaz, that he would become her husband, and that they would have a son named Obed. Obed would become the grandfather of King David.

And generations later, Jesus Christ would come through that same family line. Wow!

Think about that for a minute.

A woman who had lost her husband, left her homeland, and chosen to remain faithful to her mother-in-law became part of the earthly ancestry of our Savior.

But Ruth didn’t know any of that when she made her decision.

She simply chose faithfulness.

I think sometimes we want God to show us the outcome before we’re willing to obey Him. We want to know how everything is going to work out, what it will cost, and whether the sacrifice will be worth it.

But God doesn’t always give us those answers.

Sometimes He simply gives us the next step.

And asks us to trust Him with what comes after.

There’s another part of Ruth’s story that I find especially meaningful.

Naomi was not exactly overflowing with optimism. When she returned to Bethlehem, she told the women not to call her Naomi anymore but to call her Mara, meaning bitter, because she believed the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her.

Ruth was choosing to walk alongside someone who was hurting deeply, someone who couldn’t see much hope in her circumstances.

And Ruth didn’t try to fix Naomi’s grief with a few encouraging words.

She stayed beside her.

Sometimes that’s exactly what people need from us.

Not another Bible verse quoted without compassion. Not a quick explanation of why God might be allowing their suffering. Not someone telling them to cheer up because everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes they need someone who will sit with them, listen to them, pray with them, and remind them through their presence that they haven’t been forgotten.

I believe one of the greatest ways we demonstrate the love of Christ is through our willingness to remain present when someone else’s life becomes difficult.

We may not be able to change their circumstances, but we can refuse to let them face those circumstances alone.

And perhaps that’s where this passage becomes especially personal.

Who has God placed in your life who needs that kind of faithfulness?

Maybe it’s your spouse, and your marriage has become more difficult than either of you anticipated. Maybe it’s an aging parent who requires more patience and attention than they once did. Maybe it’s a friend walking through grief, someone whose struggles haven’t been resolved nearly as quickly as you hoped.

Or maybe God is calling you to remain faithful in an assignment that no longer feels exciting or rewarding.

Whatever it is, I want you to consider something.

Ruth’s greatest act of faithfulness happened long before she ever saw the blessings that would come from it.

And the same may be true for you.

You may never know how much your encouragement means to someone. You may not see the impact of your prayers. You may not understand why God has asked you to remain faithful in a particular situation.

But that doesn’t mean your faithfulness is wasted.

Hebrews 6:10 reminds us that God is not unjust to overlook our work and the love we’ve shown in serving others.

He sees, and He remembers.

Ruth’s story also reminds us that faithfulness isn’t a way of earning God’s favor or guaranteeing a particular outcome. Ruth received kindness she could never have arranged for herself, and her story points us toward the greater kindness of God.

Our hope isn’t ultimately in our ability to remain faithful. It’s in the God who remains faithful to us.

We follow Him because He is worthy of our trust, not because we’ve been promised an easy road.

So today, don’t become so focused on where God might be taking you that you overlook what He’s asking of you right now.

Be faithful with the person in front of you.

Be faithful with the responsibility He’s entrusted to you.

Be faithful in your relationship with Him, even when you don’t understand what He’s doing.

You don’t have to know the entire story to take the next step of obedience.

Ruth didn’t.

And look what God did through her life.

Action Steps

1. Examine your commitments. Is there a relationship, responsibility, or area of obedience where you’ve allowed inconvenience to weaken your faithfulness? Ask God to help you distinguish between a commitment you need to honor and a situation where healthy boundaries are necessary.

2. Be present for someone who is struggling. Reach out to someone experiencing grief, disappointment, loneliness, or uncertainty. Don’t feel pressured to solve their problems. Listen, encourage, and remind them they aren’t alone.

3. Trust God with an unknown outcome. Identify one area where you’ve been waiting for certainty before obeying. Pray about it, seek godly wisdom, and take the next faithful step He’s already made clear.

Challenge for the Day

Within the next 24 hours, reach out to someone who is walking through a difficult time. Don’t just tell them you’re praying for them. Ask how you can walk alongside them, and follow through with one practical act of love.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the example of Ruth and the reminder that faithfulness matters, even when we cannot see what lies ahead. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed convenience, fear, or uncertainty to influence my willingness to obey You. Help me love people with more than words. Give me the patience to remain present when someone is hurting, the courage to honor the commitments You’ve placed before me, and the wisdom to know when healthy boundaries are needed. Most of all, teach me to trust You without demanding to know how everything will turn out. Thank You for being faithful to me, even when I’ve struggled to be faithful to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/21/2026

There is something about ownership that changes the way we think. When we work hard for something, save for it, sacrifice for it, and finally get it, we naturally begin to think of it as ours. My house. My business. My money. My family. My life. And there is nothing necessarily wrong with saying those things. But somewhere along the way, we can become so comfortable with the idea of ownership that we forget who actually owns it all. David gives us a reminder in Psalm 24 that ought to change not only how we view our possessions, but how we approach every part of our lives.

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.
- Psalm 24:1 ESV

I find it interesting that David doesn’t begin this psalm by talking about what God has given us. He begins by declaring what belongs to God. And the answer is pretty simple. Everything.

Not just the mountains, oceans, forests, and stars. Not just the animals or the land beneath our feet. David includes the people who live in the world. That means you and me. We belong to God.

Think about that for a minute. Everything we have worked for, everything we have accumulated, everything we have built, and even the breath we just took belongs to Him.

Now, that can be a difficult truth to accept, particularly for those of us who have spent much of our lives working hard to provide for our families, build businesses, and create some measure of financial security. We look at what we have accomplished and understandably feel a sense of pride. We remember the long hours, the difficult decisions, and the sacrifices that brought us to where we are.

But here’s something we sometimes overlook. Who gave us the ability to work? Who gave us the opportunities? Who provided the wisdom, strength, relationships, and resources that made those accomplishments possible?

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 addresses this very thing. Moses warned the Israelites not to say in their hearts that their own power and strength had produced their wealth. Instead, they were to remember that God was the One who gave them the power to obtain it.

That doesn’t diminish our hard work. It simply puts it in the proper perspective.

We may be responsible for managing what we have, but we are not the ultimate owners of it.

This is the foundation of biblical stewardship. And stewardship is about far more than money.

It’s about how we spend our time, how we treat people, how we use our abilities, how we care for our families, and how we respond to the opportunities God places before us.

Consider something as ordinary as your calendar. Most of us guard our schedules pretty closely. We have meetings, appointments, responsibilities, and things we want to accomplish. We decide what deserves our attention and what doesn’t.

But what would change if we approached each morning recognizing that even our time belongs to God?

Would we be a little more patient with the person who interrupts our plans? Would we be more intentional about spending time with our spouse or children? Would we be more willing to help someone in need, even when it wasn’t convenient?

Or think about our finances. When we believe everything belongs to us, generosity can feel like losing something. We calculate what we can afford to give away while protecting what we consider ours.

But when we understand that everything belongs to God, generosity becomes an opportunity to faithfully use what He has entrusted to us.

And that leads to another part of this passage that I don’t want us to miss.

David says that the world belongs to God, along with those who dwell in it.

That means the people around us belong to Him too.

The person who frustrates you. The neighbor you struggle to get along with. The coworker who seems determined to make your day difficult. Even the person whose beliefs and opinions are completely different from yours.

They are not disposable. They are people created in God’s image.

If we truly believe Psalm 24:1, it should change how we treat them.

There is also something incredibly comforting about knowing that everything belongs to God.

Because if He owns it all, then I don’t have to live under the illusion that I must control it all.

And that’s a lesson many of us, myself included, need to keep learning.

We worry about things slipping away. We worry about finances, our health, our families, and the future. We hold tightly to things because we believe that if we loosen our grip, we might lose them.

But ownership and control were never responsibilities God placed entirely on our shoulders.

He calls us to be faithful. He calls us to be responsible. He calls us to work diligently, love generously, and make wise decisions.

But He never called us to be God.

In fact, as Psalm 24 continues, David asks an interesting question in verse 3: “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?”

The psalm moves from declaring God’s ownership of everything to asking who can approach Him. David speaks of clean hands and a pure heart. He reminds us that belonging to God is not merely a comforting thought. It carries a responsibility to live in a way that honors Him.

And when we read those words through the fullness of Scripture, we recognize how desperately we need Jesus. None of us can claim perfectly clean hands or a completely pure heart through our own efforts. Our hope of standing before a holy God rests in Christ, who makes us clean and brings us into a right relationship with the Father.

So Psalm 24 is about more than possessions. It is about recognizing God’s rightful place in our lives.

He is not simply someone we consult when we need help managing what belongs to us.

He is the Lord of everything, and we have been entrusted with the privilege of caring for what belongs to Him.

That changes the question we ask.

Instead of asking, “God, how much of what I have should I give You?” perhaps we should begin asking, “Lord, how do You want me to use what already belongs to You?”

That’s a very different way to live.

And I believe it’s a much freer way to live as well.

Because when we finally recognize that everything belongs to God, we can stop measuring our lives solely by what we accumulate and begin measuring them by how faithfully we use what He has placed in our hands.

Action Steps

1. Take inventory of what God has entrusted to you. Think beyond money and possessions. Consider your time, relationships, abilities, influence, and opportunities. Thank God specifically for those things today.

2. Examine an area where you’re holding on too tightly. Is there something you’re afraid to surrender to God? Maybe it’s a financial decision, a relationship, or a plan for the future. Ask yourself whether you’re acting as a faithful steward or trying to maintain complete control.

3. Practice intentional stewardship today. Use something God has given you to bless someone else. It might be your time, an encouraging conversation, a financial gift, or simply giving someone your undivided attention.

Challenge for the Day

Before making a decision about your time, money, or relationships today, ask yourself one question: “Lord, since this belongs to You, how would You have me handle it?” Then be willing to follow His direction.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve treated Your blessings as though they belonged entirely to me. Thank You for everything You have entrusted to my care, including the things I sometimes take for granted. Help me become a better steward of my time, resources, relationships, and opportunities. Teach me to hold Your blessings with open hands and to trust You with the things I cannot control. Above all, remind me that my life belongs to You. May the way I live reflect that truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/20/2026

Have you ever done something for someone and wondered if it really mattered? Maybe you gave your time, helped someone through a difficult situation, offered encouragement when they needed it, or quietly served without anyone knowing. You weren’t necessarily looking for recognition, but every now and then, it’s nice to know that what you’re doing is making a difference. And when nobody seems to notice, it’s easy to wonder whether all that effort is worth it. Today’s Scripture reminds us of something I believe we all need to hear from time to time. There is Someone who sees every act of love, every sacrifice, and every moment of faithful service, even when nobody else does.

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”
- Hebrews 6:10 ESV

There is something deeply encouraging about knowing that God doesn’t overlook what we do for Him. People might forget. They might fail to recognize our efforts. Sometimes they don’t even realize how much we’ve sacrificed to help them. But God sees it all.

I think about the people who faithfully serve in churches every week. The ones who arrive early to prepare everything before anyone else gets there. The person who stays late to clean up. The volunteer who spends time preparing a lesson for children. The individual who notices someone sitting alone and makes the effort to sit beside them.

Most of those things will never receive public recognition. There won’t be a standing ovation or a plaque hanging on the wall. And that’s perfectly fine because those acts of service were never supposed to be about recognition in the first place.

But that doesn’t mean they go unnoticed.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God is not unjust. That’s an interesting way to begin this verse. He doesn’t simply say that God remembers our work. He connects God’s remembrance to His character.

God is just. He is righteous. And because of who He is, He will never overlook the love we have demonstrated in His name.

Now, we need to understand something here. This verse isn’t teaching that we earn God’s favor or salvation through good works. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by anything we accomplish. Our service is a response to His love, not a payment for it.

And that distinction matters.

We don’t serve because we’re trying to convince God to love us. We serve because He already does.

But there’s another part of this verse that deserves our attention. The writer doesn’t simply mention the work these believers had done in the past. He says, “as you still do.”

They were continuing to serve.

And when we look at the surrounding passage, that becomes even more meaningful.

The book of Hebrews was written to believers who were facing pressure, opposition, and the temptation to walk away from their faith. Some were growing weary. Others were struggling spiritually. The writer had just delivered a serious warning about falling away, but then he offered encouragement to those who were continuing to demonstrate genuine faith through their love and service.

In other words, this wasn’t simply a pat on the back for doing good things.

It was encouragement to keep going.

And I believe that’s where this passage speaks directly to many of us.

It’s one thing to serve when we’re excited, energized, and everything seems to be going well. It’s another thing entirely to continue serving when we’re tired, discouraged, or dealing with difficulties of our own.

Maybe you’ve been caring for a family member whose needs seem endless. Perhaps you’ve been praying for someone for years without seeing any change. Maybe you’ve been investing in someone’s life, offering encouragement and biblical guidance, only to watch them continue making the same destructive decisions.

You love them. You want to help them. But sometimes you’re exhausted.

And if we’re willing to admit it, there are moments when we wonder whether we have anything left to give.

That’s why I love what follows in Hebrews 6:11-12. The writer encourages believers to show the same earnestness all the way to the end, refusing to become sluggish but instead imitating those who inherit God’s promises through faith and patience.

Notice that word, patience.

Faithful service requires patience because we don’t always get to see the results of what God is doing.

You might encourage someone today and never know that your words helped them make it through one of the hardest days of their life. You might pray for someone for years and never witness the moment when their heart finally turns toward Christ. You might demonstrate kindness to someone who has treated you poorly and never see the change that God is working in them.

Our responsibility is faithfulness. The results belong to God.

But I also want to address something that can quietly creep into our hearts when we’ve been serving for a long time.

Resentment.

Sometimes we begin serving with genuine love and enthusiasm. We want to make a difference. We want to help people. We want to honor God.

Then, somewhere along the way, our hearts begin to change.

We notice that other people aren’t helping. We become frustrated when someone doesn’t appreciate our efforts. We start keeping track of everything we’ve done and everything others haven’t.

Before long, something that began as an expression of love becomes a source of bitterness.

I’ve seen how easily that can happen in ministry, in families, and even in friendships.

And when it does, we need to examine our hearts.

Are we still serving out of love for God, or have we begun serving for the recognition of people?

That’s not always an easy question to answer.

Jesus addressed this very issue in Matthew 6 when He warned against practicing righteousness simply to be seen by others. He wasn’t saying that good works should always remain hidden. He was challenging the motivation behind them.

The same applies to us.

If our joy in serving depends on people noticing, thanking, or applauding us, disappointment is almost guaranteed. People are imperfect. They’re busy. They forget things. Sometimes they’re so consumed with their own struggles that they don’t recognize what others are doing for them.

But God’s attention isn’t divided.

He knows the sacrifice behind the act. He understands the burden you were carrying when you chose to help someone else. He sees the love that motivated your decision.

And here’s something else worth considering.

Hebrews 6:10 doesn’t simply say that God remembers our work. It says He remembers the love we have shown for His name through serving others.

That changes how we look at service.

When we help someone because we love Jesus, we’re doing more than meeting a physical or emotional need. We’re expressing our love for Him.

That meal delivered to a struggling family. That phone call to someone who feels forgotten. That quiet financial gift to someone who needs help. That extra hour spent listening to a person who’s hurting.

Those aren’t insignificant moments.

They’re opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ in ways people can actually experience.

And sometimes the most meaningful acts of service are the ones that cost us something.

It’s easy to give when we have plenty. It’s easy to help when our schedules are open. It’s easy to be patient when life is comfortable.

But what about when we’re tired? When our resources are stretched? When we have struggles of our own?

That’s when love often requires sacrifice.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. God isn’t asking us to ignore our health, neglect our families, or run ourselves into the ground trying to meet every need around us. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds to pray and rest. Faithfulness doesn’t mean saying yes to everything.

It means being obedient to what God has actually called us to do.

And sometimes that obedience looks like serving. Sometimes it looks like resting. Sometimes it means allowing someone else the opportunity to step forward and serve.

The important thing is that our hearts remain surrendered to Him.

I want to leave you with one more thought.

There may be someone reading this today who feels forgotten.

You’ve been faithful. You’ve been praying. You’ve been giving. You’ve been serving. And lately, you’ve wondered whether any of it matters.

I can’t promise that people will eventually recognize everything you’ve done. I can’t promise that every person you’ve helped will appreciate your sacrifice. And I certainly can’t promise that you’ll see the results you hoped for.

But I can remind you of what God’s Word says.

He has not overlooked your work.

He has not forgotten the love you’ve shown in His name.

And He sees your continued faithfulness.

So don’t allow the absence of recognition to convince you that your obedience has been wasted.

You don’t have to be noticed by everyone to be seen by the One who matters most.

Keep loving God. Keep loving people. Keep serving where He calls you.

Not because you’re trying to earn something from Him, but because you’ve already received something from Him that you could never earn.

His grace. His mercy. His love.

And those are more than enough reasons to keep going.

Action Steps

1. Examine your motivation. Think about the ways you’re currently serving others. Ask yourself whether you’re doing those things out of genuine love for God or whether you’ve begun looking for recognition or appreciation. Be honest with yourself and with Him.

2. Encourage someone who serves quietly. Think of someone who consistently gives their time, energy, or resources without expecting anything in return. Reach out today and let them know that their faithfulness has made a difference. Sometimes a simple word of encouragement can help someone keep going.

3. Continue one act of faithful service. Identify something God has called you to do that you’ve been tempted to abandon because you’re tired or discouraged. Pray about it. If He’s still calling you to that responsibility, ask Him for the strength and patience to continue.

Challenge for the Day

Do something kind for someone today without expecting recognition, appreciation, or anything in return. Let it be an expression of your love for Jesus, knowing that even if nobody else notices, God sees your heart.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God who sees us, even when we feel overlooked or forgotten. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed my desire for recognition to become more important than my desire to serve You. Help me to love people with a genuine heart, to remain faithful when serving becomes difficult, and to trust You with the results. Give me wisdom to recognize where You’re calling me to serve and the strength to continue when I grow weary. May everything I do reflect my love for You and the grace You’ve shown me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/19/2026

Have you ever found yourself secretly satisfied when someone who hurt you experiences a little trouble of their own? Maybe someone treated you unfairly, spread something about you that wasn’t true, or made your life unnecessarily difficult. Then, somewhere down the road, things don’t go quite so well for them. You may never say it out loud, but there’s a little voice inside that says, “Well, they had that coming.” I think if we’re willing to be honest, most of us have experienced that feeling. But what does that reveal about our hearts? And what does it tell us about the kind of love God is calling us to have?

“it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:6 ESV

When we read 1 Corinthians 13, we usually think about weddings. We’ve heard these words spoken as couples stand before God, promising to love one another. And certainly, this chapter has a great deal to teach us about marriage. But Paul wasn’t writing a wedding ceremony. He was writing to a church that was struggling with division, pride, jealousy, and people who seemed more interested in proving themselves right than loving one another.

Does that sound familiar?

The Corinthian church had spiritual gifts, knowledge, and plenty of religious activity. What they were missing was the kind of love that should have been holding everything together.

And right in the middle of Paul’s description of love, he makes a statement that should cause every one of us to examine our hearts. Love doesn’t celebrate wrongdoing. It celebrates truth.

Now, I want us to understand something here. Paul isn’t simply telling us that we shouldn’t enjoy watching people do bad things. He’s addressing something much deeper. He’s talking about what brings us satisfaction, what we find pleasure in, and what we secretly celebrate.

Because it’s possible to say we love someone while quietly enjoying their failures.

Think about that for a minute.

We can pray for someone on Sunday and enjoy hearing a little gossip about them on Monday. We can say we want someone to succeed, but when they stumble, there’s a part of us that feels vindicated. We can claim to care about truth while eagerly sharing something negative about a person without ever bothering to find out whether it’s true.

And sometimes, if we’re being completely honest, we don’t even want the truth to get in the way of a good story.

That’s a problem.

Especially for those of us who claim to follow Jesus.

I’ve watched how quickly people can turn on one another over disagreements. It happens in families, workplaces, friendships, and sadly, even in churches. Someone makes a mistake, and instead of asking how we can help restore them, people begin discussing what happened. Before long, their failure becomes the subject of conversations they aren’t even part of.

But love doesn’t find entertainment in someone else’s brokenness.

That doesn’t mean we ignore sin. It doesn’t mean we excuse wrongdoing, avoid difficult conversations, or pretend that everything is fine when it isn’t.

In fact, the second half of this verse makes that clear. Love rejoices with the truth.

Biblical love is never separated from biblical truth.

Jesus demonstrated this beautifully in John 8 when the religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery before Him. They weren’t particularly interested in helping her. They wanted to use her failure to trap Jesus.

But Jesus refused to participate in their condemnation.

He also refused to pretend that her sin didn’t matter.

After her accusers walked away, Jesus told her that He did not condemn her, and then instructed her to go and sin no more.

There was grace. There was truth. And neither one canceled out the other.

I believe this is something the church desperately needs to recover.

We’ve somehow convinced ourselves that loving people means affirming everything they do, or that standing for truth requires us to be harsh toward those who disagree with us.

Neither is what Jesus demonstrated.

Love without truth becomes permission. Truth without love becomes a weapon.

God calls us to something better.

Paul’s words also challenge the way we respond when someone we love is making destructive decisions.

Sometimes loving someone means having a conversation we’d rather avoid. It means saying, “I care too much about you to pretend this isn’t hurting you.” It may mean confronting sin, establishing boundaries, or refusing to participate in something we know is wrong.

But our motivation matters.

Are we confronting them because we want to see them restored? Or because we want to prove we’re right?

Are we speaking truth because we genuinely love them? Or because we’re frustrated, angry, or tired of dealing with them?

The same words can come from very different hearts.

And God sees the difference.

There’s another side to this verse that I don’t want us to miss.

If love rejoices with the truth, then we should genuinely celebrate when truth brings freedom into someone’s life.

When someone admits they were wrong, we should celebrate their honesty rather than keep reminding them of their failure. When someone turns away from sin, we should encourage their repentance rather than question whether they’ll ever really change. When someone who has been struggling begins taking steps toward Christ, we should be among the first to cheer them on.

After all, isn’t that what we would want someone to do for us?

I think about the father in the parable of the prodigal son. His boy had made a mess of things. He had wasted his inheritance and brought shame upon himself. The father had every reason to be disappointed.

But when that son came home, the father didn’t stand on the porch rehearsing everything the boy had done wrong.

He ran to meet him.

He celebrated his return.

The father wasn’t celebrating the son’s rebellion. He was celebrating his repentance and restoration.

That’s the difference Paul wants us to understand.

We don’t celebrate the things that destroy people. We celebrate the truth that sets them free.

And before we begin thinking about all the people who need to hear this message, perhaps we should ask ourselves a more personal question.

What have I been celebrating lately?

Have I been pleased when someone who offended me experienced difficulty? Have I repeated something about another person because it supported what I already believed? Have I remained silent when someone needed to hear the truth because I didn’t want an uncomfortable conversation?

Or have I been willing to love people enough to speak honestly, forgive freely, and genuinely desire what is best for them?

That’s where this verse becomes personal.

Because loving people the way Jesus loves us isn’t always easy. Sometimes it requires us to surrender our pride, our resentment, and our desire to be proven right.

And we won’t do that consistently through willpower alone. We need the Holy Spirit to change what brings joy to our hearts.

Here’s something worth carrying with us today: Love doesn’t ask, “How can I be proven right?” Love asks, “How can God’s truth bring restoration?”

That’s the kind of love that reflects Jesus.

And that’s the kind of love our families, our churches, and our communities need to see.

Action Steps

1. Examine what brings you satisfaction. Think about your recent conversations and reactions to other people’s struggles. Have you found yourself enjoying someone’s failure or passing along information that could hurt them? Be honest with God about what you discover.

2. Practice speaking truth with love. If there’s a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding, ask God for wisdom and the right attitude. Speak honestly, but make sure your goal is restoration rather than winning an argument.

3. Celebrate someone’s progress. Encourage someone who is making positive changes, especially someone who has struggled in the past. Let them know you see their efforts and are cheering them on.

Challenge for the Day

Before you speak about someone’s mistake, failure, or struggle today, ask yourself: “Would I say this if they were standing right here, and will my words help bring truth, healing, or restoration?” If the answer is no, choose love and keep silent.

Prayer

Father, I know there have been times when I’ve been more concerned about being right than being loving. Forgive me for the moments when I’ve found satisfaction in someone else’s struggles or failed to speak the truth when love required it. Help me to see people the way You see them. Give me the courage to stand for truth without becoming harsh, and the compassion to extend grace without compromising what is right. Change my heart so that I find joy in seeing people restored, forgiven, and walking in Your truth. Let my words and actions reflect the love You’ve shown me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/18/2026

Have you ever had one of those days when you finally sit down at night and wonder where the day went? You were busy from the moment your feet hit the floor. There were responsibilities to handle, people who needed something, problems to solve, and probably a few unexpected things thrown into the mix. And somewhere in all that activity, God was at work. The question is, did we notice? I wonder how many blessings we walk right past because we’re so focused on what needs to happen next that we overlook what God has already done.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah”
-Psalm 68:19 ESV

There’s something about this verse that I love, and it’s found in one little word: daily.

David doesn’t say that God carries us occasionally, when things get particularly difficult, or only when we’ve reached the end of our strength. He says God daily bears us up.

Every single day.

Think about that for a minute. Before you woke up this morning, God was already faithful. Before you knew what challenges you would face, He knew. Before you could even begin to worry about tomorrow, He was already there.

And yet, if we’re being truthful, we don’t always live as though we believe that.

We can spend an incredible amount of time worrying about things that haven’t happened while giving very little attention to the ways God is providing for us right now. We worry about finances, relationships, our health, our children, and what the future might hold. Some of those concerns are legitimate. They’re not imaginary problems, and pretending they don’t exist doesn’t make them disappear.

But here’s what I want us to understand. God’s faithfulness isn’t dependent on the absence of difficulties. Sometimes His greatest blessings are found in the strength He gives us to walk through them.

Notice what David says. God bears us up.

That doesn’t mean He removes every burden. It means we don’t have to carry those burdens alone.

There’s a difference.

I think sometimes we measure God’s goodness by how smoothly our lives are going. When things are working out, prayers are being answered the way we hoped, and everyone we love is doing well, it’s easy to say, “God is good!”

But what about the days when the doctor’s report isn’t what we wanted? What about when the bills keep coming, the relationship is still strained, or the prayers we’ve been praying seem to go unanswered?

Is God any less good on those days?

Absolutely not.

And I believe that’s where this verse becomes especially meaningful.

David wasn’t writing as someone who had lived a trouble-free life. He knew betrayal. He knew fear. He knew what it was like to have enemies pursuing him. He experienced tremendous victories and heartbreaking failures. Yet through all of it, he learned something about the character of God.

God could be trusted.

Psalm 68 is a song celebrating God’s power, His victories, and His care for His people. Earlier in the psalm, David describes God as a father to the fatherless and a protector of widows. This is not a picture of a distant God who watches human suffering without concern. This is a God who sees people in their weakness and comes to their aid.

And then David reminds us that this same God carries us day after day.

I wonder how differently we would approach life if we truly believed that.

Maybe we’d be a little less anxious about tomorrow. Maybe we’d spend less time trying to control things that were never ours to control. Maybe we’d become more aware of the blessings that don’t necessarily look like blessings at first.

A conversation with someone who needed encouragement. An unexpected phone call. The strength to get out of bed when yesterday was exhausting. A little peace in the middle of a difficult situation. The patience to respond with grace when everything inside us wanted to react differently.

We may not recognize these things as God’s provision, but that doesn’t mean His hand wasn’t involved.

Now, I want to be careful here. Not everything that happens in our lives is good. There are painful experiences, genuine losses, and circumstances that leave us with questions we may never fully answer this side of heaven.

But Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. That doesn’t mean every circumstance is good. It means God is able to work even through what is painful.

And sometimes the blessing isn’t that God changed our circumstances.

Sometimes the blessing is that He sustained us when our circumstances didn’t change.

There’s one more part of this verse I don’t want us to miss.

David ends with the words, “God is our salvation.”

That’s the foundation of everything else.

As wonderful as God’s daily provision is, His greatest gift isn’t another day of good health, financial security, or a life without trouble. His greatest gift is salvation through Jesus Christ.

We can be thankful for what God gives us without losing sight of who God is.

And perhaps that’s why David ends with Selah.

While scholars debate the precise musical meaning of that word, it invites us here to pause and consider what has just been said.

When was the last time you stopped long enough to recognize how God has carried you?

Not just through the big things. Through the ordinary days. Through the difficult conversations. Through the disappointments. Through the moments when you weren’t sure you had enough strength to keep going.

You’re here today. And while you may still be dealing with some of those same struggles, God has not abandoned you.

That doesn’t mean tomorrow will be easy. But it does mean you can face tomorrow knowing you won’t face it alone.

I want to encourage you to develop a habit of looking for God’s faithfulness in the ordinary moments of life. Don’t wait for something extraordinary to happen before you acknowledge His goodness.

Sometimes the greatest testimony we can share isn’t about a mountain God moved.

It’s about the way He carried us while we were climbing it.

And perhaps today, instead of beginning with everything you need God to do, you might begin by thanking Him for everything He’s already done.

Because the God who carried you yesterday is the same God who is holding you today.

And He will still be faithful tomorrow.

Action Steps

1. Recognize God’s daily provision. Before the day is over, identify three specific ways God has provided for you. They don’t have to be extraordinary. Pay attention to the ordinary blessings you might otherwise overlook.

2. Release a burden you’ve been carrying. Is there something you’ve been worrying about or trying to control? Bring it honestly before God in prayer. Ask Him for wisdom to do what is yours to do and the faith to trust Him with what is not.

3. Help carry someone else’s burden. Since God faithfully bears us up, look for an opportunity to encourage someone who is struggling. A phone call, a prayer, or a simple act of kindness might be exactly what they need today.

Challenge for the Day

Before you go to bed tonight, write down three ways God carried you today. Then thank Him for each one. Don’t just look for what went right. Look for the ways He sustained you even when things were difficult.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for being faithful every single day, even when I fail to recognize Your hand at work. Forgive me for the times I’ve been so consumed with my worries that I’ve overlooked Your goodness. Help me recognize Your provision in the ordinary moments and trust You when life becomes difficult. Teach me to release the burdens I was never meant to carry alone. And Lord, give me a heart that is grateful not only for what You do, but for who You are. Thank You for carrying me yesterday, sustaining me today, and promising never to leave me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/26/2026

Have you ever finished a good meal, pushed your plate away, and said, “I couldn’t eat another bite,” only to find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator a couple of hours later looking for something else? It’s funny how quickly satisfaction can fade. But I think we do something similar in other areas of our lives. We convince ourselves that if we could just accomplish one more thing, earn a little more money, get through one more problem, or finally have everything fall into place, we would be satisfied. Yet somehow, when we get there, something still feels missing. Maybe that’s because we’re trying to satisfy a hunger that was never meant to be filled by the things of this world.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’”
- John 6:35 ESV

There’s something fascinating about the conversation Jesus was having when He made this statement. Just the day before, He had performed one of His most recognizable miracles, feeding more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. People had eaten until they were satisfied, and there was food left over.

The next day, the crowds came looking for Him again. But Jesus knew something about their motives. They weren’t necessarily searching for a Savior. They were searching for another meal.

Think about that for a minute. They had witnessed an incredible miracle, yet their attention was still focused on what Jesus could provide rather than who Jesus was.

And before we’re too hard on that crowd, I wonder how often we do the very same thing.

We pray for God to fix our finances, heal our bodies, restore our relationships, open doors, and remove obstacles. There’s nothing wrong with bringing those needs before Him. In fact, He invites us to do exactly that. But sometimes our relationship with Jesus can quietly become more about what we want Him to do for us than about knowing Him.

We want the bread, but we can overlook the Bread of Life.

When Jesus declared Himself the Bread of Life, He was doing something far greater than promising to meet people’s physical needs. He was revealing that He Himself is the source of the spiritual life we desperately need.

Bread was a basic necessity in the ancient world. It wasn’t a luxury or an occasional treat. It was essential for survival. And Jesus deliberately used that picture to communicate something about our relationship with Him.

Jesus isn’t supposed to be an occasional addition to our lives. He is meant to be the very source of our lives.

I think one of the struggles we face as Christians is that we often look for satisfaction in things that were never designed to provide it.

We look to our careers for significance. We look to relationships for our identity. We look to financial security for peace. We look to accomplishments for affirmation. And sometimes we even look to ministry and serving others as proof that we’re doing enough to earn God’s approval.

Now, none of those things are necessarily bad. Work is good. Relationships are gifts. Financial responsibility matters. Serving others is part of our calling.

But even good things become dangerous when we ask them to do what only Jesus can do.

A successful career cannot give you eternal life. A healthy bank account cannot guarantee peace. The approval of other people cannot establish your worth. And staying busy doing things for God is not the same as spending time with God.

There’s a difference between having a full life and having a satisfied soul.

I also want us to notice the two invitations Jesus gives in this verse: Come to Me. Believe in Me.

He doesn’t say, “Get your life together first.” He doesn’t say, “Prove you’re worthy.” He doesn’t tell the crowd to work harder, become more religious, or somehow earn what He’s offering.

He simply invites them to come and believe.

Coming to Jesus means recognizing that we cannot satisfy our deepest spiritual needs on our own. Believing in Him means placing our trust in who He is and what He has done, rather than relying on our own efforts.

And that kind of trust changes how we live.

When our identity is rooted in Christ, we don’t have to spend every day trying to prove our value. When our security is rooted in Christ, we can face uncertainty without allowing fear to control every decision. When our satisfaction is found in Christ, we can enjoy the blessings God gives us without expecting those blessings to become our source of happiness.

But there’s something else I don’t want us to miss.

Jesus wasn’t promising that believers would never experience disappointment, loneliness, hardship, or even moments when God seems distant. He was promising something much deeper. The spiritual life He gives is not temporary. Unlike the bread the crowd had eaten the day before, what Jesus provides doesn’t disappear when circumstances change.

In fact, later in this same chapter, Jesus points to His coming sacrifice. He would give His own flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51). The satisfaction He offers isn’t simply a comforting feeling. It is the gift of eternal life, made possible through His death and resurrection.

That’s why this invitation matters so much.

I wonder how many of us are spiritually hungry, not because Jesus has failed to provide, but because we’ve been feeding ourselves on everything except Him.

We can spend hours scrolling through social media, watching television, following the news, or worrying about things we cannot control, and then wonder why we feel spiritually empty. We may know what’s happening in the world, what everyone else thinks, and what the latest controversy is, but struggle to remember the last time we simply sat down with an open Bible and listened to what God had to say.

And I’m not suggesting that reading your Bible for fifteen minutes is some magic formula that makes every problem disappear.

I’m saying that we cannot continually neglect our relationship with the One who gives us life and expect to experience the fullness of that relationship.

Just as our bodies need regular nourishment, our relationship with Christ requires intentional attention. Not because His love depends on our performance, but because relationships grow through time, trust, and communication.

So perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves today isn’t simply, “What am I hungry for?”

Maybe it’s, “Where have I been looking to satisfy that hunger?”

Because Jesus is still offering the same invitation He gave that crowd two thousand years ago.

Come to Me.

Believe in Me.

And discover that the deepest need of your soul has always been something only He can satisfy.

Action Steps

1. Identify what you’ve been depending on for satisfaction. Think about where you turn when you’re stressed, discouraged, lonely, or uncertain. Is your first response to seek Jesus, or do you immediately reach for something else to make yourself feel better?

2. Make room for spiritual nourishment. Spend some intentional time with Jesus today. Read John 6:25–51 to understand the entire conversation. Don’t rush through it just to check something off your list. Ask God to show you what you’ve been missing.

3. Practice gratitude without making the gift your source. Thank God for the blessings in your life, whether they’re relationships, opportunities, financial provision, or accomplishments. Then remind yourself that those gifts are wonderful, but none of them can replace the Giver.

Challenge for the Day

Before you reach for your phone, turn on the television, or begin your usual routine today, spend ten uninterrupted minutes with Jesus. Open your Bible, talk with Him, and ask one honest question: “Lord, what have I been expecting to satisfy me that only You can provide?” Then be willing to listen and respond.

Prayer

Father, thank You for knowing what I need even when I don’t recognize it myself. Forgive me for the times I’ve looked to possessions, accomplishments, relationships, or circumstances to provide the satisfaction that can only come from You. Help me recognize when I’m chasing temporary things while neglecting what matters most. Give me a greater hunger for Your Word, a deeper desire to know You, and the wisdom to keep You at the center of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for being the Bread of Life and for offering me something this world could never provide. In Your name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/15/2026

There are some things in life that are much easier to talk about than to actually do. Forgiveness is one of them. We can sit in church on Sunday morning, hear a message about forgiving others, nod our heads in agreement, and even say amen. But then Monday comes, and we find ourselves face-to-face with someone who has hurt us, betrayed our trust, or said something that cut deeper than they will ever know. Suddenly, forgiveness isn’t just a biblical principle. It’s personal. And sometimes, it’s downright difficult.

“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.“
- Colossians 3:13 ESV

Paul wrote these words to the church in Colossae as part of a larger conversation about what it looks like to live as someone who belongs to Jesus. Just a few verses earlier, he tells believers to put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, and dishonesty. Then, beginning in verse 12, he tells them what they should put on instead: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

And right in the middle of those instructions, he brings up forgiveness.

I don’t think that’s accidental.

You see, it’s relatively easy to be compassionate toward someone who treats us well. It’s not terribly difficult to be patient with someone who agrees with us. But what happens when someone disappoints us? What happens when a friend breaks a confidence, a family member says something hurtful, or someone we trusted lets us down?

That’s when these qualities are tested.

Notice that Paul begins by saying we are to bear with one another. I love that he includes those words because they acknowledge something we sometimes forget: people can be difficult. And that includes us.

We’re going to frustrate one another. We’re going to misunderstand each other. Sometimes we’ll say things we shouldn’t, and other times we’ll fail to say the things we should. Relationships between imperfect people are going to have imperfect moments.

Paul isn’t telling us to pretend those things don’t happen. He’s telling us how to respond when they do.

But then he takes it a step further.

He doesn’t simply tell us to forgive. He gives us the standard by which we are to forgive.

As the Lord has forgiven you.

Now that’s where things get uncomfortable.

Because when I think about how much God has forgiven me, I realize that I have received a level of mercy I could never earn and certainly don’t deserve.

God didn’t wait until I had everything figured out. He didn’t require me to clean up every part of my life before extending His grace. Through Jesus Christ, He made forgiveness available when I had absolutely no way of paying the debt myself.

And Paul says that’s the forgiveness we’re supposed to extend to others.

Not because they necessarily deserve it.

Not because they’ve apologized perfectly.

Not even because they’ve acknowledged the damage they’ve done.

But because we’ve already been shown extraordinary mercy ourselves.

There’s something else about forgiveness that I think we need to understand. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing.

Forgiveness is something we can choose to extend, even when the other person refuses to acknowledge what happened. Reconciliation, however, requires something from both people. It requires honesty, repentance, and a willingness to rebuild what was damaged.

And sometimes, even after forgiveness has been extended, trust takes time to restore.

Forgiving someone doesn’t mean what they did was acceptable. It doesn’t mean we have to pretend it never happened. And it certainly doesn’t mean we should continually place ourselves in situations where someone can hurt or abuse us.

Healthy boundaries and a forgiving heart can exist together.

But here’s where I believe many of us struggle.

We hold on to the offense because somewhere deep inside, we believe that letting go means the other person gets away with what they did.

We replay conversations in our minds. We rehearse what we wish we had said. We imagine the day when they’ll finally understand how much they hurt us.

And before long, something that happened months or even years ago is still influencing how we live today.

The person who hurt us may have moved on, but we’re still carrying the weight of what happened.

That’s a heavy burden.

And I don’t believe God ever intended for us to carry it indefinitely.

When we forgive, we’re not declaring the offense insignificant. We’re surrendering our right to personally settle the score. We’re trusting that God sees what happened, knows the truth, and is perfectly capable of dealing with things we cannot control.

Romans 12:19 reminds us that vengeance belongs to the Lord. That doesn’t eliminate accountability or appropriate consequences, but it does free us from believing that justice depends entirely upon us.

And sometimes forgiveness isn’t a one-time decision.

Sometimes you forgive someone today, and tomorrow something reminds you of what happened. The hurt comes rushing back, and you find yourself wrestling with the same emotions all over again.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you failed to forgive.

It may simply mean the wound is still healing.

When those feelings return, we can choose again not to nurture bitterness or seek revenge. We can bring the pain back to God and ask Him to continue the work He’s already begun in our hearts.

There’s one more thing I want us to consider.

Paul wrote this instruction to believers living in community with one another. He wasn’t simply addressing our relationships with people outside the church. He was talking about how Christians should treat other Christians.

And sometimes those are the relationships where forgiveness is most difficult.

We expect more from people who share our faith. We expect them to know better, act differently, and demonstrate the love of Christ. So when they disappoint us, the hurt can run especially deep.

But the church was never meant to be a gathering of people who never hurt one another. It’s a family of imperfect people learning to become more like Jesus.

And families need forgiveness.

A lot of it.

Think about this for a moment. What would happen in our homes, our friendships, and our churches if we became as intentional about extending grace as we sometimes are about keeping track of offenses?

What would change if we spent less time rehearsing what someone did to us and more time remembering what Jesus has done for us?

I suspect some relationships would begin to heal. Some conversations that have been avoided for years might finally take place. And some hearts that have been carrying bitterness would begin to experience freedom.

That doesn’t mean every relationship will be restored. Sometimes the other person simply isn’t willing.

But our obedience to Christ doesn’t have to depend upon someone else’s willingness to change.

Forgiveness is not saying that what happened was okay. It’s choosing not to let what happened have the final word over your heart.

And perhaps the greatest reminder in this entire passage is that God never asks us to extend a kind of forgiveness that He hasn’t already demonstrated toward us.

We forgive because we’ve been forgiven.

And when we struggle to do that, we can ask the One who forgave us to give us the strength to forgive someone else.

Action Steps

1. Identify what you’re still carrying. Is there someone whose words or actions continue to stir up anger, resentment, or bitterness? Be honest with God about the hurt instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.

2. Pray for the person who hurt you. This may be difficult, especially if the wound is fresh. You don’t have to manufacture warm feelings. Simply ask God to work in their life and to continue healing your own heart.

3. Choose one step toward freedom. That might mean having an honest conversation, releasing a grudge, establishing a healthy boundary, or deciding that you’re no longer going to rehearse the offense every time it comes to mind.

Challenge for the Day

Think of one person you’ve struggled to forgive. Before the day ends, spend five minutes praying for them by name. Ask God to help you release the bitterness, even if the hurt hasn’t completely healed. Don’t wait until you feel like forgiving to begin choosing forgiveness.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the forgiveness You’ve given me through Jesus. I know I haven’t earned it, and yet You continue to show me mercy and grace. Lord, You know the hurts I’ve carried, the disappointments I’ve experienced, and the people I’ve struggled to forgive. Help me release the bitterness without pretending the pain wasn’t real. Give me wisdom to know when reconciliation is possible and courage to establish boundaries when they’re needed. Most of all, help me extend the same grace to others that You’ve so generously extended to me. I don’t want yesterday’s hurt to rob me of today’s peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/14/2026

Have you ever sat down to rest, only to realize your mind didn’t sit down with you? Your body is in the chair, but your thoughts are working through tomorrow’s responsibilities, yesterday’s conversation, and a problem you still haven’t figured out. Sometimes the hardest thing to quiet is what’s happening inside us.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
- Psalm 46:10 ESV

We often picture this verse beside a peaceful lake or a beautiful sunrise. And there is something good about slowing down long enough to give God our attention. But Psalm 46 describes a much more unsettled scene. The earth gives way. Mountains fall into the sea. Nations rage. Kingdoms totter.

That’s where God speaks.

He doesn’t wait for everything to settle before declaring who He is. He speaks into the upheaval and calls for striving to cease. The command reaches beyond our private worries; it confronts a world in conflict with the authority of the God who rules over it.

That context helps us hear this verse differently. We don’t have to get our lives quiet enough for God to become God. He is already God in the middle of everything we cannot quiet.

And that’s good news, because some things won’t stop just because we need a break. The responsibilities remain. The difficult conversation still needs to happen. The answer we’re waiting for may not come today. Yet we can stop treating every unresolved situation as though its outcome depends entirely on us.

There’s a difference between being responsible and trying to be in control. Responsibility asks, “What has God given me to do?” Control asks, “How can I make sure everything turns out the way I want?” One leads us toward faithful obedience. The other can keep us awake all night.

We can slide from one into the other without realizing it. We pray about something, then spend the rest of the day mentally taking it back. We rehearse what we’ll say, imagine every possible response, and prepare for trouble that hasn’t even happened. It feels like we’re accomplishing something, but often we’re just wearing ourselves out.

Being still means acknowledging our limits before the God who has none. We can bring Him the concern honestly and say, “Lord, I will do what You ask of me. But I cannot carry Your part too.”

That doesn’t excuse us from action. Trust may require us to make the phone call, apologize, set a boundary, or follow through on a difficult commitment. Stillness before God can help us do those things with a settled heart instead of a frantic one.

Notice, too, that God tells us to know who He is. Our peace needs something stronger than a quiet room. It needs the truth of His character. He is faithful. He is present. He is able to act where we are unable. The psalm begins by calling Him our refuge and strength, and it ends by reminding us that the Lord is with His people.

We may not know what comes next. We can know the One who will be with us when it comes.

And the second half of this verse lifts our eyes beyond our immediate concerns. God will be exalted among the nations and throughout the earth. His purposes are greater than what we can see from where we’re standing. The turmoil described in this psalm does not have the final word. God does.

So today, give yourself permission to stop rehearsing the same worry for a few minutes. Bring it before Him. Ask what obedience looks like today, and leave the outcome in His hands.

You don’t have to make everything stop before you can be still before God.

1. Name what you’re trying to control. Be specific with God about the situation you keep replaying and the outcome you’re afraid to surrender.
2. Read all of Psalm 46 slowly. Notice what the psalm says about God while the world around His people is unsettled.
3. Choose your next faithful action. Do what is yours to do today. When worry returns, remind yourself that the outcome belongs to God.

Set aside five quiet minutes today. Name one concern before God, ask Him for your next faithful step, and entrust the outcome to Him.

Father, You know how quickly my thoughts turn into worry and how easily I try to control what belongs in Your hands. Help me recognize what You have asked me to do and trust You with what I cannot change. Remind me that You are present even when life feels unsettled. Teach me to be still before You and obey You with a settled heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/02/2026

There are times when our relationship with God can quietly start to feel like a performance. We know the right things to do—pray more, read Scripture, serve, give, forgive, be patient—and before long, we can begin measuring our relationship with God by how well we’re doing those things. Then John gives us nine simple words that completely change the order.

“We love because he first loved us.”
- 1 John 4:19 ESV

Notice which love comes first.

Not ours.

God’s.

That may seem like a small distinction, but it changes everything about how we understand the Christian life. Christianity doesn’t begin with us trying harder to love God. It begins with realizing how completely God has already loved us.

And John isn’t talking about some vague idea of love. The surrounding verses make that clear. Just a few verses earlier he writes:

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:10 ESV

That’s where love starts—the cross.

God didn’t wait until we cleaned ourselves up. He didn’t wait until our theology was right, our habits were better, our marriage was stronger, our temper was under control, or our prayer life became consistent.

He loved first.

Think about how different that is from the way many relationships operate. We naturally respond to people according to how they treat us. Be kind to me, and I’ll probably be kind to you. Respect me, and I’ll respect you. Hurt me, and suddenly loving you becomes much more difficult.

That’s conditional love.

But God moved toward us before we ever moved toward Him.

Paul says it another way in Romans 5:8: Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” God didn’t look into the future, see how good we would eventually become, and decide we were worth loving. His love came while we were still far from Him.

That means I don’t have to spend today trying to convince God to love me.

And neither do you.

Some of us need to hear that because we’re carrying around a spiritual scorecard.

Had a good week? God must be pleased with me.

Had a bad week? Maybe He’s disappointed in me.

Read my Bible every morning? I’m doing pretty well.

Lost my temper, made a mistake, fell back into something I thought I’d overcome? Now I feel like hiding from Him.

But God’s love isn’t a paycheck for good behavior.

It’s the starting point.

And when we really understand that, something begins to change in us. God’s love doesn’t give us permission to remain unchanged; His love becomes the reason we want to change.

We forgive because we’ve been forgiven.

We show grace because we’ve received grace.

We become generous because God has been generous toward us.

We love difficult people because we remember that God’s love reached us when we weren’t particularly lovable either.

That’s especially important because the very next verse takes this somewhere uncomfortable. John says that if we claim to love God while hating our brother, something doesn’t add up.

In other words, God’s love isn’t supposed to stop with us.

We’re supposed to become a conduit, not a container.

I think sometimes we pray, “God, help me love that person,” when what we really mean is, “God, please make that person easier to love.”

But He doesn’t always do that.

Sometimes the difficult person stays difficult.

Sometimes the apology doesn’t come.

Sometimes they still irritate you.

Sometimes you still disagree.

And God says, Now take the love I have given you and let it show up there.

That’s when 1 John 4:19 becomes more than a nice verse.

I don’t have to manufacture love from an empty heart. I love from a heart that has already been loved by God.

Maybe today you’re struggling to love someone.

Start one step earlier.

Don’t begin with them.

Begin with Him.

Remember the patience God has shown you. Remember the grace He’s extended to you. Remember the things He’s forgiven. Remember the cross.

Then ask Him to let some of that love spill over into the way you treat the person in front of you.

Because we aren’t the source of this kind of love.

We’re simply passing along what we received first.

Action Steps

* Receive before you respond. Spend a few quiet minutes thanking God specifically for ways He has loved, forgiven, and carried you.
* Identify where His love needs to travel. Think of one person you’ve found difficult to love lately. Ask God to show you one practical way to demonstrate love toward them.
* Stop keeping score with God. When you catch yourself measuring God’s love by your performance, come back to 1 John 4:19: He loved first.

Challenge for the Day

Show love today to someone who hasn’t earned it, and while you do, remember: neither did you. That’s what makes grace so beautiful.

Prayer

Father, thank You for loving me first. Thank You that Your love isn’t something I have to earn or deserve. Help me receive that love deeply enough that it changes the way I treat people—especially the ones who are difficult for me to love. Let Your love flow through me today instead of stopping with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

10/01/2026

Some battles don’t happen around us. They happen inside us. A thought shows up; fear, anger, temptation, insecurity, resentment, and before long we’re not just thinking it, we’re living from it. Paul reminds us that following Jesus includes learning what to do with the thoughts that compete for control of our minds.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)

I’ve learned that my mind can build an entire story with very little evidence.

Someone doesn’t respond the way I expected. A conversation feels a little off. Something doesn’t go according to plan. And within minutes, my mind can fill in all the blanks. I can decide what someone meant, what is probably going to happen next, and why I should be worried about it.

None of it may be true.

But it can certainly feel true.

That’s why this verse matters so much. Paul isn’t talking about pretending difficult thoughts don’t exist. He’s talking about refusing to give every thought that enters our mind the authority to stay there.

There’s a difference.

You cannot always control what knocks on the door of your mind. But you do have some say about what you invite in, give a chair to, and allow to make itself at home.

And some thoughts have been sitting on our couch way too long.

“I’m never going to get through this.”

“They don’t really care about me.”

“God has forgotten me.”

“I’ll never change.”

“I know what they were thinking.”

“This is going to end badly.”

A thought can feel completely convincing and still be completely wrong.

Paul says we are to take it captive.

That language is stronger than simply “think positively.” Biblical faith isn’t positive thinking with a Bible verse attached to it. Taking a thought captive means I stop allowing the thought to run wherever it wants and bring it under the authority of Jesus.

In other words:

Does this thought agree with what God has said?

That question can change a lot.

Fear says, “You’re on your own.”

God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Shame says, “Your failure defines you.”

The gospel says your identity is found in Christ.

Anxiety says, “You have to figure everything out right now.”

Jesus says you can trust your Father with tomorrow.

Bitterness says, “Keep replaying what they did.”

Jesus calls us toward forgiveness.

Pride says, “You know better.”

Jesus says, “Follow Me.”

Taking thoughts captive doesn’t mean difficult thoughts immediately disappear. Sometimes you may have to capture the same thought fifty times before lunch.

That’s okay.

The important thing is that you stop treating every thought as truth simply because it came from your own mind.

And notice where Paul says the thought eventually belongs: “to obey Christ.”

That’s the goal.

Not merely a quieter mind.

Not simply feeling better.

A mind surrendered to Jesus.

Because eventually our thoughts become attitudes, our attitudes influence our decisions, and our decisions shape the direction of our lives.

So pay attention to what has been occupying your mind lately.

Maybe there’s a thought you’ve rehearsed so many times that it no longer feels like a thought. It feels like a fact.

Bring it before Jesus today.

Name it.

Examine it.

Compare it with Scripture.

And if it doesn’t belong under the truth and authority of Christ, quit giving it unrestricted access to your mind.

You don’t have to believe everything you think.

Action Steps

* Identify the thought. Pay attention today when fear, insecurity, anger, temptation, or assumption begins repeating itself.
* Test it against truth. Ask, “Is this actually true, and does it agree with what God has said?”
* Replace rather than simply resist. Find a specific truth from Scripture to put in the place of the thought you’re taking captive.

Challenge for the Day

Catch one thought today that has been controlling you. Write it down, then write beside it what God’s Word says is true. Every time that thought returns, answer it with truth.

Prayer

Jesus, sometimes I allow thoughts to control me that I should have brought to You. Help me recognize what is false, what is fear, what is pride, and what simply isn’t from You. Teach me to bring my mind under Your authority and to believe Your truth more than I believe my own assumptions. Guard my thoughts today and make my mind obedient to You. Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/30/2026

There are things I can trust God with pretty easily. Then there are the things I keep checking on—as if God might need my help making sure everything works out. Money can certainly be one of those things. So can health, family, work, and the future. We believe God is faithful, but when the numbers don’t add up or the answer hasn’t come, our grip tends to tighten. Philippians 4:19 speaks directly into that tension.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 4:19 — ESV

This is one of those verses we love to quote, but the context makes it even stronger.

Paul isn’t writing these words from a comfortable place. He’s writing from imprisonment. And just before this verse, he’s thanking the Philippian believers for financially supporting him when others had not. They had given sacrificially to help meet Paul’s needs.

Then Paul essentially tells them, You have helped take care of me, and I trust God to take care of you.

That matters.

Philippians 4:19 isn’t a blank check promising that Christians will always have everything they want. Paul says God will supply our needs. There’s a difference between trusting God as our provider and expecting God to finance every desire we have.

And sometimes that difference is where faith gets tested.

We tend to define provision before God provides it. We already know what the answer should look like. We know how much money should come in, which door should open, what the doctor should say, how the relationship should work out, and when all of it should happen.

Then we ask God to provide according to our plan.

But Paul says God supplies according to His riches, not according to our calculations.

That changes things.

Because God’s provision doesn’t always arrive in the package we expected.

Sometimes He provides financially.

Sometimes He provides an opportunity.

Sometimes He provides wisdom to make a difficult decision.

Sometimes He provides a person who walks beside us.

Sometimes He provides strength to endure something we desperately wanted Him to remove.

And sometimes His provision is closing a door we were convinced needed to stay open.

I think one of the hardest parts of trusting God is allowing Him to decide what provision looks like.

We want enough stored away that we don’t have to wonder. Enough answers that we don’t have to wait. Enough certainty that faith isn’t really necessary anymore.

But God rarely gives us control over tomorrow. He gives us what we need to walk with Him today.

There’s another phrase in this verse we shouldn’t rush past:

“My God.”

Paul wasn’t describing a theory about provision. He had lived it.

He had experienced abundance and hunger. He had known freedom and imprisonment. He had been welcomed and rejected. Just a few verses earlier he says he had learned how to be content whether he had plenty or little.

So when Paul says, “my God will supply,” those words have some scars behind them.

He knew God had been faithful before.

Maybe that is what some of us need to remember today.

Look backward for a minute.

How many situations once kept you awake at night that God eventually carried you through?

How many times did you wonder, How are we going to make this work?

And somehow, you’re still here.

That doesn’t mean everything turned out exactly the way you wanted. Some things probably didn’t. But God was present. He provided what you needed to keep walking.

And the God who was faithful then has not changed.

So maybe the question today isn’t simply, “God, will You provide?”

Maybe the deeper question is:

“God, will I trust You to decide what I truly need?”

That takes faith.

Open your hands a little today.

You don’t have to figure out every detail of tomorrow. You don’t have to manufacture the answer. You don’t have to carry something God never asked you to carry.

Do what is yours to do.

Be wise. Work faithfully. Give generously. Make responsible decisions. Pray. Seek counsel when you need it.

And then trust God with what you cannot control.

Your supply is not ultimately tied to the economy, your paycheck, your investments, another person, or your ability to make everything work.

Your confidence rests in the God whose resources never run dry.

He knows what you need.

And He is faithful.

Action Steps

* Name the need. Be specific with God today about something you’ve been worried He won’t provide.
* Remember His faithfulness. Write down one situation from your past where God provided in a way you could not see beforehand.
* Release your version of the answer. Pray, “Lord, provide what You know I need, even if it looks different from what I expected.”

Challenge for the Day

Identify one need you’ve been trying to control and deliberately place it back in God’s hands. Do what is yours to do today, and trust Him with what isn’t.

Prayer

Father, You know what I need before I ever ask. Forgive me for the times I confuse my wants with my needs or try to control how You should provide. Help me be faithful with what You have placed in my hands and trust You with what is beyond them. Remind me of the ways You have carried me before, and give me faith to believe You will be faithful again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/29/2026

There are things we protect almost without thinking. We lock the doors to our homes. We put passwords on our phones. We watch our bank accounts for suspicious activity. We’re careful about who has access to things we consider valuable. Solomon says there is something even more valuable that needs guarding—your heart. Because whatever gets control of your heart eventually starts showing up everywhere else in your life.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
- Proverbs 4:23 ESV

When the Bible talks about the heart, it’s talking about more than emotions. It’s that inner place where our desires, thoughts, motives, priorities, and decisions begin.

That’s why Solomon says to guard it “with all vigilance.”

Not casually. Not occasionally. Pay attention to what you’re allowing to take root inside you.

And that can be harder than it sounds.

We tend to pay a lot of attention to what is happening around us, while God is concerned about what is happening within us.

Someone hurts us, and bitterness starts growing.

Someone else succeeds, and comparison creeps in.

Something doesn’t go the way we expected, and disappointment slowly turns into resentment.

We get criticized, and suddenly we’re replaying the conversation over and over, thinking about what we should have said.

None of those things necessarily announce themselves at the front door. They slip in quietly.

That’s why guarding your heart doesn’t mean building walls so nobody can hurt you. It means paying attention to what you allow to stay there.

There’s a difference.

You can’t control everything that happens to you. You can’t control what someone says about you. You can’t control whether someone disappoints you. You can’t control every circumstance that lands in your lap.

But with God’s help, you can decide what gets permission to take up residence in your heart.

The surrounding verses make Solomon’s point even stronger. He talks about what we listen to, what we look at, what we say, and where our feet go. In other words, the heart doesn’t live in isolation. What we repeatedly put in front of ourselves shapes what develops inside us, and what develops inside us eventually influences the direction of our lives.

That ought to make us think about what we’re feeding our hearts.

What voices have your attention?

What are you constantly watching?

What conversations are shaping you?

What thought keeps getting replayed?

What offense are you still carrying?

Because you can love Jesus and still allow something unhealthy to grow inside you if you don’t deal with it.

And here’s where this verse gets very practical: guarding your heart also means letting God search it.

Sometimes we’re pretty good at identifying what is wrong with everybody else’s heart. We can see their pride, their anger, their selfishness, their bad attitude.

Our own? That’s a little tougher.

David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (Psalm 139:23). That takes courage because we’re giving God permission to point out things we may have gotten comfortable carrying.

Maybe today the issue isn’t something you need God to change around you.

Maybe it’s something you need Him to change within you.

An attitude.

An offense.

A fear.

A jealousy.

A desire for someone’s approval.

A need to control something you were supposed to surrender.

Guarding your heart doesn’t mean pretending those things aren’t there. It means bringing them into the presence of God before they begin directing your life.

Because Solomon says everything else flows from there.

If you want to pay attention to the direction of your life, pay attention to the condition of your heart.

Action Steps

* Ask God to search you. Pray Psalm 139:23 today and don’t rush past what the Holy Spirit brings to mind.
* Identify what has been getting too much access. A voice, relationship, habit, offense, fear, social media feed, or recurring thought may need a boundary.
* Replace, don’t just remove. Put God’s Word into the space occupied by whatever has been shaping your heart in an unhealthy direction.

Challenge for the Day

Before you go to bed tonight, ask yourself one question: “What have I allowed into my heart that I don’t want shaping my life?” Name it honestly, bring it to God, and take one practical step to guard that area.

Prayer

Father, search my heart today. Show me anything I’ve allowed to settle there that doesn’t belong. Help me recognize the voices, thoughts, offenses, and desires that are pulling me away from You. Give me wisdom to guard my heart without hardening it. I want what flows out of my life to reflect what You are doing within me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/28/2026

There are times when you can feel yourself running low. You’re still showing up. Still handling responsibilities. Still answering the phone, taking care of people, doing what needs to be done. From the outside, everything may look fine. But inside, you know the truth: I’m tired. I don’t know how much more I have to give. Romans 8:11 doesn’t tell us to pretend we’re stronger than we are. It points us somewhere much better. Our hope has never been in how much strength we have left. Our hope is in Who lives within us.

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
- Romans 8:11 — ESV

There are four words in this verse that I don’t want us to miss:

“Dwells in you.”

The Holy Spirit isn’t an occasional visitor.

He doesn’t show up only when worship is powerful, when your prayers feel passionate, or when your faith seems especially strong.

He dwells in you.

And Paul doesn’t leave us wondering about the power of the One who lives there. This is the Spirit of the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

Think about what the disciples saw on Friday.

Jesus was dead. The tomb was sealed. Their plans were shattered. Their expectations were buried behind a stone.

There wasn’t anything they could do to fix it.

And then came Sunday.

God brought life into a place where human ability had reached its absolute end.

That’s important because most of us eventually reach places where our ability runs out too.

Maybe you’ve been there.

I don’t know how much longer I can do this.

I don’t know if I have enough patience.

I don’t know if I can forgive again.

I don’t know if this relationship can be repaired.

I don’t know if I can keep carrying this.

I don’t know if I can change.

Sometimes the most freeing answer is simply:

You’re right. You may not have enough.

But you were never supposed to.

The Christian life isn’t about digging deeper until we discover some hidden reserve of personal strength. It’s about learning to depend upon the Spirit of God.

That’s part of Paul’s larger message in Romans 8. He contrasts living according to the flesh with living according to the Spirit.

The flesh says: “I’ve got this.”

Faith says: “God, I need You.”

One keeps trying to prove that we’re strong enough.

The other finally admits that we aren’t—and discovers that God is.

Now, we need to understand what Paul is actually promising here.

Romans 8:11 is ultimately pointing toward resurrection.

Paul calls these our “mortal bodies” because these bodies won’t last forever. They hurt. They get tired. They age. Eventually they die.

But for the person who belongs to Jesus, death doesn’t get the final word.

The God who raised Jesus will raise us too.

That’s Christian hope.

Not merely, “God will make my life easier.”

Not, “God will fix everything exactly the way I want.”

But:

“Even death cannot undo what God has promised me in Christ.”

And if I can trust Him with my resurrection, I can trust Him with today.

That’s where this becomes very practical.

The Spirit’s presence doesn’t mean you’ll never feel tired.

It means tired doesn’t have to become defeated.

It doesn’t mean you’ll never be afraid.

It means fear doesn’t have to make your decisions.

It doesn’t mean you’ll never face something bigger than you.

You will.

But when you reach the end of yourself, you haven’t reached the end of God.

Maybe you’ve been asking God to change something around you.

Change the circumstances. Change another person. Open the door. Remove the problem. Fix what hurts.

And sometimes He does.

But sometimes the circumstances remain while God begins doing something powerful inside you.

He gives you strength to obey when obedience is difficult.

Grace to forgive when the hurt is real.

Courage to have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.

Peace when you still don’t know how things are going to turn out.

Faithfulness when you don’t feel particularly strong or spiritual.

Sometimes resurrection power looks less like a dramatic breakthrough and more like getting up and obeying God one more day.

Don’t underestimate that.

You may feel weak today.

You may feel tired.

You may be facing something you genuinely cannot handle by yourself.

You don’t have to pretend otherwise.

Bring your weakness honestly before God.

Then remember:

The place where your strength ends is not the place where God’s presence ends.

The Spirit of God dwells in you.

So don’t ask yourself all day:

“Am I strong enough?”

Ask a better question:

“Am I depending on the One who is?”

Action Steps

* Name the place where you’re running low. Tell God honestly where you feel tired, afraid, frustrated, or inadequate.
* Replace self-reliance with dependence. Before you push harder, pause and pray: “Holy Spirit, I need Your strength here.”
* Take the next faithful step. You don’t need enough strength for everything that might happen tomorrow. Ask God for what you need to obey Him today.

Challenge for the Day

When you reach a moment today where you think, “I don’t have enough for this,” stop and pray: “Holy Spirit, You live in me. Give me what I need for the next faithful step.” Then take it.

Prayer

Father, I admit there are places where my strength runs out. Thank You that my weakness doesn’t frighten You and doesn’t limit You. Your Spirit lives in me. Teach me to depend on You instead of constantly trying to carry everything myself. Give me strength for today’s obedience, peace for what I cannot control, and confidence in the resurrection hope I have in Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/26/2026

Some mornings the fight starts before your feet ever hit the floor.
You wake up thinking about the conversation from yesterday. Something somebody said is still bothering you. You’re already worried about what might happen today. Maybe there’s a temptation you’ve been fighting, a decision you’re second-guessing, or a fear that seems louder at 5:30 in the morning than it did the night before.

Nothing dramatic has happened. Nobody would look at you and say, “There’s somebody in a spiritual battle.”

But you know something is pulling at you.

That’s one reason Paul’s words in Ephesians 6 matter so much. Spiritual warfare isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s simply the daily fight over what will shape our thoughts, our reactions, our relationships, and ultimately our obedience to God.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:10–12 (ESV)

I think one of our biggest mistakes is believing spiritual strength means becoming tougher.

I can handle this. I’m not going to let this get to me. I’m going to do better today.

And sometimes that works beautifully, right up until somebody says the wrong thing before breakfast.

Paul gives us something better than determination.

Dependence.

He doesn’t say, “Be strong.”

He says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

That’s a very different way to live.

God isn’t asking you to manufacture enough strength to handle everything coming your way. He’s asking you to stop pretending your strength is enough.

Then Paul says:

“Put on the whole armor of God.”

Armor tells us something. Resistance should not surprise us.

Following Jesus doesn’t mean every day becomes easier. There will be things pulling us away from truth, obedience, faith, peace, and trust in God.

And Paul describes the devil’s activity as schemes.

That word matters.

A scheme is intentional. It’s calculated. It’s designed to accomplish something.

But we also need to be careful here. Not every inconvenience is Satan. Not every difficult person is being used by the devil. Not every flat tire, bad day, disagreement, illness, or closed door should be labeled spiritual warfare.

Sometimes life is simply hard.
Sometimes people make bad decisions. Sometimes we make bad decisions.

But Scripture does teach us that there is a spiritual enemy who wants to pull us away from God. And often his work is far more subtle than we expect.

It can look like resentment that goes unchecked until it becomes bitterness.

A compromise that seemed small until it became a habit.

Fear that slowly begins controlling our decisions.

Pride that makes repentance increasingly difficult.

A wound we keep rehearsing until it starts defining us.

Or simply enough distraction that God keeps getting pushed farther and farther to the edge of our lives.

That’s why Paul says to put the armor on.

Preparation happens before the pressure.

Later in this passage Paul identifies the armor: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer.

Think about that list.

Paul isn’t giving us some mystical formula. He’s describing a life deeply rooted in God.

Know what is true. Live rightly.
Walk in the peace of the gospel.
Trust God. Remember who you are because of Christ. Know His Word. Pray.

That’s how we stand.

And then Paul says something that may be one of the most important reminders in the whole passage:

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.”

That changes how we look at people.

Your spouse isn’t the enemy. Your coworker isn’t the enemy.
Your neighbor isn’t the enemy.
The person who disappointed you isn’t the enemy. The person who disagrees with you isn’t the enemy.

That doesn’t mean people can’t hurt us or that harmful behavior shouldn’t be confronted. It doesn’t mean we excuse sin, tolerate abuse, or avoid necessary boundaries.

It means we refuse to turn another human being into the ultimate enemy.

Because when we do, bitterness becomes easier. Hatred becomes easier. Revenge starts feeling justified.

And suddenly we’re fighting a person while losing the battle for our own heart.

That’s where Paul’s words become incredibly practical.

Before you respond, ask:

What is happening in me right now?

Am I responding from truth or assumption?

Faith or fear?

Grace or bitterness?

Humility or pride?

Am I trying to honor Christ, or am I simply trying to win?

Sometimes the greatest spiritual victory you’ll have today won’t look dramatic at all.

It might be refusing to send the angry text. Forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it. Walking away from a temptation nobody else knows about. Opening your Bible when your mind is filled with fear. Praying for the person you’d rather criticize. Telling the truth when a lie would be easier.

That’s what standing can look like.

You don’t know everything today is going to bring.

But you don’t have to walk into it unprepared. Don’t walk into today trusting your strength.

Put on the armor.

And stand in His.

Action Steps

* Identify where you’re vulnerable. Ask God, “Where am I most likely to be pulled away from You right now?” Be specific.
* Read the whole passage. Read Ephesians 6:10–18 and pay attention to which piece of armor connects most directly with what you’re facing.
* Check who you’re fighting. If there’s someone you’re frustrated with, pray for them before you speak about them or respond to them.

Challenge for the Day

Before you step into today’s responsibilities, read Ephesians 6:10–18 and pray through the armor of God. Then ask one question: “Lord, where do I need Your strength instead of mine today?”

Prayer

Father, I don’t want to walk through today relying on my own strength. Help me recognize what is happening in my heart and where I am vulnerable. Guard me with Your truth. Strengthen my faith. Keep Your Word close to me. And when I’m tempted to make another person my enemy, remind me that they are someone You love. Help me stand today—not because I am strong enough, but because You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/25/2026

There are times when what we really need from God isn’t a different circumstance, a clearer answer, or even an easier road. We need the assurance that He is with us. Because when you know God is with you, you can walk into places you never would have chosen and still have peace.

“And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
- Exodus 33:14 ESV

This verse comes during a difficult conversation between Moses and God.
Israel had sinned badly with the golden calf. God had promised that the people would still go toward the land He had promised them, but Moses understood something that we sometimes forget: the promise of God without the presence of God would never be enough.

In the verses that follow, Moses essentially says, If You’re not going with us, I don’t want to go.

That gets me.

Because I can get pretty focused on where I’m going.

What’s next? What needs to happen? What decision needs to be made? What door needs to open? How is this going to work out?

And sometimes I can spend so much energy asking God to show me the plan that I miss the greater gift God has already given me—Himself.

Moses didn’t have all the details. He didn’t know exactly what every mile ahead would look like. There were still enemies ahead. There would still be problems to solve, people to lead, and decisions to make.

But God gave Moses something better than a detailed itinerary: “My presence will go with you.” Maybe that is what somebody needs to hear this morning.

You may not know what happens next.

You may be waiting on an answer. You may be trying to make a decision and wishing God would just make it obvious. You may be carrying something you never expected to carry.

You may even be tired of asking, “God, what are You doing?”

God doesn’t always answer that question immediately.

But He does promise His presence.

And then He says something interesting: “I will give you rest.” That doesn’t mean Moses was getting a vacation. He still had responsibilities. He still had a nation to lead.

The rest God promised wasn’t the absence of responsibility. It was the assurance that Moses wouldn’t carry that responsibility alone.

There is a big difference between those two things. We tend to think rest comes when everything settles down. When the decision is finally made. When the problem gets resolved. When the test comes back the way we hoped. When the relationship gets better.
When the finances improve. Then I’ll have peace.

But God tells Moses, in essence, “Your rest isn’t waiting for you at the end of this. Your rest is found in My presence while you’re walking through it.”

That changes how we pray.

Instead of only praying, “God, get me out of this,” maybe sometimes our prayer needs to become: “God, make me aware of You in this.”

Instead of, “Lord, show me everything that’s coming,” maybe: “Lord, help me trust You with the next step.”

And instead of asking God to remove every burden, maybe we learn to recognize that we were never supposed to carry those burdens without Him in the first place.

Moses knew something worth learning:

Where you’re going matters far less than Who is going with you.

If God is leading, you don’t need to know every turn in the road.

You just need to stay close enough to follow.

Action Steps

* Before asking God for direction today, spend a few minutes simply acknowledging His presence. No agenda. Just be with Him.

* Identify the one situation you’re trying hardest to control and deliberately place it back into God’s hands.

* When anxiety starts pushing you toward tomorrow, remind yourself: “God is already there, and He is with me here.”

Challenge for the Day

Stop asking God to show you the whole road. Ask Him to make you more aware of His presence on the step you’re taking today.

Prayer

Father, I spend so much time wanting answers that I sometimes forget the greatest promise You’ve given me is Your presence. Forgive me for trying to carry things You never asked me to carry alone. Help me trust You when I can’t see what’s ahead. Go with me today, and teach my heart to find its rest in You. Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/24/2026

Every choice you make today is putting something into the ground.

The words you speak. The time you give. The forgiveness you offer. The generosity you practice or withhold. Each one is a seed, even if it feels too small to matter. And just like a farmer, you may not see the harvest right away. But what you plant today will eventually shape the life you live tomorrow.

That can be frustrating. We want immediate results. We want proof that our obedience matters and that our kindness is making a difference. But God often works beneath the surface, long before we can see what He is doing. The question isn’t whether your choices matter. They do. The question is: What kind of life are they producing?

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)

Paul is talking about generosity here. This isn’t a promise that if you give God ten dollars, He’s obligated to send you twenty. Paul isn’t teaching some spiritual investment formula where generosity becomes a way of getting more for ourselves.

Actually, that would miss the whole point.

In the verses surrounding this one, Paul is preparing the Corinthian believers to follow through on a gift they had already committed to give. And just a verse later he says their giving shouldn’t be reluctant or forced. God is concerned not only with what leaves our hand, but what is happening in our heart when we release it.

That’s where this gets personal.

We can hold pretty tightly to what God has entrusted to us. And not just money.

We hold tightly to our time because we’re already busy.

We hold tightly to encouragement because we assume somebody else will say it.

We hold tightly to forgiveness because the other person hasn’t earned it.

We hold tightly to our abilities because we’re afraid we won’t be appreciated.

We hold tightly to our resources because we’re worried there won’t be enough left for us.

And sometimes we call it being careful when, if we’re willing to admit it, it’s really fear.

A farmer who refuses to sow because he’s afraid of losing what he has will eventually have exactly what he protected—and an empty field.

There’s something about that picture that gets me.

Because God has put things in our hands that were never intended to stop with us.

Maybe He’s given you financial resources. Maybe you have time. Maybe you’ve walked through something painful and now have wisdom that somebody else desperately needs. Maybe you have the ability to encourage people, teach, serve, listen, cook a meal, fix something, or simply show up when somebody’s world is falling apart.

What God has given you can become a blessing when you’re willing to release it.

And that’s where faith enters the picture.

We usually want to know what will happen before we give. We want some assurance that our generosity will matter, our time won’t be wasted, and our efforts will be appreciated.

But God doesn’t always give us that.

You may encourage someone today and never know how badly they needed those words.

You may give to something God puts on your heart and never personally see everything that gift accomplishes.

You may invest years into your children and wonder whether anything you’re teaching them is sticking.

You may serve somebody who never says thank you.

Do it anyway.

Because faithfulness isn’t measured by whether we get to see the results. We are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for what He does with it.

And there’s another side to this passage we shouldn’t overlook. Paul says sowing sparingly produces a different harvest than sowing generously. That ought to make us ask ourselves a difficult question:

Am I living with an open hand or a closed fist?

If everything God gives me is primarily used for me—my comfort, my plans, my security, my preferences—then I shouldn’t be surprised when my life becomes smaller and more centered around me.

But when we begin living with open hands, something changes.

Generosity loosens the grip money has on us.

Serving loosens the grip selfishness has on us.

Encouraging others moves our attention away from ourselves.

Giving reminds us that our provision ultimately comes from God.

Sometimes the first thing generosity changes isn’t the person receiving.

It’s us.

So don’t underestimate what God has placed in your hands today. It may look small. It may even feel insignificant.

Be willing to release it.

God has always been able to do far more with what we surrender than we can ever accomplish with what we clutch.

Action Steps

* Look at what God has put in your hand. Identify one resource you can share today—money, time, encouragement, experience, or simply your presence.
* Pay attention to where fear makes you hold back. Ask yourself whether you’re practicing wisdom or simply afraid there won’t be enough.
* Give without demanding immediate results. Do one generous thing today without needing recognition, repayment, or even the opportunity to see what comes from it.

Challenge for the Day

Practice generosity today with no strings attached. Give, serve, encourage, or help someone without needing recognition or repayment. Trust God with what comes from it.

Prayer

Father, thank You for everything You have placed in my hands. Forgive me for the times I’ve held too tightly to what You intended me to share. Teach me to live with open hands and a generous heart. Help me obey without needing to control the outcome and trust You with what comes next. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/23/2026

I’ve had those moments when the words came out of my mouth and almost immediately I thought, I wish I could take that back. Maybe I was frustrated. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I felt misunderstood or pushed a little too far. Whatever the reason, once the words were out there, they were out there. And usually my first thought is, Jeff, you should have kept your mouth shut.

But the older I get, the more I realize there’s a deeper question than whether I should have said it.

Why was it in my heart in the first place?

Because sometimes the words we regret are doing us a favor. They’re revealing something inside us that needs God’s attention. That’s what makes David’s prayer in Psalm 19 so challenging. He doesn’t just ask God to guard what comes out of his mouth. He invites God into the thoughts, attitudes, and conversations happening inside his heart before a single word is ever spoken.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
- Psalm 19:14 — ESV

Psalm 19 begins with creation. David looks at the heavens and sees the glory of God everywhere. Then he turns to the Word of God and talks about how it restores, teaches, warns, and gives wisdom.

But by the end of the psalm, David stops looking at the heavens and starts looking at himself.

That’s where this verse becomes much more than a nice prayer before a sermon.

David has just prayed, “Who can discern his errors?” He asks God to forgive his hidden faults and keep him from willful sin. Then he finishes with this prayer about his words and his heart.

There’s an important connection there.

David understands that sin isn’t only about what we do. God cares about what is happening underneath what we do.

That can be uncomfortable.

Most of us are pretty good at monitoring our words when necessary. We know how to behave at church. We know what to say in a meeting. We can answer “I’m fine” when we’re anything but fine. We can even keep ourselves from saying the thing we’re thinking.

But God hears the sentence before we ever speak it.

He knows the conversation we’ve been rehearsing in our head. He knows the bitterness we keep feeding. He knows the worry we keep replaying. He knows when we’re quietly judging someone. He knows when our thoughts are drifting somewhere they shouldn’t.

And David says, essentially, “Lord, I don’t just want my public words to honor You. I want my private thoughts to honor You too.”

That is a deeper kind of discipleship.

Because eventually what we continually think about finds its way into how we live.

If I continually meditate on what someone did to me, bitterness grows.

If I continually meditate on everything that could go wrong, fear grows.

If I continually compare my life with someone else’s, discontentment grows.

If I continually rehearse God’s faithfulness, trust grows.

What we allow to live in our hearts eventually starts shaping our words, our attitudes, our decisions, and our relationships.

Jesus would later say, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

That means sometimes the problem isn’t our mouth.

The mouth is just reporting what has been happening in the heart.

We’ve probably all had that moment when something comes out sharper than we intended. Maybe it’s with our spouse, our kids, someone at work, or the person driving ten miles under the speed limit when we’re already late. We immediately think, I shouldn’t have said that.

And yes, sometimes we need to apologize for what we said.

But Psalm 19:14 pushes us one step further:

Why was that in me to begin with?

Maybe the prayer shouldn’t only be, “God, help me watch my mouth.”

Maybe it should also be, “God, show me what’s happening in my heart.”

David can pray that honestly because he knows who God is.

He calls Him “my rock and my redeemer.”

My rock—the One who holds me steady.

My redeemer—the One who rescues me when I fail.

That matters because examining our hearts without grace can turn into shame. But bringing our hearts before our Redeemer leads to transformation.

We don’t have to hide what God already sees.

We can say, “Lord, this anger keeps showing up. Show me why.”

“This fear keeps running through my mind. Help me trust You.”

“I keep thinking the worst about that person. Change something in me.”

“My words have been tearing people down instead of building them up. Forgive me.”

That’s an honest prayer.

And maybe Psalm 19:14 is a good prayer to carry with us today—not just before we speak, but before we react.

Lord, before it comes out of my mouth, deal with it in my heart.

Action Steps

* Pay attention to your internal conversation today. When your thoughts repeatedly move toward fear, bitterness, criticism, lust, jealousy, or pride, don’t simply dismiss them. Bring them honestly before God.
* Pause before you respond. Especially when you’re irritated or hurt, give yourself a few seconds to ask, “Will what I’m about to say be acceptable to God?”
* Replace, don’t just resist. When an unhealthy thought keeps returning, intentionally replace it with Scripture, prayer, gratitude, or something you know to be true about God.

Challenge for the Day

Before an important conversation, or before responding when you’re frustrated, silently pray Psalm 19:14: “Lord, let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to You.” Then give Him permission to change both.

Prayer

Lord, You know my words before I speak them, and You know the thoughts I never say out loud. Search my heart today. Show me anything I’ve allowed to grow there that doesn’t please You. Guard my words, but more than that, change the heart they come from. You are my rock when I’m unsettled and my Redeemer when I fail. May what happens inside me and what comes out of me honor You today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/22/2026

I wish I could tell you that I’ve reached a place in my life where I don’t care what people think about me. I haven’t. Criticism can still sting. Being misunderstood still bothers me. And there are times when I know what I believe God wants me to do, but I also know somebody isn’t going to like it. That’s where this gets difficult. Because sometimes the hardest part of obeying God isn’t figuring out what He wants—it’s being willing to disappoint someone when you do it.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Galatians 1:10 — ESV

Paul asks a question here that is uncomfortable if we really sit with it: Who am I trying to please?

The context makes it even stronger. Paul is confronting people who were distorting the gospel. They were adding requirements to the grace of Christ, and Paul wasn’t willing to soften the truth just to keep everybody happy.

That takes courage.

Because pleasing people can become a quiet kind of bondage. You start measuring your words before you say them. You make decisions based on how someone might react. You say yes when you should say no. You stay silent when you should speak. You second-guess something God has clearly shown you because somebody else doesn’t understand it.

And before long, without even realizing it, you’ve handed someone else the steering wheel.

People-pleasing can even look like kindness. We tell ourselves, I just don’t want to disappoint them. Or, I don’t want them upset with me. Sometimes that is genuine compassion. But sometimes it’s fear wearing nicer clothes.

Paul draws a pretty clear line: you cannot make human approval your highest goal and faithfully follow Jesus at the same time.

That doesn’t mean we become rude, stubborn, or unconcerned about others. Following Christ should actually make us more loving, gracious, and considerate. But there is a difference between loving people and living for their approval.

Jesus loved people perfectly, and people still misunderstood Him.

He disappointed expectations.

He said things people didn’t want to hear.

He refused to become the kind of Messiah people wanted Him to be.

And ultimately, the crowds that praised Him didn’t determine His obedience to the Father.

That challenges me because approval feels good. Criticism doesn’t. Being understood feels good. Having someone question your motives doesn’t. And when obedience costs us somebody’s approval, we can start wondering whether obedience was worth it.

But here’s the question underneath Paul’s question:

Whose voice gets the final say in my life?

There will be times when obeying God disappoints someone.

There will be times when following biblical conviction makes you unpopular.

There will be times when you have to say no and someone won’t understand.

There may even be times when doing exactly what God has called you to do causes someone you care about to criticize you.

You can listen to wise counsel. You should remain teachable. You should examine your heart when someone challenges you. But after all of that, you still have to decide whose approval matters most.

Because you were never meant to carry the impossible burden of keeping everybody happy.

Your calling is simpler than that.

Love people well. Listen humbly. Obey God faithfully.

And when those things come into conflict, remember who you belong to.

Action Steps

* Check your motivation. Before an important decision today, ask yourself, “Am I doing this because it is right before God, or because I’m afraid of someone’s reaction?”
* Identify the voice that has too much influence. Is there someone whose approval—or disapproval—has more control over you than it should?
* Choose obedience over applause. Do one thing today that you know honors God, even if nobody notices, celebrates, or understands it.

Challenge for the Day

Before you say yes, say no, speak up, or stay silent today, ask one question: “Am I trying to please God, or am I trying to protect someone’s opinion of me?” Then have the courage to obey God.

Prayer

Father, I want to live for Your approval more than the approval of people. Show me where fear of rejection or criticism has been influencing my decisions. Give me humility to listen to wise counsel and courage to obey You when obedience costs me something. Help me love people without becoming controlled by their opinions. I want to be faithful to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/21/2026

There are people in our lives whose word means something. If they tell you they’ll be there, you don’t wonder whether they’ll show up. If they make a promise, you can count on it. Unfortunately, we’ve also known the opposite. Broken promises have a way of teaching us to be cautious. And sometimes, without realizing it, we bring that same caution into our relationship with God.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,”

Deuteronomy 7:9 — ESV

Moses is speaking to Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. And before they step into what God has for them, Moses reminds them of something they absolutely cannot afford to forget:

God is faithful.

That sounds simple until life gives you a reason to question it.

It’s easy to talk about God’s faithfulness when the prayer gets answered the way we hoped. When the door opens. When the test results are good. When the relationship is restored. When there’s enough money in the account. When everything seems to be moving in the right direction.

But what about when you’ve prayed and nothing seems to be changing?

What about when God made a promise, but you can’t see any evidence of it yet?

That’s where this verse becomes more than something nice to put on a coffee mug.

Notice what Moses doesn’t say. He doesn’t tell Israel, “God will probably come through.” He calls Him “the faithful God.”

Faithfulness isn’t something God occasionally does. It is part of who He is.

And that matters because our circumstances change constantly.

One phone call can change your week. One conversation can change a relationship. One unexpected expense can change your plans. One diagnosis can change your priorities. We live in a world where things can look completely different by tonight than they did when we woke up this morning.

But God doesn’t wake up different.

His character doesn’t shift with our circumstances.

His promises aren’t dependent upon His mood.

Moses says He “keeps covenant and steadfast love.” God doesn’t simply make promises. He keeps them.

Now, that doesn’t mean God always does what we want Him to do. There’s a big difference between trusting God’s promises and expecting God to follow our plans.

Sometimes we say, “God, I trusted You,” when what we really mean is, “God, I expected You to do this the way I thought You would.”

I’ve had to learn that those aren’t the same thing.

God can be completely faithful while taking us down a road we never would have chosen.

Think about Israel. They were standing on the edge of something God had promised generations earlier. Abraham never saw the full fulfillment. Neither did Isaac. Neither did Jacob.

Yet God had not forgotten.

That phrase in today’s verse catches my attention: “to a thousand generations.”

We tend to measure God’s faithfulness in days and weeks.

God thinks in generations.

That means there may be things God is doing in your life right now that are bigger than you. Your obedience today may affect your children. Your grandchildren. People you may never meet.

You may never see the full reach of one faithful decision.

But there’s another side to this verse we shouldn’t skip over. Moses connects God’s covenant love with people who love Him and keep His commandments.

Biblical faith isn’t just believing that God will be faithful to me.

It’s responding to His faithfulness with obedience.

We don’t obey Him to convince Him to love us. We obey because we trust the One who already does.

And sometimes obedience means taking the next step before you know how everything is going to work out.

Maybe that’s where you are today.

You don’t need God to show you the next ten years.

You may not even need Him to show you the next ten steps.

You just need enough faith to take the next one.

God has been faithful before you arrived at this moment. He is faithful in this moment. And whatever you’re walking into next, He will still be faithful when you get there.

Your circumstances may change.

Your God will not.

Action Steps

* Remember: Write down one specific way God has been faithful to you in the past. Don’t let today’s uncertainty erase yesterday’s evidence.
* Identify: Ask yourself where fear or disappointment has caused you to question God’s character.
* Obey: What is one thing you already know God is asking you to do? Stop waiting for the entire plan and take that step today.

Challenge for the Day

When something unexpected happens today, resist the urge to immediately ask, “God, what are You doing?” Instead, remind yourself: “I may not understand what God is doing, but I know who God is. He is faithful.”

Prayer

Father, thank You that Your faithfulness doesn’t depend on my circumstances. Forgive me for the times I’ve confused Your faithfulness with getting the outcome I wanted. Help me trust Your character when I can’t understand Your plan. Give me the courage to obey You today, knowing that You have never stopped being faithful. Amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/18/2026

There are times when the biggest obstacle to hearing from God isn’t the noise around us. It’s the confidence within us. We can become so convinced that we know what we’re doing, what needs to happen, and how things ought to turn out that we leave very little room for God to correct us. Proverbs gives us a needed warning: wisdom begins when we stop assuming we’re the wisest person in the room.

“Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
- Proverbs 3:7–8 (ESV)

Proverbs 3:7 comes right after one of the most familiar passages in Scripture:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5

We love the part about trusting God. The harder part may be admitting why we need to.

Sometimes our own understanding is wrong.

Not because we’re foolish people. Not because we haven’t prayed. Not because we don’t love God. We can genuinely love God and still become convinced that our way is the right way.

I’ve noticed how easy it is to pray about something while already having the answer picked out.

“Lord, guide me.”

But what we really mean is:

“Lord, bless what I’ve already decided.”

There’s a difference.

Being “wise in your own eyes” doesn’t necessarily mean walking around thinking you’re smarter than everybody else. Sometimes it looks much more respectable than that. It can look like experience. Confidence. Planning. Common sense. Even past success.

I’ve done this before.
I know how this works.
I’ve thought this through.
This makes the most sense.

And maybe it does.

But God sees what we cannot see.

That’s why the fear of the Lord matters. Biblical fear isn’t living terrified that God is waiting to punish you. It’s recognizing who God is and putting His wisdom above your own.

It’s saying, “God, You know more than I know, You see farther than I see, and if what You want conflicts with what I want, I’m going with You.”

That last part is where this gets uncomfortable.

Because Proverbs doesn’t simply say, “Fear the Lord.” It adds, “turn away from evil.”

Real reverence produces obedience.

There are things we don’t need to pray about for six months because God has already spoken clearly about them. We don’t need another sign. We don’t need somebody to tell us what we want to hear. We don’t need to keep searching until we find an interpretation that gives us permission to do what we’ve already decided to do.

Sometimes wisdom is simply obeying what God has already said.

And sometimes wisdom is having enough humility to admit:

“I could be wrong.”

That’s a powerful sentence.

Imagine what might change in a marriage if both people could say it.

Imagine what might change in a business decision.

A friendship.

A disagreement.

A decision about money.

A conversation with one of your children.

Even your understanding of something God may be doing in your life.

There is tremendous freedom in not having to know everything.

You don’t have to see ten miles down the road when you’re walking with the One who does.

And notice what Solomon connects to this kind of surrender: healing and refreshment.

Maybe that’s because carrying the responsibility of having everything figured out is exhausting.

We weren’t created to be God.

Yet sometimes we carry our lives as though everything depends on our ability to make exactly the right decision, control every outcome, anticipate every problem, and keep every plate spinning.

God never asked us to carry that weight.

He asks us to trust Him.

That doesn’t mean we stop thinking. It doesn’t mean planning is wrong. It certainly doesn’t mean wisdom and experience don’t matter.

It means our wisdom gets a seat at the table, but it doesn’t get the throne.

God does.

And there may be something in your life right now where you’ve been asking God to confirm your plan when He’s asking you to surrender it.

Maybe today’s prayer needs to change from:

“God, please make this work.”

to:

“God, show me what You want, and give me the courage to follow You even if it’s different from what I want.”

That’s not weakness.

That’s wisdom.

Action Steps

* Question one assumption today. Identify something you’ve been absolutely convinced about and honestly ask God, “Is there anything I’m not seeing?”
* Check your decision against Scripture. Don’t ask only whether something makes sense. Ask whether it agrees with what God has already revealed.
* Practice three difficult words: “I could be wrong.” Especially in a relationship or situation where you’ve become defensive about your position.

Challenge for the Day

Before making an important decision today, pray this first: “Lord, don’t just bless what I want. Show me what You want, and help me obey.”

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve trusted my own wisdom more than Yours. You see what I cannot see and know what I cannot know. Give me the humility to listen, the wisdom to recognize Your direction, and the courage to obey when Your way is different from mine. I don’t want You simply to bless my plans. I want my plans to come under Your leadership. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign

09/17/2026

There are days when nothing around us has really changed, but everything inside us feels unsettled. The schedule is the same. The responsibilities are still there. The people around us haven’t suddenly become different. Yet our minds can be running in ten directions at once—replaying yesterday, worrying about tomorrow, imagining conversations that haven’t happened, and trying to solve things God never asked us to solve. Paul reminds us that where we allow our minds to live matters.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

Romans 8:5–6 ESV

Romans 8 is one of those chapters I come back to because Paul doesn’t pretend the Christian life is free from struggle. In fact, the chapter begins by talking about condemnation, moves into the battle between flesh and Spirit, acknowledges suffering, talks about our weakness in prayer, and eventually reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

So when Paul talks about life and peace, he isn’t describing a trouble-free life.

He’s describing what can happen inside us while we’re living through a very real one.

Notice where Paul puts the emphasis: the mind.

That’s significant because we tend to think peace will come when something outside of us changes.

“When this gets resolved, I’ll have peace.”

“When I know what they’re going to do, I’ll have peace.”

“When the doctor gives me the answer, I’ll have peace.”

“When the money works out, I’ll have peace.”

“When this relationship gets better, I’ll have peace.”

And certainly, we’d rather have good news than bad news. But if our peace depends entirely on circumstances cooperating with us, we’re going to spend a lot of our lives without peace.

Paul points us somewhere deeper.

What has your mind?

Because whatever continually occupies our thoughts eventually begins influencing our emotions, our decisions, our attitudes, and even the way we see God.

Think about how quickly worry works.

One thought enters your mind.

Then another attaches itself to it.

Before long you’ve constructed an entire future that hasn’t happened. You’ve had the conversation. You’ve experienced the disappointment. You’ve dealt with the consequences. You’ve lost sleep over something that currently exists only in your imagination.

That’s exhausting.

And Paul says there is another way to live.

Set your mind on the Spirit.

That doesn’t mean pretending problems aren’t real. Faith isn’t denial.

It means refusing to let the problem become bigger in your thinking than the God who is walking with you through it.

There is also something intentional in Paul’s language. A mind “set” on something doesn’t happen accidentally. We choose where we continually return our attention.

Sometimes we have to catch ourselves.

“Wait a minute. I’ve been thinking about this for thirty minutes, and I haven’t talked to God about it once.”

I’ve worried about it.

Analyzed it.

Replayed it.

Tried to control it.

Maybe even complained about it.

But I haven’t surrendered it.

That’s usually a pretty good indication that my mind needs to be redirected.

And notice what Paul connects with a Spirit-directed mind:

Life and peace.

Not necessarily answers.

Not necessarily immediate resolution.

Not necessarily getting what we wanted.

Life and peace.

There are things you may be carrying today that aren’t going to be resolved before bedtime. God may not give you every answer you want today. But you don’t have to wait for the situation to change before experiencing His peace.

You can bring your mind back to what you know.

God is still good.

God is still present.

God is still working.

God has not abandoned you.

His Word is still true.

Jesus is still King.

And sometimes you may have to bring your mind back there fifty times in the same day.

That’s okay.

Bring it back fifty-one.

Spiritual maturity isn’t never having an anxious, angry, fearful, or selfish thought. It’s learning not to give those thoughts permanent residence.

Your mind needs somewhere better to live.

Set it on the Spirit.

Action Steps

* Pay attention to your thoughts today. When you notice yourself spiraling into fear, frustration, resentment, or worry, stop and identify what is occupying your mind.
* Replace, don’t just resist. Instead of simply telling yourself, “Don’t worry,” intentionally turn your attention toward a truth from Scripture about God’s character or promises.
* Turn your thoughts into prayer. When the same concern returns, use it as a reminder to pray rather than another invitation to worry.

Challenge for the Day

Every time worry enters your mind today, turn it into a prayer before you allow it to become a conversation with yourself.

Prayer

Father, You know how quickly my mind can wander toward fear, worry, frustration, and things I cannot control. Help me recognize when my thoughts are pulling me away from You. Holy Spirit, redirect my mind toward what is true. Teach me to trust You with what I cannot fix, control, or understand. Let Your life and Your peace rule in me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

#LoveGod #LovePeople #FindFreedom #FindYourDesign