We all have areas of our lives or hearts we would love to see restored. And there are practical things we can do to set us in the right space to experience restoration, but the bottom line is God does the restoring. If you have been feeling overwhelmed or like you can't handle one more thing on your mental list, this is tremendous news. God himself will restore you and make you stronger than you have ever been. All you have to do is just yield to him!

This is all about how we fight our battles, because when you fight wrong everything hurts more. So we don’t fight with flesh and blood, we fight knowing this is bigger than just what we see. We fight knowing we aren’t alone. We fight different. We look for the greater good. We look for the bigger win. We open up, we don’t close off. We carry each other. We pray and we worship, because a perspective shift changes everything.

You have to keep your head on a swivel. Because the attacks can come from anywhere and when we aren’t ready for them they sting so much more. It may be part of the reality we like to ignore but you and I have an enemy who only wants to swallow us up in despair, hopelessness, bitterness and pain. God’s got a better plan. A plan that leads to restoration. Pay attention. Find your balance. Stay calm and steady and you will be ready.

Anxiety can feel like drowning and the water and waves are everywhere. If you are sinking in anxiety, please know you are not alone. There is help for you. Social media is full of anxiety hacks that help, but this message pulls an anxiety hack out of scripture and helps us get on God’s plan for walking through it and finding a fresh and better way to deal with anxiety when it springs up on us. Just take a B.R.E.A.T.H.

Stay humble...it sounds trendy and there are motivational posts all over social media preaching the stay “humble message”, but humility isn’t really trending in our world today. In fact it seems like what we see more and more of is Pride. Humility isn’t putting yourself down it is seeing yourself in your proper place. Deeply valued but not the center of the universe. Restoration in your life or relationships starts simple: Be more humble.

Help’s coming. Jesus wraps up this section of his instruction to his followers with encouragement that while He is leaving, He is sending them The Advocate. A helper. A difference maker. If you have ever wondered if God is for you, if you have wondered if He is with you this encouragement is for you. Deep dive with us to see who this advocate is and what He does for us.

Love will make you do some crazy things. It is the best motivator, and it is what is most transformative. That’s why it is so sad that so many people who believe in God don’t really know His love for us. It’s a crazy love that Jesus describes to us in this passage. We aren’t motivated by religious rituals, obligations, or a sense of duty. We are motivated by God’s incredible love for us.

It is worth repeating high value information and we need to hear some things repeated over and over again before they stick. Jesus is repeating some important stuff in this passage. Mainly that he is the vine and we are the branches and to experience all he has for us we need to remain or abide in Him. By the way, all that he has for us, the fruit, is really awesome stuff and everything we have been searching for in our relationships. Fruitful people are successful where it matters most. Abide to thrive.

It is easy to miss stuff in the hectic pace of life. We get busy or distracted or pulled by the expectations of others and sometimes we can miss the best stuff. Jesus gives this invitation to found people, because found people can get distracted and become apathetic. The invitation is to abide and abiding is a choice.