Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].— Hebrews 11:1

When you think about the future, are you hopeful? Or do you struggle with a sense of dread?

People who have seen God’s faithfulness in the past tend to be very hopeful about the future. They know a bad situation can turn into a wonderful testimony in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, people who have lost all hope view life from the perspective of dread. A close cousin to fear, dread steals the ability to enjoy ordinary life and makes people anxious about the future.

Hope is the opposite of dread—and a close relative of faith. When we have faith in God, it leads to hope, and our outlook on life and the future is positive.

Hope allows us to leave our unanswered questions in God’s hands; it empowers us to remain at peace, and it enables us to believe the best about the days to come.

You can have hope when you trust in God’s love. He has the power to provide for you and lead you through every situation.

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Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. — 2 Corinthians 9:7

As Christians, we should be generous people, giving whatever we can whenever we can.  And that doesn’t just mean money—we can give help, encouragement, time, talents and forgiveness.

This means we can’t let selfishness get in the way. A lot of people are stingy, clinging to what they have and afraid to give it up. Others aren’t stingy in their actions, but they are stingy in their hearts, giving because they feel obligated, not because they really want to. But this isn’t the way God calls us to give.

Second Corinthians 9:7 tells us, God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].

If you think about it, when we give our lives to God, everything we have is His anyway—it no longer belongs to us. We should be givers, using our resources the way He wants us to.

Give cheerfully today. It pleases God, and those who give cheerfully are happy, fulfilled, and highly effective.

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So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble]. — Philippians 1:10

God is excellent. As His representatives, we should be too. So it’s important that we do our best in everything we put our hands to. We must be motivated to do our very best in whatever we set out to accomplish. Paul urges us to learn to prize what is excellent and of real value (see Philippians 1:10). As we make excellence a way of life, we will have God’s joy and be good examples to the world.

You must sow excellence in order to reap an excellent harvest. We can’t expect excellent results in life when we don’t live a life of excellence. The Bible teaches us to develop diligence, steadfastness and determination—all of which will help us live lives of excellence.

I encourage you to do your best with any project or activity that God places in your path. Be diligent. Don’t leave things undone, but finish what you start to the best of your ability. Set your mind to be steadfast and determined. Commit yourself to excellent results.

God honors an attitude of excellence. Choose to do your best, and He will always empower you in the process.

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Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.— Acts 24:16

It’s critical to keep your conscience clear because nothing will keep you from enjoying life as much as guilt.

In Acts, Paul said that he pursued discipline and avoided worldly desires so that he could walk blameless and guilt-free before God. The same applies to us. Walking in the confidence of a clear conscience will keep us free and happy.

That sounds easy when it comes to clear-cut, right and wrong issues, but what about the “gray” areas of life? How do we keep our conscience clear when we’re unsure what the right or wrong choice is? What if we accidentally sin without realizing it? I’ve found that God’s discernment solves this problem.

Discernment is spiritual understanding, and it’s the key to living with a clear conscience. It takes practice, but it simply involves paying attention to your heart. God will let you know when you shouldn’t do something that will bring guilt later on.

I encourage you to live in a way that will keep your conscience clear. Don’t do things you know you shouldn’t, and rely on God’s discernment when you’re facing an issue you’re not sure about. He will never lead you wrong.

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I [Wisdom] was inaugurated and ordained from everlasting, from the beginning, before ever the earth existed.— Proverbs 8:23

Along the way on our journey through life, we will have to make many decisions, and we will always get into trouble if we make them emotionally or according to what we think or want.

God wants us to make wise decisions. I believe having wisdom is choosing to do now what we will be happy with later.

Proverbs says that wisdom is calling out to us. You must walk in God’s wisdom and realize that the choices you make today will affect your tomorrow. So many people never enjoy life because they’re always dealing with messes resulting from a lack of wisdom.

Don’t do something selfish, gambling that things will turn out right. Wisdom does not gamble; it invests in the future. Wisdom doesn’t settle for instant gratification. Instead, it follows God into a better tomorrow.

So what about you? Are you walking in wisdom today? If you’re not, the good news is that wisdom is already calling out to you. God’s ready and willing to provide you with His wisdom. Just ask Him for it and make the decisions that will invest in a godly future.

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But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation.— James 5:12

Indecision is a miserable state to be in and certainly is not a fruit of the simple life. The apostle James said the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Being indecisive because you’re afraid you’ll make wrong decisions will get you nowhere. How much time do you think we waste when we can’t make up our minds?

We often labor over the choices before us when we just need to make a decision and let it stand. This may be a simple example, but think about it: When you stand in front of your closet in the morning looking at all your clothes, just choose something and put it on. Don’t go back and forth until you make yourself late for work!

Let me encourage you to start making decisions without second-guessing yourself or worrying about the choices you make. Don’t be double-minded or wishy-washy because doubting your decisions after you make them will steal the enjoyment from everything you do. Make the best decisions you can and trust God with the results.

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Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.— 1 Peter 5:7

“To thine own heart be true,” the old saying goes. It remains a timely and relevant life lesson that all of us would do well to remember. When we veer off the course that our heart is advising us to follow, we can make our lives very difficult.

Now I’m not talking about selfish desires. I’m talking about pursuing the desires that God puts in your heart. What do you want out of life? What do you believe is God’s will for you? Are you pursuing it?

Some people have too many cares and worries that keep them from stepping out and following what’s in their heart. They’ve decided it’s out of their reach.

The Bible says we should cast all our cares upon God for He cares for us. Whatever worry you have that is keeping you from following your heart, you need to give it to God and let Him take care of it.

He wants you to follow the desire He’s placed in you. Let God take care of your cares and follow your heart. You can trust Him. He cares for you!

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Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely. — 2 Corinthians 10:12

It takes boldness to follow God instead of the crowd. Being excessively concerned about what others think leads only to torment. Although all of us enjoy being well-thought-of, it is not possible to be liked by everyone all the time.

In God’s economy, we usually have to be willing to lose something we have in order to gain what we really want in life, and that means we have to stop comparing ourselves to other people’s standards and start living for God.

Your true friends will help you be all God wants you to be. They won’t judge you for following God’s call. Real friends will encourage you to make God number one in your life.

Even if everyone else walks away from you, He promises to never leave you or forsake you.

Life gets too complicated, confusing and frustrating when we try to please both God and people. You don’t have to compare yourself to anyone and worry what people think about you. Live life for God and be free to be who He made you to be.

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And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? There is no one [essentially and perfectly morally] good–except God alone.— Mark 10:18

Unrealistic expectations can quickly steal our peace and joy. We usually desire a perfect day, with perfect people, being perfectly happy in our perfect little world, but we all know that isn’t reality. In reality, only God is perfect, and the rest of us are under construction.

The devil knows what steals our peace, and he sets us up to get upset when our unrealistic expectations fall apart.

After years of letting the devil steal my peace, I finally got it: Life is not perfect, and things are going to happen that we did not plan for and would rather not go through. My new attitude has become, Oh well, that’s life! I have discovered that if I don’t let those things impress me, then they can’t depress me.

Everyone has to deal with inconveniences, but we can deal with them and avoid a bad attitude. Remember today that only God is perfect and learn to trust in Him. He can always lead you past disappointing circumstances, strengthening you and helping you hold on to your peace.

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For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].— Hebrews 12:11

Too many things compete for our limited resources of attention, energy and time.

I used to complain to God about my schedule being overwhelming. I’d cry, “God, how could anyone be expected to do all that I have to do?”

Then it hit me: I was the one who made my schedule, and nobody could change it but me! I could no longer spend time wishing things were different because wishing wouldn’t change anything.

God showed me that I had to discipline myself in order to simplify my life.

You’ll have to do that too if you want life to slow down. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. He can guide you, showing you what commitments to make and which ones to turn down.

It may be tough at first, especially if you haven’t been disciplined in the past, but the rewards of discipline and self-control are worth the effort. The Bible says that discipline brings peaceable fruit. Begin disciplining yourself today, and you can begin to enjoy the peaceful life that God has waiting for you.

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Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.— Psalm 37:5

You can simplify your life by learning to develop trust in God. Far too often, we don’t allow ourselves to trust. Maybe your trust has been betrayed too many times in the past, or maybe you’re just a very independent person. Even so, it’s so critical to learn to trust God.

It’s easy to get stressed-out and run-down trying to make your life work on your own, but that never works. And God’s plan is always better than your own. The person who trusts God knows that His way is best.

Now, trust won’t just magically happen. Trust grows as we take steps of faith and experience God’s faithfulness. You have to resist doubt, fear, insecurity, or maybe even your fierce independence so you can pursue a life of trusting God completely. When you do that, you won’t have to struggle so much to make your life work.

Trusting God brings a supernatural rest to our souls, allowing us to live simply and freely, the way He wants us to live. So even when it doesn’t make sense, trust Him, and experience His freedom and rest.

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And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],— Ephesians 4:23

The Bible is filled with stories about people who experienced new beginnings. Moses became a leader after being a shepherd for 40 years. Paul hated Christ until God renewed him and made him one of the greatest apostles of all time.

When we receive Jesus as our Savior, it is the ultimate new beginning. We become new creatures with an opportunity to learn a new way of living. But the first step to experiencing that new life is believing that it’s available to you.

Ephesians 4:23 says we must be constantly renewed in our minds and attitudes. It’s easy to read about great people in the Bible and think that you are nothing like them, but when you start to think that, you need to renew your mind right away.

Choose to think according to God’s Word—not how you feel. Receive His love and experience a new beginning. Life will become so much sweeter if you live with an attitude that says “God is completely changing me from the inside out. He’s giving me a new beginning and there are greater things ahead.”

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As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.— Psalm 103:12

When we let God take our messes and turn them into miracles, the Father has the ability to use our mistakes for our good if we will only trust Him.

Isaiah 61:3 says He will give us “beauty instead of ashes,” but I find that many people want to hold on to their ashes, the cinders of the past, as reminders of their shortcomings and failures. I encourage you to let go of your ashes and reach for something new.

Too many people live in the past, feeling like they’ll never have another chance. Do you need a second chance? Ask God for a second chance or a third, fourth or fifth—whatever you need. God is full of mercy and long-suffering. His loving-kindness never fails or comes to an end.

The Bible says that He has removed your transgressions from you, so you don’t have to hang on to them anymore.

Jesus came to lift burdens, but you must be willing to let them go and believe He is greater than your mistakes. Give Him your ashes today.

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Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.— Psalm 23:4

We often think of trusting God for things we need or want, but a true relationship of trust in God extends beyond trusting Him just to get something. We need to learn to trust Him through the process of attaining those things we desire.

There was a time in my life when I focused intensely on trusting God for things, saying, “I want this, God,” and “I need such and such, God.” He began to show me that getting all those things was not the most important issue in my life.

He wanted to teach me how to trust Him enough to walk through situations with stability and a good attitude on a consistent basis. He needed me to learn that He may not always rescue us when we want to get out of circumstances, but He is always with us as we walk through them.

God does not always deliver us from everything when we think He should, but He is always with us. Today, instead of focusing on just the end result, realize that God is with you now. He is near to you, so trust Him to walk with you through the process.

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And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.— Isaiah 30:21

The Holy Spirit always wants to lead us through life, but sometimes we get so focused on seemingly “big” issues that we don’t realize how much He speaks in small promptings every day.

I was on my way home one day and intended to stop and get a cup of coffee, when I had a strong impression that I should call my secretary and ask if she wanted a cup too. When I called, she said, “I was just standing here thinking, I would love a good cup of coffee right now.”

You see, God wanted to give her the desire of her heart, and He wanted to work through me. I did not hear a loud voice or see an angel or have a vision. I simply had an inner sense or thought that I should offer her a cup of coffee.

In the same way, God wants to bless the people in your life. I encourage you today to keep your heart sensitive to God’s voice. Follow the little promptings. He will speak to your heart and lead you in the way you should go.

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Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Wrong choices cause regret, and when we experience regret we need to deal with it and let it teach us how to make better choices in the future.

I understand firsthand that wrong choices lead to regret. I remember a time several years ago when I looked at myself and saw a noticeable difference between my husband, Dave, and me, because he has exercised all his life and is healthy, strong and in good physical shape.

Initially, I merely regretted that I wasn’t as strong as Dave, but then I realized I could do something about it. I now exercise regularly and have been amazed by the positive difference it has made.

The Bible says that with God, you are a new creation. You don’t have to live in your old ways, but you can now make new, better choices empowered by the Holy Spirit. If you find yourself regretting some of the unwise choices you have made in the past, don’t be deceived into thinking it is too late to do anything about it. Just start doing what’s right and then stick with it.

As you start making better choices, you will come to experience a life of enjoying God’s blessings every day.

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.— Psalm 1:1

Living above society’s moral decline involves the choices we make regarding our conversations, the way we dress, what we read, and the TV shows and movies we watch. It also has to do with the level of integrity with which we live our personal lives, interact with other people and conduct ourselves in our businesses or professions.

As Christians, we need to encourage one another to live by godly standards and resist the pull of the world. A well-known quote offers some good advice: “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

One of God’s great gifts to mankind is the power of choice. If we want to enjoy the blessings He has for us, we need to make lifestyle choices that align with His Word and are consistent with the values of His Word, not choices reflecting the constantly eroding values of the world.

I urge you to make a decision to serve God wholly, putting Him first in everything you do.

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The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.— 1 Samuel 2:7

There is a distinction between natural favor and supernatural favor. Natural favor must be earned, but supernatural favor is a gracious gift from God.

First Samuel 2:7 says, The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up. A perfect example of this is found in the life of Esther. God raised her up out of obscurity to become the queen of the entire land. He gave her favor with everyone she met, including the king.

Esther drew upon that favor to save herself and her people from being murdered by Haman, who was an evil man. She may have been afraid to go to the king and ask him to intervene, but Esther knew she had favor with God and pressed on with complete confidence in Him.

Like Esther, we should live with the freedom and liberty that comes from living in God’s favor. Regardless of the circumstances that come into your life, believe God for supernatural favor.

Despite how hopeless things may seem, God can lift you up. If your life is in His hands, the light of the Lord shines upon you.

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The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out.— Proverbs 17:14

Strife is one of the main weapons the enemy uses against Christians. I believe there are three things that open us up to a spirit of strife.

1. Our mouths: Wrong words spoken at the wrong time can certainly start a firestorm. The more wrong words we pour on the fire, the bigger it gets. One way to stop a fire is to remove the fuel.
2. Our pride: Although wrong words may open us up to strife, it is a proud heart that refuses to be quiet in order to have peace. Pride demands that we have the last word, but the Word says it will lead to destruction (see Proverbs 16:18).
3. Our opinions: We can often get into strife by trying to convince others of our own opinions. When we realize we have much to learn and stop giving our opinions when they aren’t necessary, we will begin to gain the knowledge we need.

The enemy will always try to infiltrate our lives with strife. Make a decision to honor God and others by resisting strife and instead pursuing peace, unity and understanding.

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.— Psalm 94:12-13

When life or people disappoint us, we have a responsibility to remain stable and continue with God’s purpose for our lives.

Consider Psalm 94:12-13. Notice that it does not say that God keeps us calm. It says He gives us power to keep ourselves calm. We are partners with God. His part is to give us ability and our part is to be responsible and exercise that ability.

Responsibility means, “to respond to the ability we have.” An irresponsible person wants God to do everything while he does nothing except follow his feelings. But don’t let your feelings run the show. Declare out loud right now, “I have attended my last pity party.” I can promise you, in the end you will feel much better about yourself if you take responsibility rather than if you avoid it.

God cares for you, but He won’t do your part. He enables you to do it, but let me emphasize that He won’t do it for you! I dare you to stand firm, take responsibility and begin working with God to have the blessed life He’s planned for you.

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