Pride is so sneaky. It creeps in when you succeed, when people applaud you, when you think you've finally got your life together. But here's the thing – pride is always a lie. Because without God's grace, none of us can even take our next breath.

Charles Spurgeon once said that "The more grace we have, the less we'll think of ourselves, because grace, like light, reveals our impurity." Ain't that the truth!

Step into a dark room and everything looks just fine. But flick on the light switch and suddenly you see the dust, the cracks, the mess. Grace works just like that. It exposes our sin … but only so we can run to the One who cleanses us. Here's how God puts it:

James 4:6 But God gives us even more grace, as the Scriptures say, 'God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble. (ICB)

The proud resist the light. They'd rather stay in the shadows, pretending that everything's fine. But the humble let God's grace shine in. They admit their weaknesses. They confess their sin. And in that place of humility, God doesn't condemn – He pours out His kindness.

That's the paradox of grace. The lower you bow, the more He lifts you up. The less you cling to your own strength, the more His power rests on you.

So don't be afraid of the light. Let grace reveal your need. Because the God who humbles also heals … and in Christ, He gives you more grace than you could ever imagine.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Ever compared yourself to other people and come to the conclusion – you just don't stack up? We all have. And when you're carrying that around inside – it's so hard to have strong relationships.

So many diseases seem to be on the rise in our society – heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia. The list goes on. But deep inside many, many people is a quiet killer. An emotional disease that's robbing so many people of the life that God intended for them.

Yesterday, on A Different Perspective, we began looking at the whole issue of insecurity. The symptoms are clear. People who are insecure are touchy you have to walk on eggshells. They have a deep sense of inadequacy, a string of broken relationships often. They can't give credit to other people. They can't enjoy other people's successes. It's a debilitating, lonely disease.

But so many people have lived with this disease for so long, they can't see it let alone admit it. But before an alcoholic can receive help. First they have to take that big step of admitting they're an alcoholic. Turns out that the same is true in dealing with insecurity and low self-esteem.

Do you know anyone with low self-esteem? Someone who's suffering from insecurity? It used to be me. I couldn't enjoy my life. I couldn't laugh at myself. I couldn't lose at a card game. I couldn't experience the rich pleasure of delighting in someone else's success.

The great author and playwright Gore Vadal said, "Every time a friend of mine succeeds, a small part of me dies." Well I know exactly what he was talking about. I needed to be in the limelight. I needed to be the best. I needed to be recognised. I needed to be the centre of attention.

And when I didn't get those things. When those things weren't there to feed my deep, inner emptiness and insecurity, it hurt, it really hurt. It was so real. Outwardly I was a very confident, articulate, apparently smart person. But inwardly I was like a drug addict who needed a fix. And when you're in that state, when you're a heroin addict, when you're an addict of recognition (which is what insecurity is all about) you can't collaborate. You can't love. You can't enjoy.

And I thought it was only the sharpest observers who knew what was going on. But actually, I was driving people nuts.

When you're insecure it's like not having enough food. If you know ten other people who need food and you don't even have enough for yourself, even though you may be good enough to share that food, they'll still all be hungry. It's not until you have enough food and you can share with them out of your abundance and your overflow that you can all have enough food to go around.

And insecurity is like that. We just have to keep feeding it. It's never satisfied. It goes on and on and on and on. And because we're never satisfied, there's no overflow of our satisfaction of our joy, of our peace, of our excitement at living a great life that can bless the people that are around us.

Today I don't really like the limelight. In fact radio suits me just fine because people can't see who I am. I love it when other people succeed. I'm not touchy anymore. I'm not bothered by people talking behind my back. In fact, to tell you the truth, by and large, I don't really care what people think about me.

I don't mean that in an arrogant way. I don't mean it in a wrong way. When I have criticism come towards me, (which I do sometimes) I listen to it, I evaluate it, I think, 'Hmm, they've got a point. I've got to change something here.' But it doesn't worry me. It doesn't eat away at me. There is this deep, deep sense of security in my heart. And when I look in the mirror, I'm happy with who I am. With a deep contentment with my strengths and my limitations. I just don't need to impress anyone. Nothing to prove.

Are there things that I'd like to improve in my life? Absolutely. So what happened?

When Jesus was crucified ther

When life feels unfair, it’s easy to wonder if God sees what’s happening. Discover what Scripture says about injustice, integrity, and God’s never-failing justice.

Mondays can feel tough, can't they? The alarm goes off, the week stretches out in front of you, and all you want to do is hit snooze. But here's the truth – how you begin your week shapes how you'll finish it.

Yep, it can be tough mustering up your motivation on a Monday morning. But think about it: there's something noble, something enriching about getting into it again (whatever your "it" happens to be) and doing your very best, wouldn't you agree? There's something about putting in the effort that returns its own reward.

Which, I guess, is why Henry Ford once said: "Chop your own wood and it'll warm you twice." First, when you put in the effort, and again when you enjoy the reward. That's true of firewood – and it's true of life.

Proverbs 14:23 In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor. (BBE)

There are no shortcuts to a fruitful life. Endless daydreaming and talking cannot replace the simple, faithful act of getting on with it. Hard work may not always feel glamorous, but God's designed it to bless us – not just in what it produces, but in what it shapes in us.

And here's the deeper truth. In Christ, your work is never wasted. The Apostle Paul wrote centuries later that whatever we do – whether in word or deed – we do it for the Lord (Colossians 3:17).

That means your Monday morning emails, your commute, your unseen acts of service … all of it becomes sacred when done for Him.

So today, don't just talk about what you'll do. Put your hand to it. Chop the wood. Work diligently. And let the warmth of God's purpose in Christ carry you through the week ahead.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Insecurity is a social disease running at plague proportions. And like every other plague – it has dire consequences. Hmmm. What if you have the disease? Is there a cure?

Probably one of the things that we'd all like to do is to grow as people. Hopefully today, we're a bit more mature and balanced than we were, say 5 years ago. And in 5 years time, we'd hope that we've learned a bit more. That the years have brought some wisdom and some insight compared to who we are and how we behave today.

That's what we'd like to think. But it's not always the case. The reality is that there are some things in us, sometimes, that hold us back. That constrain us from being all that we can be. They stop us from living life to the full.

One of the things that many of us struggle with and I certainly have in my life, is a deep sense of inadequacy and insecurity. So is it possible to deal with this personal and social disability?

Other people around us, well they seem so confident of themselves and their own abilities. Have you noticed? Especially young people these days. Look at them. They're so talented. They're so confident. While everybody else is busy putting their best foot forward, sometimes we're dying a quiet death inside. "Somehow, I don't feel as good. I'm not as articulate. I'm not as talented. I'm not as bright. I'm not as good-looking. I'm not as fit. I'm not as significant as they are. I don't make as much difference in the world as they do."

We can often have that sort of a view of ourselves. And the worst bit about it is you can't easily admit that to someone. You look at a photo of yourself and you think, "I look ugly". Or maybe you see yourself on a video and you think, "surely I don't look like that." Or you hear your voice recorded and you think, "I don't sound like that. That can't be me can it?"

It's a quiet, lonely hell. Is this something you might relate to? Over 50% of all women in western society chronically suffer from low self-esteem. And it happens to men too. But in a sense it's almost worse for men because the whole macho image thing, well you can't admit that to someone.

So what are the symptoms? What does somebody look like who's suffering from insecurity? Well the first thing is they're really, really touchy. When you're around them it's like walking on eggshells. You have to be careful where you tread. Because you don't know when they're going to go off like a cracker. Someone who's insecure worries about what other people think about me. What will they think when they know this? What are they saying behind my back? What are they doing to me? How does this impact on me?

Somebody who's really insecure sees themselves at the centre of the universe. And they're really hard people to be around. But what if that someone is you or me?

As we sit here talking about deep insecurity, I wonder how many people would love to be healed? To be set free. This week on A Different Perspective, I've called this little series of five programs – Time to Get Over It. Because I'd like to look at this subject of insecurity from a different perspective. Dealing with hurts from the past. Getting a right and balanced attitude towards ourselves.

Let me tell you something. I have a crazy notion. I have this crazy notion that Jesus died on the cross for me and for you, to set us free. And Jesus said:

If I set you free, you'll be free indeed. You'll be really free

Well … let me ask you a question. Do you like yourself? I mean, you strip off your clothes and you stand naked in front of the mirror and you look at yourself. And you think, "do I fundamentally like this person?" And there's an emotional equivalent too. You strip off all the pretence and all the faces we put on when we go out in front of other people. And we look at ourselves as a package. Me inc or you inc. This package of physical; his package of emotional

We live in a world that offers a thousand different saviours. Politicians promise to rescue the economy. Technology claims it'll solve every problem. Self-help gurus insist that they can fix your life if only you'll buy into their program. But in the end, each and every one of them falls short.

Back in 2008, the global financial crisis shook the world. Banks collapsed. Markets crumbled. For years, people had trusted that the system would always keep them safe. But in the space of just a few short weeks, trillions of dollars vanished. What everyone thought was secure … wasn't. Now listen to this:

Isaiah 43:11-12 I myself am the LORD, and there is no other Saviour. I am the one who spoke to you, saved you, and told you those things. It was not some stranger who was with you. You are my witnesses, and I am God." (This is what the LORD himself said.)'

Crystal clear, isn't it? There is one God. One Saviour. One Redeemer. Israel's story was full of moments when they chased after false gods, only to be disappointed. And God reminds them: "It was Me. It was always Me."

And then – centuries later – that truth took on flesh and blood in Jesus. He is God's rescue plan. He is salvation. Not wealth. Not power. Not politics. Only Christ.

Whatever else you may have put your faith in, know this: if it hasn't already failed you, one day it will. So, when everything else around you feels shaky, don't put your trust in temporary saviours. Put it where it belongs – in the only One who never fails: Jesus.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Support the show: https://christianityworks.com/channels/cw/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I wish I could tell you that life is simple. But it ain't. It's complex, it's messy, and the future is far from certain. Not even tomorrow is promised. All we have is today. So, what will you do with it?

A few years ago, a research team tracked hikers in dense forests who had neither a compass nor a GPS. Unsurprisingly, almost every one of them ended up walking in circles. Because without a fixed reference point, we all lose our way – no matter how hard we try to stay straight.

And exactly the same is true in the uncertain, complex, messy lives we each live. Which is why God means to give us that much-needed reference point.

Deuteronomy 13:4 You must follow the LORD your God. Respect him. Obey his commands and do what he tells you. Serve the LORD your God, and never leave him.

That's not complicated. In fact, it's pretty clear. God's people were about to enter a land full of idols and false promises. And His word to them was simple: Don't drift. Don't wander round in circles. Fix your eyes on Me.

Fast-forward, and the same truth echoes in Jesus' call: "Follow Me." Not casually, not part-time – but fully. He doesn't just ask for our Sunday mornings. He asks for our lives.

And here's the good news. We don't have to follow Him in our own strength. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now leads us, empowers us, and keeps us on track.

So, if you've been drifting … stop. Turn. Fix your eyes back on Jesus. Because only in Him will you walk straight, strong, and sure.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

When loss threatens to define who you are, lasting peace is found by anchoring your identity in the unchanging love of Christ.