And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. – James 1:5 (TPT)

You could be in the midst of the end-of-year testing and schoolwork. And that might be leaving you stressed with feeling like you don’t have enough time to study or prepare. Maybe you stayed up late cramming for a test and now are really tired because you haven’t been getting enough sleep. Whether it’s finals or something else that is stressing you out, it can be easy to let the stress and pressure of life get you down.

Today’s Bible verse gives us encouragement when you’re in situations where you’re under pressure and you don’t feel like you know what to do. The verse tells us to ask God for wisdom. That might sound simple, but it’s really helpful.

Today’s Truth: If you ask God, He will give you wisdom!

God wants to help you. He wants to lead and guide you. All you have to do is ask Him for help. So today, if you haven’t, ask God for help. Ask Him to show you ways you can make your life less stressful. God wants to lead you and guide you. So take some time and find out what God would say to you today.

We can live in a place of joy as Christians. And that doesn’t mean that everything is great. Things might not be going your way. Your friends might not be nice to you right now. The bully on your bus might always be picking on you. However, we can have joy that is independent of circumstances.

Our joy doesn’t come from whether or not everything is going perfectly in our lives. Instead, it comes from a deep relationship with Jesus. Knowing Jesus, and fellowship with Him is where we find joy.

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. – Proverbs 10:28 (NIV)

As people who have been made righteous by God, we can walk in joy. We can know that even on the toughest day, it’s in our relationship with Jesus we find worth, meaning, and true joy.

Today, don’t let circumstances steal your joy. Instead, realize that treasure you have in knowing Jesus. Then choose to let Jesus be your source of joy.

Today’s Truth: Jesus is our source of joy.

Let’s be honest. None of us really like when life is difficult, do we? I know if I had my way, I’d avoid all tough times entirely. However, God never promised us a life free from trouble.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NLT)

Today’s Bible verse shows us that we will have trials in life. But the good news is that we can find peace in Jesus. As we grow and develop in our relationship with Jesus, we realize that no matter what, Jesus is there for us. We don’t have to worry about the future, we can be at peace knowing that Jesus is doing the heavy lifting in our lives.

So today, if you’ve been burdened with all the trials and troubles of life, be encouraged. Jesus is there with you, keeping you safe, providing for your needs, and helping you each step of the way. Don’t give up or be discouraged, storms will come, but you’ve got Jesus to help you stand strong.

Today’s Truth: With Jesus, I can stand strong in life’s storms.

Does life seem stressful to you sometimes? I know it does for me. There are times when I have way more to do than I have time in a day. Or sometimes, a relationship not going well will stress me out.

The thing is, even when things are stressful, we can choose to be at peace internally. Being at peace doesn’t mean that our circumstances are good. Rather, peace is a heart position that is independent of what’s going on around you. There might be really bad things happening in your life, but you can choose to be at peace in the midst of them.

So even if you’re in the middle of a stressful situation. Even if it feels like you can’t make it through, know that God is good. He’s there helping you, leading you, and guiding you through the midst of whatever you’re facing.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NLT)

Today’s verse shows us that there are going to be times when life isn’t necessarily easy. However, Jesus is faithful. He will see you through to the other side.

Today’s Truth: I can be at peace even if my circumstances aren’t perfect.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  – Ephesians 4:2

Being patient with others is really hard. Other people sometimes just don’t do what you want them to do. They don’t say what you want them to say and treat you the way you wanted to be treated. Regardless of how others treat you, the Bible tells us that we are to give others a break.

We have the love of God in our hearts and we are to be loving others out of that love. It doesn’t matter what others do to us, what matters is our response to them. When faced with a person that doesn’t treat you right, you’ve got a choice to make. Will you respond to them out of anger or will you respond to them out of love?

The Bible tells us that love is always the right choice, but it isn’t always easy. So today, choose to love others. Realize that you’ve got the love of God inside you to do it. Even when they drive you crazy and make you mad, ask God to show you the good in the situation. Today, choose to practice patience with others.

A song of ascents. I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. – Psalm 120:1

Life can get really tough at times. You might be faced with a difficult situation or a difficult person. Perhaps things at school aren’t going the way you’d like them to, or you dread going home because things aren’t going well there either. Regardless of what is going on in your life, you can take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone.

Today’s verse encourages you that at any time and in any place you can go to God for help. When you go to God, you can have confidence that He hears you and cares about what you have to say. You have a right to fellowship with God the Father because of what Jesus did. Jesus made a way for you to come to God.

So no matter what you’re facing or what you’re going through, go to God for help. Go and get the help and strength you need to face your problems and fears. You’re not doing this alone. You’ve got God on your side.