In His word, God gives us Himself. When we've lost sight of this truth, we need to be reminded what God's word is & what God's word does, both of which inspire us to discipline, desire & dependence.

When faced with misplaced guilt and shame, God alone is our refuge. In those moments, we hold onto hope by crying out to Him to send out His light and truth to lead us back into His presence, which is our exceeding joy.

Where there's no joy, there can be no peace. But how do we fight for joy in God when we're not experiencing it? In Psalm 42, the Sons of Korah leave us a map to follow as struggle to find our satisfaction in God alone.

We find peace in the face of irrational fears as we fight the lies of Satan with the truth of Jesus.

Jesus invites us to follow Him through the brutality of the cross into the beauty of the new creation. When we do, He gives us new purpose, new passion & new power. But none of this is possible until we stop trying to earn what can only be received as a free gift.

In our endless search for hope, we often take the well-worn detour into wishful thinking. Unfortunately, despite the promise of freedom and peace, wishful thinking can only ever lead us to despair. That's why it's so important for us to let God's word shape reality and commit to embracing Biblical thinking over wishful thinking.

The more we try to tame our flesh with rules, the more we learn that we must kill the flesh or it will kill us. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit promises to put our flesh to death, and as He does, we learn that we can trust Him to change: (1) What we love; (2) How we live; & (3) Who we are.

"For freedom Christ has set us free." In Christ, we've been set free FROM our old way of life & set free TO live as servants to Jesus and His people. But that freedom will always be challenged, which is why we must stand firm in grace against every threat raised against it.

If even our best efforts deserve God's judgment, then repentance is always needed: for our rebellion AND for our righteousness. No other path can lead to hope, as God's Spirit does in us what our flesh can never accomplish.

It's easy for us to see when others resist hearing God's truth applied to their lives. But do we see it as easily when we do the same thing? If we want to make sure we're not hearing the gospel in vain, Paul invites us to join him in choosing: (1) Joy over comfort; (2) Truth over status; & (3) Growth over ease.