Spiritual Growth

Courage is not earned. Courage is not given. Courage is not found. Courage is created. Courage is created when you choose to move forward anyway. So where is God inviting you to be courageous today? God told Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage.”  See that word, “Be”? That’s the real deal. And here’s the truth: the more you take steps of courage, the smaller your fears become. But if you never take those steps, your fears remain a giant in your mind, uncontested, unchalleng

Are you carrying unnecessary layers in your life? Life often piles on layers: expectations, flippancy, ego, fear, and superficiality. These layers can cloud our vision and weigh down our purpose. Joseph, for instance, carried layers. His confidence and innocence shaped his dreams, but they also complicated his relationships. He had the habit of sharing every dream he saw. Like most teenagers, he would say again and again, “I have a dream! I have a dream!” Rather than uniting

Great men and women are not raised in schools; great men and women are raised in homes . Homes, not perfect, but which provide the spiritual, emotional, and practical support needed to rise above adversity with character and courage. Nick Vujicic was born in Melbourne, Australia, with a rare condition that left him without arms or legs. His parents, Dušanka and Borislav Vujicic, Serbian immigrants, were initially devastated, but they chose faith over despair. Their Christian

Hunger makes food precious. Failure makes success precious. Poverty and want make wealth precious. Sickness makes health precious. Dirt makes bathing feel precious. And the burden of guilt and sin makes purity of heart precious. Purity changes you. Don’t worry; you won’t lose your uniqueness. Through purity of heart, however, we shed the parts of ourselves that are cruel, retaliatory, vengeful, and destructive; the parts we never liked anyway. Purity of heart brings out the r

If you get all you want, will you want all you get? Let’s trace this thought through the life of a king named Midas—one who wished for more without asking why. Midas was a man of immense wealth, living in greater affluence than anyone else in his time. He spent many hours each day handling and counting his treasures. However, no matter how much gold Midas collected, he always wanted more. One day, a being dressed in white appeared to Midas and asked what he wished for. The ki

For a long time, reading my Bible at night was one of the most challenging spiritual habits to develop. I was proud of my morning devotions. They were consistent, meaningful, and often refreshing. But when evening came, everything changed. Fatigue set in, distractions increased, and my desire to sit with God's Word faded. I would often read verses like “You shall meditate on these words day and night” and feel a quiet sense of guilt. I was doing well with the "day" part, but

Are you merely sticking to boring routines, or are you actually growing? Here's a story that illustrates exactly what I mean: a while ago, I was catching up with a decent and level-headed Christian gentleman (by the way, not all Christians are level-headed). What began as a casual conversation soon turned into a lesson on growth. I asked him, “What is God teaching you in this season?” Now, before you stop reading and assume I’m about to go into “church talk,” stay with me, be