Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit. You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:33–34 (AMPC)

A woman I’ll call Dorothy knew more about the church and every member and visitor than anyone else did. She was fairly well known as the church gossip. “One thing about her,” a friend said, “she’s not prejudiced—she talks about everyone,” and he laughed. He also added, “She’ll probably get into heaven, but God may have to cut off her tongue first.”

One day as I stood near the front door, I heard Dorothy telling several people about one of the deacons, “But it isn’t up to me to judge him,” she said. The venom poured from her mouth, and she went on to mention several others. Of course, she was critical of each one.

I listened to her and realized something. She was only speaking from what was already inside her heart. That’s obvious, but I grasped something else. Dorothy was so critical of herself, so filled with disgust for herself, how could she speak well of others?

Too often people make promises that they’ll speak better of others and gossip less. They really try, but nothing ever changes. This is because they are trying to change their words without changing their thoughts. That’s a bad solution, because they start at the wrong end. What they need to do is look inward, asking, “What is going on inside of me?”

“For out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Jesus said. As I considered those words, I felt a deep compassion for Dorothy. She had allowed Satan to fill her mind with critical, harsh thoughts. She didn’t speak much about herself, but I’m sure she was totally critical of herself as well as other people, and when she spoke, the evil words came out of her mouth.

Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit. The same is true of our lives. Everything begins with a thought. If we allow negative and unkind thoughts to fill our minds, they bear fruit. If we dwell on the bad, we produce bad fruit..

If I believe God truly loves me, and if I enjoy fellowship with Him every day, I’m planting good seeds in my own heart. The more good seeds I plant, the more good fruit I produce. The more I think kind and loving thoughts, the more I see others as kind and loving.

“Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Kind or judgmental words don’t just come to us—they come out of our mouths because we have nurtured them in our minds. The more we open ourselves to the Spirit’s positive and loving thoughts, the more we pray, and the more we read God’s Word, the more good fruit we produce on the inside—and that good fruit shows itself by the way we behave toward others.

Prayer of the Day: Dear loving God, I ask You to forgive me for all the harsh things I’ve said about other people. Also, please forgive me for allowing harsh thoughts to fill my mind—about myself or about others. I know I can’t make myself more loving, but You can. Please, help me focus on healthy, positive thoughts, for I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Psalm 100:1-2 (NIV)

If the devil wasn’t afraid of our joy, he wouldn’t work so hard to take it away from us. Even though we may not be able to find joy in our circumstances, we can always find joy in Jesus. He gives us hope, and when we have hope we cannot be defeated. Hope opens the door for joy.

You have the hope of eternal life. If you research how many promises of God are in the Bible, you will find thousands of promises on which you can stand on in times of trouble, knowing that God’s Word is always true.

Smile and laugh as much as possible, because the more joy you have, the more powerful you are.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to pay more attention to You than I do to my problems. Help me be filled with joy as I trust You to take care of everything that concerns me.

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Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.

Proverbs 4:25 (AMPC)

I am leaving soon on a ministry trip to Europe where I will teach nine times. I want to be totally prepared for all of the teaching sessions when I leave, so I made a plan to stay home all day today and finish the messages I had not yet completed. I finished all of them except for one and started being double minded about whether or not I wanted to finish or quit working and do something more relaxing. Does that sound familiar?

I knew that the best choice was to stay on track, so I did. When I finished the last message, I felt a huge sense of relief that everything was done and I was ready to go. I was so glad that I was finished, and I didn’t have to face tomorrow with the project still needing to be done. I still have time to relax, but now I can do it with joy rather than a feeling that I really should have stayed on track.

The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, I urge you to ask yourself how you will feel later if you quit halfway to your goal. A job half done doesn’t feel as good as a job completed!

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me stay focused and on track when I have a job to do. I want to be a person who finishes what I start.

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But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)

We rush to get every new upgrade available for our computer and phone. We spend money, wait in lines, do whatever it takes to have the newest and best. We are very aggressive about having the best equipment available, but are we as aggressive about having the upgraded life Jesus offers us?

The Bible says that the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter every day (Prov. 4:18). This means God is always drawing us toward better and better things. He continually offers upgrades, and we should be determined to have each one of them.

Living the best life God has for you will require some effort on your part. You will need to educate yourself on the life He offers and what it truly means to be born again. As a child of God, you have an inheritance and you have certain rights and privileges, but if you don’t know about them, you will never enjoy them. We educate ourselves through Bible study, reading good books about biblical principles, spending time with God, and being in com- munity with other people who are seeking God as we are. We also need a lot of patience because God is usually not in a hurry. He is always working in our lives, but we are not always aware of it.

Simply going to church once a week doesn’t necessarily help you attain the upgraded life you desire. It helps, but you will have to also seek God diligently every day of your life, not just once or twice a week. God has provided countless tools for us to help us grow, but we must avail ourselves of them. I want to challenge you to set aside at least 45 minutes to an hour a day and call it your “God Time.” Make it a goal, and if you need to begin with less time, that is okay because gradually you will desire more. During that time, you can study your Bible, talk to God in prayer, listen to a Bible teaching, read a book that will help you under- stand the Bible better, or simply sit in God’s presence and receive His love.

If you do this diligently, you will find over time that you have changed and are enjoying yourself and your life much more than ever before. Any good relationship requires time, and your relationship with God is no different. God has so many wonderful things in His plan for you, and during this time you will learn what they are and how to access them. You can’t use what you don’t know you have! For example, you have a Helper, who is the Holy Spirit, and He is with you all the time. Anytime you need help with anything, all you need to do is ask. This and many other wonderful things are yours in Christ, so get busy learning about them and start enjoying the upgraded life Jesus died for you to have.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I think it’s time for an upgrade, and I know it begins with spending regular, set-apart time with You. So, here I am, asking that You help me to truly understand the importance of growing closer to You, amen.

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To you it was shown, that you might realize and have personal knowledge that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him. Out of heaven He made you hear His voice, that He might correct, discipline, and admonish you; and on earth He made you see His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.

Deuteronomy 4:35-36 (AMPC)

One night I was lying in bed and heard a noise upstairs. The longer I listened to it, the more frightened I became. Finally, shaking from fear, I went upstairs to see what it was. I had to laugh when I discovered it was ice cubes falling in the ice tray from the ice maker. It just happened that the way they were falling was making a noise they did not normally make.

Lack of knowledge causes fear, and knowledge removes it. Knowledge will help you have confidence. If you are going for a job interview, make sure you are prepared and have all the knowledge you will need with you to answer questions the interviewer may ask you. We live in a world today where knowledge is as close as your computer. Not only can you do online research about the company you’re applying to, but you can find tips on how to have a successful interview!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, equip me with the knowledge I need to be confident, and grant me the kind of confidence that leads to success. Point me to what I need to know to be effective for You, amen.

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Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?

Matthew 6:26 (AMP)

Unless we intentionally focus on the blessings of God during our quiet time with Him, it can be easy to take those blessings for granted. I encourage you to fix your focus and begin seriously considering all the ways God is helping, protecting, and providing for you.

Are you breathing today? If so, you are a recipient of God’s goodness. Do you have a home, a job, family, and friends? If the answer is yes, then you are experiencing the blessings of God. Do you have food to eat, clean water to drink, and clothes to wear? If so, you are blessed!

Perhaps you don’t have all of these things, but you do have some of them, and you can rejoice in what you do have. I can assure you that no matter how difficult your circumstances are right now, there are many things in your life that are better than you may have realized.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me intentionally focus on Your many blessings and be grateful for Your constant provision and protection. You have been so good to me. Thank You.

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Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.

Galatians 4:7 (AMPC)

As a Christian, you believe Jesus died for your sins and that when you die you will go to heaven because you believe in Him. But there is more to our redemption than that. There is a life of victory God wants for you now.

It is impossible to live victoriously in this earth without understanding your rightful authority and dominion over the devil and all his works. Your position “in Christ” is one of being seated at the right hand of the Lord God Omnipotent.

God wants to restore you to the place of authority that is yours. He has already made all the arrangements; you might say He has “sealed the deal.” The purchase price has been paid in full. You have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus. Therefore, I encourage you to go forth with confidence and enjoy the life Jesus has provided for you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, thank You for the power that is already available to me, and the authority I have as a believer in You. Because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross, I have the power to defeat the enemy at every turn. I love You so much, amen.

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That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

2 Timothy 1:6 (AMPC)

In our spiritual lives we are either aggressively going forward on purpose, or we are slipping backward. There is no such thing as stagnant Christianity. It is vital to keep pressing on. That is why Timothy was instructed to fan the flame and rekindle the zeal that once filled his heart. He had gotten weary, and the fire that once burned in him had become a dim flicker.

Evidently Timothy had taken a step backward, perhaps because of fear. It is certainly easy to understand why Timothy may have lost his courage and confidence. It was a time of extreme persecution, and his mentor Paul was in jail. Yet Paul strongly encouraged Timothy to stir himself up, get back on track, remember the call on his life, resist fear, and remember that God had given him a spirit of power and love and of a sound mind.

Any time we let fear dominate us, we begin to slip backward. Fear prevents our progress and causes us to want to turn and run instead of aggressively moving forward. If you are unsure, uncertain, or even feeling afraid today, receive Paul’s encouragement to Timothy. Stir up your faith, be on fire for God, and never forget that He is with you. With Him at your side, no matter how difficult things may look, you can do whatever you need to do through Him.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I never want to give up, ever! I need You to stir up my faith, and to help me move forward with courage. Help me to trust in Your power, and lean on Your presence, amen.

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For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

Psalm 91:11 (AMPC)

A lady who works for me says that she doesn’t have a “big” testimony. She just grew up in the church, loving God. She got married, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and then came to work for us. Through our ministry, she was moved by the testimonies of drug addicts and people who have suffered abuse. One day she asked God, “Lord, why don’t I have a testimony?” He said, “You do have a testimony. Your testimony is that I kept you from all of it.” God had kept her from the pain that results from being separated from Him.

The keeping power of God is a great testimony! Some people are kept from tragic things. Some people are kept as they go through tragic things. His plan for each one of us is perfect, and we can trust His keeping power!

Psalm 91 teaches that He will give His angels charge over us, and they will protect and defend us. It’s true that some things happen in our lives that we don’t like, but what has God kept us from that we never even knew Satan had planned against us? We need to thank God for His keeping power. We can relax knowing that He is our Keeper.

I don’t know how I’ve done what I’ve done over these past years. I look back at my calendars and see how hard I’ve worked. I read some of my prayer journals and remember some of the things I’ve gone through with people, and the hurt I’ve felt. I think, How did I ever get through that? But God held me together. He strengthened me. He kept me. And I can see now that I worried about a lot of things I didn’t have to worry about because they worked out okay anyway. God will do the same thing for you as you trust Him.

God has a plan, and He is working His plan. We can trust that and relax. Psalm 145:14 (AMPC) says, The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, Your Word says that You never sleep nor slumber. Help me to relax and trust You to strengthen me and protect me all the days of my life. Help me to trust Your plan and find peace in Your care, amen.

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I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe….

Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV)

Rather than focus on negative things in life, the Bible teaches us to see good things in Christ with the “eyes of your heart.” Ephesians 1:17–19 says that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation are important so we may:

• Have knowledge of God or know God Himself. This is not knowledge gained through education, but revelation.
• Know the hope of our calling, the eternal plan of God and how we fit into it. We can be thankful that God has called us to be His sons and daughters, and as such, we have an inheritance.
• Know that revelation knowledge of God’s power is available to us. We can do anything God asks us to do because of the greatness of His power.

Give thanks today that you can know God, have hope, and live in His power!

Prayer of the Day: I thank You, Father, that You have given me hope in Christ Jesus. Today, I will focus on the good things in my life and listen for Your voice. Thank You that You lead and guide me in the wisdom and revelation of Your Word and Your Holy Spirit.

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Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4:25-27 (AMPC)

Jesus knew what His purpose was. He disciplined Himself to stay on course, living His life to fulfill that purpose for which He came. As Christians, we need to follow in His steps and focus on our purpose. We were bought with a price to live our lives in such a way that we become the salt of the earth, the light of the world (See Matthew 5).

We are to lay down our selfish, self-centered lifestyles, and gear our lives toward doing something for the betterment of someone else. Then we will experience that “joy unspeakable, and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I come to You today, in the name of Jesus, and ask You to help me stay focused on my purpose and to live selflessly. You are the best possible example to follow. Thank You, God, amen.

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…Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)

“I’m a nobody,” my friend Gary said, “and besides, God has so many millions of people to look out for, and in comparison with some of them, my problems seem so petty.”

His words shocked me. Of course, God has millions to care for—but He can care for all of them at the same time. Gary missed something very important. God wants us to ask for help—and to ask often. Look at it this way: If Satan constantly attacks our minds, how else can we fortify ourselves? We fight back—but our major weapon is to cry out to the Lord asking for His strength to become ours!

Too many times, we think we can do it ourselves. In some instances, that may be true, but if we’re going to win continually over the attacks against our minds, we must realize that willpower alone won’t work. What we need is the humility to turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to strengthen us.

I realize that many people do not grasp how the Lord lovingly operates in their lives. Not only does God love us like a father, but He also has caring concern for every part of our lives. Our heavenly Father wants to intervene and help us, but He waits for an invitation to get involved. We issue that invitation and open the door for God’s help through prayer. God’s Word says, You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2 NKJV).

Perhaps we can think of it this way. God is watching us all the time, and He is aware of the temptations, struggles, and hardships we face—and we all face them. If we think we can do it by ourselves, God takes no action. But He remains ready to jump in and rescue us as soon as we cry out, asking for the power of the Holy Spirit to operate in our lives.

Our victory begins with right thinking. We have to be convinced that God cares, wants to act, and waits for us to cry out. When we cry out, we understand the words quoted previously, that it’s not by force or power, but by God’s Holy Spirit that victory comes. For example, take the matter of personal fellowship—daily time spent in prayer and reading the Word. As Christians, we know this is what God wants and what we need if we’re going to mature spiritually. At one time in my life, I tried to maintain spiritual self-discipline. I determined that I would pray and read my Bible every single day. I would do well for two or three days, and then something would interfere—sometimes my family or something at our church, but mostly little things that took my attention away from daily fellowship with my Lord.

One day, in desperation, I cried out, “Without Your help, I’ll never be faithful in doing this.” That’s when the Holy Spirit came to me and gave me the self-discipline I needed. It was almost as if God watched me struggle and allowed me to become frustrated and angry with myself. But as soon as I sincerely asked for help, the Spirit came to my rescue. We are too independent, and we experience a lot of unnecessary frustration simply because we try to do things without God’s help.

With the Spirit’s help, I am learning—yes, still learning—that I can choose what I want to think about. I can choose my thoughts, and I need to do that carefully. Unless I’m in regular fellowship with Him, I won’t know the difference between healthy thoughts and unhealthy ones. And if I don’t know the difference, I provide the opportunity for Satan to sneak into my mind and torment me. Spend plenty of time studying God’s Word, and you will quickly recognize each lie that Satan tries to plant in your mind.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, I want to think thoughts that honor You. I want to have a mind that’s fully centered on You, and I know that can’t happen unless I spend daily time with You. Help me, Holy Spirit; help me to be obedient and eager to be in constant fellowship with You, amen.

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He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91:15-16 (NIV)

Today’s scripture can be tied to another favorite scripture which says, “Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name” (Psalm 91:14 NIV). The psalmist is writing about angelic protection, and it is important to know that this protection does not mean we will never experience trial or affliction. It means we are protected from whatever the enemy ultimately plans for us as long as we keep our trust in God and believe and speak of Him in accordance with His Word.

Remember that Psalm 91:14 sets us up to receive certain promises from God because of our love for Him. In that context, the Lord says that He will answer us when we call on Him. He then makes several promises I’d like for us to focus on today, because they show us that our deliverance doesn’t always happen immediately; they represent a pattern, and a progression God often takes us through.

It took many years for me to see this pattern: God is with us in our trials and troubles, then He begins to deliver us out of them, and afterward He honors us. Then He satisfies us with long life and shows us His salvation. As we go through this progression, we will develop greater trust, peace, and joy in the Lord. Going through things with God helps us to develop a more intimate relationship with Him. Isn’t that what you want? I certainly do.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Lord, for Your promise that because I love You, You will be with me in my trials, You will deliver me, You will honor me, and You will satisfy me with long life and show me Your salvation.

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Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

I believe one reason many people live in emotional turmoil is that they refuse to forgive people who have hurt or wronged them. Whether we realize it or not, unforgiveness is often the root of negative feelings. Many people feel justified and think they have a right to refuse to forgive. They think they should hurt the people who hurt them. But this isn’t emotionally healthy or wise.

Very painful things can happen to us in life. Many times, the key to getting through them and being able to enjoy our lives in the future is learning to forgive what has happened in the past. I’m convinced that, as believers and followers of Christ, we will never experience joy-filled, victorious lives unless we forgive people.

Forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a choice. We can choose to forgive someone whether we feel like it or not. We can even choose to forgive while we feel angry or hurt. Once we make the decision to forgive, our emotions eventually calm down. As we continue to walk in forgiveness, hurt and anger subside. We may not choose to restore our relationship with the person who hurt us, but forgiveness sets us free from negative feelings toward them and may eventually lead us to feel compassion for them. When we forgive people, we can bless them and pray for them, as Jesus teaches. As a result, we will be blessed too. We don’t know all the blessings that will come from forgiveness, but we do know it will lead to peace in our hearts and that it’s a key to emotional health.

Prayer of the Day: God, help me choose to forgive everyone who has hurt or wronged me, even when I don’t feel like forgiving them.

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If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness and joy.

Job 36:11 (AMPC)

Dave and I regularly need to hear from God about many things. We need to hear from Him about how to handle people, circumstances, and numerous events and specific situations. Our constant prayer is, “What should we do about this? What should we do about that?” It seems a hundred things happen every week in which Dave and I have to be of quick understanding and make God-driven decisions. If we don’t obey God on Monday, our week can be in chaos on Friday. Therefore, we are determined that we are not going to live in disobedience. Many people are concerned about the specific will of God for their lives, wondering what He wants them to do. For example: “Lord, should I take this job, or do you want me to take another job? Do You want me to do this, or do You want me to do that?” I believe God wants to give us the specific direction we long for, but He is even more concerned about our obedience to His general will for our lives, which we find in His Word—things like being thankful at all times in every situation, never complaining, always being content, displaying the fruit of the Spirit, and forgiving those who hurt or disappoint us.

If we are not obeying the guidelines He has already given us in Scripture, we will have difficulty hearing what He has to say about His specific will for us. As you endeavor to hear God more and more clearly and to follow His will for your life, remember to make a priority of knowing and obeying His general will by staying rooted in His Word. Then, you can hear Him more easily when He speaks to you specifically.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please guide me in every decision I make and every situation I find myself in today. Help me to obey Your will and clearly discern Your voice, amen.

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…God, your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of jubilation.

Psalm 45:7 (AMP)

It’s one thing to have a goal, but in order to see that goal become a reality, there are accompanying action steps you have to take. And one of those steps is having the right attitude.

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression Your attitude determines your altitude. Well, this expression is popular for a reason—it’s absolutely 100 percent right! You’ll never be a confident, successful, happy person with a doubtful, defeated, sour attitude.

The first step to take in order to realize any goal is to adjust your attitude. Instead of thinking, I can’t, choose to think, I can do all things through Christ! (see Philippians 4:13).

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me to keep a positive attitude at all times, as I know my attitude determines my altitude. Please help me to truly believe that I can achieve my goals with Your help, amen.

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For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become…the righteousness of God….

2 Corinthians 5:21 (AMPC)

This verse gives you cause for great rejoicing, but the enemy tries to undermine your joy by pointing out you don’t measure up to God’s standard. That’s when you must boldly declare that God has done a good work in you and you are in the process of change.

When you accept salvation there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or less than He already does. This doesn’t mean you don’t sin anymore or that when you do sin you can just dismiss it. It simply means God loves you even while you are in the process of becoming like Christ. You have not arrived yet, but you are making progress.

God understands that growing and learning is a process, and He wants you to enjoy yourself while you’re on the way to reaching the goal.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, thank You for Your unconditional love. Help me to find joy in the progress I’m making and to trust You in everything You are doing in me. I love You, Lord, amen.

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Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

Psalm 7:9 (NKJV)

Have you ever gone to the furniture store to buy a chair without sitting on it? Have you ever purchased a car without test-driving it? Of course not, and God also tests us to reveal the quality of our faith.

No matter what we think of ourselves, we find out what we are truly like in times of difficulty. Good times don’t bring out the worst in us, but hard times do. That’s why God says these difficult times can actually be good for us. They allow us to see what is in our character that needs to be changed.

As we choose to learn to trust God during challenging times instead of getting upset, we experience His faithfulness, which, in turn, increases our faith for the next time we need it. The more we use our muscles, the more they grow—it’s the same way with our faith in God.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I know You love me and that this test—the challenge I am facing right now—will only strengthen my faith. Help me to lean into You and trust You completely. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Philippians 4:13 (AMPC)

One thought that has the power to transform your life is simple: I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ. In other words, I can handle whatever life hands me. I wonder—do you believe you can do whatever you need to do in life? Or are there certain things that trigger dread, fear, or cause you to say, “I could never do that!” when you think about them?

Whether it’s suddenly losing a loved one, facing a serious unexpected illness, having your adult child with two toddlers move into your clean and quiet house after you’ve had an “empty nest” for years, going on a strict diet because your life depends on it, putting yourself on a budget to avoid foreclosure on your home, or suddenly having to care for a disabled elderly parent—most people have some kind of circumstance that truly seems impossible to them, something they aren’t sure they can or could handle.

The fact of the matter is, while some situations may be intensely undesirable or difficult for you, you can do whatever you need to do in life. I know this because God tells us in His Word that we have the strength to do all things because Christ empowers us to do so. He doesn’t say everything will be easy for us, He doesn’t promise we will enjoy every little thing we do, but we can enjoy life in the midst of doing them.

We must understand that Philippians 4:13 does not say we can do anything we want to do because we are strong enough, smart enough, or hardworking enough. No, in fact, it leaves no room at all for human effort or striving of any kind. The secret to being able to do what we need to do is realizing that we cannot do it alone; we can only do it in Christ.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me to trust that I can handle anything life throws at me through Christ’s strength. Help me to always remember that I am never alone during hard times, because You are always with me, amen.

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And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMPC)

Transformation doesn’t happen overnight, and the process can seem very slow at times. But that doesn’t change the fact that one of the benefits of living in a relationship with Jesus is the freedom to forget the past and move ahead into what God has for us.

When you are tempted to condemn yourself over the progress you think you should be making, turn your focus back on Jesus and be thankful that He is doing His work in your life in His perfect timing. Remind yourself, “God loves me, and He has a good plan for my life. I haven’t arrived yet, but I’m okay and I’m on my way!” Remember that through faith you have been made right with God, and even though you have not arrived at perfection, you are making progress.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, that You are transforming my life in Your perfect timing. I trust You, and I choose not to feel condemned or frustrated anymore. You are at work in my life, and I am grateful for that.

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