Walk by faith! Stop the plague of worry. Relax! Learn to say, "Lord, this is Your battle."

Deep, contended joy comes from a place of complete security and confidence [in God] - even in the midst of trial.

I don't have to explain or defend the will of God. My job is simply to obey it.

We want a crowd to make us feel important and liked. But why is getting a crowd our focus? Jesus never suggested that crowds were the goal. He never addresses getting your church to grow. Never.

While God is not the author of evil and He never prompts or condones sin, nothing occurs without His sovereign oversight. Others may choose to do evil deeds and God's people may suffer in the short term, but He will transform the evil intentions of evil people into opportunities for the enrichment of those in His care.

You may be going through a trial so overwhelming that it's borderline unbearable. You want to see the end of the tunnel. Which is only natural, because once we see that little speck of light, we feel we can make it through to the finish. But God's tunnels are often twisting, too complex and dark to see the light for many days. In such settings He says, "In that dark, twisting, seemingly endless period of time, trust Me. Stop running scared! Stop fearing!"

We gain the ability to rejoice under pressure through a carefully monitored training program directed by the Lord Himself.