I remember a few weeks ago, I was irrationally scared. Thoughts of fear kept coming into my mind and even though I knew they weren’t true and based on God’s Word, I couldn’t seem to shake my fear.

Maybe you’ve experienced something similar. Where you keep having thoughts that aren’t Biblical. And those thoughts cause you to be upset even though you know they’re not true.

So how do we combat thoughts when they don’t make sense, but feel so real? Here’s what I did. I went to the verse in Mark 9 that is today’s Bible verse.

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24 (NLT)

And I asked God to do the same thing for me as that father did. I said God, help my unbelief. I do believe you and I believe your word is true, but for whatever reason, I’m still struggling in this area. Guess what? God helped me. After a few days, I was less afraid as I reminded myself of the truths found in God’s word.

And so, if you’re facing something where it just seems hard to believe, don’t forget to go to God and ask Him for His help. He can help you in the areas where you’re weak and need Him.

A few days ago, one of our readers mentioned feeling sinful and struggling with the voices in their head that keep telling them they aren’t doing enough, or praying enough, or reading their Bible enough.

Wow! Isn’t that the truth? I know I certainly have felt that way at times. Because if we’re honest, most of us certainly don’t read the Bible enough, pray enough, worship enough, or even do enough good to really justify God’s love, do we?

We know that instinctively, but the devil likes to remind us and bring thoughts to us that cause us to think that God doesn’t really love us and that we aren’t doing enough.

But here’s the truth.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast – Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

None of us can do enough. None of us are good enough, none of us pray enough, read the Bible enough, or really do enough at all. God’s standard is so high that not one of us could ever meet it on our own. That’s why we needed Jesus.

And yes, we should try to read our Bible, pray and do good things, but it’s out of a heart of love for Jesus that we should be doing those things, rather than hoping to do enough to earn God’s love.

Then we have to realize that the thoughts that tell us were sinning, that we’re not doing enough are not godly thoughts. And we need to replace those with God’s truth. Yes, I didn’t read my Bible today, but I know that God loves me and it’s not by reading the Bible that I gain God’s love but it’s through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. So don’t let yourself feel down and bad about yourself. Yes, you should want to read your Bible and strive to do it, but when you don’t, just receive God’s forgiveness and know that those thoughts that tell you otherwise are lies.

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. – Proverbs 1:10 (NIV)

How do you live as a Christian in a world full of sin and not get swayed by the pull of all the sin around you?

That’s a really good question. And sometimes, not giving in to peer pressure can be really difficult. You can feel lonely not following the way of others, and sometimes even wonder if it’s truly worth it. And while those feelings are natural, I want to encourage you, that standing up and not giving in to peer pressure is worth it.

You’ll never regret standing up to peer pressure. But you very well might regret giving in to it.

One of the best ways to stand firm during times of peer pressure is to remind yourself of your relationship with Jesus. Realize that He’s the one you’re living your life to please, and really when it comes down to it, it’s His opinion you should care about most.

So today, don’t give up your stand. Stay strong in your faith in your beliefs and know that your relationship with God is the most important thing there is. Keep loving Him and He will help you in your journey.

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.  – Hebrews 12:2 (HCSB)

You might be poor or you could be rich. You might have two parents at your home, you might have one. It’s so easy in whatever circumstances you’re in to become unhappy. You might wish that things were different at home. Often, we can let our circumstances dictate our happiness. When you base your happiness on circumstances you’ll always be disappointed.

Today’s Truth:  When you base your happiness on your circumstances, you’ll always be disappointed.

True happiness comes when you choose to put your attention on eternal things. For example, you choose to focus on giving to others or telling others about Jesus. When you do those things, you’ll experience lasting peace. So today, instead of focusing on what you don’t have, choose to focus on what you do. Remind yourself of how good God has been to you. Jesus went to the cross so you didn’t have to. He took on all the sin of the entire human race. Jesus took our shame, guilt, and punishment for all time.

When we spend our energy focused on who Jesus is and what He has done for us, it’s a lot harder to be disappointed with our lives. Sure, circumstances may come and go. Certain things may not always go the way you want them to. But when our focus is on Jesus, we can rise above our circumstances and find peace in Him.

As believers in Jesus, we should be loving other people. Yes, even those that are unlovely. Why? Because God loves us and forgives us even when we don’t deserve it. And out of that love that we have been given, we should be loving others and leading them closer to Jesus.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. – 1 John 4:8 (NIV)

Part of knowing God, and being His follower is developing love in your life. And it might take a little effort on your part. You might be used to gossiping, maybe even spreading rumors about others. But as a follower of God, you should be loving others.

That means you’re looking for ways to bless the people around you. That might mean stopping to help your neighbor bring a bag of groceries into their house. Or perhaps it’s asking the kid that sits by himself at lunch to sit at your table. Whatever it is, listen to the leading of love on the inside of you. God wants to lead you into situations where you can be showing His love to the world around you.