If we surrender our fears and stresses to God day by day, we can be present in the moment instead of adding to that mile long agenda. When we submit to God and trust Him, we are released from the self-absorption that comes along with holding on to our fears. This is when we are free to invest in others and be a presence in their lives.
Jesus did not intend for us to live life in chaos. He is the Prince of Peace. His desire is for His precious children to sit at His feet, in the midst of the loud voices and distractions of the world. Despite the soft but chilling voice of anxiety. Jesus overcame fear when He died and rose from the grave. We are not to live our lives in a way that seems like Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t enough.
Our identity is not in manliness or womanliness but godliness. It's less about sexual orientation and more about gospel orientation. We must find our identity in Christ. Then, and only then, can our hearts truly change. Then, and only then, will we love the things He loves.
Our culture gives us this unfortunate idea that we have to perfect ourselves. To truly be successful you need to eliminate all of your weaknesses. You need to hold your own. You need to keep it together. You need to be a completely well rounded person. But how boring, really.
You will not wake up from your daydreaming with a closer relationship with God, a healthier body, a cleaner room, and a scrapbook full of adventures until you put in real action to get there.
People may not have been happy, but I felt freedom in knowing that my Savior was. Living a life modeled after Christ isn’t the norm.  It takes strength and courage to stand up against the strong cultural current.  And people aren’t going to like it.
It is not easy to have a desire placed in your heart by the One who created it and wait for Him to fulfill it. But God holds your heart. Even though it’s hard, I know I serve a great God. And I will let Him hold my heart every single day.
Believe it or not, negative self talk is a form of conceit. We think that we’re the center of attention and that everyone is watching us.
To surrender our lives to God, His ways must be written on top of, over, above, across our hearts. His ways are higher. His ways are better.
