Life Journeys

Living by God's grace requires a living sacrifice. It includes surrendering our ego and need to be treated with respect. Instead, respect God's mercy to all men. Draw life from above instead of from others. Weep over their sins instead of judging them. True liberty will govern your life and release God's provision.

Resurrection stood right in front of Jesus's disciples and said, “Peace be unto you. I've sent you here.” We're not to be intimidated by our world but to overcome it. Find the peace of God and you'll find your purpose. A settled calm is released in us as God himself breathes these few simple words.

Some things on earth that make men crazy are paralleled by things in heaven that make men worship! What looks like a trial is really a trail in God's plan. Stop trusting more in your failures as a sign of defeat than you trust in Jesus's success as a sign of guaranteed victory. God can handle what you can't.

God will take the imperfect life we give Him and weave such glory into it that at the end of life we'll be able to say, "I have arrived at just the place God planned for me all along.” God uses failing people because it's all about His grace, not our perfection. Condemnation doesn't earn us points with Him. It attempts to take redemption out of His hands and put it in our own power.

The price we pay for thinking we're OK is barrenness. The well-being that comes from trying to love ourselves is nothing like the inner peace that comes from experiencing the love of God. Beating yourself up is much harder to overcome than God's disillusionment with you. Faith is way easier!

Christianity is not an education about God. It's an encounter with Him that validates our lives, for He is life. You are more precious to God than the sum of millions of fans crying out your approval. When your money and friends are gone, your validation is still based upon the same word that put the stars in the sky.

Your pain need not be in vain. Human suffering and glory are not incompatible. The path to glory is through suffering. Hardship doesn't mean you're “less than.” Too often we lose our sense of hope because of what we're going through instead of finding our honor because of what Christ went through.

See what God sees in you instead of what you see in you. He sees the gold and works to remove the impurities in the Refiner's Fire. If you dwell on what you're not, that's where you'll stay. Stop trying to grow in God's character by your own power. Learn to live a supernatural life of holiness and peace.

Hardship in this world is heaven's summons to believe. It is not a summons to try harder to better yourself or to give up. It is a call to seek God to build up your faith in the knowledge of His love. The impossible is the way through to your supernatural life purpose. Only relentless faith can navigate this pathway.

Never interpret the hardness of the way as a sign of failure. Favor from on high only fits into the container of the fear of the Lord, and is often forged in the furnace of hardship. Mary was highly favored, not because she was perfect, but by God's choice. His grace determines our value. Our value doesn't determine His grace. Trust Him when you can't trust yourself!

All you have of eternal value has been freely given. Your life is not a mistake, no matter how hard it's been. Unrelenting pain is not greater than God's unrelenting choice of you.  God's love in you can change a thousand lives. His gracious choice of you says, “You are as beloved to Me as My Son Jesus is to Me.”

A heart at peace is a wonderful thing that lies near the core of a man's man.  It is the blessing of faith applied to the pursuit of holiness - the atmosphere of a whole man. It's a place of self-control where no idol compels us to defeat. You don't obey God to have peace but because you are at peace.

God will let life break us down eventually until we're faced with an inadequacy that only He can fill. His intended holiness isn't a limitation, but a life of extreme liberty, where we're no longer controlled by the darkness or the desperation of inadequacy. It's a completed life of wholeness, value and honor.

The devil likes to diminish our sense of identity, purpose, and value to entice us to build ourselves up instead of trusting in God! "What good are you?" is a demonic question not worthy of consideration! It's not what you've made of yourself but what you've let God make of you that matters. Rest!!

Temptation and failure challenges you to find more of your life in God and less in the world. Don't beat yourself up over not having arrived yet or let the enemy deny your identity in Christ. Stop fighting the symptoms. God's drawing you closer. You're created to be complete only in Christ. 

When God fills our soul, nothing this world takes from us need matter. Stress and defensiveness are the soul's longing for God. If loving people is wearing you out, that's your soul's thirst for God. We're created to need God and trust that He'll take care of everything. He can fulfill in us what no man can.

God's silence is often heaven's call to walk by faith. The source of faith is not the absence of hardship. Suffering does not erase the degree of God's faithfulness. It tests our faithfulness. Faith doesn't wonder about what God will do but what we will do. Don't use faith to argue with God. Trust Him.

Fixing the side effects of a nation's corrupt values will not make America great again. Our future's not determined by how well we adhere to the Constitution but to God's Word. It's a false freedom that leans on the First Amendment while living an immoral life. This battle's about faith and values, not liberty.

Don't go out in public until you can get into a foxhole with your political enemy and be willing to die to save their life. How? The best time to establish love for your enemy is when your soul is humbled from your own sin. It's God's love that builds faith in us. Let His love in you do the same for others.

I've talked to those who have truly suffered: people in Nazi concentration camps. Suffering didn't mean there was no God. It strengthened faith amidst hopelessness. Some say pain means there's no God, when in reality it's often a pathway to Him. It's not our suffering, but our sin that keeps us in darkness. 

Overcome evil with good. Love your enemies. You think it's hard, but it's harder on the soul to hate than it is to sacrifice pride. Your cross will be the world's chance to see God through you. Live your life because of who you are, not because of who others aren't. Your hate gives them power over you. 

When Charlie was killed, God's word came quickly, “You've seen what man can do. Now get ready for what I can do.”  The deafening sound of mercy rang out. Forgiveness is forged in blood - the price of freedom given by the truly free soul. It's time to liberate America by loving our enemies at any cost.

Find something worth dying for, and then spend your life living for something that will last for eternity. Sacrifices that come from love and by faith forge an identity that can save our eternal lives and nation. It means living the truth, not just claiming it. Hell's gates won't prevail against you.

It was a martyrdom - the labor pains of a great birthing. A million Charlie Kirks will rise up. Jesus promised that our sorrow shall be turned into joy! The blood of the martyrs has always been the seed of the kingdom of God. Charlie died standing for his Master. So who are you standing for?

God doesn't usually help me by giving all the answers about why I suffer. Faith is its own answer. He helps by giving me himself. It's about who I am becoming whatever I am going through - about changing me, not just my circumstances, until I am as His word in human form. He's not against us.

Shame can be a symptom of failed self-esteem pursuits instead of relying on grace. It is the fruit of religious self-effort, an emblem of wounded pride. God gives the oil of joy for mourning. He buries shame in a double blessing of mercy. Show me your self-esteem, and I'll show you my divine-esteem.    Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

“I want to be different. I fail too often.” Then, look beyond your own thoughts. They're what got you into this mess. Renew your mind on the mercy of God. Then, sacrifice. It's the bedrock upon which a renewed mind  transforms lives. Sacrifice some of your time to God. You'll be supernaturally changed. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

When Job played the victim card  and said he didn't deserve such suffering, God came in a whirlwind with a revelation of majesty that exposed his self-righteous heart. Upon repenting, his life was restored. He found that God uses all His creation to say, “I will take care of you.” Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Neither our bodies, nor finances, diseases, possessions or people need define our life. Without Jesus, we have existence, but not life. He defines the future, and His glory defines our intended life. Your soul need never long for peace, value, or love. He gives life with no shame or regrets. Dare to let go of your life.   Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Many try to define God by their pain saying, "My hard life is the source of the truth of the mysteries of the universe and existence itself." God showed Job, “When you accept that I am in charge in your pain, then you can accept that I am in charge of your deliverance." Self-righteous reality never wins.

Your soul doesn't want a vacation, more money, health, or possessions. It wants what it was created to experience - the manifestation of a son of God in glorious liberty from all that holds you back. The Holy Spirit can work in you to insure that neither hardship nor moral failure define you. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Every challenge is the bedrock of an invitation to come into God's presence. Ongoing discovery of God by revelation unlocks encounters with His glory. He'll impart Christ's image to you, and you will see yourself as God intended, and you'll be changed. He has infinite good thoughts about your future. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

I must have faith that Christ can light up the tombs of this world where my carnal life is entangled in powerlessness. Instead of finding despair and defeat, His light will surely prevail. Brought to the edge of despair, my Shepherd led me into the valley of the shadow of death to show me how to fear no evil.   Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

As in marriage, American unity won't work by demanding what we think we deserve. When a man is trying to find his inner needs through his wife instead of from God, he's made an idol out of her that she can never live up to.  Life with dignity and respect works by grace verses our heightened sense of justice.  Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

It takes something supernatural to live the life we were born for. Jesus pleads our cause on the grounds of justice as One who died for us. He can say nothing good of us that will win the day. He alone restores us into divine favor. We'll never arrive at a place where we no longer need a Savior. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Every nagging jab that eats the soul away little by little until nothing's left is where supernatural life can begin. Never say, “I did good. Why's this happening?” Only your cross can bring you indestructible life. It's not found in your features or flaws. Your cross is the beginning, not the end. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

We were born that way, but we don't have to die that way. It's called sin. We've all got it, and there is a Savior. We can live by faith instead of being led by feelings. This is not Pride Month; it's called June. One problem - too many preachers are telling us what to do, and too few are preaching the power of faith.

It is not the presence of life's storms that defeats us; it is the absence of Christ's presence. Don't act like you don't have a Savior! Suffering doesn't mean God has something against you. Seek Him until you find Him. It's that simple, really. Every time you entertain fear, you're allowing your heart to defy His promises.

What do I fear? What do I want? Fears and hopes become the substance of what is truly ruling my life. Faith that doesn't set me free is usually blocked by an idol that is demanding I serve it. Fear, sorrow, or anger are signs of an idol manipulating and dominating me. Turning from it will release my faith.   Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

God's best for us is not what things He can give. His best is giving Himself to us. Too many people have tried to apprehend the love of God in the suffering in their world yet haven't, because God isn't bigger to them than their world is. Have faith that Christ will light up the darkest tombs in your life. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

You've been given all you need to be all that God's called you to be. But your faith must be tested in the fire to produce the patience you need to love with. Don't fret. Refining doesn't mean failure. Your heaviness in faith's season of testing will end in joy that is unspeakable and full of glory forever. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

"Lord, I've been shaken like a leaf. How can I relate to you, you're so big?” "Just jump in," He said! "Stop trying to figure out how I work. Trust Me. Don't act like I'm no bigger than your thoughts. You measure speed and distance by the speed of light. I can walk faster than that! I'm much bigger than your problems.”

Kingdom life begins where carnal life ends. My despair over my failures is the crucifixion that begins His resurrection in me. I may think God is disappointed in me until I realize it's just failed faith in myself. When I've hit bottom and am empty, God can start filling me up with His life. I can resign as manager of the universe!

The trauma of a life tragically altered numbs the senses until faith seems impossible. God takes the outrageous things of life, like the crucifixion, and He turns them all into seeds of eternal victory! A firestorm is a sign of impending divine intervention. He builds faith in places of impossibilities.   Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

You can live with an inner settled sense of the grace, mercy, and power of God within, and have peace with God and with yourself. Come in touch with inner fears, pain, or anger. Learn to believe God in every dark place where you've felt incomplete. Then, take your lead from above. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

One day the Sun went backwards in the sky to show there really is an all-powerful, all-loving God! “I'm here, I'm in control, and I'm going to help you! This is MY world and YOU ARE MINE!” He plans big. He has a plan for your life ten thousand years from now! Learn to think past your front yard! Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Sometimes I spend too much time thinking about who I'm not instead of who I am. To deny who I am is to deny who Christ is, for He gave His life to me. My sin and unbelief have kept me from the fulfillment of self-esteem, not my lack of accomplishments. God has crowned us with glory and honor. Ps. 8 Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

I've been created to believe God. I don't have the right to doubt Him. To do so is to abuse myself and accuse God of being a hypocrite. It creates despair, fear, and anger over life's problems. Chronic sorrow says our pain is greater than God's power. Faith is the only way I can function as I am created to be. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

Jacob said, “Surely God is in this place, and I didn't know it.” His story showed us that God will use our hardships to weave the covenant of grace that defines our life purpose. We don't have to be perfect by any means to fulfill our destiny. Our God given legacy is a message to our families and the world. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys to find a list of your favorite platforms for this podcast!

When I get bogged down, I know this one thing - I'm living my life instead of His! Suffering is God's invitation to come into His throne room and overcome. God turns our places of suffering into places of revelation. It is His great joy to welcome you to come near. In all God is, He is to you right now. Click https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys and find a list of your favorite platforms to listen to this “Words That Work” podcast!

Trials will prove if we will live by God's word, be governed by Him, and trust Him or not. He's looking for acts of faith, not merely confessions. Satan will say, "If you're right with God, you wouldn't be facing me," and that's one of the great lies. Just because there is a battle doesn't mean you have failed. Listen to the short podcast, “Why Am I Being Attacked” & find your favorite streaming app for this episode at https://bit.ly/m/Life-Journeys