and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:24 (NIV)

Most of us start our day each day by getting ready. We might chow down a bowl of cereal, or eat a nice hot breakfast. Then, more than likely, we’ll get ready for the day. A big part of getting ready is putting on your clothes.

We do this so that when we go outside, people see us clothed. We wouldn’t want others to see our pink fuzzy bunny slippers, or that bathrobe that’s two sizes too small. When we go out for the day, people see our clothes.

That’s a lot like what today’s Bible verse is talking about. It’s saying that as you’re living your life each day, put on your new self. The self that was created to be like God. This means that our new self should be visible to others. Other people should be able to see a difference in our attitudes and actions.

We should be letting that new self dominate what we do and it should be visible to others. That new man was created righteous and holy. So let that new man dominate your actions and attitudes today.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. – James 1:2 (NLT)

In the middle of trouble, the last thing on most people’s minds is being joyful. When you’re going through trouble, you’re not usually excited about it and most definitely not happy about it. So why does he says consider trouble a good opportunity for joy?

I believe it’s because even in the middle of chaos, you can find joy. Not that you’re excited that you’re going through the difficulty, but rather you can be at peace knowing that God will see you through.

Even if things are crazy around you, you can choose to have an attitude of joy. You can choose to have a positive outlook and look to God as your source of peace.

So today, evaluate yourself. When trouble comes, how do you respond? Are you able to have joy? Or does the trouble derail you? Remind yourself that God will never leave you alone and that He will see you through this difficult time.

Fear is real. A lot of the time, it has a loud voice in our lives. It influences the decisions we make, the amount of sleep we get at night, and many other things.

Today’s Bible verse gives us some insight into fear.

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? – Psalm 56:4 (NLT)

In today’s verse, we see that the Psalmist writes that he trusts in God, so why should he be afraid. That level of trust in God is amazing. The fact that he placed greater trust in God than on what he might have been facing really challenges me.

See it doesn’t matter what you’re facing. What matters is that you have trust in your God. Regardless of how bad it might look, regardless of how things might seem, when you place your trust fully in God, you have nothing to fear.

That’s good news. If you struggle with trusting God, a good way to build that trust is to read about the things He’s done for others in the Bible. Reading the stories of how God helped Abraham and the children of Israel through some really difficult seasons can help you build your faith in a God who is always working on the behalf of His children.

What are you afraid of? Is there something that keeps you up at night worrying or upset?

Fear is a real thing. It can keep us from sleep, it can keep us from making certain decisions and it can often stop us from doing what God is calling us to do.

In today’s Bible verse, we see a simple truth. When we’re afraid, we can put our trust in God.

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. – Psalm 56:3 (NLT)

And while that truth is very simple, it can be really hard to put into practice. It’s easier to want to rely on help from others, or to try to do it all ourselves instead of fully putting our trust in God.

God has the ability to be our solution to every problem that we face, but it takes us believing that He can do it, and then we have to put our trust in Him. Putting your trust in God isn’t an easy thing most of the time. So if you struggle with that, it’s ok. One of the best things you can do is spend some time reading Genesis and Exodus. As you read the accounts of how God supernaturally helped His people, it helps you realize that He will do the same for you when you need it.

Today, don’t give into fear. God loves you and wants to help you if you’ll simply put your trust in Him!

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
 – John 10:10 (NLT)

Today’s Bible verse is really encouraging. It shows us that God wants you to have a rich and satisfying life. That type of life only happens when we fully engage with God.

God doesn’t want us living sad and depressed, just barely getting by. No, God has a quality of life for you to experience. He has a rich satisfying life for you to enjoy. This life is a life that is full of purpose and meaning. That life happens when you engage with God.

So make the decision today to engage with God. Choose to really get to know Him and find out all the things that He’s promised to you. Choose to walk though life hand in hand with Jesus. Let Him into your life and find out how awesome life with God can really be!

Much of my teenage years were spent trying to be someone that I wasn’t. I wanted so badly to be liked, that I often acted differently based on who I was around to gain respect from others. Sometimes it meant hiding my Christianity, other times, it was being quiet to not draw attention to myself.

But regardless of how hard I tried to get people to like me, I always fell short. I was never happy and often I felt conflicted that I wasn’t being genuine with the people around me.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices – Colossians 3:9 (NIV)

One of the best things you can do if you want good and lasting friendships is to be genuine. Hiding who you are or faking like you’re someone else won’t gain respect from others in the long run.

Be who you are. Be who God created you to be. Don’t hide your faith, hoping to gain popularity. Instead, if you’ll simply be genuine and real about your faith, you’ll find that more people respect you in the long run.

Pride goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

It’s easy to think that being popular equals success. You might think, the more friends you have, the better things will be for you. And while being friendly and having friends is a good thing, popularity isn’t the same as success.

Success in life comes from knowing Jesus and following His plan and purpose for your life. Anything else won’t bring you true happiness.

So today, focus on knowing Jesus. Spend time praying, reading your Bible, and finding out what Jesus has to say about things. As you know Jesus more, success will come. But success will never be lasting or fulfilling if it’s based only on popularity. Rather, base your happiness and worth on what Jesus says about you. Know that you’re loved and treasured by Him. So no matter whether you have lots of friends or just a few, it doesn’t matter because your worth is found in Jesus, not others.

It can be easy to think that with friendships having more of them is better than less. And that makes sense why we’d think that. If you’re on YouTube, having more subscribers is better. Our society celebrates more friends, followers, or subscribers.

The truth is that more isn’t always better when it comes to true friendships. Sometimes, choosing a couple of godly friends that push you to love God more is better than lots of friendships that distract you from Jesus.

So today, decide to pursue godly relationships with people that push you to know Jesus more.

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

More isn’t always better when it comes to friendships. Decide to look for friends that encourage you and build you up. And focus on being that kind of friend to others too.

If you don’t have any friends that push you toward Jesus right now, ask God for His help in finding them. If you’re open, he might show you to join a youth group, or a Bible study and meet some friends that are excited about God and help build you up.

Have you ever thought if you could just have more friends, then you’d be happier? I know I have many times. I always wanted to make everyone happy and laugh and make just as many friends as I could. And while we shouldn’t go out of our way to be mean or unfriendly to others, the idea that more friends mean you’ll be happier isn’t true.

The thing is, even if we get more friends, we wouldn’t be truly happy.

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. – Psalm 34:10 (NLT)

True happiness is found in knowing Jesus. Anything short of knowing Him, won’t bring happiness that lasts. So while you should be nice to others and want to be friends with others, making friendships the whole purpose of your life will leave you unfulfilled.

Determine today to put proper boundaries on your relationships. Yes, friendships are good and important, but they aren’t meant to be your source of happiness. Friends can come and friends can go. Friends can let you down. God, won’t leave you or let you down. So go to Him to be your source of happiness and fulfillment today.