Posts with the tag “trust”

"Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves." – John 14:11 There is a deep human instinct to want everything to make sense before we commit. We want certainty. We want proof. But Jesus didn’t say, “Understand me and then believe.” He said, “Believe in me.” That distinction is everything. Belief isn’t built on perfect clarity. It’s...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.'" - John 14:9 We all have moments when we ask God to make Himself clearer, to give us a sign, to show up in a way that removes every doubt. Philip was no different. After years of walking with Jesus, watching Him heal the sick and raise the dead, Philip still said, “Sho...  Read More

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." – John 10:9 There is a restlessness that lives in all of us. You have probably felt it in those quiet moments when the noise dies down, but something still feels missing. It is that sense that life is supposed to be fuller than this. Even in success or comfort, there can be a lingering ache underneat...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." – John 14:1 When life feels uncertain, the first thing we usually reach for is control. We want explanations. We want clarity. We want to know how things will turn out, what the next step should be, and why God hasn’t acted yet. The disciples were no different. In John 14, Jesus had just told them He was going away, and their h...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Resurrection isn’t just something that happens after your heart stops beating. Jesus wasn’t only pointing to a future moment in a cemetery. He was talking about right now. There’s a resur...  Read More

"To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 It’s one thing to know about God. It’s another thing to be known by Him. That’s what Jesus is getting at when He calls Himself the Good Shepherd. This isn’t a distant, formal relationship. He knows His sheep. Not as a group. Not as a general category. He knows them personally...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." – John 14:6 When life gets confusing, our instinct is to ask for directions. We want a clear path, a five-step plan, or a detailed map. Something to help us navigate the unknown. But what if the thing you're really searching for isn’t a roadmap at all? What if what you need is a person? Th...  Read More

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” – Ephesians 5:14 There’s a scene in the old play Our Town by Thornton Wilder that hits a little too close to home. A character who has died is given a chance to relive one day of her life. She picks an ordinary day, her twelfth birthday, thinking it will be sweet. But as she watches it unfold, something happens. She notices...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live... Do you believe this?'" – John 11:25–26 Martha believed in God. She believed in the idea of a future resurrection and had confidence that one day everything would be made right. But when Jesus showed up at her brother's tomb, He challenged her to believe something deeper. Not just th...  Read More

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." – John 10:3 There’s a big difference between being in the crowd and being known. You can sit in a room full of people and still feel invisible. You can show up, play your part, smile when expected, and still wonder if anyone really sees you. But Jesus does. Jesus isn’t building a fanbase. He’s not collecting numbers...  Read More

"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." – John 10:7 There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t come from sin or suffering; it comes from religion. Maybe you’ve felt it. You tried to walk into a church but felt like you didn’t belong. You asked questions and were met with shame. You wanted to know Jesus but ran into gatekeepers who seemed more interested in guarding traditions than openi...  Read More

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." – John 14:1 There are moments when life doesn't make sense. The path is foggy, the timing feels off, and the answers seem delayed or completely missing. In those moments, your heart starts reaching for clarity. You start asking the why, when, and how questions, hoping that if you could just get an explanation, the anxiety would...  Read More

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" - Luke 15:4 Most people don’t count what’s missing. We count what we have. We track success by what stayed, by who showed up, and by how much was retained. But Jesus flips that. He counts what is missing. In Luke 15, Jesus ...  Read More

"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep" - John 10:7 You’ve probably heard the phrase “all roads lead to God” or “just be a good person.” It sounds inclusive. It sounds fair. But Jesus didn’t leave that option open. He didn’t come to improve religion. He came to replace it with Himself. When He said, “I am the door of the sheep,” He wasn’t just giving a metaphor for comfort or safe...  Read More

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." - John 12:24 If you’ve ever felt like your story was over, like the weight of what you’ve lost or endured has crushed any hope for what could be ahead, you’re not alone. Most people reach a point where things feel final. Like a chapter has ended, and it’s too ...  Read More

"Now he had to pass through Samaria" – John 4:4 You might not always feel worthy of God’s attention. You might even assume He’s waiting for you to figure things out, get your act together, or clean up the mess before He'll come close. But that is not how God works. Jesus was on His way from Judea to Galilee when Scripture says He “had to pass through Samaria.” At first glance, it sounds like a tra...  Read More

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." – Psalm 90:2 You live in a world that runs on time. Alarms wake you up. Calendars fill your day. Deadlines mark your goals. And sometimes, it feels like time is either running out or dragging on. But God does not live inside your schedule. He exists outside of it....  Read More

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, Do you want to go away as well? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” – John 6:66-68 This moment in John 6 is one of the most sobering scenes in the Gospels. Jesus had just delivered a hard teaching. Not a feel-good message or a crowd-pleaser...  Read More

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” – John 6:60 Not long after Jesus fed more than five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish, the crowds followed Him across the sea, looking for more. They had seen a miracle with their own eyes. Their stomachs were full. Their curiosity was stirred. But Jesus didn’t give them another perfor...  Read More

"Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am he.'" – John 4:26 She didn’t expect a conversation. She definitely didn’t expect transformation. But that’s what happened when Jesus met the woman at the well. He broke through every barrier she tried to throw up, not with force, but with love. And we do the same thing she did. We offer excuses to keep Jesus at arm’s length. But He keeps showing up anyway...  Read More

“So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” – John 6:30-31 When reading John 6, we can see that the crowd wanted more bread. They wanted more signs and another show. They followed Jesus not because they loved Him, but because He had...  Read More

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” – Exodus 3:14 When God called Moses at the burning bush, He didn’t give him a pep talk about his skill set. He didn’t offer a leadership manual or walk through the basics of public speaking. Instead, when Moses asked, “Who should I say sent me?” God simply replied, “I AM.” In other words...  Read More

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14 Jesus didn’t just say He was the Light. He looked at His followers and gave them the same identity. That wasn’t a compliment. It was a calling. Light stands out. It exposes what’s hidden. It brings warmth and clarity. That’s what you’re meant to do when you walk into any environment: make it brighter because yo...  Read More

"Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.'" – John 8:58 It is one of the most explosive things Jesus ever said. He did not say, “I was,” though that would’ve already been staggering. He said, “I am.” Not past tense. Not future. Present. Eternal. Unchanging. With those two words, Jesus wasn’t just making a statement about time. He was claiming the name of God. The ...  Read More

"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' He said, 'But I will be with you.'" – Exodus 3:11–12 Moses had a million reasons to disqualify himself. He was a runaway with a past. He had no clout in Egypt, no eloquent voice, and no army at his back. When God called him, his first reaction was the same as ours often is, "Who am I?" But...  Read More

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12 Jesus made this declaration at a moment that would have stunned the crowd. It was not a random statement. It happened during the Feast of Tabernacles, when massive lamps lit up the temple courtyard to celebrate God’s past guidance in the wil...  Read More

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” - Acts 2:36 Most people are cool with Jesus as long as He stays in the past tense. A wise teacher. A kind healer. A man who did good things and said powerful words. But the problem is, Jesus is not just a man from history. He is alive. He is exalted. And He is Lord. I...  Read More

"God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him." - Psalm 18:30 Sometimes God rescues in ways we don’t immediately recognize. The story of Israel in 605 BC is a perfect example. Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Jerusalem was brutal and left the people defeated, scattered, and seemingly hopeless. But that wasn’t the end of the story. It was the beginnin...  Read More

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able.” - Luke 13:24 There are some things you just cannot afford to get wrong. Jesus does not dodge the hard questions. When someone asks Him if only a few will be saved, He does not give a number or a timeline. Instead, He gives a warning. He says to make every effort to enter through the ...  Read More

“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” - Hebrews 10:23 Endurance is not just about surviving hard seasons. It is about holding on to the right thing in the middle of them. Anyone can grit their teeth and wait for the storm to pass, but as followers of Jesus, we are called to something deeper. We are called to endure in faith. To hold on ...  Read More

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” - 1 John 2:6 We often imagine discipleship as a classroom or a stage. We think of sermons, conferences, or podcasts. And while God absolutely uses those, most discipleship is not forged in the spotlight. It is built in the ordinary. When Jesus walked with the disciples, not every moment was recorded. But we know they...  Read More

“But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.” - Matthew 10:19-20 If you are saved, you are sent. And if you are sent, you are called to go unashamed. That does not mean you will always be comfortable. Jesus was clear that following H...  Read More

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8 One of the most overlooked truths in the Christian life is that God does not just rule from a distance. He draws near. He wants a relationship. And He does not wait for us to get everything figured out before He starts moving toward us. He meets us in the mess. ...  Read More

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." - Romans 8:6-8 There are only two kinds of minds. One leads to life and peace, the other leads to death. It is not complicated, but it is serious. Sc...  Read More

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise." - Psalm 19:7 There are days when your faith feels weak. Days when your energy is gone, your spirit feels tired, and your motivation has all but disappeared. You’re not crazy. You’re not broken. You’re just running on empty. And the truth is, we all get there at some point. ...  Read More

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” - Acts 16:25 In Acts 16, we see that Paul and Silas had just been beaten, arrested, and thrown in prison. Their crime? Casting a demon out of a young girl and upsetting the economy of the city. They did something right, and it landed them in a cell, bruised and bleeding. Most of us, if w...  Read More

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day might bring." – Proverbs 27:1 It only takes one day for everything to change. One day for the diagnosis. One day for the breakthrough. One day for the phone call that flips your world upside down. Or right-side up. We spend so much time planning, projecting, and assuming, but the truth is, we don’t control any of it. That’s why this prov...  Read More

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42 There is something unexplainably powerful about a shared meal. It has a way of softening hearts, opening conversations, and building relationships in ways that few other things can. That’s why families eat together. It’s why church events usually include food. And it’s why s...  Read More

“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.” - 2 Kings 22:11 Imagine going to church your whole life, following whatever traditions were handed down to you, and then one day discovering the Bible for the first time. That is what happened in 2 Kings 22. After decades of spiritual darkness and rebellion, the Word of God was found again. When King Josiah heard it read ...  Read More

"I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me." - John 15:5 We live in a world that praises self-sufficiency. We are taught from a young age to stand on our own two feet, to work hard, and to prove ourselves. So it is no surprise that many of us struggle to grasp what true spiritual dependence looks like. Yet...  Read More