Christ Will Rescue You

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

What You Have to Do for YOU

What You Have to Do for YOU

Believers are being pulled in a thousand different directions right now. We’re told we should jump on certain bandwagons, adopt certain stances, and believe that God won’t be pleased if we don’t. Yet for many of us, something about all of this doesn’t sit right. There’s a growing uneasiness, a sense that the noise is loud but the clarity is thin. The truth is, we must be extremely cautious about the opinions we allow to shape us—no matter who holds them or what position they occupy.

In the grand scope of our individual lives, what matters most is not public approval or spiritual trends, but how we are responding to our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT) reminds us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” When everything is said and done, each of us will stand before God alone to give an account of the life we have lived. That reality brings clarity. It calls us to live intentionally—to walk in His love, to obey His leading, and to take responsibility for what is necessary to live a meaningful, faithful, and spiritually grounded life.

God’s Plan for Your Life

God has a plan for your individual life. This truth carries more weight than language can fully express. Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) reminds us, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” Yet some believers live as though human behavior can derail God’s agenda or delay His purposes. Scripture does not support that fear. Romans 8:28 tells us that God is the One who causes everything to work together. His purposes are never fragile, never threatened, and never dependent on human perfection. God’s power, plan, and purpose move forward with precision and wisdom, untouched by chaos or uncertainty.

From the very beginning, God demonstrated this. He formed the universe with intention and order, completing everything necessary for creation to function according to His design. When He rested, it was not because something was unfinished, but because everything was complete. God has not changed. He is just as sovereign today as He was when He parted the Red Sea. His plan does not wobble under pressure, nor does it require constant correction. His purposes stand firm.

Aligning With What God Has Already Planned

What this means for us is not that our choices don’t matter. They do. They just matter differently than we often think. We can’t derail God’s plan, but we can resist participating in what He wants to shape inside of us. God isn’t rushing around trying to force blessings into our lives. He is faithful to lead, guide, and prepare us to walk in what He has already purposed.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Those “good things” are more than blessings we receive. They include the good works we are invited to walk in. These are privileges prepared by God, not assignments we earn. They already exist, waiting. But we experience them only when we choose alignment with Him and say yes to the path He’s laid out.

God’s plan for your life fits beautifully within His greater plan for the world. The real challenge isn’t trying to figure out everyone else’s assignment or getting pulled into things God never gave us to carry. The priority is learning to seek Him for His direction, His timing, and His purpose for our own lives. When we do, clarity begins to replace confusion. Peace pushes out pressure. And we stop getting distracted by noise that has nothing to do with God’s Will for us.

Be Clear About What You Want

Faith requires focus. Faith doesn’t respond to impulse, noise, or emotional swings. It responds to a settled trust in God—a heart that’s fully persuaded.

Abraham is called the father of faith, but not because everything made sense right away. When God spoke the promise, Sarah laughed—it seemed impossible. They were far past the years of childbearing, and nothing in their circumstances supported what God said. Yet Abraham kept walking with God, showing up day after day, decade after decade, until his faith matured. Faith isn’t measured by instant results; it’s revealed through endurance, alignment, and trust.

God knew Abraham and Sarah would stay the course. They couldn’t force the promise, shortcut the process, or push God’s hand. They had to align themselves with His plan, remain consistent in obedience, and persevere until the impossible became reality. Their story teaches us that faith grows and breakthroughs happen when we partner with God’s purpose instead of trying to manage everything ourselves.

Positioned for What God Prepared

This is where the work becomes personal. What you have to do for you is get honest about what God is calling you to trust Him with, and whether your life is actually aligned with that call.

This means showing up consistently in prayer, worship, and obedience. It means staying steady when the world is noisy and distractions are loud. It also means checking your heart. Are you pursuing God’s blessings, or trying to reshape them to fit your own timeline or idea of “good”?

Abraham and Sarah’s story shows us that clarity plus alignment equals faith in motion. Your role isn’t to make God’s plan happen. It’s to walk faithfully where He’s leading, do the work He’s invited you to do, and keep your heart anchored in trust. That’s the work you do for yourself. It’s your responsibility, your opportunity, and your privilege—to position yourself to receive what God has already prepared.

Faith is active. Faith is intentional. Faith says, “I see what You’ve promised, Lord, and I’m walking steady with You—even when it takes time, even when I can’t see the full picture.” That’s what it looks like to get clear and get aligned. That’s what you have to do for YOU. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

A Happy and Successful Life

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

What does a truly happy and successful life look like? Is it peace? Direction? Stability? Or is it simply knowing you’re walking where God has called you to walk? Everyone wants to prosper. Everyone wants to succeed. But as those who love and honor God, we must recognize that He does not define success the way the world does—and He never has.

We see this clearly in the Old Testament after the death of Moses, when the moment came to establish Joshua as Israel’s leader. Our Heavenly Father did not complicate the assignment. He made it clear, direct, and non-negotiable. God commanded His people to study His Word.

To study means to devote time and focused attention to something. This is how God expects us to approach His Word. Scripture was never meant to be an occasional activity or a once-in-a-while practice. God commanded His people in the Old Testament to study His Word continually, and that same instruction applies to us today.

As a new year begins, many of us are thinking about commitments—what we want to change, strengthen, or finally be consistent with. But one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is also one of the most lasting: a renewed devotion to God’s Word.

Our Heavenly Father makes this clear in Psalm 1:2–3 (NLT): “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” From the beginning, God has called His people to give themselves to His Word, not casually, but fully. And that call still stands. When we choose Scripture as a priority—especially at the start of a new year—we’re not just forming a habit; we’re allowing Christ Himself to shape our thinking, our decisions, and the direction of our lives. God honors that kind of devotion, and He uses it to bring clarity, growth, and strength that reach far beyond the calendar.

When we study and meditate on Scripture, we can trust that God sees it, honors it, and responds to it. He promises prosperity and success not as the world defines it, but as He defines it—lives ordered by His wisdom and led by His Spirit. James 1:25 (NLT) reminds us, “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” The reward is not just in what God gives, but in who we become as His Word takes root and begins to guide our lives.

In the New Testament, we’re reminded that God’s Word is not passive or distant—it is alive, purposeful, and active in our everyday lives. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) tells us, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” This means Scripture doesn’t just inform us; it reaches beneath the surface. It helps us discern what’s coming from our emotions, what’s driven by fear or habit, and what is truly being led by God’s Spirit. God’s Word brings clarity where we’ve been confused and truth where we’ve been avoiding honest reflection.

Many people in our time are no longer responding to God—or to life—through His Word. Instead, they’ve turned away from His wisdom, labeling Scripture as outdated or antiquated. “People can’t live that way now,” some say, using that reasoning as permission to dismiss what God has clearly spoken. But this way of thinking comes at a high cost.

Our Heavenly Father is brilliant beyond measure, and so is His Word. He has fully equipped us to live holy and righteous lives, and He has designed every part of our existence to be shaped after our Big Brother, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT), “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

Studying God’s Word is both a privilege and a responsibility. It’s how we stand approved before Him. When we commit ourselves to knowing Scripture and living by the example of Christ, we grow wiser and spiritually stronger. And as we walk in obedience, we step into the kind of joy and success God promised—lives shaped by His truth, strengthened by His Spirit, and ordered by His wisdom. ■

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Lord, What Am I Missing?

God has blessed each of us immeasurably. There are blessings we could never fully list or articulate, and they converge in such a simple but profound way that we woke up this morning with breath in our lungs. We have another opportunity to praise God and thank Him for His goodness.

Most of us recognize this, and we truly are thankful. And yet, many believers still feel unsatisfied. Some feel unfulfilled. There’s a quiet sense that something is missing, and we can’t quite put our finger on where or why that feeling exists. We want to know the exact book, chapter, and verse where God explains the why behind emptiness, loneliness, lack, numbness, sadness, and disappointment. We’ve been on this journey a long time, and still, joy feels hard to hold onto the way we see others do. So we ask, “Lord, what am I missing?”

Jesus Christ is the answer—we know this. But often, what’s missing isn’t who we know; it’s how deeply His life has been allowed to take root within us. Paul’s prayer reveals God’s desire for every believer in Ephesians 3:16–17 (NLT): “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

This passage points us straight to the condition of the soul. Roots deliver nourishment to the whole tree. God tells us our roots are meant to grow down into His love. But sometimes, without realizing it, roots grow into other things—distractions, habits, comforts, or pursuits that were never meant to sustain us. When that happens, God lovingly begins the process of pruning. And often, we’re so focused on those other attachments that we don’t recognize what He’s doing.

Moment by Moment

Jesus explains this process in John 15:2 (NLT): “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” This is not a word of rejection. It’s a word of assurance. This isn’t a word of rejection—it’s a word of assurance. Pruning is not punishment; it’s proof of belonging. Only branches that are already connected to Him are pruned.

Our walk with God isn’t built in one big moment. It’s lived out in small, daily choices—choosing to remain in Christ, choosing to follow His Word, choosing obedience even when comfort feels easier. And sometimes, we don’t. Sometimes we choose ease over growth, pleasure over formation, or familiarity over surrender. When those choices go unchecked, they can quietly settle into patterns that limit the fruit God desires to produce through us.

God doesn’t want anything to remain in us that restricts life. So He sends signals—gentle alarms—to wake us up. These alarms are not punishment. They are mercy. They alert us to areas that need healing, surrender, or growth. Many of us are blind to the very things holding us back, and God, in His kindness, steps in to help us see.

The Alarms

We are spiritual beings living in a natural world. The world teaches us to ignore the inner life and dismiss spiritual solutions. But that is not the truth. Our faith in God’s love and power will not fail. Feelings of emptiness, restlessness, sadness, or disappointment are often signals that something deeper is being addressed by the Holy Spirit.

It’s easy to label these feelings as simply “feeling bad,” but sometimes they are invitations—signals that growth and promotion are near. When we respond by seeking God and remaining open to His direction, we often discover a depth of fulfillment we didn’t know was possible.

God is the Master Gardener. Pruning is not a one-time event; it’s a recurring part of our walk with Christ. Each season, something is refined so greater life can emerge. The feeling that something is missing may not be loss at all—it may be new growth preparing to break through.

Where True Fulfillment Is Found

Jesus says in John 15:5 (NLT): “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” When we don’t recognize the value of what Christ has already accomplished for us, the soul can feel hollow, even in the presence of blessing. But God does not leave us there. John 16:13 reminds us that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. As we yield to Him, He deepens our understanding, heals our inner places, and teaches us how to live from what Christ has already secured.

All that we need is found in Jesus Christ. As we ask God to reveal the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and trust Him to do His work within us, we discover that fulfillment doesn’t come from acquiring more—it comes from abiding more deeply. And there, our cups truly begin to overflow.