Where we might think of sin as slip-ups or missteps, God views sin as a godless attitude that leads to godless action.

God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.

Your pain has a purpose. Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end-the glory of God.

I choose faithfulness...Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that they father will not come home.

If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace.

We are Jesus Christ's; we belong to him. But even more, we are increasingly him. He moves in and commandeers our hands and feet, requisitions our minds and tongues. We sense his rearranging: debris into the divine, pig's ear into silk purse. He repurposes bad decisions and squalid choices. Little by little, a new image emerges.

The past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.