Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. – Galatians 6:7 (NIV)

If we’re not careful, we will spend lots of time seeking external things to make our flesh happy. It’s easy to value material things over the people around us. Or put a priority on how we look over developing a relationship with God.

When we live to fulfill our own flesh’s happiness, it’s like we’re feeding a need that can never be met. You never obtain happiness by feeding your flesh.

Instead, consider what you’re sowing each day. Are you sowing seeds of kindness to those around you who are hurting? Do you choose to seek friendships with others over obtaining yet another material thing?

The Bible tells us that we will harvest what we plant. We might not see it today or tomorrow, but the seeds we plant make a difference in our future.

So today, take a realistic look at the seeds you’re planting. Are they seeds that will produce a good harvest in the future?

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. – Romans 1:19 (NIV)

We can often feel fearful about sharing our faith with others. If you’re like me, you probably don’t think that you know enough. You might feel like you don’t have all the answers to the questions that someone might ask you, so out of fear, you stay quiet and don’t speak up for Jesus.

Maybe you wonder whether your sharing might turn someone off to Jesus because you can’t answer all their questions.

First of all, don’t let the things you don’t know stop you. You will never know it all. And there will always be a question you don’t know the answer to. But be honest when you’re talking to someone about Jesus and tell them you’ll find the answer out and get back to them.

Secondly, you don’t need to know all the answers. Simply share God’s word with them. That’s the best answer to any question they might have. The word of God is powerful.

Finally, don’t be afraid to share your faith with others, because deep down, they know God is real. Today’s Bible verse shows us that people know God is real in their hearts. So don’t be afraid to share your faith with others. Trust God’s word to do the work, and be bold to share your faith to a world that needs Jesus.

How often do the little lies come to you? Maybe you feel like you’re not worth enough. Perhaps thoughts that you haven’t done enough or just that God is mad at you for some reason. Those thoughts come at times and we all struggle with them from time to time.

The goal is when you have any thought of any kind that is contrary to what the Bible says is to recognize it for what it is. It’s a lie. And know that even though your emotions might not line up right away, replace that lie with God’s truth.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:2-3 (NIV)

In today’s verse, we’re challenged to put our minds on things above. So when those lies come that tell us we’re not enough or get us to question God’s word, we just determine to not spend time thinking about those things.

Instead, begin to replace those with God’s truth. This is because of what Jesus did, sin no longer has any hold on you. And walk then in the freedom Jesus provided you. Walk free from fear, condemnation, and any other thing that would cause you to doubt your worth or value to God.

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.