But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT) Love is not something you earn with good looks or a winning personality. Love is a gift that you give someone, and it’s a gift that God has given to you. It can be easy to assume that love needs to be earned. When our parents give us more love and attention after we bring home a good report card, we make a few assumptions. When we disappoint our parents with bad behaviour or failure and they give us the cold shoulder, we make a few more. And without even realizing it, we’re buying into one of the greatest lies on the …

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV) Do you ever rely on others for what you have no right to expect from them? I’m not saying that you can never rely on others, or that you need to be able to handle everything on your own. You need healthy relationships to meet your relational needs, as well as some of your practical needs. But when you become overly dependent, things get out of balance. You create unhealthy relationships that are destructive to yourself and hurtful to others. For example, it isn’t healthy to completely rely on the approval of your spouse or your friends to feel good about yourself or to feel happy. …

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) Why are some people stuck in a destructive pattern where they seem to recreate the same painful circumstances over and over? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not fate. It’s not some external force that keeps recreating the same problems. We often assume that something outside of us is controlling our lives, but it’s not true. We think that if we could just fix the people or the circumstances around us—our spouses, kids, job, house, city—if we could just fix all these things, everything would be okay. Actually, you could fix all of these things and still have the same problems follow you wherever you go, because wherever you go and whatever …

“Should we pull out the weeds?” they asked. “No,” he replied, “you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.” Matthew 13:28–29 (NLT) Have you ever had something happen in the morning that seemed to make your day take a turn for the worse? Maybe you were almost out the door when one of the kids spilled grape juice all over you…and you were wearing your favourite shirt. Or maybe after getting into an argument, you found yourself saying to the person involved, “Thanks a lot! Now you’ve ruined my day!” The truth is that no one can ruin your emotional state for the rest of the day. You can control your emotions because they come from within. Yes, we get angry at times and sometimes we …

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31–32 (NKJV) Does today’s verse mean that those of us who know the truth about Jesus are automatically free in every area of life? Actually, when you read both verses together, it first talks about being a disciple before it talks about the truth setting you free. A disciple is someone who has a relationship with Jesus Christ and is a disciplined follower of His truths. Those two words are key: relationship and truth. To be truly free, you need both. Learning the truth from God’s Word is vital if you want to walk in freedom—there’s no doubt about it. …