Category Archives: Trust

Bidding Farewell to 2025

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Warning this is a long post.

Today is the last day of 2025. Where do we go from here? Typically, we rehash the year, with little thought to what aspects of ourselves we should leave behind and what we should carry forward. We get caught up in New Year resolutions, which do not focus on how we intend to become a more mature Christian, one who surrenders and intentionally becomes more obedient, leaving the old person behind and redefining who we are in Christ. The main focus is not just to review the past year, but to intentionally decide which aspects of ourselves to leave behind and which to strengthen, especially in our spiritual walk as Christians. The emphasis is on becoming more mature in faith, surrendering old habits, and redefining ourselves in Christ.

Relinquishing Self: The Word or the World

The world feels like the Stranger Things series – we are lodged in the upside-down place, which is in opposition to the Word of God. Our upside-down world is a world that opposes the Word of God. Chaos reigns, and our leaders are deciphering the Word to support their world of greed and influence. It feels as if we cannot stop the onslaught of destruction; that is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He not only wants to dim the light, but He wants us to think that darkness is our preferred choice. This is one of the most deceptive lies that darkness cannot be extinguished. We are to live according to biblical principles rather than worldly values. John 1:5 NLT unveils the truth: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 

As active Christians, we can stop the dimming. We can stand up to the evil around us. It requires that we commit ourselves to the Word differently than we have in the past. Our New Year’s resolution is not about losing weight, exercising more regularly, or sleeping undisturbed for eight hours. It is about reading the Bible, staying in the Word, and checking daily to ensure we are following the Word, not the world. It means we must put on all the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) every day. We must be aligned with the sword of the Spirit and be ready to wield it as needed. Francis Frangipane (The Power of Covenant Prayer) reminds us that “His Word is the eternal sword we raise against wickedness.” We must become a house of prayer and act according to the Word. It means we must pray throughout the day and night. It does not require lengthy prayer but simple, continuous communication with our Lord. We must also seek to help others in greater ways than donating money. It means we must care for the elderly, poor, sick, widows, and children.

Becoming Warriors through Renewed Strength

Life as a Christian is a responsibility. We are responsible for what goes on in the world. God has given us the titles of ambassadors, disciples, and teachers. These are active roles; no one possessing these titles sits and pontificates about the challenges that lie ahead. The positions require action.

What should we do as Christians? There are so many things going on in the world, do we succumb to the chaos of the day and by doing so contribute to the darkness it is producing, or do we spread the light through the world through the Word of God, expressed through our actions, intentions, and deeds?

Looking forward to the intentions of an actively committed Christian requires some thought. I’m certain there are parts of you that you would like to leave behind and parts that you would like to continue to develop.

An easy way to keep track of your transition is to make a chart and list the parts of your character that you wish to eliminate, leave behind, and those elements you wish to strengthen to deepen your faith. This will become a daily reference point to ensure that you are leaving the old you behind and actively developing the new.

Chart This

Things I want to leave behind …

Things I want to strengthen…

…a haughty heart.

Learn to maintain a humble heart before the Lord.

…focusing on self and the things of this world.

Focus on the Word and how it applies to daily living.

Action Items for Closing Out 2025

1. Reflect and Chart Your Growth

  • Make a chart with two columns: “Things I want to leave behind” and “Things I want to strengthen.” Use this as a daily reference to track your spiritual growth and personal development.

2. Prioritize Spiritual Commitment

  • Focus your New Year’s resolutions on deepening your faith, not just on typical goals like fitness or sleep. Commit to becoming a more mature Christian by intentionally leaving behind old habits and embracing new ones.

3. Stay Rooted in the Word

  • Read the Bible regularly and ensure your actions align with its teachings. Make daily checks to confirm you are following the Word, not the world.

4. Equip Yourself Spiritually

  • Put on the “armor of God” every day. Be ready to use the “sword of the Spirit”—the Word of God—to stand against negativity and evil.

5. Maintain Continuous Prayer

  • Pray throughout the day and night. Focus on simple, ongoing communication with God rather than lengthy prayers.

6. Serve Others Actively

  • Go beyond financial donations. Actively care for the elderly, poor, sick, widows, and children in your community.

7. Accept Responsibility

  • Recognize your role as an ambassador, disciple, and teacher. Take active steps to address challenges and spread light through your actions, intentions, and deeds.

8. Relinquish Self

  • Identify parts of yourself to leave behind and areas to develop further. Use your chart as a daily tool for self-assessment and growth.

Shema: Hear and Obey Devotional, Day Four Devotional, YouVersion App

I awoke this morning, and when I opened my YouVersion App, this is what appeared. Shema: Hear and Obey, day four devotional.

Luke 12:32 may be one of the most breathtaking verses in all of scripture. Jesus looks at His followers—fragile, fearful, unsure—and says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God doesn’t just allow us into His Kingdom—He delights to entrust it to us. The phrase “good pleasure” carries the weight of resolve. This isn’t a reluctant gesture. It’s a determined one.

So why do so few of us live like heirs? We’ve confused our kingdoms with His. We chase influence, clarity, and comfort—mistaking them for Kingdom. But Romans 14:17 tells us the Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. These aren’t casual, manufactured virtues—they are costly, Spirit-wrought realities shaped in surrendered lives.

Trust roots us in Kingdom life, though it rarely grows in certainty. Many know the promises but miss the Person behind them. We crave plans and answers, but obedience rarely provides that kind of certainty. It often feels like walking blindfolded. That tension isn’t a flaw—it’s part of the formation process. God isn’t making us comfortable. He’s making us new. Ephesians 4 says the life He leads us into means a new mind and new self.

This is the battleground of real faith. John Kavanaugh, a Catholic priest and ethicist, once traveled to Calcutta to work with Mother Teresa, hoping to gain perspective on where his life with God was headed. When he asked her to pray for him, she replied, “What do you want me to pray for?” “Clarity,” he said. “No,” she answered. “Clarity is the last thing you’re clinging to—and you must let go of it.” When he asked why, she smiled and said, “I’ve never had clarity. What I’ve always had is trust. So, I will pray that you trust God.”

Mother Theresa’s message is that trust is more important than certainty, and that God is forming us through faith, not comfort. Christians are encouraged to let go of the need for charity and instead trust God’s guidance.

Scripture tells us, “The eyes of the Lord run throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is fully His”(2 Chronicles 16:9). He’s not scanning for perfection. He is looking for a Shema *heart. One that is soft enough to listen, brave enough to obey. When He finds it, something happens…

He moves. And the Kingdom moves with Him.

In closing, I wish you well, knowing that the Kingdom belongs to all of us. Strengthening our Christian resolve to become more like Christ, to hold back the darkness and spread God’s love, is not just our resolution for 2026, but our resolution that grows stronger until we reach life eternal.

Romans 14:17 NLT ensures us that living a life of goodness and peace and joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit: For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Shema is a Hebrew word meaning here and listen, and it refers to Judaism’s most central prayer, ‘O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One’ (Deuteronomy 6: 2). More than just hearing, the Shema implies deep understanding, heeding, and active obedience to God. Hearing and listening in the literal sense are deeper than just hearing and listening. It means hearkening and internalizing. Fundamentally, it is truly hearing God’s voice in His commands, encompassing love, teaching, and remembrance. The Shema is a powerful call to holistic devotion. Uniting, hearing, understanding, and acting in loving and serving our God. (AI Overview)

This is the season to internalize the church that is in you because the Holy Spirit resides in you. Daily prayer and communication with God, the direction of the Holy Spirit, whose voice becomes more recognizable as you study, pray, and listen will lead to the gift of the Kingdom in you will be a prevailer of light that cannot be quenched by darkness, rather you serve to break up the darkness and usher in the light of God that replaces wickedness.

In closing, consider leaving behind your haughty heart, focusing on self and worldly things. And, strengthening and maintaining a humble heart before the Lord, focusing on the Word and its daily application.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” ~2 Peter 3:18, ESV

Indecision Is a Form of Spiritual Paralysis

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When we are instructed to wait on the Lord in Isaiah 40:31, God is not instructing us to sit and twiddle our thumbs or coil, writhing in pain over what we should or should not do. The phrase ‘wait on the Lord’ means to wait in expectation, trust in Him, and put your hope in Him, not the circumstances you may be experiencing. If the farmers experience low crop yields, do they say, I will not plant seeds this year and I know God will supply a prosperous crop. No, they plant their seeds, care for the crop and pray that it will be bountiful. If we need a job, should we sit paralyzed or should we search for work and pray that God will direct us to the perfect position and give us favor in the employers eyes.

I am certain many may have experienced God’s work when seeking employment and the opportunities seem to be in conflict with their skills and education, yet that particular type of work seems to be calling. Quite often, God is sending you to a place where He needs you to be His messenger, or it may be a place that requires you to turn to Him and place all confidence in Him (a lesson, not a punishment). Is it easier to follow His direction in this instance, or to remain spirituality paralyzed? I submit, God controls everything, to assume He cannot direct your path is offensive. He created all in the world and universe, His architecture for our lives was completed long ago. He knew and knows all that we will go through in life, the good and the bad, as well as times of comfort and extreme discomfort, therefore He knows His expectations of how we are to approach Him; it is an act of defiance when we fail to reach out to Him. He expects us to firstly ask Him for direction(pray), then listen for His answer (seek), and thirdly act (respond).

God is our only avenue for deliverance. Consider your options and listen to the directions God shares with you. It may be as you hoped, and then again it may be something completely out of your purview. For many, attempting to make a decision creates paralysis and indecision; taking the path less traveled may also cause (temporary) paralysis. But, consider this, if we operate outside of God’s Will or chose our own path, we are not honoring God. God gives us strength when we seek Him. He directs us when we abide in His Word. His hope energizes us when we seek Him. When we wait upon Him, trusting He will answer and provide direction, we begin to exhibit strength, a peace of mind, and deliverance from the storm that rages and attempts to sink us, and consequently seeks to weaken and destroy our relationship with the Lord. Psalms 25:5 advises us to ask God to lead us in His truth and teaches us to learn to wait on His reply. Only God is our salvation. Psalms 27:14 implores us to wait on the Lord; to be strong and let your heart take courage as you yield to His direction. We are, according to Webster’s Dictionary, (commentary on Wait on the Lord, word search ‘wait’) stay or rest in expectation until the arrival of His answer is clear. We can rest in the knowledge that His provision will be better than anything we force. 

Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive. It is preparing us to act when it becomes clear that He is directing our path. It urges us not to be indecisive and writhing in paralysis. Psalms 37:7 (ESV) shares “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.” Rest in God’s love, be active and wait on the Lord. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” Roman’s 12:2 (NIV) Continue to plant your crop, as in the case of farming, send out your resume, share with others your need for employment, seek out communities of those also searching for employment and ask God to show you direction, ask for a sign that you are on the correct path even when His path may mean a lower salary that you are accustomed to, He is plotting your path. He will reward you for relying on and obeying Him.

Waiting on the Lord is an active and decisive practice. Indecision is passive and inactive. It is a form of spiritual passivity that creates spiritual paralysis and weakens your relationship with the Lord, our Father.

Images in order: 1) LAB Photos; 2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.com; 3) m.lovethispic.com

Scriptures: Bible.com

Resources: Barnes Notes On The Bible, biblehub.com

UPDATE: Where Did God Place You?

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You pray and pray and pray, and God blessed you within His Will. Did He bestow a blessing that mirrored your prayer?

My husband and I lived in the Midwest for ten years. I wanted to move back to the West Coast, meaning Los Angeles. I prayed without ceasing, with self as the center point. I wanted to move back to L.A..

My pray was not one that reflected dependence upon God. I did not ask what His Will was for me, instead I told Him what I wanted, not thinking about His big picture for my life and where I was best suited to accomplish His work.

Image – Linda Moore Curry, Pinterest

The place I would accomplish His work was not Los Angeles, as I desired. It was Oakland, a place I refused to move to earlier in life. I did not care for the Bay Area. My husband had been offered a job in the Bay 10 years earlier. He was also offered an opportunity in Kansas where we moved. I would do anything to avoid the Bay.

Looking back, God planted me in Kansas to prepare me for the position as administrator at a charter school in, of all places, Oakland, Ca. Life was not easy in Kansas. We were in a recession and our jobs did not materialize as planned and offered. The state froze government jobs, i.e., the University of Kansas. I scrambled for employment and ended up taking two part time positions and a quarter coordinator position, yes that is equal to a full time plus job. We were also raising three sons who needed our attention. The jobs kept me going, made ends meet even though I was a college graduate and felt under paid with little to do with my degrees. Crazy right? Amazingly to the untrained eye, these experiences did not mount up to the reality. It turned out to be my training time in the desert. Each position offered experience in some component needed to succeed in my next task God was preparing me to undertake.This season was actually a blessing and also served to advance my husbands career.

All to often we can not see the forest for the trees. The trees are in our line of scope. Similarly, our prayers are in our line of scope. The forest is where God chooses to plant us to acquire the skills and knowledge to accomplish His work. The next time you feel you are in the wrong place, take time to recognize God has you where He wants you for that period in time. We are His apprentices. Apprenticeships often feel demeaning, without purpose or cause. But, within the context of doing things you feel require little of your abilities are the nuggets, the diamonds, that once connected prepare you for your next step.

I like the NLT version of Isaiah 55:8-9 because the message is clear –

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
‭‭https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.55.8-9.NLT

The Living, Tumblr

God chooses us and prepares us to do His work, His Will. In the case of Paul, (I am not implying any of us are Paul’s in the truest sense), we are God’s ambassadors on earth, sent here to accomplish His Will.

In the article, The Preparation of Paul, the writer shares: “Paul said that when Christ called him, he did not go to Jerusalem to receive instruction from the apostles. Rather, he retired into Arabia for a time and not until three years later did he go to Jerusalem… It has often been remarked that Paul clearly implied that he spent three years being taught by Jesus Himself (1:12), either directly or (perhaps more likely) through the study of the Word. Thus, like the other apostles, Paul studied with Christ for three years before beginning his ministry (compare Acts 1:21). Ligonier.org. March 19, 1992.

Paul spent three years preparing for his mission, career if you will, before God placed him in the role.

David is also a good example of how God applies His Will.

David did not become King over night. David was the youngest, least hardy and not handsome like his brothers. His father taught him a skill because there was little hope of him becoming anything more. But it was precisely the skill, being a good sheppard, that was needed for him to become a man of God and a great king.

Did you know that God sent Samuel to tell David that he would be king when he was just 15 years old? At that time, David was just a shepherd boy who was always overlooked by his older brothers. But God had a plan for David’s life, it just took a while for it to happen. David had to be patient and trust that God would do what he promised. David had to run away from King Saul who hated David. When King Saul died, David was finally made king. In total, David had to wait 22 years to be the king of all of Israel! Have you ever had to wait for something that you really wanted? If you have, you know how hard it is to be patient. But, maybe you’ve only had to wait a few days or a week…maybe a month. David had to wait a lot longer than that. So kids, here’s the lesson. Sometimes God will make us wait. He may not answer every prayer just how we want or he might take longer to answer than we like. But, we can trust God’s timing because he’s God and he knows what he’s doing. His timing is always perfect. Be patient! (David Becomes King. Pursuegodkids.org)

When David was a teenager, he was anointed as the next king of Israel. It was then that he faced Goliath, was banished by Saul, hid in the desert, lived on the run, forced out of the nation, and fought many battles. It was nearly 15 years between the time that he was anointed king and actually became king. He was tested, just like Joseph, so that God could convert him from a shepherd into a king. (Quota.org Gert Britz)

Paul and David are great examples of how God prepares us to accomplish His Will. The Bible is our manual, our guidebook. If God trained them, placed them in desperate situations, sent them places he would not have chosen on their own, why would it be any different for us today?

God also chose women to accomplish His Will, in a time when women were second class citizens if you will. He chooses the unlikely so the world will know it is not our doing. In fact, the vast majority of the hero’s and heroines throughout history were ordinary individuals who God planted a seed in before they were born. What is the proof, read Jeremiah 1:5 where he penned God’s words, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”

We should always dig deeper when we are in situations that feel leads no where, or in a direction not of our choosing. There are hidden gems, lessons, skills, knowledge and wisdom that is being imparted in those moments, times, seasons, and years.

Again, our time is not His time, nor our thoughts His. We are His and He has plans for our future. Jeremiah 29:11 poignantly states:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
‭‭https://jeremiah.bible/jeremiah-29-11

Peaceful Home

I wrote this post days ago and my Pastor’s Daily Devotional focuses on this topic. Amazingly, we both spiritually matured in, that’s right, Oakland, Ca.

Southwest Church, Indian Wells, Ca.