Mark 9:14-29
Do you struggle with doubts about God’s power? If so, the reason is probably because He hasn’t answered prayer as you expected. But that doesn’t prove He’s unable to do what you desire; it just demonstrates He had a different plan in mind. Living by faith isn’t a matter of expecting God to do what you want but of trusting Him to do what He desires.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4, NIV)
“And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat.” (Joshua 6:5, ESV)
Romans 12:3-8
Spiritual gifts are a tremendous blessing from God. They are given to enable believers to serve for the good of the church, which is the body of Christ. But we are warned not to think more highly of ourselves if we happen to have one of the more “impressive” gifts. In other words, it’s important to remember these abilities were bestowed on us for the benefit of others, so we are never to get puffed up.
Psalm 42
When we are in despair, it’s difficult to sense the Lord’s presence with us. The circumstances seem to overwhelm what we know to be true—that His Holy Spirit abides in us forever. We long for an awareness that He cares, but in our distress, it is easy to forget the ways He makes Himself known to us:
Jeremiah 1:1-10
When was the last time you felt the presence of God in your life? We all long to experience Him abiding with us personally and intimately, and when we can’t sense His closeness, we may think something is wrong in our relationship. But that’s not necessarily true.
Matthew 16:21-27
The incident in today’s passage demonstrates a common struggle for believers: At times God’s Word or ways might be different than what we want. When the Lord does something that’s not in line with the result we hope for, we may respond with anger, fear, rebellion, or despair.
John 10:1-18
You may not want to think of yourself as a sheep, but that is a term Jesus used to describe His children. His sheep are all those who have trusted Him as Savior—and they are the ones for whom He laid down His life. Scripture says these sheep are identified by three characteristics: They know their Shepherd, hear His voice, and follow Him.