• Confidence in the Midst of Distress

  Oftentimes, we use the word “stress” to describe the pressure we are feeling. It can come from something as simple as traffic or from more complex situations or underlying issues, such as insecurity. Stress becomes distress when it creates deep emotional and mental anxiety. Unfortunately, in today’s world, living with a fairly constant level of such tension is not unusual.

• Forgiving an Abuser

  When I tell abuse victims that full healing requires forgiving their abuser, many will argue. Their message is generally the same: “You don’t understand the hurt I’ve endured.” They’re right. But I do know that a bitter spirit penetrates every part of our life like a cancer. Anger and resentment are symptoms that cannot be pushed away and ignored. They spill out, harming relationships and leading to risky decisions.

• One Big Request

  Yesterday we looked at God’s promise in John 14:14. Too often people take the verse to imply, “If you ask anything, I will do it.” They overlook the most essential phrase: “in My name.”

• The Burden of False Guilt

  Guilt is an emotional response to wrongdoing. We experience it when we break man’s civil law or God’s commandments. But what about those times when no law was broken, and yet we feel as if we did something wrong? That is false guilt, an unnecessary and often crippling emotion.

• Staying in the Light

  John used the metaphor of darkness and light to describe a life of sin versus a life in Christ (1 John 1:7). God is pure and perfect light (v. 5) shining through an obedient person. However, when we invite darkness—sin—into our life, there is immediate conflict. Darkness and light cannot mix.