When a patch of irritated skin formed near my left eye, I used makeup to cover it. Temporarily, this kept my problem a secret. After a while though, the swollen red spot didn’t clear up, and I knew it needed medical attention. On the morning of the doctor’s appointment, I was tempted to apply makeup as usual, but I didn’t. I wanted the doctor to see the problem clearly and treat it so it could heal.
Have you ever tried to hide a sin problem? Maybe you’re aware that some action or thought is controlling you, but you’ve avoided praying about it or mentioning it to friends and family. Maybe you think it’s no big deal because many other people are dealing with similar issues. But it’s impossible to thrive spiritually when sin is secretly fouling up our lives. As Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper.” Thankfully the verse continues, “but the one who confesses and renounces [sin] finds mercy” (v. 13).
It can be hard to adopt God’s view of our actions and admit that certain practices are wrong. However, His kindness eases the process of humbling ourselves. When we welcome the power of Christ’s Spirit into our struggle, we can reject the wrong that tempts us (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-24). As God guides us, change is possible, and our spiritual health is worth the effort!
On a warm evening, I met up with friends in a downtown area. We were excited to eat at a restaurant that offered live jazz music outside, but when we arrived the patio was full. Disappointed, we left and had to walk several blocks to find another place to eat.
On earth, disappointments come in all sizes, both big and small. Beloved pets pass away. Careers fizzle. Health problems occur. We lose relationships with loved ones. In our setbacks, we have God’s comfort, but our life stories don’t always contain the blissful endings we long for. Believers, however, have the hope of a joyful eternity.
The book of Revelation records God giving John a breathtaking vision. John saw “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” (21:2). “Prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (v. 2), it radiated God’s glory. God would inhabit the place along with all His people. In His city there would be no crime, no darkness, and no fear (vv. 25–27). Light, peace, and goodwill would abound.
On the night I met my friends for dinner, we ended up walking back past the first restaurant. White lights lit the sidewalk, and we stopped to listen to the music as we ate ice cream. I savored the moment, but we know that no earthly joy can compare with the ultimate ending believers will enjoy forever.
We’d been driving for fifteen hours, and it was late at night when a tornado alert jolted us to attention. The warning said we should take cover immediately. As if on cue, lightning exploded in the sky, and wind pressed against our car windows. We sped off the highway and parked near a concrete hotel building. Sprinting inside, we were thankful to find shelter.
Trouble reminds us we need a safe place to stay. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the
But God isn’t just another way to cope with problems. He’s more than a quick fix or a distraction. Taking refuge in Him means choosing His help over everything else. We can run to Him in prayer, meditate on Scripture, or surrender to the Holy Spirit in times of stress and anxiety. Over the years, these habits lead to a lifetime of reliance on the One who is our true shelter.
Watermelon vines had overtaken my garden. They snaked across the stone path, climbed the fence, and worst of all tried to choke my favorite vegetable plants. I knew the garden wouldn’t thrive unless I took action. So, one evening I went to work uncurling tendrils from stems and leaves. When the coils grew back, I kept removing them until the plants finally matured and produced plump tomatoes and shiny peppers.
Sins like greed, lust, and hate can overtake our lives like the vines that tried to dominate my garden. Left untended, the seed of a wrong thought may develop until it controls our desires and actions. The Bible says it’s possible to be so consumed by a particular sin that we’re held back from growing spiritually. This is the “sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1).
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “throw off everything that hinders” so that we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (vv. 1-2). To break free requires that we acknowledge we need help to handle the sin. This can be difficult if we’ve convinced ourselves and others that it’s not a serious issue.
Once we sincerely admit the problem, Jesus welcomes our prayers of confession and forgives us immediately (1 John 1:9). He can show us how to change our life patterns and through the power of the Holy Spirit help us to overcome the bondage that prevents us from flourishing
Every fall, plants like ragweed irritate my son’s sinuses. One night, his symptoms became so severe I thought he should see a doctor. Our family had just recovered from months of serious health issues, and I was so discouraged I didn’t even want to pray. My husband, however, found hope in all that God had already helped us through. He prayed for direction. Shortly after, with the help of medicine, our son’s condition improved.
Though some of his companions were discouraged, Caleb also showed hope and optimism after scouting out Canaan. God had promised the area to Israel, and Caleb said, “We should . . . take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). The others felt it was impossible, that the Canaanites were too powerful and their cities too well fortified (vv. 28, 31–33).
Caleb wasn’t denying the challenges the Israelites faced; his faith rested on God’s past faithfulness to His people in their struggles. God’s people did eventually conquer Canaan, and Caleb received his share because he had followed Him “wholeheartedly” (Joshua 14:9).
Many situations feel hopeless, but for those who know God and believe in His faithfulness, there’s always a reason for hope. When discouragement and despair seep in, we can find rest by trusting His power and grace to carry us through.
Dan Les, a lifelong potter, creates decorative vessels and sculptures. His award-winning designs are inspired by the town in Romania where he lives. Having learned the craft from his father, he made this comment about his work: “[Clay needs to] ferment for a year, to have rain fall on it, to freeze and thaw out [so that] . . . you can shape it and feel through your hands that it is listening to you.”
What happens when clay “listens”? It’s willing to yield to the artisan’s touch. Jeremiah observed this when he visited a potter’s house. He watched as the craftsman struggled with a vessel and finally reshaped it into something new (Jeremiah 18:4). God said to Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand” (v. 6).
God has the ability to build us up or bring us down, yet His ultimate purpose isn’t to overpower or destroy us (vv. 7–10). Rather, He’s like a skilled craftsman who can identify what isn’t working and reshape the same lump of clay into something beautiful and useful.
Listening clay doesn’t have much to say about this. When prodded, it moves in the desired direction. When molded, it stays in place. The question for us is this: are we willing to “humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand” so He can shape our lives into what He wants them to be? (1 Peter 5:6).
Many years ago, my husband decided to take a trip to Africa with a group of people from his church. At the last minute, the group was prevented from going on its journey. Everyone was disappointed, but the money they’d collected for airfare, lodging, and food was donated to the people they’d tried to visit. The people used it to construct a building that would shelter victims of abuse.
Recently, at a prayer breakfast, my husband met someone who lived in the village he’d almost traveled to so many years ago. This person was a teacher who said he walked by the building every day. He confirmed that God had used it to provide for the most vulnerable people in the area.
Our plans and desires don’t always match what God has in mind. For His “thoughts are not [our] thoughts, neither are [our] ways [His] ways” (Isaiah 55:8). God’s ways aren’t just different from ours; His ways are “higher” and better because what He does is consistent with who He is (v. 9). This truth gives us hope when our efforts to serve Him don’t turn out the way we’d planned.
It might be years before we’re able to look back and trace God’s influence through certain situations. For now, though, as we continue to reach out to the world in His name, we can remember that God is always powerfully at work (v. 11).
In college, I studied William Shakespeare’s writing for a semester. The class required a giant textbook containing everything Shakespeare had ever written. The book weighed several pounds, and I had to carry it for hours at a time. Lugging that weight around caused my back to hurt, and it eventually broke a metal fastener on my bookbag!
Some things are just too heavy for us to carry. Emotional baggage from past hurt, for example, can weigh us down with bitterness and hatred. But God wants us to have freedom through forgiving people and, when possible, reconciling with them (Colossians 3:13). The deeper the pain, the longer this may take. That’s okay. It took many years for Esau to forgive Jacob for stealing his birthright and blessing (Genesis 27:36).
When the two finally reunited, Esau graciously forgave his brother and even “embraced him” (33:4). Not a word was exchanged before they both burst into tears. Over time, Esau had let go of the anger that made him consider murder (27:41). And all those years gave Jacob the chance to see the magnitude of how he’d harmed his brother. He was humble and respectful throughout the reunion (33:8–10).
In the end, both brothers came to the place where neither required anything from the other (vv. 9, 15). It was enough to forgive and be forgiven and walk away free from the heavy baggage of the past.
A fire burned Balsora Baptist Church to the ground. As emergency workers and community members gathered after the blaze subsided, they were surprised to see a charred cross standing upright amidst the smoke and ashes in the air. A firefighter commented that the fire “took the structure, but not the cross. [This is a reminder] that the building was just that, a building. The church is the congregation.”
The church is not a building, but a community united by the cross of Christ—the One who died, was buried, and rose again. When Jesus lived on earth, He told Peter He’d build His worldwide church, and nothing would destroy it (Matthew 16:18). Jesus would gather believers from all over the globe into a group that would continue throughout time. This community would face intense difficulty, but they’d ultimately endure. God would dwell within them and sustain them (Ephesians 2:22).
When we struggle to establish local churches only to have them stagnate and sputter, when buildings are destroyed, or when we’re concerned about believers struggling in other parts of the world, we can remember that Jesus is alive, actively enabling God’s people to persevere. We’re part of the church He’s building today. He’s with us and for us. His cross remains.
