Regardless of the source of our pain, we must accept that God knows, God loves, and God is at work.

Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus.

It is not the trials in your life that develop or destroy you, but rather your response to those hardships.

His voice leads us not into timid discipleship but into bold witness.

If we rationalize our problems when He points them out, we will spend less and less time meditating because we won't want to face God in that area of our lives.

Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God's most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear.

The Holy Spirit's power cannot be harnessed. His power cannot be used to accomplish anything other than the Father's will. He is not a candy dispenser. He is not a vending machine. He is not a genie waiting for someone to rub His lamp the right way. He is holy God.