Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21   We’ve been on a series talking about the trials of life, but with today being Father’s Day, I’d like to switch gears to share seven decisions I’ve made in my life. As a father of five, a husband and a leader, I’ve found these seven indispensable in helping to guide my life. 1.The buck stops with me. It’s easy to point fingers, but the only way to bring change is to own when things go wrong. 2.I’m going after wisdom. Since I don’t know what the future holds, I need to pursue wisdom in every area …

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31   Sometimes we think that God orchestrates the difficulties we encounter in life to teach us something or to punish us for doing wrong. When we read James 1:2, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” it almost sounds as though we should welcome tragedy as though it’s sent from God. But is this true? Think of it this way. Let’s say you’re walking on a path, when suddenly you fall. Maybe you weren’t watching where you were going and you tripped, or maybe an obstacle was thrown in your path that you couldn’t avoid. Regardless, you didn’t fall because …

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James 1:2 (NKJV)   Christ in you empowers you to get through the toughest of times. Each of us are on a journey, and as we walk out our destiny—the paths God has prepared ahead of time for us—we are going to encounter attacks and storms. Jesus warned us about this when he said, “In this world you will have trouble,” but he didn’t leave us there. He also said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)! Some of these storms can be avoided, but others just seem to come out of nowhere. Regardless of how these trials of life come about, it’s up to us to persevere—to keep believing and …