I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Have you ever thought…
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“I’m not strong enough.”
“I’m not enough.”
Every day, we are bombarded with lies that try to convince us that we don’t have what it takes to follow Jesus. Every time we mess up, our insecurities reach out and tell us that we’ll always be weak—we’ll never experience the freedom Jesus says we can have. But Scripture reminds us that it’s Jesus’ divine power that gives us everything we need to live a godly life. With His strength, when we fall down—we can still get back up.
It’s in our weakness that God’s power is made perfect in us (2 Corinthians 12:9). By the power of Christ, nothing can keep its grip on us. Not fear, worry, doubt, defeat, discouragement, loneliness, hardship, or pain.
Through Jesus, we have everything we need to combat anything that attempts to seize our rightful identity.
God’s Word is filled with reminders of our true identity. It can remind you that…
You can rejoice in suffering because Christ suffered for you. (1 Peter 4:12-19, James 1:2-4)
You are greatly loved, and you can love others. (John 15:9-14)
Nothing can separate you from God’s love. (Romans 8:37-39)
When you understand who you are, that is when you will truly be able to do all things through Christ’s strength.
So let’s start applying the life-giving truth we find in the Bible so that we move from victimhood to victory.
Embrace who you are in Christ.
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...
