“If by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and your joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:22-25 GNT).

When you stay focused on your purpose instead of your problem, you can find joy even when life seems to be falling apart.

“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

No matter what you’re going to face this next week, you won’t face it alone. God is with you, he is in you, and he is for you.

Faith means stepping out into the unknown when you don’t know what’s even in the unknown. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (ESV). That means we walk while looking with spiritual eyes, not physical eyes. We look from God’s point of view, not from a human point of view.

“I trust in you, LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15 NIV).

The opposite of fear is faith. When you fill your life with faith, fear goes out the back door. When things don’t happen on your timetable, the more you trust God, the less afraid you will be.

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT).

Your identity determines your destiny. That’s a pretty big statement. But in the life of Moses, we see that it’s true. Once Moses realized who he was, his life took a whole new direction.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV)

Everyone who is alive will be hurt, many times over. Sometimes you will be hurt intentionally. Other times someone will accidentally hurt you. The way you respond to hurt will determine how it affects you.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” - 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NIV)

Any lifeguard will tell you: You can’t save anyone as long as they’re trying to save themselves. If you try, that person will just pull you down, too. So you have to tread water until they finally give up, and then it’s easy. You just put a hand over their shoulder, and you swim back to shore.

The Bible tells the story of Job, a man who loved and served God. But he lost almost everything—his wealth, health, and children—in the span of one day.

Job’s story shows us how to worship even when we’re wounded. Even in the worst times, we can worship God by invoking his wisdom and strength.

God’s not playing games with you. He wants you to understand his will, purpose, and plan for your life.

You may say, “I want God to guide me, but I still get confused. I don’t know what to do.” Often the problem is we’re looking for the wrong thing.

You need to know what you’re looking for before you can find it.

So, what is God’s will?

Have you ever wondered why you do what you don’t want to do? Ever wondered why it’s so hard to do the things that you know are the right things to do?

Our sinful nature causes us to often make the wrong choice. You can probably relate to the apostle Paul when he says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate . . . So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t” (Romans 7:15, 17-18 NLT).