ChristRise

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV I was sitting in church one Wednesday night, overwhelmed with anger. Someone had hurt me, and I felt they weren't acting the way they should. I thought my sins weren't as bad as theirs, so I felt justified. But then, the Lord gently reminded me that I was wrong. I realized I was judging this person, and that was a sin in itself. God is holy, and my behavior was no better than theirs. I felt convicted and was moved to tears. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, "If you really love them, you would pray for their best, regardless of their behavior." That realization hit me hard. I admitted to myself that I didn’t truly love them as I claimed. My actions showed that I wanted them to act a certain way for my benefit. I remembered the verses from Numbers 6 and knew I needed to pray for G...

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." — 1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV) God loves to choose and use people that the world often ignores or thinks are unimportant. He does this so that no one can take credit for what He does. People who believe they are smart and strong often get surprised when they see God working through someone they thought couldn’t do anything special. If you feel like the world has overlooked you, don’t think that God will do the same. God’s strength shows up best in our weaknesses! Trusting in God's Plan God doesn’t look at us the way the world does. He sees our true value and potential. Even if others think we’re not worth much, God can use us to do great things. It’s in our weakest areas that His power is the most visible. Think about David and Goliath. David was just a young shepherd, but God used him to defeat a giant. This shows that no matter how small or unimportant we...

"We speak, not as if we were trying to please people, but to please God who examines our hearts and expects our best." — 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (AMP) One of the greatest challenges in our spiritual journey can be the resistance we face from those closest to us. Friends, colleagues, and even family members can sometimes discourage us from pursuing the path God has laid out for us. While they may have good intentions, their influence can sometimes hold us back from achieving God's best for our lives. When we decide to follow God's plan, we may face criticism and rejection. People may question our decisions, and their negativity can make us doubt ourselves. But it’s important to remember that our primary goal is to please God, not people. God knows our hearts and our intentions, and He expects our best. Sometimes, people around us aren't ready to move forward in their own spiritual journeys. They may feel threatened or uncomfortable with our progress, and in an effort t...