“I was just pondering something…you know, sometimes when we pray for something we get the answer quickly, but sometimes we have to wait and wait and wait. And I don’t know about you, but patience is not exactly my strong suit. It’s not a very pleasant thing to wait, is it? But you know what? That waiting is all part of God’s process. He’s working out that situation to perfection. So instead of asking, ‘why is this taking so long?’ Maybe our attitude should be ‘God, I thank you for working this out perfectly. And I thank you that what you promised is on the way.’” ~CJ McKay

Have you had the experience yet of having to wait on an answer to a prayer, and when you get that answer you see the reason it needed to take so long? If you haven’t, keep praying and trusting that God sees the whole picture and understands what is best for you. God is so faithful to show us how He works sometimes to build our faith and trust in Him. Today we’re going to talk about 2 different kinds of waiting on God. 

It All Starts with Prayer

The key to effective waiting is prayer. First, you need to hand over control of the situation, and then wait to hear what God’s perfect direction is. We need to be a people who stop and ask God’s will before we jump to try to solve our own problems. You might be thinking, that’s easier said than done! I agree. How many times have I come up against a problem and started panicking and scrambling for a solution before it occurs to me to pray? We must train ourselves to pray first, and then listen to God as He leads us. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3.5-6 ESV

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

Micah 7.7 ESV

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Wait and Be Still

When you ask the Lord for help or direction, there will be times you feel Him leading you to be still- to not do anything but watch Him work. (Or you might not be feeling Him saying anything.) To our American sensibilities, this might feel lazy or irresponsible, or even downright maddening when we think we’ve got a great plan all worked out, but it comes down to trust. Do we really trust that God knows best, or do we trust our own understanding above all else? 

I’m reminded of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings. He was obedient to what God told him to do and as a result he had to go into hiding. God could have provided Elijah with food and water in any number of ways, but He ordained for ravens to bring him food twice a day. 

“So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

1 Kings 17.5-6 NIV

Do Something and Wait

Then there will be times that God leads you to do something in response to your prayers. God works in such interesting ways and many times either the thing you feel led to do isn’t what you expected, or the outcome is not what you thought it would be. The situations we face in our everyday lives are rarely as simple and straightforward as we wish they would be, but we can rest assured that God has a plan and it’s for our good. 

In the book of Acts, God called Ananais to go to Saul, who was well known as a persecutor of Christians. God had a plan to redeem Saul that involved Ananais. Seeing God work through the stories of the Bible shows us we can’t just follow a pattern or do what someone else has done. We have to trust God and obey what He says, because we never know what He has planned.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”

Acts 9.10-15

If you’re in a season of waiting, I hope this blog has given you hope and comfort. Try to focus on what you’re learning in this season and knowing that God is working it all out according to His good plan for your future. 

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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“When your faith runs out, just judge God faithful.”

Sometimes you don’t know why you’ve got a question mark in your life. I remember a time I got hit with a job loss, a relative who I really loved passed away, and then medical issues cropped up all in a short amount of time. And I just was wondering, why Lord is this going on? But you know what? God brought me through all of that. And I learned that an exclamation point is simply a question mark that’s been straightened out. I learned that if I want God to turn my question marks into an exclamation point, then all I’ve got to do is trust Him.

For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Psalm 31.3-5

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You know, sometimes when we pray for something, we get the answer quickly, but sometimes we have to wait and wait and wait. And I don’t know about you, but patience is not exactly my strong suit. It’s not a very pleasant thing to wait, is it? But you know what? That waiting is all part of God’s process. He’s working out that situation to perfection. So instead of asking, “why is this taking so long?” Maybe our attitude instead should be, “God, I thank you for working this out perfectly. And I thank you that what You promised is on the way.”

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens

Ecclesiastes 3.1

This is something we all should do from time to time. Especially in life, when things are rough. Take some time to look back over your life and contemplate all the times God was good to you. I mean the times where He made a way when you didn’t see a way, He brought you to the right place at the right time so that you were blessed. Your health didn’t look good, but somehow He turned that around. Maybe you made mistakes that should have held you back, but God and His mercy covered you and brought you to a really nice place in life. So yeah, from time to time, let’s look back over our lives and contemplate God’s goodness.

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.

Psalm 145:5-7

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“I’m thoroughly convinced that one of the keys to a successful Christian life is to remember that God’s heart is one of mercy and forgiveness, not judgment. Maybe you remember in the Bible when the religious leaders brought this woman caught in the act of adultery before Jesus. They said, ‘look, she broke the law, and the law says she has to be put to death. What do you say about it?’ Well, that was a trap to try to catch Jesus in His words, but He replied to them (paraphrased) ‘whoever among you guys has never done anything wrong before, you throw the first stone at her.’ Of course with that, they all slinked away. Jesus said to the woman, ‘look, I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more.’ You see, the religious leaders would if they could, but they could not. And Jesus could if we would, but He would not. All because He’s the embodiment of God’s heart- a heart of mercy and forgiveness, not judgment.” ~CJ McKay

Remember God’s Heart

In case you’re not familiar with the Scripture CJ is referring to, here’s the full text from John 8: “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ “

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Jesus, Friend of Sinners

In a commentary from Enduring Word, I found this beautiful and encouraging explanation of this story. Referring to when Jesus bent down to write on the ground: “a low posture, identifying with the humiliation of the woman. Jesus did what He could to identify with, care for, and ease the embarrassment of this woman. One may say this story illustrates the great problem: how can God show love and grace to the sinner without being unjust, without breaking His own law? He does it by first identifying with the sinner in their low condition.”

What If We Must Confront Sin? 

In this interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders, we see “Jesus exposed a common sin: a desire to punish the sins of others, while ignoring our own sin. If we must look at the sins of others, we must be aware that we have also sinned. There is still a place for exposing and rebuking and directly dealing with the sins of others in God’s family, but it must always be done with a heart that recognizes itself as a forgiven sinner. When done right, confronting sin is done more often with tears and a broken heart than with anger and condemnation.” (Enduring Word Commentary)

When you’re struggling and being hard on yourself, or dealing with someone else being harsh with you, I hope you’ll remember God’s heart of mercy towards you. Turn toward Jesus and allow Him to help you repent and go forward in the knowledge of your identity as His child. 

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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Well, this certainly was a revelation to me. Sometimes as Christians we get caught up in doing our best to make things happen…we’re trying to get God to do things for us. I guess maybe I was caught up in that. The other day I heard this still small voice inside of me say, “Grace is already flowing; all you have to do is just get in it.” That’s all you have to do, just get into the grace and things will happen. And you know what? That grace started flowing at the cross and it’s been flowing ever since.

CJ McKay

Did you know that the Jews in the Old Testament were to follow approximately (there is some dispute among scholars) 613 laws or commandments to be right with God? While these days there might not be many people trying to keep all the Old Testament laws, the mindset of trying to earn salvation is surely alive and well. Let’s talk about why grace changes everything in the life of a believer, and how we can keep ourselves from falling into the trap of legalism. 

1) Understanding Grace

The form of grace you might be most familiar with is the characteristic of God towards people usually described as “undeserved favor” resulting in the possibility of our eternal salvation. But read the Scriptures carefully, and you’ll notice another meaning: “this favor overflows in powerful, practical helpfulness from God in your daily life where you most need it.” ~John Piper, (desiringGod.org) The beauty of this truth: not only does God give us the means to be reconciled to Him and saved from eternal punishment, but He also strengthens us to do what He’s made us to do in our daily lives. 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

2 Timothy 1.9

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9.8

2) How Grace Changes Us

So how should we live in the face of grace? We should be a deeply grateful, loving, humble people. When our human nature tries to rear up and cause us to be judgemental, harsh, or prideful, we’re forgetting that without God, we’re in exactly the same boat as the people we’re judging. 

The enemy is so tricky, and it’s easy to begin to subconsciously think that because we made the decision to follow Jesus, we’re actually better than the people who haven’t yet. Or that we’re doing better than other believers for some reason or another. Be wise to the tricks of the enemy, and root out thoughts like that ruthlessly. Humble yourself and immerse yourself in the Word to change your thinking and your heart.

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3) Lean Into Grace

If you find yourself struggling with your thoughts as described in the paragraph above, pray about it, confess, and find scriptures to help you change your thinking (examples to follow). Just as we can’t earn salvation, and we don’t have the strength in ourselves to obey the Word or do what God has called us to do, we also can’t change our minds on our own. Ask God to help you root out thoughts that are unpleasing to Him. Ask Him to replace your thoughts and the attitudes of your heart with His own. God, help me to see people the way You see them. Create in me a clean heart. 

Confession is a powerful way to humble yourself. Talking to God and asking forgiveness for the things you’ve done, thought, or neglected to do help you remember that you’re not perfect; that you need God as much as anyone else. 

Studying your Bible and choosing Scriptures to meditate on will help you change your thoughts. Below are 3 to start with, but I encourage you to find others that speak to you. 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3.23-24

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2.8-9

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 30.18

Fighting self-righteousness is something all believers have to do on one level or another. Do you have a go-to Scripture to help you in your fight?

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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Chances are you’ve heard “God loves you” or “Jesus loves you” more times than you can count. (And if not, hear it now- God DOES love you!) Have you really thought about what that means for you, though? What it does for you to have God’s love? Today we’re going to talk about 3 of the things God’s love does for us. 

God’s Love Gives Us Identity

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 

1 Peter 2.9

It seems from early childhood, everyone is trying to give you a label, for better or worse. A teacher might say, “You’re a slacker” or a kid at school might say, “you’re funny” etc. Our young brains latch onto what people tell us as we unconsciously search for our meaning and identity. The trouble is, no one truly knows our identity except our Creator. Only He knows what He made us for…who He made us to be. In a broad sense, when you become a Christ-follower, your identity becomes a child of God (John 1.12), a new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17), more than a conqueror (Romans 8.37), a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3.20), God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2.10), Jesus’ friend (John 15.15), and much much more!

God’s Love Gives Us Purpose

Purpose. What a loaded idea. People have searched for the meaning of life- the purpose of their existence in every imaginable place. Throughout history, people have tried living for accomplishments, money, pleasure, possessions, service, you name it. But just as our identity can only be given by our Creator, so can our purpose. As children of God, we all have a collective purpose and an individual purpose. Generally, our life purpose is to love God and obey His commands, bear fruit, and love others (John 15). Individually, He has gifted and prepared each of us for a specific purpose. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2.10

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Psalms 139.13-14

If you are unsure about your purpose, take some time to pray about it and read in your Bible about some of the gifts God has given certain people. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.)  It seems many people have a lot of angst and anxiety in this department, but don’t let yourself fall into that trap. It’s only the enemy that wants you to be confused. God created you and gave you the right personality and gifts for what He wants you to do. It’s not as hard to figure out as many people make it out to be, however, knowing your giftings is not the most important thing. Being obedient to what God asks you to do is what really matters. 

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God’s Love Gives Us A Future

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29.11

The future can seem like a scary thing unless you choose to remember 2 important truths about what God tells us. First, when we choose to accept His gift of salvation, we will live eternally with Him when our life on earth is over. Second, that He will always be with us. If we remember that God is with us- no matter what happens to us, no matter how bad things look around us, there is no room for fear. Keep your eyes on Him!

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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“Red Bull’s not the only thing that’ll give you wings. If you’re feeling a little bit worn down and you feel like you need a boost, you might want to meditate on Isaiah 40.31. It says that if you trust in the Lord you’ll find new strength, you’ll soar high on wings like eagles, you’ll run and not grow weary, and you’ll walk and not faint.”
~CJ McKay

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40.28-31 NIV

You’ve probably heard it said before, but it’s so easy to let busyness or work get the best of you because it’s encouraged and admired to be a hard worker. Having a lot to do makes us feel important, needed, and purposeful. And while it’s crucial to do what God has given us to do, and some things just can’t be avoided, are there more things on your schedule than you can realistically handle? God doesn’t mean for you to be worn out, over-stressed, and depleted. What can you lay down today? 

Another great Scripture to meditate on is:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11.28-30

Have you read this passage in the Message version? This is one I come back to often when I’m feeling overwhelmed or the pressure to sacrifice my well-being or mental health to get more done. Read this, and breathe (and feel your blood pressure go down!)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11.28-30 MSG

See what I mean? Take some time everyday to rest, to meditate on the Word of God, and in prayer, asking God what your schedule should look like. What is there in your life that only you can do?

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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“CJ here, with a question for you. How do you get someone to repent or to change their mind about something they’re doing? Do you tell them they’re no good over and over again, and that they should change, or what do you do? How do you get somebody to repent? Well, Romans 2.4 says that the goodness of God leads us to repent. That’s what happened to Peter. Remember when Jesus told him to lunge out in the deep, and they got all those fish in the net? Peter’s response was, “Go away from me because I’m a sinful man.” When Peter saw how good Jesus was, he repented. Same with us- when we see the goodness of God, it makes us want to do the right thing. It leads us to repentance.”

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

~Romans 2.4 NLT

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Are You Trying To Fix Your Loved Ones?

Many Christians fall into the trap of trying the “fix” the people in their lives…of trying to tell them exactly what they’re doing wrong and what they need to do differently- many times coming from a judgmental and superior perspective. I wonder if this approach has ever worked in the history of…ever? It’s not possible to control the people in our lives, so when we see our loved ones making mistakes and living in a way that scares us, it can be our first impulse to get angry, to try to scare them, to threaten or beg them to change. But if we look at Jesus, we see a sense of calm; a groundedness; a love that speaks the truth without trying to control.

So going back to CJ’s quote, how can we show the goodness of God and the kindness of Jesus to the people in our lives?

Prepare

1. Pray First

Ask God to guide you and to use you to reach the people in your life. Ask God to show you which people need to see His goodness and what you can do to show them. Write down people’s names as God brings them to your mind and set reminders to pray for them and watch for opportunities to show them love. Don’t be discouraged when people don’t respond to your efforts immediately. There is a great battle for people’s souls and the enemy doesn’t give up easily, so neither can we!

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

~John 6.44 ESV

Sharing is Caring

2. Share Your Story

Be open to tell people about the things God has done in your life. I know sometimes it’s hard and sometimes we feel shy or insecure about being vulnerable with our stories, but if you ask and listen to what people are dealing with, you’ll find many times you’ve dealt with the same things and have seen God move. I have found that when I’m honest and tell unbelievers about how God helped me in a certain situation, even if they’re not to the place of becoming believers themselves, they are usually thankful and that seed of the Gospel has been planted.

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

~1 Corinthians 3.7

You Already Have What You Need to Help

3. Help Where You Can

What’s something you can do to be a blessing to people? Do you cook? Sew? Listen well? Basically anything you can do can be a blessing to the right person. Ask God to bring you people to help and then step up to do what you can when you get the opportunity. Sometimes things come up spontaneously, and it’s so easy to talk yourself out of helping. You feel stupid, or you think the person is going to think you’re weird, or you wonder if you can really afford to help someone else. Rest assured that if you feel the nudge from the Holy Spirit to help someone, He will provide and it will mean something to that person.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

~Matthew 25.35-40

Keep in mind, sometimes you get to see a person be drawn to God by the kindness He has shown through you, and sometimes not. We definitely don’t want to be pushy or make the person feel like our kindness is conditional on them becoming a Christian right then and there. Keep praying for them, and if it’s a person you know, keep watching for ways to be a blessing, and for signs that they may want to make a decision for Jesus.

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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“This is actually pretty amazing. My name is C.J. McKay. According to a new survey, women are spending the equivalent of almost an entire month of the year worrying. The survey found that women spend an average of almost two hours a day feeling worried or stressed, with two thirds of that time spent feeling anxious about other people rather than themselves. So if that fits you, keep in mind 1 Peter 5:7 AMP: which says, ‘casting all your cares, all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns once and for all on Him, for He cares about you with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully.’”

Men and women worry about different things.

That might seem like the most obvious thing in the world, but the way we handle these differences can make a big difference in our relationships. Men are much more likely to worry about their job, money, health, and the future, while women tend to worry about family, relationships, children, and friends. What does this tell us? That men and women are uniquely equipped to handle different aspects of life; we process things differently and many times see the same situation in two completely different lights. And this is a good thing! God designed men and women to beautifully complement each other and bring balance to our lives. Instead of being frustrated by the differences between us, let’s look for ways to lift each other up and support each other. A really important way to do that is to remind each other Who to take our burdens to.

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Ways To Overcome Worry

1) Prayer

Never let yourself forget that we are not meant to carry our burdens alone. God has given us the promise that we’re never alone, and we never having to rely on our own strength (as much as we want to sometimes.)

Philippians 4.6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

2) Write

Stop what you’re doing and write down the things you can’t stop worrying about. Then write down a Scripture that speaks to what you’re worrying about. For example: if you’re worried about money, write Philippians 4.19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” This helps clear your mind so that new, truthful thoughts have room to grow.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12.2 NIV

3)Take care of yourself

It’s so important to take care of yourself. Eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep,  and exercising are all shown to help you live a less anxious life. When you stress out your body by overworking, eating junk, and not getting enough sleep, your mind pays the price as well as your body.

“We tend to separate our brain from the rest of our body, but good health means good health from a holistic perspective – from head to toe,” says Dr. Gabriela Cora, a board-certified psychiatrist. “Why wouldn’t we think eating well would also impact our mental health?”

4) Talk to someone

There’s no shame in working through things with a therapist. There are people who would tell you if you’re walking with Jesus, there’s no reason to talk to anyone else about what you’re dealing with. The truth is, Jesus has equipped people with the gifts, skills, experience, and passion necessary to help others walk through tough times in a way that gives glory to God. We have to remember it’s only the enemy who benefits from Christians being isolated and bound up with anxiety and fear. If you’re struggling, don’t go it alone.

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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“Do you have problems making decisions because you kind of feel like, ‘Well, I’m not sure I can hear from God.’  Well, here’s what Jesus said about that. In the New Living Translation, John 10:27, he said, ‘My sheep listened to my voice. I know them and they follow me.’ Jesus says, ‘Yeah, you do hear from me. You hear from God.’ Start believing that. Hope that’s a source of comfort for you.”

~CJ McKay

This is a source of insecurity for many Christians today- whether or not we can hear from God. Can you relate? One thing that might be tripping you up is if you’re expecting an audible voice or an unquestionable experience. That’s not the norm for most followers of Jesus. His Spirit speaks to us in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19.12) that we have to learn and practice to recognize. Be encouraged by the fact that God wants to speak to you. Jesus died on the cross for the very purpose of giving us a way to have a relationship with God. If you’re not sure how to distinguish God’s voice from your own thoughts, or the voice of the enemy, read on for 3 ways to tell.

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1. Does it line up with God’s Word?

One thing you can be very sure of: if you’re feeling a leading to do something that goes against God’s Word, it’s not God’s voice. Of course, this means you need to know what the Word of God says. Spending time reading the Bible and in prayer will help you know how to live your life, will show you the character of God, and will give you peace in times of trouble. 

2. How does it make you feel? 

The Bible tells us God is our loving father, that He corrects us for our good, and that He is patient and kind. On the other hand, the enemy is the father of lies, our accuser, and the author of confusion. To add another voice into the mix, our own voices are often speaking against the truth of God, out of our insecurities or lies we’ve come to believe. We can learn to discern the voice of God by spending time with Him, praying and listening, and by taking the time to think about what the voice is saying and how it’s saying it. 

3. Is there confirmation? 

God is not trying to trick us. He’s not purposefully making it hard for us to hear His voice. There’s so much noise around us today that we can easily lose focus and end up listening more to the voices of the world than to God. When you feel the Lord telling you something, watch for confirmation, probably from multiple sources. Many times I’ve felt the Lord trying to teach me something from Scripture, or telling me to do something, and then that same thing might come up in a conversation with a friend, in the sermon on Sunday, and then on my favorite radio program the next day! Prayerfully keep your eyes and ears open.

Remember, God knows your heart. If you are trying to please Him and be obedient to Him, He knows that. Your heart towards Him is more important than if you make every decision perfectly or make all the right moves. Learning to recognize God’s voice in your life might take some practice, but you’ll learn from your mistakes. And God’s always right there with you…He’ll lead you to where you need to be.

For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7. 
God bless you. Stay hopeful!

The post Hearing From God appeared first on Hope 100.7.

“It’s not you; it’s me. No, I mean that. It’s not you; it’s me. My name is CJ McKay. According to a recent survey, 55% of Americans think they are smarter than the average American. A humble 34% of citizens say they are about as smart as everyone else, while 4% say they are less intelligent than most people. Men are more likely than women (24% to 15%) to say they are much more intelligent than the average American. Not good. What does the Bible say? There’s a warning here. The Bible says we shouldn’t think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.”

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Do you find yourself thinking you’re smarter than everyone else? Or better than everyone else? Or maybe more spiritual than everyone else? Even the calmest of us can lose our cool on the roads, where we find ourselves thinking, “Am I the only driver with a brain these days?” We can get ourselves in a trap of pride when we allow ourselves to think like that. Thankfully for us, the Bible has plenty to say about pride and humility. 

Look Up

The only way we can ever defeat pride and arrogance is through the power of the Holy Spirit. By taking our eyes off our accomplishments, our good deeds, our circumstances and turning them instead to Jesus, we can put praise where it belongs- firmly on the One who has given us every good gift and is the only reason we can do anything worthwhile in the first place. 

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 3.7

You can recognize if you’re struggling with a lack of humility towards God if you find yourself ruminating on how God hasn’t given you what you’ve asked for, or if you bitterly blame Him for circumstances, yours or someone else’s. If you recognize yourself in these descriptions, stop now and ask for forgiveness. Find a few Scriptures to pray and repeat to yourself to remind you that God is for you, He has good things for you, and He knows what is best. 

Look Around

It’s been said the hardest sin to see in yourself is also the easiest sin to see in someone else…got a guess? Yep, it’s pride. We can learn a lot about the results of pride and the rewards of humility in Proverbs.

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 11.2 

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

Proverbs 29.23

True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.

Proverbs 22.4

Monitor your thoughts. When you find yourself thinking about how you’re better at something than someone else, smarter, or better looking; or on the other hand, if you’re prone to thinking “these people are idiots!”, take a minute and think of all the good things about that person. Think of what they’re better at than you. Pray for them. Tell them what they’re good at. This is the essence of taking our thoughts captive. 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Romans 12.2

Take some time today to think about what areas of your life you’re most prone to prideful thoughts or words. The Scriptures in this blog are only a small percentage of what the Bible has to say about pride and humility. Do you have any practical ways you guard yourself against pride? 

For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7. 
God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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