God has not promised that you will always feel his presence. In fact, God acknowledges that sometimes he hides his face. There are times when he appears to be missing-in-action in your life. This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God.

God is far more interested in changing your mind than in changing your circumstances. God wants to work on you first, because transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind—until your thoughts begin to change.

You get to plan the way you want to live, but only God gives you the power and energy to experience transformation. Why? Because God provides the three things you must have to reach your goals and change your life.

Christmas isn’t always a happy time for everyone. So look for opportunities to share the love of God, because it is a time when we seem to be more open to engaging in conversation with others. Now is a great opportunity for you to bring encouragement to someone who is struggling.

With Christmas, it’s easy to get so busy with the cooking, decorating and shopping that we forget why we’re doing all this in the first place. Sometimes, the very people we love get lost in the hustle and bustle of packed schedules, holiday parties, and Christmas musicals.

God the Son lowered Himself. He took on the flesh of an infant. He died a humiliating death. As a result, God the Father "highly exalted Him." One day, all will bow in worship of the risen Lord, "to the glory of God the Father."

In the midst of our holiday hustle and tasks, we could stop; leave our work. We could slow down long enough to hurry in another direction. We could put our activities on hold so we might quietly meet with our Lord. We could be settled and silent in the presence of Jesus.

God wants us to be intentional about our thankfulness every day. He wants us to develop this spiritual habit, one that is reflected in the life of a radical believer. The more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you’re going to be.

Biblical convictions are essential for spiritual growth and maturity. Ironically, many people today have strong convictions about minor issues, like football or fashion. At the same time, they have weak convictions about major issues—like what is right and what is wrong.

When you’re tempted, God isn’t angry with you. He’s not going to scold you. On the contrary, he wants you to come boldly to him! He says, “I’m here to help.”