They expected an adorned king, instead, they got a serving Savior. We often expect God to work it all out and demonstrate His power in ways we can see and in a timeline we like. The crown of Jesus, though, often means He works in ways we can’t even imagine.

It’s an all-out fight. How do we do what God asks us to do and go to war against the things that hold us back and eat us up? It’s about more than just trying harder, it’s about winning a fight within ourselves.

In uncertain times, fear can cause us to do some crazy things. For those of us with Jesus, we don’t have to let fear rule us. In fact, we can bring calm to the chaos as we face everything with Jesus.

Pray for wisdom. Pray for help believing when you’re struggling to believe. Put your trust in Jesus when temptation is too great. Our faith will waver in whatever tough situation we find ourselves in if we don’t have wisdom - the kind of wisdom that comes from Jesus.

A life hack for those difficult times is faith. Faith in Jesus is the only way to truly overcome those inevitable difficult circumstances of life. The fact that Jesus is enough can overshadow any situation. Knowing that we are secure in Him gives us confidence - even when facing death.

We all need someone. God created us, not to be on our own, but to live in community and on purpose. It’s not just about a group of friends. It’s more than that. We all need someone to speak into our lives at our highest moments and at our lowest. What does this look like? How do we find that person? How do we be that person?

We were created for community. We were made for friendships and our friends have a powerful influence on our lives. We need to find friends that stimulate us mentally, support us emotionally, and strengthen us spiritually. In order to find this sort of friend, we need help from Jesus to learn how to become the kind of friend to others that we’re trying to find for ourselves.

Marriage is hard. We can begin to forget to pay attention to each other. We may even begin to neglect the simple power in a loving touch. What we need in our marriages is the presence of the Holy Spirit to whisper to us and tell us what to do.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." This statement sounds great, but let's face it...it's A LOT tougher than it sounds. We know that every parent feels like they're on an island and they often feel like they don't measure up. How do we take the steps toward helping our families win? By understanding this truth: you don't have to do it alone!

Sometimes the fear of what other people think can be paralyzing. We seek the approval of others and fight the thoughts and assumptions of what our words and actions will do to please others. This is a trap. We need to live out of God’s approval of us as we seek to please Him only - that’s the way towards freedom.