“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…” Isaiah 9:2 Advent begins by acknowledging darkness — our struggles, fears, and the things that feel heavy. God doesn’t wait for everything to get better before He brings hope. He sends light into the darkness. Hope is not pretending everything is fine; it’s trusting…
We all find ourselves in one of these four positions in our walk with Christ: 1) Knowing God. Not just what we’ve heard about Him, but really discovering who God is. 2) Finding freedom. God, through Jesus, has forgiven and restored us. It is this new life that sets us free. Our enemy, the devil,…
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.” Luke 17:15 A grateful heart doesn’t just say “thank you” — it sees God’s grace in every good thing.When we live with awareness of His blessings, even small ones, we begin to experience the joy and…
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 Paul’s joy wasn’t in his past achievements or…
“… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12b-13 The world can be dark with selfishness, complaining, fear, and sin. But when God’s people live out their faith, we shine like stars in the…
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2 This passage is one of the most powerful descriptions…
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 Have you ever met someone who seemed unshakable? No matter what life threw at them, they still had peace, even joy. Maybe it was a cancer patient who smiled through treatment, or a grieving parent who held onto hope. You wonder,…
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:3-5 Paul’s joy wasn’t tied to his prison cell. It was tied to partnership in the gospel. Gratitude for God’s…
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him (Jesus) because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your…