His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Hebrews 4:12 (MSG) Do you ever feel strange for no reason? Sometimes you sense that change is on the way but you are not quite sure what. Other times, you may feel unsettled or unsatisfied without cause. It may be that God is working on you. I was once stabbed with a pencil and the lead broke off in my hand. I didn’t think much of it but a year later it became infected. My doctor froze the area, slit it open with a scalpel, and used a hook-like tool to clean it out. It wasn’t painful because of local anaesthetic but …

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. Galatians 5:13 (MSG) Do you ever feel like what you do is pointless? Maybe you’re a stay-at-home parent and you wonder if what you do has purpose. You may be new to your career and because you don’t hold a title yet, you wonder if you have any impact or if anyone notices you. No matter what position you hold, you can profoundly influence and impact others for the better. In the book The Fred …

Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28 (NKJV) Are you living a purpose-filled life? Often we assume that we have to be rich or famous to really make a difference. It’s not true. A teenage boy was hired to collect shopping carts at a local department store and was surprised to have to undergo over two hours of training. After his training, he could passionately communicate why his role was vitally important to the families who shopped at the store. He also …

But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 (AMPC) Do you ever dread menial tasks? Most often the problem is not actually the task. It is your point of view. For example, if you dread meetings at work, your negative thoughts will cause you to feel drained. Instead, you could change your point of view so each meeting becomes an opportunity to influence others for the better. Instead of counting the minutes until it is over, you could practice giving sincere compliments and gaining influence by making people feel a bit more positive about their day. As they become drawn towards your great attitude, you may actually be able to use your influence to help them move closer to …

For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. Matthew 11:30 (AMPC) In our verse today, Jesus said that the life He has prepared for you is easy and light. This verse is in direct conflict with many people’s beliefs about the Christian life. They think that serving God requires you to give up everything you enjoy. Their idea of serving Jesus seems more like a prison sentence than the abundant life He promised us. Of course, we will still go through difficult times in life and we need to give up our selfish desires, but serving Jesus isn’t a prison sentence. He came that we might …