James 1:2-3 says "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of MANY KINDS..." 1) Shift your perspective from "God, why is this happening to me?" to "God, I know you got this. What do you want me to learn from this?" Believing and having faith that God is fighting your battles and it isn't dependent on your strength or your abilities will change the way you are looking at it. 2) "of many kinds"... this means WHATEVER you are going through. Big or small. God is working it out for your good. Something physical? Spiritual? Emotional? Mental? In your health? In your family? At your job? 3) "Will produce perseverance"... when you walk through that trial, LEANING on God... walking with Him... that walk will improve your character. I will change the way you look at things going forward. It will change the way you react to future events... bc they are coming. Joy is a fruit of the spirit. It is something that can't be obtained through actions on your own. Perseverance produces character and character produces HOPE.. another fruit of the spirit. Continue practicing this and you will see you character blossom with all of the fruits of the spirit! "And they will know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 will really open your eyes to where you have made your own moves outside of Gods will or plan. We have these plans for us that are beautiful and some are even desires that were placed by God himself…. But it’s not yet time for them.

2 Timothy 3: 1-9 gives a long list of people that we should be avoiding in our lives, including those who act religious or moral but reject the true life-changing power of God in their hearts... This is a boundary that many struggle to create. They prioritize this relationship over their relationship with God and that's exactly why Paul says to avoid them bc they will lead you astray. They will stunt your growth. They will hold you back. Is there someone in your life that is someone you should be avoiding? Was there a time in your life that many people in your life possessed the qualities listed in scripture and you had to create boundaries? How did that go?

Psalm 139 does that for me. He knows me more intimately than I know myself. 🙏 He knows my needs before I speak them 🙏 He knows my thoughts and where they come from. What they are rooted in. 🙏 He knows my coming and going and never leaves me. 🙏 He knows what obstacles are coming my way when I cannot see them.

Matthew 14:22-32 Is where you will find the story of Jesus sending out the disciples after they just fed the 5000. Key points: 1) Storms are for perfecting us or correcting us - Peters faith was being perfected in this story. 2) Jesus is the Word made flesh - Psalm 77:19 "Your way went through the sea, and your path through the vast water but your footprints were unseen" 3) Jesus is going to comfort us, not condemn us- "Have courage. It is I. Do not be afraid."