Guided by Trust, The Answer to the Stress of Indecision

“He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3 (NIV)

When I'm afraid of making the wrong decision, it creates stress in my life.

But God has an antidote to indecision. Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (NIV). The way to handle the stress of decision-making—whether it’s a financial decision, relational decision, or vocational decision—is to let God guide me.

“But I’ve tried this!” I asked God to guide me, but then I became more confused than ever before. I still couldn’t figure it out, and I wondered why knowing God’s will is so difficult.

Is God playing games with me? Of course not! God wants to guide me. He wants me to know his will more than I want to know. But sometimes I look for the wrong thing when I'm trying to find God’s will. We all do this.

Some of us look for a feeling. Some want a formula or recipe to follow. Others treat it like magic—waiting for God to give them a big, fantastic sign.

These ways only lead to frustration and can cause me to miss God’s will.

God doesn’t want me confused, and he doesn’t want me stressed over making a decision. He wants me to ask him for guidance before I make a decision and then trust him and his goodness once the decision is made.

When I do, he sets me free from second-guessing myself.

James 1:6-8 says, “When you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (NLT).

Here’s the good news: Even if the future looks uncertain, I don’t have to feel unsettled or stressed or afraid. God is stable, and I can trust his guidance. 

When I unequivocally trust God in uncertain times—in all times—he will give me everything I need to make wise decisions.

God will be there guiding me every step of the way. This is his promise, and I can believe it to be true: “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

In summary:

When faced with difficult decisions, I don't have to be overwhelmed by fear or stress—God promises to guide me along the right paths, as Psalm 23:3 assures. Often, I seek guidance through feelings, formulas, or signs, but God’s will isn’t found in confusion or gimmicks; it’s discovered through faith and trust. He desires to lead me more than I desire to be led, and when I ask in faith and commit to trusting Him fully, He frees me from doubt and second-guessing. Even in uncertain times, God's guidance is steady and reliable—He will show me the right way when I rely on Him completely.

Bottom Line:

When I trust God fully, He will guide me on the right path and give me peace in every decision.

The Power of Thanking God in Advance

"The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: 'Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!'" 2 Chronicles 20:21 (NLT)

In 2 Chronicles 20:21, King Jehoshaphat had a very unusual way of organizing an army: "The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: 'Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!'" (NLT).

Jehoshaphat’s battle plan was to put a choir before the infantry. Picture this: On one side, there are three enemy armies amassed to do battle against Israel. Then there’s the valley where they’re going to battle. Then there are the lowly Israelites. Jehoshaphat essentially says, “We’re going to take those of you who sing and make a choir out of you, putting you in front of the army as you march into battle.”

There’s a very important truth here: The Israelites were thanking God in advance for the victory. Praise and thanksgiving are verbalized faith. If I thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude. If I thank God before it happens, that’s faith.

Notice the effect of praise in verses 22 and 23: “When they began to sing, the LORD threw the invading armies into a panic. The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting" (GNT). God confused the enemy, and they turned on each other and destroyed themselves while the Israelites looked on. There is power in expectation.

That insurmountable problem in my life—the one with the odds may be stacked against me? When i thank God after he’s solved everything, that’s called gratitude. But when I thank him before it’s all settled—right in the middle of the problem—that’s faith.

When I allow God to solve my problems, it becomes a testimony to unbelievers. The world takes notice when his followers live by faith. And God loves to demonstrate his power in those who expect him to work in their lives.

So when facing a difficult circumstance—with money, relationships, or career and feel like the odds are against me or if I think my problem is overwhelming? What do I do? I need to turn to God, who defends me.

In summary:

I read In 2 Chronicles 20:21, how King Jehoshaphat demonstrated bold faith by sending singers to lead his army into battle, praising God in advance for the victory. This act of worship wasn’t just symbolic—it was a declaration of trust in God’s power before the outcome was visible. As the people sang, God caused their enemies to turn on each other, proving that faith-filled praise can unlock divine intervention. The lesson is clear: thanking God after a breakthrough shows gratitude, but praising Him before the breakthrough shows faith. When we trust God in the face of overwhelming odds, He not only fights for me but also uses my faith as a testimony to others.

Bottom line:

Praising God before the victory is an act of faith that invites His power to turn the battle in my favor.

Transformed Through Trials

“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” 1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)

Before photography went digital, you took a picture, and the first thing you’d get was a negative. Then you’d develop the negative into a positive by going into a darkroom and shining a light through it onto photographic paper. This turned the negative into a positive, full-color photograph.

I'm learning that this is what God wants to do with the injustices in our lives. We have all experienced injustice. People have mistreated us. They’ve passed over us. They’ve taken advantage of us. God wants to take all the negatives, shine the light of Jesus through them, and turn them into positives—a full-color picture of the life I was made to live.

The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). The most important thing I can remember when I’ve been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on my side. 

Throughout Scripture, God shows special care for people who are treated unfairly. He is a God of justice. He hears my cry, sees my pain, and knows my hurt. I didn’t get what I thought you deserved. But God has a plan for my pain.

When I shine the light of God’s love through my circumstances, he can turn my pain into a beautiful picture. He develops my character through it. He makes me stronger. Most importantly, he uses my pain.

I’ll never get an explanation for much of the pain I'll endure in this life. When I get to heaven, I may understand more about why bad things happened to me. But God does not owe me an explanation for it.

The good news is that I don’t need an explanation. I just need to know that God loves me. He has a plan for me. God will settle the score with whoever hurt me.

God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the gospel into it, and God will use my hurt—the very real injustice that has happened to me—to create a beautiful picture through my life.

In summary:

Just as a photographic negative is transformed into a beautiful image by light, God can shine His light through the injustices and hurts in my life to create something good and meaningful. When I suffer in a way that honors Him, Scripture encourages me to keep doing what is right and trust in His unfailing love and justice (1 Peter 4:19). Though I may never get an explanation for the pain I endure, I can rest in the truth that God sees, hears, and cares deeply. He uses my suffering to strengthen my character, grow my faith, and ultimately turn my pain into purpose—never wasting a hurt when I surrender it to Him.

When I trust God with my pain, He will use it to shape my character, reveal His love, and create something meaningful from my suffering.

Loving Like Jesus, A Love That Never Quits

“Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 (GW)

The same love God offers to me, he wants me to offer to everyone else. It’s not an option or a suggestion. It’s a command: “Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34 NLT).

As a follower of Christ, I must love everybody—whether I like them or not—in the same way that Christ loves me. That means I am to accept them completely, love them unconditionally, forgive them totally, and consider them extremely valuable.

Loving others in this way will transform my relationships!

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up” (GW).

This is how God loves me. God never stops being patient with me. God never stops believing in me. God never stops hoping for the best in my life. God never gives up on me. That’s what God expects me to do with everybody else.

“Love never stops being patient.” That means love extends grace. I need to offer grace to others.

“Love . . . never stops believing.” That means love expresses faith. The people in my life should know that, even if things are strained between us, I will never stop believing in them.

“Love . . . never stops hoping.” That means love expects the best. Are I expecting the best in my marriage, with my daughter, grandsons, or with my coworkers? Or have I settled for less than the best? Have I become pessimistic or cynical when it comes to my relationships?

“Love . . . never gives up.” That means love endures the worst. It means I can look at the other person and say, “You can throw everything at me, but I’m going to keep loving you, no matter what.”

If I want to start loving the people God has placed in my life even better, I can say “Dear God, I admit that I’ve sometimes made a mess in my relationships. They’re complicated and broken, and I’ve often settled for less than the best. They need a transformation! So please begin by changing me.

“Help me to accept others, just as you’ve accepted me. Help me to love others unconditionally, just as you have loved me. Help me to forgive others totally, just as you’ve forgiven me. And help me to value others as much as you value me. Help me to extend grace to and express faith in the people around me. Help me to expect the best in others, and when the worst happens, help me to endure it and to keep on loving them. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

In summary:

God calls me to love others with the same relentless, grace-filled love He shows me—patient, faithful, hopeful, and enduring. According to 1 Corinthians 13:7, true love never gives up, never loses faith, never stops hoping, and never quits—and this is exactly how God loves me. As a follower of Christ, I'm commanded to extend that same love to everyone, whether I like them or not: accepting completely, loving unconditionally, forgiving totally, and valuing deeply. When I embrace this kind of love, it transforms my relationships, beginning with a prayer for God to change my own heart so I can love others as He loves me.

When I let God transform my heart, I can extend grace, endure in love, and build relationships that reflect His unconditional love.

Loved and Worthy: Living from God's View Of Me

“The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end.” Isaiah 54:10 (GNT)

If I don’t feel loved by God, it’s going to be much more difficult for me to offer love to someone else. But when I understand and remember how deeply God loves me, it becomes more natural—and even easy—to love others.

This is why I need to remind myself every day what God thinks about me—not what the world thinks or what I think about myself. “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are safe” (Proverbs 29:25 GNT).

Four truths God wants me to remember about who I am. These will help me to better feel his love and share it with others. 

I'm completely accepted.
I spend a lot of my life trying to earn acceptance from parents, peers, those I respect, those I envy, and even total strangers. But I need to realize that God has already settled this issue of acceptance: “Jesus . . . made us acceptable to God” (Titus 3:7 CEV). What Jesus did on the cross made me completely acceptable to God—no matter what I've done or will do.

I'm unconditionally loved.
God doesn’t say, “I love you if . . .” or “ I love you because . . .” He says, “I love you—period!” I can’t make God stop loving me, because his love is not based on what I do but on who he is. Isaiah 54:10 says, “The mountains and hills may crumble, but my love for you will never end” (GNT).

I'm totally forgiven.
Because Jesus died on the cross and gave his life as a payment for my sins, I am totally forgiven when I accepted God’s gift of forgiveness. Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). God doesn’t rehearse my sins. He releases them.

I'm considered to be extremely valuable.
There are two things that determine the value of something: who it belongs to and what someone is willing to pay for it.

The truth is, I'm a child of God—and “you have been bought and paid for by Christ” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB). God says I belong to him, and Jesus paid for me with his life. That’s how valuable I am! 

When I remember that I'm accepted, loved, forgiven, and valuable to the Creator of the universe, I'll be better equipped to show that love to others and build deeper relationships. I must see value in myself to add value to myself and to others.

In summary:

Isaiah 54:10 reminds me that God's love is unwavering, even when everything else falls apart. When I truly grasp how deeply God loves me—that I’m completely accepted, unconditionally loved, totally forgiven, and extremely valuable—it transforms how I see myself and how I relate to others. God’s view of me matters more than the opinions of others or even my own negative self-talk. As I anchor my identity in His truth and remember what Jesus has done for me, I can love others more freely and genuinely. Feeling secure in God’s love empowers me to offer that same love and value to those around me. I must see value in myself to add value to myself and to others.

Knowing I'm accepted, loved, forgiven, and valued by God empowers me to love others with confidence and grace.

Be Led by Truth, Not by Feelings

“From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires.” 1 Peter 4:2 (GNT)

What are human desires? They’re my emotions and my affections. Once I become a Christ-follower, my life should be controlled by God’s will, not by how I feel.

When I'm angry or upset or frustrated—whatever I'm feeling—I need to consider these three questions:

“What’s the real reason I’m feeling this?” Maybe the answer is fear or worry. Maybe it goes back to something parents said years ago. Or maybe someone hurt me last week, and today they’re the target of all my pent-up anger.

“Is it true?” Is what I'm feeling at that moment true? There’s a point in the Bible where Elijah got so discouraged that he went to God and complained, “God, I’m the only one in the entire nation of Israel left serving you.” And God challenged him, essentially saying, “Are you kidding me? I’ve got all these people who are still serving me! You’re acting like you’re the only one trying to do the right thing in the whole world! No. That’s not true.”

“Is what I’m feeling helping me or hurting me?” Will I get what you want by continuing to feel this way? A lot of feelings I have seem natural, but they’re actually self-defeating.

If I go to a restaurant, the service is extremely slow. I wait a long time to be served, and then a couple walks in 15 minutes after you and gets their meals before you do. I become increasingly irritated until I feel something welling up inside.

When something like this happens, consider each question: What’s the real reason I'm feeling that way? I'm hungry! Is it true? Yes. I'm frustrated because the service is slow. Is what I'm feeling helping or hurting? Getting angry with the server never works. When somebody tells me all the things I'm doing wrong, does it make me want to change? No! All it does is make me defensive.

When I ask yourself these three questions, I'll get a better grip on why I feel the way I do and what I need to do to help the situation.

That’s called managing your emotions.

In summary:

1 Peter 4:2 reminds me that once I follow Christ, my life should be guided by God's will, not by my human desires— emotions and affections. Managing my emotions means not being controlled by how I feel in the moment, but by seeking truth and alignment with God’s purpose. When emotions rise, I can pause and ask three key questions: What’s the real reason I’m feeling this? Is it true? Is this feeling helping or hurting me? These questions help me uncover deeper causes, challenge distorted thinking, and evaluate whether my emotions are leading me toward or away from God's will. This intentional process leads to greater emotional self-awareness and Christlike self-control.

I need to live by God’s will, not by my emotions, by pausing to reflect on the truth behind my feelings.

The Peace of a Surrendered Heart

“Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins—even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.” Job 11:13-18 (CEV)

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (NCV).

So how can I learn to live in God’s love so that you can live free of fear?

Every day, I need to surrender my heart to God.

When I wake up each morning, before my feet hit the floor, I need to say, “God, before I even start this day, I surrender my emotions to you. I want you to be Lord of my feelings. I want you to control my mind and my emotions. I surrender my heart to you. I want you to fill me with your love.”

Job 11:13-18 says, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins—even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry” (CEV).

I find three commands and eight promises in that verse. God says if I do this, then he’ll do that. In fact, so many of God’s promises come with a premise.

First, he gives me the commands: Surrender my heart to God every day. Turn to him in prayer. And give up my sins—confess my sins to God.

Then come the eight benefits: I won’t be ashamed, I’ll be confident, I’ll be fearless, my troubles will be like water under the bridge, the dark night I'm going through is going to be brighter than noon, Ill be able to sleep well because I am safe and secure, I will be filled with hope, and I’ll be emptied of worry.

Wow! These are great benefits to experience. I need to consider writing that Scripture on an index card and put it somewhere where I’ll see it throughout the week. Let it remind me to do those three things—surrender my heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and confess my sins—so that God’s peace will fill my life.

Do this and watch and see how God helps me “rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry.”

In summary:

Job 11:13–18 reminds us that when I daily surrender my heart to God, turn to Him in prayer, and confess my sins—even the hidden ones—I open the door to a life free of fear, shame, and worry. This passage outlines three simple but powerful commands that lead to eight incredible promises: confidence, fearlessness, peace, hope, rest, and more. By starting each day giving God control of my heart and emotions, I'm inviting His perfect love to fill me and drive out fear, as 1 John 4:18 teaches. Living this way brings deep spiritual security and transforms even my darkest moments into light.

Hope That Restores Vision

“He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ . . . Because of this, your trust can be in God who raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. Now your faith and hope can rest in him alone.” 1 Peter 1:19, 21 (TLB)

My vision—how I see the world, how I see God, and how I see myself—determines my stress level, my success, my stability, and my spiritual strength. It’s all about vision.

The Bible tells the story of how Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus, restoring his vision. From that story, I  learn the process by which God can transform my life and give me my vision back. 

The first step to getting my vision back and living a transformed life is to believe that Jesus can change my situation. 

I need hope in order to change. Hope means believing that Jesus can do what I can’t do on my own—and what no one else can do for me. It’s trusting that what feels impossible isn’t too big for God.

Luke 18:35-38 says, “As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (NLT).

I wouldn’t stand up in a huge crowd of people and start yelling—drawing attention to myself—unless I believed it was the only way to get what I needed.

Bartimaeus’ cry wasn’t a cry of desperation. It was a cry of hope. Bartimaeus’ answer was just a few feet away, and he wasn’t going to miss it. He moved because he had hope.

The reason why so many people have lost hope today is because they’re looking for it in all the wrong places. Some people choose to put their hope in the government, until it lets them down. Others put their hope in their job, until they lose it. Some put their hope in other people, and they will inevitably be disappointed because no one is perfect,

There is only one source of hope that won’t disappoint me or let me down. There is only one hope that I cannot lose. That hope is in God.

“He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ . . . Because of this, your trust can be in God who raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. Now your faith and hope can rest in him alone” (1 Peter 1:19-21 TLB).

There are lots of ways to lose my spiritual vision. But the key to getting it back is to believe that Jesus Christ can change my situation and bring about transformation. It doesn’t have to stay this way!

In summary:

My vision—how I see God, myself, and the world—shapes every part of my life, including my peace, purpose, and spiritual strength. The story of Bartimaeus, the blind man who cried out to Jesus from the crowd, reminds us that transformation begins with hope—believing Jesus can change what we can’t. Too often, people put their hope in things that disappoint: jobs, people, or systems. But lasting hope is found only in God, who proved His love and power by raising Jesus from the dead. As 1 Peter 1:19, 21 says, because of Christ’s sacrifice, I can put my full trust in God. When I believe that Jesus can restore what I’ve lost, including my vision, I open the door to a renewed life and lasting change.

Winning the Battle in My Mind

“I have made up my mind to obey your laws forever, no matter what.” Psalm 119:112 (CEV)

The reason why most people are ineffective in life is that they’ve never learned how to fight the battle in their mind.

If I want to learn to manage my mind, I have to be free from destructive thoughts. That's not easy. God's Word says I have three enemies working against me to keep me from making lasting changes in life.

The first enemy is my old nature.
Paul says in Romans 7:23, “There is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me” (NLT).

I find myself doing things I don’t really want to do. That’s the battle in my mind between my old, sinful nature and my good intentions.

The second enemy is Satan.
Satan cannot force me to do anything, but he can make suggestions, and those suggestions are incredibly powerful. He can use other people, the media, or even just suggest negative thoughts directly into my mind.

The third enemy is the world’s value system.
Does anything in our society encourage self-discipline? Not much. Advertisements tell us, “You deserve a break today” and “Have it your way.”

The Bible says in 1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (NIV).

With enemies like that, no wonder we struggle with temptation, discouragement, despair, and failure!

So how do I fight and win this battle? Look at what 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says: “Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV).

I have a choice when it comes to what I think about—and my mind has to listen to me! Perhaps adopt this verse as a life motto: “I have made up my mind to obey your laws forever, no matter what” (Psalm 119:112 CEV).

In summary:

Psalm 119:112, “I have made up my mind to obey your laws forever, no matter what”, declares a firm commitment to follow God's ways, and this kind of resolve is essential because the greatest battles I face often happen in my mind. To live effectively and experience lasting change, I must overcome three powerful enemies: my old sinful nature, which constantly pulls me back into bad habits; Satan, who fills my mind with tempting and destructive suggestions; and the world’s value system, which promotes self-indulgence and discourages self-discipline. Winning this mental and spiritual battle requires intentionally choosing what I think about and using the spiritual weapons God gives me—truth, prayer, and obedience—to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ. True transformation begins with deciding, like the psalmist, to obey God's Word no matter what.

My Emotions Serve a Purpose

“The most important commandment is this . . . ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:29-30 (NLT)

Jesus says in Mark 12:29-30, “The most important commandment is this . . . ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT).

Do you hear the emotion in the words of Jesus? He’s saying he doesn’t want me to just kind of love him. He wants me to love him passionately—with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. God wants more than my head knowledge. He wants an emotional relationship with me.

Here are some things to understand emotions. 

First, God has emotions. God is an emotional God. He feels joy, grief, pain, and hatred toward sin. He gets frustrated with people. The only reason I have emotions is because I'm made in God’s image. If God wasn’t an emotional God, I wouldn’t have any emotions.

Second, my ability to feel is a gift from God. Emotions are what make me human. It is my emotional ability that allows me to love and create and to be faithful, loyal, kind, and generous—to experience all the emotions that are attached to the good things in life. My emotions may not always seem like a gift, but even the negative ones have a purpose in my life.

Third, there are two extremes to avoid. Emotionalism is the extreme of saying the only thing that matters in life is how I feel—not what I think or what’s right or wrong. Everything in life is based on my emotions. Emotions control my life.

On the other hand, stoicism says feelings aren’t important at all, and the only things that matter are my intellect and my will.

There are many differing approaches to emotions. Some people have decided that it doesn’t really matter how I feel. They downplay emotions—but that’s not right.

The Bible says this about God: “You look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God” (Psalm 7:9 NLT). He really cares about what I think and feel!

God gave me my emotions for a reason, and he wants me to worship him emotionally—with all my heart and all my mind.

In Summary:

Jesus teaches in Mark 12:29-30 that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—showing that God desires a deep, passionate, and emotional relationship with us, not just intellectual belief. This highlights the importance of emotions in our faith, as God Himself is emotional and created us in His image with the ability to feel. Emotions are a gift that allow me to experience life fully, but I must avoid two extremes: emotionalism, where feelings rule over truth, and stoicism, where emotions are ignored. Instead, God calls me to a balanced, wholehearted worship that involves both my thoughts and my feelings.

Purpose Found in Stillness

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)

Calling and vision go together. God’s call on my life is his vision for my life. If I want to get God’s vision for my future and experience real transformation, then I’ve got to get his call on my life.

When people hear someone talk about being “called by God,” they sometimes think of it as a scary thing—as if anyone who is called has to be a missionary or pastor or go to some remote part of the world to serve God.

But God’s calling isn’t something spooky or complicated. It’s simply God’s plan and purpose for my life.

Everybody in the whole world is called by God. We are all called to know God and to love him—and to share his love with others. He also calls us to serve him and to use our talents to honor him. The only question is, are we going to answer his call?

To hear God’s call, I’ve got to pay attention to him, which means I have to slow down. I have to make room in my life to make knowing God my first priority.

I can miss Jesus’ call if I'm not paying attention. I might’ve been so focused on my own goals, that I wouldn’t have noticed the unexpected way God was calling me—through the noises in the life.

One way to hear God’s call is to spend regular, consistent time alone with God reading the Bible, praying, and just being still. Isaiah 30:15 says it like this: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (NIV).

When I hear God’s calling in my life and go after it, I will succeed—because God always blesses the vision and calling he gives his people. I need to have and experience quiet time with God, and learn just how much he wants to bless me as I pursue and fulfill my calling.

In summary:

Isaiah 30:15 reminds me that true strength and salvation come through repentance, rest, quietness, and trust in God. To experience real transformation and discover God’s vision for my life, I must embrace his calling—his unique purpose and plan for me. This calling isn’t reserved for pastors or missionaries but is for everyone: to know, love, and serve God, and to share his love with others. However, to hear his call, I must slow down, eliminate distractions, and prioritize time alone with God through Scripture, prayer, and stillness. By doing so, I open my heart to his direction and receive the blessings that come from following his purpose.

Fix My Thoughts, Finding My Strength

“Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:3 (NCV)

God wants me to be healthy in every area of my life—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. To be strong mentally, I must focus my mind on the right things. Three things I can think about to improve my mental health.

Think about Jesus.
You’ve heard the saying, “You become what you think about most.” If I want to become more like Jesus, I have to focus my thoughts on him.

Hebrews 12:3 says, “Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying” (NCV).

Think about others.
The Bible says in Philippians 2:4, “Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing” (TLB).

This is very countercultural. Our world teaches us to think about ourselves and nobody else. But Jesus was countercultural, and when I think like him, I'll more naturally think of others.

Think about eternity.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT). When I start focusing on truths like that, all of my problems seem inferior compared to the glory, joy, and pleasure of the things awaiting you in eternity.

My mind is my greatest asset and also my fiercest battleground. I can ask God to help me make the choice every day to feed on his Word, free my mind of destructive thoughts, and fill my mind with Jesus, others, and eternity. Then I'll be well-equipped to fight the battles in my mind.

In summary:

Hebrews 12:3 reminds me to think about Jesus’ perseverance through suffering so I don’t grow weary or give up. God desires me to be healthy in every way, and a strong, healthy mind comes from focusing on the right things. To improve my mental health, I should fix my thoughts on Jesus—becoming more like Him through reflection on His example, think of others instead of just myself—embracing the selfless mindset of Christ, and think about eternity—gaining perspective and hope beyond any present struggles. By choosing daily to focus on these truths and asking God to renew my mind, I equip myself to overcome the mental battles I'll face.

Mastering My Mind, Transforming My Life

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)

God is far more interested in changing my mind than changing my circumstances.

I want God to take away all my problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God wants to work on me first, because transformation won’t happen in my life until I renew my mind—until my thoughts begin to change.

Why is it so important for me to learn to manage my mind? The Bible gives three reasons.

1. Manage your mind because your thoughts control your life.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). My thoughts have a tremendous ability to shape my life in positive or negative ways. For example, maybe I've accepted a thought someone told me when I was growing up: “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If I believed that, even though it was wrong, it has shaped my life. I must choose which thoughts I allow to affect me.

2, Manage my mind because the mind is the battleground for sin.

All temptation happens in the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).

One reason I get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in my mind 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because my mind is my greatest asset. Satan wants my greatest asset!

3. Manage your mind because it’s the key to peace and happiness.

An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence. When I don’t try to control my mind and direct my thoughts, I will experience an enormous amount of stress in my life. But a managed mind leads to strength, security, and serenity.

“Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT).

When my circumstances are out of my control, take the time to manage my mind. Ask God for his help, and I'll find that I can find peace and happiness despite tough times.

In summary:

Proverbs 4:23 teaches that my life is shaped by my thoughts, and God is more focused on transforming my mind than changing my circumstances. Real change begins with renewing how I think, because my thoughts influence my actions, emotions, and ultimately, the direction of my life. The Bible gives three key reasons to manage our minds: our thoughts control our lives, our minds are the battleground for sin, and a managed mind leads to peace and happiness. An unmanaged mind brings stress, tension, and spiritual defeat, while allowing the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts brings strength, serenity, and victory—even in difficult circumstances.

God's Promise of Provision: Trust Over Worry

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:32 (NLT)

The major cause of stress in life is worry. I worry because I wonder if I will have what I need when I need it. But anytime I expect other people to meet my needs instead of God, I'm going to be frustrated and disappointed—because nobody on earth can meet all my needs. Only God can do that.

If I want a cure for stress, I must learn to look to God to meet my needs.

Some people find their security in their job, and when they lose their job, they lose their peace of mind. Others put their security in their marriage. Then their spouse dies, or they go through a divorce, and they ask, “Who am I? What is my identity?” Or maybe putting security in money—but there are a lot of ways to lose money.

Instead of putting my security in things that can be taken away from me, I need to put my security in something I can never lose: my relationship with Christ. I can always trust God to meet my needs.

Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (NLT).

If God loved me enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross, shouldn't I think he loves me enough to take care of every other need in my life? He does.

Every time I start to get stressed, pause and say, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 ESV).

God’s going to provide. He’s going to take care of me. Instead of stressing out, look to him to meet all my needs.

In summary:

Romans 8:32 reminds me that if God was willing to give up His own Son for me, I can trust Him to meet all my needs. The root of much stress is worry—often caused by relying on people, jobs, relationships, or money for security, all of which can fail or be taken away. But true peace comes from placing my trust in God, who never changes and never fails. When I look to Him instead of earthly sources, I find lasting security and relief from stress. Every time worry creeps in, I can rest in the promise that “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

 

Celebrate What God Has Done in Your Life

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him. . . . His name is the LORD.” Psalm 68:4 (ESV)

To get back in a right relationship with God, I first need to get fed up with the way I'm living, own up to my sin, and hand over control of my life to God. Then, I celebrate what God has done in my life.

In Jesus’ story of the prodigal son, it’s important to notice the father’s response: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him . . . The father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate’” (Luke 15:20, 22-23 NIV). 

The prodigal’s father is like my heavenly Father. No matter what I've done, when I come home to God, he wraps me in his love. He gives me his best and says something like, “All is forgiven! Go get the robe. Go get the shoes. Let’s have a feast! My child has returned to me.”

I come home to a celebration, not condemnation. And God wants me to join the celebration by giving him my praise. 

I can celebrate my spiritual transformation by simply saying, “Thank you, God. Thank you for your grace, love, and goodness. I lift up my praise to you!”

The Bible says in Psalm 68:4, “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him. . . . his name is the LORD” (ESV).

One of the easiest ways to celebrate my own transformation is by singing to God. Worship songs give me a chance to celebrate what he has done in my life and to thank him.

Even if I'm not good at singing the Bible doesn’t say to make my singing sound pretty. It says to make my singing joyful. I can do that! Anybody can make a joyful noise.

So I'll sing my praise to God—not just for who he is but also for the spiritual transformation he’s made in my life.

In summary:

To return to a right relationship with God, I must first acknowledge my brokenness, confess my sin, and surrender control to Him—just as the prodigal son was welcomed with compassion, celebration, and restoration by his father. God, like that father, eagerly embraces me with love and grace, not condemnation. In response to His goodness, the natural outpouring of my heart is praise—offering thanks for His forgiveness, transformation, and unwavering love. As Psalm 68:4 encourages, I lift my voice in joyful song to celebrate who God is and what He has done in my life, knowing that it’s not about sounding perfect, but about expressing gratitude with joy.

Rest for the Weary, His Yoke, My Peace

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (RSV)

The answer to any burden that is weighing me down lies in Jesus.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 RSV).

To understand this passage, I needed to know what a yoke was. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you,” it sounds like he was going to give me something else to deal with. “My burden is heavy enough already, Lord! I don’t need to take your problems on me!” 

A yoke is actually a board with two arches in it that you put over two cattle so they can pull a cart.

The value of a yoke is that it halves the load. Without a yoke, one cow has to pull an entire load by itself. But if you yoke up the cow with another cow, then the two animals pull the load together, and the load is half as heavy.

When Jesus says to take his yoke upon you, he’s not saying he’s going to give you his problems. Jesus doesn’t have any problems! He’s saying he’s going to share my problems. He’s going to share my load. He’s going to take my stress on himself and bear it with me.

Wow!

Jesus uses three notable verbs in this Scripture: come, learn, and take. Jesus basically says, “Come to me. Team up with me. Then, learn how I do it. Take on a lighter load. This is going to reduce your stress. This is going to make life easier for you to navigate.”

When I'm yoked with Christ, I move together with him. I move in the same direction and at the same speed. And I move in the right direction and at the right speed.

In summary:

Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest, not by adding more pressure, but by offering to share their load. In Matthew 11:28–30, He uses the image of a yoke—not to burden us further, but to lighten our struggles by partnering with us, just as two animals yoked together share the weight. Rather than walking alone, Jesus calls us to team up with Him, to learn from His gentle and humble heart, and to find deep rest for our souls. By moving with Him, we find a lighter, more peaceful way of living, guided in the right direction and pace.

 

The Safest Place for My Worries and Concerns

“I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”

2 Timothy 1:12 (NLT)

When I've got something that’s precious to me, whether it’s rare, expensive, or an heirloom, and I don’t want it to be stolen, broken, or burned up, I might take it to the bank and entrust it to the protection of a safety deposit box.

But whatever I entrust to God is safer than the most secure bank vault. He will take care of it—I can count on it. He has a perfect track record. Other people may not have a consistent track record of taking care of things for me. But whatever I entrust to God, he will take care of. 

So what do I need to entrust to God today? It’s whatever I'm worrying or concerned about. Whatever’s keeping me up at night or that occupies my thoughts, I need to entrust it to the safety deposit box of God’s love.

Worry is practical atheism because it’s acting like I don’t have a Father in heaven who loves me and who can be trusted; it’s like I'm a spiritual orphan. Worry is unbelief; it’s saying I don’t believe the thousands of promises God made in the Bible.

For most people, it’s not easy to place things in God’s safety deposit box when they’re in pain. It’s hard to trust anyone when we're suffering, even God. I just want to pull back and hold on to it myself.

Paul knew this, but he also knew that when we are in pain, that’s when we need to trust God the most. He said, “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT).

Personally I have a hard time and can struggle with keeping commitments. I will mess up! Thankfully, my salvation doesn’t depend on my ability to keep a commitment. It’s based on Christ keeping his promise and taking care of what I've committed to him.

In Summary:

When I entrust something to God—whether it's my worries, pain, or future—it's safer than the most secure vault, because God is faithful and trustworthy. Like Paul, who confidently trusted God even while suffering in prison, I can place everything I care about into God’s hands, knowing He will guard it perfectly. Worrying is essentially doubting God's promises and acting as if I don’t have a loving Father who is capable of caring for me. Though it's hard to let go—especially in pain—trusting God with my concerns leads to peace, because my security doesn’t rest on my ability to keep commitments, but on Christ’s ability to keep His.

Step by Step with Purpose

“I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.” Philippians 3:12 (CEV)

Here are three more reasons why goal setting matters.

I need to set goals because they give me the hope I need to keep moving.
Job says, “What strength do I have left that I can go on hoping? What goal do I have that I would want to prolong my life?” (Job 6:11 GW). To keep moving forward, I need to have a goal.

A goal doesn’t have to be big to motivate me. For instance, if I had surgery, my first goal in recovery could be to sit up in bed. Then I might work toward standing up and then later walking down the hallway.

Each of those goals is very small, but they’re all important—because getting from where I am to where I want to be isn’t one big leap. It’s many small steps. A goal doesn’t have to be big to be important—it just has to encourage me to carry on.

I need to set goals because they build my character.
The greatest benefit to my life will not be my accomplishments but rather what happens inside me while I'm moving toward my goal.

God is more interested in my character than he is in my accomplishments. While I'm working on my goal, God is working on me. He is building my character, and that’s what’s going to last for eternity.

That’s why Paul says in Philippians 3:12, “I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize” (CEV). It takes energy, effort, and focus to reach a goal, and the result is that I become more like Christ.

I need to set goals because good goals will be rewarded.
Proverbs 11:27 says, “If your goals are good, you will be respected” (GNT). When I give my life to a good goal, it brings honor and builds a legacy on earth.

But the real reward in setting good goals will come in eternity. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:25-26, “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step” (NLT).

Paul was a purpose-driven goal setter. I need to be that, as well, so that I can win the prize that God has prepared for me in heaven.

In summary:

Setting goals is essential for spiritual growth because they provide motivation, build character, and lead to eternal rewards. Even small goals can help me keep moving forward, especially during tough seasons, by giving me hope and direction. As I pursue meaningful goals, God uses the process to shape my character, making me more like Christ. Philippians 3:12 reminds me that reaching my goals takes effort, but it’s through that struggle that transformation happens. Good goals not only earn respect here on earth but also lead to eternal rewards, as I live with purpose and pursue the prize God has prepared for me in heaven.

Living with Purpose: Setting God-Sized Goals

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)

The Bible tells us that Jesus set goals. In fact, he often announced publicly what his goal was for the next phase of his ministry.

So why should I set goals? There are six reasons to set goals, here are the first three.

I need to set goals because it is a spiritual responsibility.
If I don’t have goals, I have already decided to let other people run my life. In other words, when I don’t decide in advance what’s important, I'm letting other people decide for me. I end up wasting my life because I never clarify how I want to grow as a follower of Christ.

The Bible says that to be spiritually mature, I need to set a goal and move toward it—always keeping my eyes focused on it. The apostle Paul said it this way:

“I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. . . . I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. All of us who are mature should think in this same way” (Philippians 3:12, 14-15 CEV).

I need to set goals because they are statements of faith.
If I'm a believer in Jesus Christ and I set a goal, I'm saying, “I believe that God wants me to accomplish this by this time. This is what I believe God is going to do in my life.”

Goals aren’t just statements of faith; they also stretch my faith. The bigger my goal, the more my faith will be stretched. And that pleases God.

The Message paraphrase of Ephesians 3:20 says, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (MSG).

I need to set goals because they focus my energy.
Focus is the key to an effective life. If my energy is scattered across too many things, I end up making little to no impact. But if I focus my life, it’s going to be powerful—and it can change the world.

Besides I don’t have time to do everything. But here’s the good news: God doesn’t expect me to! The key to being effective in life as a man of God is to do what matters most and forget everything else. Goals help me maintain that kind of focus.

That’s why Paul put it this way about living with focus and purpose: “I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26 NCV). 

So I'm to stay focused on my goals and ask God to guide as I commit to living out his purpose for my life.

In summary:

Setting goals is a vital spiritual practice that reflects my commitment to living purposefully for God. Jesus modeled goal-setting, and Scripture encourages believers to do the same to grow in maturity, express faith, and focus their energy. Without clear goals, I risk letting others dictate my priorities and wasting the life God gave me. When I set goals in faith, I'm declaring my trust that God can do far more than I could imagine, as Ephesians 3:20 reminds us. Goals not only stretch my faith but also sharpen my focus, helping me live effectively and intentionally. Like Paul, I'm called to run with purpose and pursue the prize of God’s calling in Christ.

Plans with Purpose: God’s Way to True Change

“We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.” Proverbs 16:9 (MSG)

We all get to make our own plans about how we live our lives. But it’s only through God that we have the power and energy to actually make transformation happen.

The Message paraphrase of Proverbs 16:9 says, “We plan the way we want to live, but only GOD makes us able to live it.”

There are three things I need to reach my goals and change my life—and only God can provide them. 

I need God’s Spirit to empower me.
God’s Spirit can help me make changes I can’t make on my own. Change isn’t the result of willpower; it comes through God’s power. It’s not based on trying; it’s based on trusting.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “‘You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD All-Powerful” (NCV).

I need God’s Word to guide me.
The Bible is the owner’s manual for life. The more I read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it, the more successful and fulfilled I'm going to be.

When Joshua was given the great dream of taking over the Promised Land—a goal that was going to take him the rest of his life to reach—God had these words for him: “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success” (Joshua 1:8 NASB).

I need God’s people to support me.
I will not be able to reach my goals on my own. It takes a team to fulfill a dream!

A crowd can’t support me, but a small group can. They know when I'm sick, when I'm having a tough time, and when I need a break. I can share my goals and my successes and failures, and they will rejoice with me and encourage me to keep going. I'm going to need that kind of support as I make the right kind of goals and pursue them wholeheartedly.

In the Message paraphrase, Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.”

I can make plans and set goals—but only God can give me the strength, direction, and support I need to live the life he’s called me to.

In summary: 

True and lasting transformation requires more than good intentions or personal effort—it needs God’s involvement. Proverbs 16:9 reminds me that while I can make plans for my life, only God gives me the ability to live them out. To reach my goals and experience real change, I need three essential things from God: His Spirit to empower me beyond my own strength, His Word to guide me with truth and direction, and His people to support me with encouragement and accountability. On my own, I’ll fall short, but with God’s power, guidance, and a spiritual community, I can walk the path He has planned for me and fulfill His purpose for my life.