The goal of every believer who has given their heart and life to Jesus must be to become more like Christ each day. The process of becoming more like Christ is called sanctification. It’s a process that begins after we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

The Bible says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit is the engine behind the transformation, and as we yield to him, we increasingly die to sin and live for righteousness.  Don’t think, however, that sanctification happens all by itself. No. It takes hard work and effort. You are told to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13). God is working in us by his Holy Spirit to sanctify us, but we must work that out with fear and trembling.

You do not get saved one day and are like Jesus the next. It takes work. What is the best way to become like someone? Let’s learn something from those actors and actresses. The best way to become like someone is to spend time with them. If you want to be like Jesus, you have to spend time with him. To be like someone you not only have to invest time into being with them, you must carefully watch them. See how they act, see how they talk, and see how they deal with situations they are faced with. To be like someone, you have to observe and then imitate their life.

You do this by spending time every day with the Lord in prayer. You do this by spending time every day in God’s word. You do this by being part of a local church where you are not only fed spiritually, but find fellowship with other believers, and find avenues to serve the Lord. Like any relationship, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. The more time you spend with the Lord, the more you will become like the Lord. Listen to the following admonition in 1 Peter 2:1–5 – “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

What I am challenging you to do today is this. Spend some time in prayer and isolate one area of your life that needs to be more like Jesus. Everyone reading this today has at least one area of their life that they would like to make more like Jesus. For each person, that area will be something different. If you will take some time and pray, God will show you exactly what that area is, though I am sure most already know exactly what area of your life that God is calling you to work on.

Then, over the next few weeks, focus specifically on making that area of your life more Christ-like. How would Jesus handle this area of His life? Study the word, pray, and God will show you. The goal then is to work hard over the next few weeks to see that area of your life become more like Jesus.

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (v.10–18).

Our lives are compared to a building. And as Christians, the foundation is Jesus Christ. Having believed the truth about Jesus—that God became a man and died on the cross for our sins and rose again—and having trusted him for salvation, we have laid the only lasting spiritual foundation for our lives. Then there are building materials.  There are good materials and there are bad materials. There are materials which the fire will burn up and destroy, and then there are other building materials that the fire doesn’t destroy. And only a life built with good materials will survive the fire of God’s judgment.

What are the good materials? I believe Paul is referring to the Word of God. Our lives must be grounded on the authority of God’s word. The Word of God must inform, guide, direct, and determine our actions and behaviors and attitudes and beliefs. If not, the “works” we do will not last. Only God’s Word will last. Peter said:

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,  ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23–25).

If God’s Word stands forever, it’s important that any church center its doctrine, preaching, bible studies, small groups, policies, procedures, and constitution around the word of God. If God’s Word stands forever, it’s important that any family center it’s activities around the Word of God. That means going to church, getting into God’s word as a family, and talking about how it relates to our daily life. If God’s Word stands forever then it means we must get into God’s Word ourselves and share God’s Word with others.

The concept of fire mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:15 is not a fire of purification. It’s also not a fire of hell. It’s a fire of testing. Look back at verse 13: “Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.”

So, people live their lives and churches live their lives and on inspection day, the day Jesus returns, he tells you how you did. And that testing is like fire. Our lives will be tested and our church will be tested. And only those lives and churches that were well-architected, well-built, with good materials, pass through and get approved. The rest just burns up.

Paul even says that on the Day of Judgment many will be saved, but they’re going to see that everything they’ve worked for is gone, and they’ll be ashamed. They had the right foundation—faith alone in Christ alone—but their lives weren’t built around the word of God. It’s possible to be saved, but yet stand before Jesus ashamed. Don’t let that be you. You will be tested by fire. Why don’t you take a minute to ask God if there are some things that need to change in your life so that it can be more properly aligned and centered on God’s Word. Maybe you need to come to church more regularly and be fed from God’s Word. Maybe you need to repent of some sin and bring your behavior into line with God’s Word. Maybe you need to plan time into your schedule where you can listen to God’s voice by reading the Word daily. Whatever it takes, make sure you’re building on the Word of God.

Sincerely,

Pastor Bryan

As the Titanic crossed the Atlantic, she received no fewer than six messages from other ships warning of ice in the very area where she eventually struck the iceberg. These reports described heavy pack ice, large icebergs, and field ice, giving positions where they were located. Had these positions been carefully plotted on a map, they would have revealed a belt of ice directly in the path of the Titanic. The captain ignored these multiple iceberg warnings from crew and neighboring ships. Furthermore, he ignored safety concerns by pushing the ship to its limits in an attempt to reach New York two days ahead of schedule. So, the Titanic steamed on at essentially full speed on a black night, refusing to alter course, disregarding all possible danger.

In a similar way, many people are like that. They ignore the warnings of their conscience. They continue to do things that they know deep down are wrong. They ignore the warnings of the Bible and plow full speed ahead on their selfish course.  However, Scripture says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7–8).

If we are believers, we know about sowing and reaping, but we think that there is one exception to the rule: Us.  Yet, when we think we are the exception we deceive ourselves and we mock God. If you are a single or married man and you’re devoting your time to pornography and sexual perversion, there will be a harvest. It will effect your marriage. It will effect your life. Don’t give in to deception. If you’re a parent and you see rebellion in your children and you don’t discipline them thinking, “It’ll just correct itself and they’ll grow out of it,”  no it won’t.  Don’t be deceived. If you’re lazy and not coming to church and you think it doesn’t matter all that much, don’t be deceived. You’re basically saying that the church isn’t really that important.  And yet, this is the church that Jesus loves and died for. Don’t be deceived.

Or it’s like the man who gets a call from his wife one day that she wants a divorce. He’s shocked.  He says “I didn’t see it coming.”  And yet, for years he’s been sowing anger and criticism towards her, and now it’s harvest time. Or it’s like the person who says, “I don’t know how I got into debt?” Answer: “You were sowing greed and covetousness for years.”  Or there’s the person who says, “I don’t know why I get so angry and yell.”  Answer: “you have been sowing bitterness and unforgiveness for years.

God often sends us warning signs when we are straying from his will. Sometimes the warning signal is frustration and stress. That may be an indicator that we’re doing too much of the wrong thing, and not enough of the right thing. Sometimes the warning signal is our conscience or the Spirit who whispers for us to get things right between us and God. Sometimes they are other believers who challenge us and rebuke us. Sometimes they are an inner dissatisfaction with the status quo. Sometimes they are a sermon or a message from the Word. Don’t ignore those warning signs.

Resolve to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Let go of any sin that you need to let go of.  Don’t settle for second best.  Christ died for your sins and rose again. Repent and come clean. You have one life to life.

There seems to be a bizarre fascination with the Titanic and its tragic fate. Countless articles and books have been published. TV shows and Movies have been made, including James Cameron’s 1997 movie which took home 11 Oscars. What is it about the Titanic which generates such interest? Could it possibly be because there are valuable lessons to be learned from the Titanic? The Titanic disaster contains so many lessons (practical, moral, and spiritual) for us to learn from. Today I want to mention just one spiritual lesson we can draw from this disaster: Be Prepared to meet your Maker.

Why did most of those who sailed on the Titanic drown when the ship went down? There were not enough life boats. It’s hard to imagine that a ship carrying so many lives didn’t have enough life boats to save all its passengers in case of an emergency, but that was the case with the Titanic. The ship was widely believed to be practically unsinkable. The design and construction were supposedly such that the risk of sinking was considered virtually nil. So, as a result, there was only enough space in the life boats to carry about half of the total passengers.

There were 20 lifeboats in all. 14 of those could carry 65 passengers. 2 could accommodate 40 passengers. 4 were designed to carry 47 apiece. If you do the math, that’s a maximum of 1178 spaces. Yet, the ship carried 2224 passengers, leaving a deficit of 1046 spaces.

Those who designed the ship and prepared it for her maiden voyage were not prepared for the ship to go down. It’s that simple.

Let me ask you, “Are you prepared to meet your maker?” “Do you have a lifeboat to take you to Heaven when your earthly vessel sinks into the grave?” The only lifeboat that is proven to work is Jesus. He paid for your sins and then rose again from the grave, and the Bible says that the way to be prepared to meet our Maker is to trust in him alone: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

If you’ve never settled the issue of your eternal destiny, then please take a moment right now to settle the issue once and for all. Follow this link to read about how you can be sure you are saved and going to heaven. There is only one way to be prepared to meet your Maker. Trust in Jesus alone for salvation.

There have been many theories put forth by critics to refute the resurrection down through the ages. Here are the top four.

1.    The wrong tomb theory

According to this theory, the women went to the wrong tomb on Sunday morning and they looked into an empty tomb that was not Jesus’ tomb, and then falsely concluded that Jesus has risen from the dead. The problem with this theory is that apparently also the angels, the disciples, the soldiers and the priests all forgot where the tomb was.  Furthermore, the tomb that Jesus was laid in belonged to a prominent member of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea, and I would think he knew where his family tomb was.

2. The swoon theory

According to this theory, Jesus never really died in the first place, and that in the cool of the tomb he revived and walked out and the disciples falsely concluded he was resurrected.  There are several problems with this theory. Firstly, the Romans knew how to kill a man and they made sure their victims were dead when they took them off the cross. One of the things they would do to speed up the crucifixion was to break the legs of the victim—thus causing them to asphyxiate because he no longer could raise his diaphragm to breathe.  But when they came to break Jesus’ legs, according to John 19:31–35, the soldiers discovered that he was already dead and so they didn’t need to break his legs. Secondly, the standard burial practices (body wrapped in cloth and spices) would probably suffocate a healthy person, let alone a severely wounded one.  Thirdly, even if Jesus did revive in the tomb, you still have to explain how he, being half-dead, managed to roll aside a 2.5 ton stone and then convince his disciples that he had a glorious resurrected body.

3. The stolen body theory (the conspiracy theory)

This is the oldest of all theories, because it originated the day that the tomb was discovered empty. According to Matthew’s Gospel, when the guards reported how they had seen angel and the stone had been rolled back, this is what happened: “When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day” (Matthew 28:12–15). According to the “stolen body” theory the disciples stole the body and then lied to everyone claiming that he rose again. The problem with this theory is three-fold: Firstly, they had no motive—they were defeated and discouraged. Secondly, they had no means—the tomb was being guarded by a highly skilled fighting unit of Roman guards. Thirdly, these same disciples later suffered incredibly and were even martyred as a result of their allegiance to the resurrected Christ. Do you really think that people will die for something that they know is a complete hoax? I don’t think so. Many people will die for something that they sincerely believe is true. But if the disciples stole the body and then lied about the resurrection, then they were knowingly sacrificing themselves for a lie and no one does that.

The stolen body theory has many variations. One variation is that the Jews stole the body. The problem with that is that if the Jews stole the body, then all they had to do when the Christians said that Jesus had risen from the dead was to produce the dead body of Jesus. End of the story. But they didn’t.  Another variation is that the Romans stole the body. But, this makes no sense because the Romans weren’t worried about Jesus one way or the other. They weren’t worried about a missing body (like the Jews) and they weren’t mourning a dead leader (like the disciples). As far as they were concerned, Jesus was just another dead Jew. They had no reason to tamper with the body.

4. The hallucination theory

As the name suggests, this is the theory that the disciples just hallucinated and didn’t actually see Jesus in person. There are a few problems with this theory. First, hallucinations usually last a few seconds or minutes; rarely hours.  According to the New Testament Jesus appeared over 40 days. Secondly, there are too many witnesses to the resurrection. Hallucinations tend to be private, individual, and subjective. Christ, however, appeared on many different occasions to various people and on one occasion 500 people are said to have seen him at one time (1 Cor.15:3–8).  Doesn’t sound like a hallucination. Thirdly, hallucinations don’t eat. The resurrected Christ ate on two occasions (Luke 24:42–43; Jn.21:1–14). Fourthly, you can’t touch hallucinations.  Yet, the disciples touched Jesus and Thomas put his fingers into the nail-punctures of his hands and feet.  The biggest reason, however, for rejecting the hallucination theory is that it can only explain the post-resurrection appearances; it can’t explain the empty tomb, the rolled-away stone, or the inability by anyone to produce the body. No theory can explain all this data except the fact that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective in the novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, once said, “Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.”

The critics of the resurrection have tried and tried to explain away the resurrection. But all their theories fall apart, leaving the truth—plain and clear—for all to see: Jesus Christ rose physically from the dead. And if that’s true, then he is the Son of God who conquered sin and death. If it’s true he has every right to tell us we are sinners in need of forgiveness, and that unless we trust him for salvation we will perish in sin. If the resurrection is true, then we must bow to him as Savior, Lord, and King. Have you?

Only one person in history has ever done this: Jesus Christ. Jesus himself uttered some amazing words as he hung on the cross. According to the eyewitness account of John the Apostle who stood at the foot of the cross, “Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

When he said, “It is finished,” this was a translation of one Greek word—tetelestai—which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.” Jesus was indicating that he had completed exactly what he came to do. Notice he did not say, “I am finished,” for that would imply that he died defeated and exhausted. Rather, he cried out, “It is finished,” meaning, “I successfully completed the work I came to do.”

The word tetelestai in the first century was often used in the sense of paying a debt. In fact, archeologists have uncovered many financial receipts of the first and second centuries where the word tetelestai is written as a way of saying that the bill has been paid in full. That gives us insight into what Jesus’ death accomplished.

Through his death on the cross, the price of sin was paid in full and the work of redemption was finished. You see, sin requires payment, and the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Death is the payment that sin requires: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).  Under the Old Covenant, God set up a sacrificial system where animals were sacrificed for sin. But, these sacrifices  were never complete because, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). They had to be done day after day, week after week, year after year. Ultimately, however, they pointed to Christ. Hebrews 9:26 says, “But now Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the age to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Those animals could never fully pay for sin because the only acceptable payment for man’s sin is man’s blood. This is why Jesus could pay for man’s sin. Jesus is God who became a man. But because he is fully God, his death on the cross could pay for all of our sins.  At the cross, the price of sin was paid in full.

“Paid in full” means that once a thing is paid for, you never have to pay for it again. And that is exactly what the death of Christ on the cross accomplished for you and for me. It doesn’t matter what your sin is. It doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve piled up in your life. It doesn’t matter how guilty you think you are. All of your sins can be stamped by God with one word—tetelestai—paid in full. In order to benefit from the payment that Jesus made on your behalf, you need to accept it by faith. Faith (trust) gives you access to his offer.

If you haven’t yet accepted this offer, there are three simple steps you need to take. They could be thought of as the ABC’s of salvation:
Admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior.
Believe that Jesus is the Savior you need and that he paid for your sin through his death and resurrection.
Call on him to save you and come into your life to be your Savior and Lord. “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Isaiah 46:9-10 – “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”

God makes known the end from the beginning. The stamp and seal that God is the author above and behind every human contributor to the Bible is fulfilled prophecy. The Bible is unique in this way. No other religious book contains specific predictions that came true centuries later. There are hundreds and hundreds of predictions made in the Old Testament that are accurately fulfilled in the New Testament. This is especially obvious when you consider the predictions surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Here is a table showing 27 predictions made about the Messiah long before he was born and the reference in the New Testament demonstrating how they were fulfilled in Jesus.

I have shown just 27 of the prophecies that predicted the Messiah who was to come, but there are actually more than 300. Furthermore, it is statistically impossible for one man to fulfill all of these prophecies by chance. When you really look at the evidence, it points to one undeniable fact: That Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, who lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, was buried, raised from the grave, appeared alive to many, and then ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God.

If all the prophecies surrounding his first coming were so accurately fulfilled, you can be sure the hundreds of prophecies about his second coming will be just as precisely fulfilled. Trust in him as the Savior. Bow to him as the Lord. Serve him as the King. Fear him as the Judge. Because our Savior, Lord, King, and Judge will soon return just as his Word says.

Why should we pray when God already knows our needs? Clearly, we do not pray to impress God. He’s not more impressed if we say longer prayers using Shakespearean language.  We also do not pray to inform God. He knows everything already and we can’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know.  So, if we don’t pray to impress God or inform God, then why do we pray? We pray to invite God. We invite him into our lives when we pray. There are three big reasons why we invite God into our lives through prayer:

1. The Fellowship factor

2 Cor.6:1 says that we are God’s “co-workers,” and when we pray, we join with him in his work. Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17). During his ministry, Jesus would often get away from the crowds to pray (see Mark 1:35) so he could maintain his fellowship with his Father. God is at work in the world. He is at work in the lives of the people around us, and as we pray we are better tuned into his will and the way he is working, so that we can join with him in what he is already doing. It’s not about doing work for God; it’s about doing work with God. We are his “co-workers” and prayer keeps us in fellowship with him.

2. The Development factor

There is nothing that will grow you as a Christian more than prayer. Have you ever wondered why God often doesn’t answer your prayers immediately? The answer is that he wants to grow your faith and trust. Perhaps there is some sin he wants you to let go of before he can answer that prayer. Or maybe you’re trusting in yourself and your own resources and he wants to bring you to a place of trusting in him alone. As we pray, we grow and develop spiritual muscle.

3. The Dependency factor

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Prayer brings us to depend on God more fully. Prayer helps us to abide with Christ. There is no other way to bear “much fruit” apart from prayer. There is no shortcut to bearing fruit. It is the overflow of a life dependent on God, cultivated by prayer.

Isn’t it interesting? They both had the same facts available to them, but they had entirely different conclusions.  In a similar way, we are faced daily with various facts—a difficult circumstance, a temptation, a problem—and the way we interpret those facts and act on them is crucial to our faith. There are two ways to filter and interpret things: According to our thinking or according to God’s promises.

There is a story in the Bible which illustrates this. When Israel had reached the borders of the Promised land, Moses reminded them, “See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it” (Deuteronomy 1:21). God had promised them the land, now all they had to do was believe his promise and go and take possession of it.

Twelve Spies were sent out to explore the land and bring back a report of the land and its people. When they returned they said that though it was a land flowing with milk and honey there were giants in the land—people who were stronger, bigger, and taller than the Israelites (Numbers 13:32–33)—and the cities were walled and fortified. These were the facts. Everyone could agree on the facts. But the problem was interpreting those facts. Ten of the spies said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:31). But two of the spies—Caleb and Joshua—concluded, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30).

Joshua and Caleb were right. The people in the land were giants in comparison. The cities were fortified. But since God had promised them the land, they were to go and take possession. God would be with them. It was about believing and acting on God’s promises.

Yet, how often are we like those 10 spies. We see the facts and concluded, “We can’t,” and all the while God is saying, “You can!” Let me give you some examples of how our thinking is often in contradiction to God’s promises:

We think, “It’s impossible”… God says, “All things are possible” (Luke 18:27).

We think, “I’m too tired” … God says, “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30).

We think, “Nobody really loves me” … God says, “I love you” (John 3:16).

We think, “I can’t go on” … God says, “My grace is sufficient for you” (II Cor. 12:9).

We think, “I can’t do it” … God says, “You can do all things through Christ” (Phil. 4:13).

We think, “I can’t manage” … God says, “I will supply all your needs” (Phil. 4:19).

We think, “I’m afraid” … God says, “I have not given you a spirit of fear” (II Timothy 1:17).

We think, “I’m worried & frustrated” … God says, “Cast all your cares onto me” (1 Peter 5:7).

We think, “I don’t know what to do” … God says, “I’ll give you wisdom” (I Cor. 1:30).

We think, “I feel all alone” … God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

I encourage you to take God at his Word. When we don’t, like Israel, we lose out on his blessings. On the other hand, taking God at his word and believing his promises is the most exciting and satisfying way to live. Is there a promise you need to claim today? Is there some area where you’re thinking is in contradiction to God’s promises? If so, repent (have a change of mind) and believe God’s promises. It will make all the difference.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

What is the antidote to our worries? The peace that Jesus gives—the peace of God. How do we get it? We simply ask. Scripture says:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

When those anxious thoughts hit you, immediately go to God in prayer. Tell God what you are feeling and ask for his peace. The Lord is bigger than your problems and he wants you to hand them over to him—“present your requests to God.” Trust that he is in control and he is working for your good (Romans 8:28). And notice what promise is given:  “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In place of worry, peace will flood your mind. In place of anxiety, peace will fill your heart. The peace of God is God’s antidote to your anxieties.

A couple of weeks ago Erin had a sinus surgery. Admittedly, the day of the surgery she was feeling quite nervous. Anxious thoughts were filling her mind. But as she was in the waiting room, she asked for peace. She turned her worries into prayers and in that moment her heart was flooded with peace—the peace of God. She knew that God was in control and that she could relax in his care. The peace of God sometimes “transcends all understanding,” but it is real nonetheless.

How about you? Is life difficult right now? Do you find yourself anxious about something? Let me encourage you to turn your worries into prayers.  Ask God for his peace. He will give it. That’s what he promises. Often it is just enough to carry us through the day. That’s why we may need to go on asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7–8) tomorrow and the next day. But you can be sure that the peace of God is within reach for every child of God.