Humility

One trait that I found common was humility. God didn’t choose leaders with a huge ego. Instead, he chose people who wouldn’t view themselves as having much importance. One example was Moses. He didn’t think that he was a good choice for leading the people out of Egypt. He literally told God that he was a nobody. Another example is David. He grew up being viewed as a simple shepherd boy who would be useless in a fight against the Philistines. Another example is Paul. Paul considered himself the least of all the apostles. Daniel, Joshua, Esther, Joseph, Abraham, etc. Humility is a very common theme that good leaders had in common.

Courage

Courage is another strong theme between good leaders. Daniel didn’t follow the law to only pray to King Darius. Daniel didn’t even hide the fact that he was praying to God instead. Daniel also had the courage to believe that God was going to protect him in the lion’s den. Joshua had the courage to face all of the challenges that were required to lead the Israelites into the promised land. Esther eventually had the courage to walk up to King Ahasuerus to talk to him against Haman’s plan against the Jews. To take that even further, she had the courage to admit that she was a Jew. Take whatever good leader you find in the Bible, and they all show a sense of courage through their trust in God. I’m aware that some people may see Moses as an exception since he was definitely scared about how things could turn out, but he had the courage to follow through with what God was telling him to do despite the fact that Moses was worried about how things would turn out. Everyone has moments when they might feel scared, but truly trusting in God in order to gain the courage needed to do what is right is always an option.

Perseverance

All of the good leaders in the Bible show a strong sense of determination. For example, Joseph (son of Moses) showed perseverance by always trusting in God despite all of the trials and betrayals that he went through. Abraham showed perseverence through many things such as his determination to obey God’s command of sacrificing his son and through trusting God to fullfill his promises despite how long it took for them to be fullfilled. One very clear example in the Bible was Nehemiah. Rebuilding the wall must’ve felt like it took ages, and yet he never gave up on completing his task of rebuilding it.

Integrity

The first example that comes into my mind when I think of how leaders showed integrity were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago. They knew that they were gonna be thrown into a fire if they didn’t worship the king’s golden statue, and yet they decided to do what they knew was right. They decided to worship God instead of the golden statue. A similar example that comes into my mind is Daniel. Daniel knew that he would be thrown into a lion’s den if he worshiped God instead of the king, and yet Daniel chose to do what he knew was right. All of the good leaders in the Bible showed integrity sometime sooner or later. One interesting example I want to bring up is David. Sure, David is partially known for falling for some bad temptations such as adultery. Eventually though, once David realized that what he was doing was wrong, he chose to accept that his actions were wrong and decided to change. We all make mistakes sometimes, but a good leader will eventually gain a sense of integrity to eventually choose to do what is right.

Loyalty

Some people may not think of some of these traits when trying to determine a good leader, but who could ever think that a good leader would be someone who isn’t loyal? Being loyal to God is critical to being a good leader, but being loyal to others is also very necessary. Ruth wasn’t just loyal to God, she was loyal to her grandmother as well. Jonathan wasn’t just loyal to God, we also see him being loyal to David. Ezra wasn’t just loyal to God, we see many ways that he was loyal to the Jews. You do need to be careful about who you are loyal to on earth, but there’s no such thing as a good leader who will show no loyalty to anyone.

Submissiveness

One thing that God definitely looked for when he was choosing people to do his work was whether they were willing to be submissive or not. This is an interesting one in the sense that submissiveness to God might seem like the only version of submissiveness that’s required to be a good leader. Think of this as similar to humility. A good leader isn’t someone who is overly controlling, commanding, and bossy. The Bible actually says that a good leader is someone who is willing to be a servant. Moses did tell people if they were doing something wrong (which was right of him to do), but he always considered if the Israelites needed his help with something. Nathan did go up to David to tell him what he needed to change, but he didn’t do it in a controlling, commanding, or bossy way. Instead, Nathan told him in a kind way that helped David to see things correctly.

The List Just Goes On

There are many more things in the Bible that good leaders had in common. They all had a sense of empathy. They all had a vision for what things were supposed to be like. None of them became great leaders until they knew how to be kind. They were all willing to listen. They all had a sense of wisdom. They would find solutions to problems. They would accept that people weren’t perfect. They were willing to speak up when needed. There are many more traits that you could look into, but I definitely want to point out that a good leader for God is someone who is faithful to Him and Him only.

Jesus

I am super grateful that Jesus is the perfect example of a great leader. One way that you can see humility is through the fact that he didn’t brag about being the son of God, how smart he was, all of the miracles he did, or anything else about him. In all honesty, he always gave the Father credit. We can see courage in ways such as willing to help people that nobody else felt comfortable being around, by following God’s command to go to the cross, and through not being scared of the storm while he and his disciples were on the boat. We can see perseverence through facts such as how he always did what was right, no matter the cost. Integrity is a very easy one for us to see. Jesus always knew what the right thing to do was and was always willing to do what God wanted him to do no matter what he’d have to go through in return. Jesus definitely showed loyalty. He showed loyalty to both the father and through helping others when they needed his help. Submissiveness is an interesting trait for Jesus to show, and yet he showed it very clearly through things such as washing his disciples feet. Jesus always cared about what other people were going through (empathy). He knew what it was the Father wanted him to do and he always did that (vision). Jesus was very kind, even to people that nobody else was kind to. Jesus was always willing to listen, which is especially clear when we see how determined he was to listen to the Father. Jesus was the wisest person out there and was willing to share that wisdom with others who were willing to understand. Jesus didn’t let problems go unsolved. We can especially see that through the miracles that he did. He fed 5,000, he healed a leapor, he healed a paralyzed man, he turned water into wine, he calmed the storm, etc. Jesus always stood up for what was right. The final one I want to bring up even though there are many more leadership qualities we could go into is that Jesus accepted that we weren’t perfect, and he didn’t require anybody to be perfect in order to help them or love them. Praise the Lord for that. What an awesome God we have.

Neither of these chapters show any signs that Job enjoyed what he was going through. For example, in Chapter 6 verse 3, Job says, “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—Therefore my words have been rash.”. Who in the world would say something like that if they were feeling optimistic about things to any extent? It’s hard to visualize someone secretly being optimistic if their grief was so strong that they chose to describe it like that.

In chapter 6 verse 9, Job also says, “That it would please God to crush me, That He would loose His hand and cut me off!”. That definitely doesn’t make Job sound optimistic. Job was so overwhelmed with his life that he not only felt like he couldn’t withstand life anymore; he also felt like God was hating him to the point of total utter destruction.

In chapter 6 verse 11, Job says, “What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?” Oof. Personally, that almost sounds suicidal. Job has fully lost hope by this point and feels like there is no point in continuing on in life.

If you look into all of the verses of chapter 6 individually, you’ll realize that they all point to the fact that Job wasn’t in a good state of mind. He felt like there was no hope. He felt like life was not worth living. He felt like God was against him. To make things even worse, his friends and family were not helping him in the least. You can especially tell that fact in chapter 6 vs. 14 which says, “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty”. All they were trying to do was either prove that Job was a terrible person who needed to repent or that God was being so terrible to Job that the right thing to do would be to complain to God about everything.

Job’s family and friends definitely didn’t have the right kind of mindset throughout this. They thought that they were trying to be helpful when, in reality, they were only adding more stress to Job’s life.

One of the things I find interesting with chapter 7 is that, in verses 6-9, Job is speaking utter nonsense, yet in verse 17, Job chooses to turn to God.

In verses 6-9, Job says, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; while you eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up.”

Job clearly isn’t thinking straight in these verses. He is feeling so overwhelmed to the point where he’s just letting his feelings take over at this point. Once Job says, “What is man, that You should exalt him, that you should set your heart on him” is when he starts turning to God during this little speech.

What do you know? This little speech of his started off with him feeling like God was against him and was not there for him, and yet this speech finishes off with Job choosing to turn to God and he asks Him to help him discover what he’s done against God rather than the other way around. Job decided to turn to God and ask for his help rather than to turn away from God and complain to him.

Everyone has moments in life that can feel too hard to move forward with. Everyone might steer their minds in the wrong direction every now and then. Either way, if you want hope in life, you will always have the option of turning to God. Are you going to take that option or simply go down man’s way of doing things? The option is up to you. No matter how hard life is though, it’s always possible to choose God in the end.

The first friend of Job’s whose opinion we hear of is a man named Eliphaz. As we go throughout the portion of the bible that mentions his views on all of this, it is perfectly clear to us that his point of view is flawed.

For example, Job 4:4 says, “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?” Wow. He clearly didn’t know the truth back then. Everyone, including the most innocent people out there, have the possibility of perishing. The bible later on actually gives many examples of innocent men who had perished.

According to chapter 5, Eliphaz didn’t just try to blame Job for being a terribly foolish man. In chapter 5, we end up also learning that Eliphaz was trying to advise Job to become a better follower by making it sound like he (Eliphaz) was a better person with better ways of doing things. In Chapter 5 verse 8, Eliphaz says, “But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause.” Eliphaz then continues on by trying to teach Job about how wonderful it’d be to choose God.

I thought it’d be good to bring this story up because, even though we may not deal with it as drastically as Job did, our friends might turn against us sometimes… or at least disagree with us. No matter how dramatically things may come across between you and any friends you may have, keep in mind that God is still with you. He knows what is going on and, as we see later on, God will fix whatever wrong it will cause. We have a God that is perfectly victorious… just not always in the way we’d expect.

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I have been told about the persecution and enslavement of christians there are would love to give you guys and opportunity to learn more about it and possibly donate if you feel like God is calling you in that direction.

If you feel called to help your brothers and sisters in Pakistan, here is a button that will lead you to more information about what’s going on and will help lead you towards a donation button.

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May the Lord guide you in your decisions and help you to have a wonderful and meaningful day.

“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.” (Job 2:7-8)

Ouch. Literally and figuratively. The pain that Satan forced Job to suffer through was too strong for even his friends and family to handle. Not only did Job have to suffer through the pain of losing everything he owned (including his family), but he had to endure pain that was too hard for anybody around him to accept the extremeness of. In chapter 2 verse 12, it is written that Job was covered in so many boils and scrapes that they couldn’t even recognize him.

Not only was more pressure put on Job in the sense of health problems taken to an overly extreme extent, but he also had to deal with his friends and family trying to turn him against God. Satan had pushed things to an extent where Job finally started to curse the day he was born.

Think about that. Job was in so much stress and feeling so hopeless that he couldn’t prevent himself from complaining about having ever been born in the first place. Job wasn’t cursing God. Job was cursing his birth. I’d say that takes quite a lot of faith on it’s own. His reaction to wanting to complain didn’t start off by complaining about God, but rather his birth. Despite the hopelessness that Job was going through, there was still a portion of him that knew that God did not deserve to be cursed about.

One thing that God clearly was a part of was that God had prepared Job and helped Job’s faith to grow to such a righteous extent. Another thing that comes into my mind here though is chapter 2 verse 6. That verse says, “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behonld, he is in your hand, but spare his life’”. The reason I want to point that verse out is because I believe it helps us to realize that God did still put limitations on what Satan could do. God obviously knew that Satan didn’t want to spare his life, so God made sure that Satan wouldn’t do to him what he couldn’t handle.

That’s something that I think would be good to think about. No matter how hard life is, God is always a part of it in a great way. No matter how much things may seem like they are getting out of control, God will never let Satan be in full control. Finally, God won’t let us be tempted or hurt beyond what we can bear. If you go through something really hard that feels just feels like too much to bear, know that God has always known that you were gonna go through something that hard. If you go through something really hard, God knew you could handle it. He won’t force things to go beyond what you can handle. Use the hard moments in life to realize just how strong God has made you.

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Share Joy Amidst Trials

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The first trial that Satan put Job through was wiping out his wealth, possessions, and children. Think about how painful that would be. Job 1:1-3 says, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” Can you imagine what it’d be like for someone who was used to owning all of that to be stripped of it all at once. The loss of someone’s house and possessions are one thing. The loss of someone’s family is a whole ‘nother thing. Yet Satan did them at the exact same time. Satan didn’t even do it at little bits at a time. His animals, property, servants, family, everything that he was used to owning was stripped of him in the same day. Even worse, that was all a part of the first trial that Satan put in his life. There were many more yet to come.

How did Job respond? Job passed the test. Job fell to the ground and worshipped God. He didn’t curse God or anything. It didn’t cause Job to sin to any extent. Instead, Job finishes his prayer with, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20d)

Wow. When you look at his life, it can be really hard to see God in it. Was God actually in his life during it? That’s an easy question to ask, especially since God let Satan have control over what was going on with Job at the time. The truth is, yes. God was in his life during it. Something as tough as what Job had to go through could only be endured if God was a part of it. The reason that Job didn’t lose faith during it was because Job was a righteous man. God considered Job a righteous man because of how strongly Job held God to his heart.

Whenever life may seem so difficult that you just can’t see God in it, look at whether you have kept your faith or not. If you haven’t lost faith, that’s because you are still allowing God to be a part of your life. It shows that you are willing to let God be the one in control of your life.

Let God be your hope. It’ll prevent you from losing faith. Don’t think of anger at God as your solution. Run to God. If you have the faith to run to God, the faith to let him be a part of your life, and the faith to choose God as your source of hope, you can know that God is with you. To add to that, if you can handle situations that require making those decisions, then God took the time to prepare you for it.

No matter how hard it may be to see God in your life, God has good plans ahead for you… just like he had for Job.

One of the hardest seasons came when everything I had planned—things I had prayed for—started falling apart and my dad passed away very suddenly. Doors I believed God had opened slammed shut. People I trusted turned away. My Dad, who I never got to reconnect with and get to know as an adult, was ripped away from me overnight. I felt like I was walking through fog with no map. I remember lying on the floor late at night, the kind of prayer that doesn’t even have words in it—just groaning, silence, and a heart that says, “God, where are You?”

It was in that place that I began to know God—not just know about Him, but know Him. Not in the high moments of spiritual achievement, but in the ashes. That’s where I learned that God doesn’t just show up when you’re strong. He comes into the places where you’re so broken you can’t lift your head. And He sits with you. He weeps with you. He waits with you. Not rushing the process, not disappointed, not distant.

One night, in the middle of this season, I read Psalm 34:18:

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

It wasn’t a new verse. I’d read it dozens of times. But that night, it felt like it was written just for me. Not because everything suddenly got better—but because I realized I wasn’t alone.

Struggle stripped me of illusions. It taught me that grace is not for the people who have it together—it’s for the weak, the confused, the weary, the ones who have nothing left but a whisper of a prayer. That’s where I met Jesus—not as a distant Savior, but as the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief. He didn’t just sympathize—He understood.

And in time, the fog did lift. Some of the prayers were answered, but others weren’t—and somehow that became okay. Because I had found something better than a fixed life. I found the presence of the Living God, who walked with me, even when I didn’t understand. Especially then.

So if you’re in a struggle right now, and God feels far—take heart. He’s closer than your breath. You don’t have to climb your way up to Him. Just turn your face in His direction, and you’ll find He’s already right there. Grace is not a ladder. It’s a hand reaching down.

The Israelites those days basically had their hearts set on complaining. The people were first complaining because of how the Egyptians were treating them. The Israelites didn’t like being beaten up and treated like slaves. That’s understandable. They later complained about things such as not having enough food and water to drink. That was not understandable and yet they wouldn’t give Moses a break from their complaints.

God Will Lead Us

Exodus 16:1, “They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.”

Something you should keep in mind is that the Israelites weren’t walking around lost. The Israelites were walking the direction that they were because God was guiding them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. Sure… the fifteenth day of the second month would mean that they were walking for a month straight. That is a while to walk. They should have at least kept in mind that they were following God’s path. It wasn’t that Moses was a bad leader or that God didn’t care about them. The Israelites were complaining simply because they didn’t want to see things the way that they actually were.

Worn Out With Desires

Exodus 16:2, “And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,”

That was definitely not something that God was proud of. They were basically showing hatred against Moses and Aaron. God has said that hatred in your heart is equivalent to murdering against God.

Do you ever have moments like this? Moments that you are just so worn out of not having what you want that you start grumbling against others? Well… you’re not alone. That’s pretty natural for mankind. We’re not perfect and God has accepted that. As this example in the Bible will show, God doesn’t simply leave you in the dark. He cares about you.

God Will Provide

Exodus 16:3, “and the people of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”

Wow. This verse is very emotionally painful. The fact that they didn’t die by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt is a very true statement but, sadly, it’s also true that they didn’t die where they currently were. Instead, they died in the wilderness. When it comes to having sat by the meat pots and had eaten bread to the full, that is hard to believe and the wrong way to see things. First, it’s hard to believe that the Egyptians, as merciless as they were, desired for their slaves to be completely full and would’ve given them time to sit down by the meat pots instead of having them work. Also, it’s not right to see it that way because that is not the way that God saw it. God didn’t desire to take them out of Egypt so that they could literally starve them to death. In all honesty, God took great care of them throughout it. One example is that God led them through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire instead of forcing them to find their own way… which would definitely be worse. Another example is that God didn’t actually make them starve.

In all honesty, God made food for them rather simple. They didn’t have to harvest it themselves, walk over to a place to buy the food, make the food themselves, or whatever. Instead, God simply made it rain bread so that they would right away have good food every day that would fill them.

Just like how God listened to the Israelites when they were complaining about not having enough food, God listens to your complaints. How he decides to go about it is up to him, but he has his love for you in his mind whenever you call out to him. You could think of it like when Jesus told people, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value then they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Mathew 6:26-27)

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The Point of the Book of Proverbs

I love how the beginning of the book literally says why we should read this book. It’s book primarily written by King Solomon to teach us about wisdom and instruction. Keep in mind that King Solomon wasn’t just a really smart king. He is known as the smartest king that has ever existed because his knowledge came from God himself. It was the gift that King Solomon asked for when God asked him what he wanted as a gift. The book of proverbs is a book that not only teaches us about wisdom and instruction, it also helps us learn how to apply all of those tiny details to our lives.

What does the King Solomon mean by wisdom and instruction?

Proverbs is the kind of book that isn’t necessarily written in words that everyone will understand, but you’ll understand the words if you have the desire to follow them. For example, the first verse simply says, “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,”. That may sound a little broad to some people, but that’s because the Bible has more things that we can learn than we realize. Why does God want us to know His words to us? It’s because God’s words to us are full of wisdom and instruction.

How to Recieve Instruction

Verse 3 in Proverbs 1 says, “to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;”. Verse 2 lets us know that God wants us to know his Word. Verse 3 goes on to tell us that, if we know God’s Word, we will be able to recieve God’s instructions to us. Whereas verse 2 is describing to us that we need to know God’s Word, verse 3 is describing to us a wonderful benefit to knowing God’s Word.

Why should we want to recieve instruction?

King Solomon tells us why we should want to recieve instruction in verses 4 and 5. Verses 4 tell us, “to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—”. This verse is telling us that one of the reasons we should aim to recieve instruction is because God’s instructions have a strong meaning behind them that will be very useful for you to teach other people.

Verse 5 says to us, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,”. This verse likely sounds pretty straight forward, which it primarily is. Understanding God’s Word will help us to have guidance throughout our lives. That’s the straightforward part of the verse. Thankfully, this verse isn’t just letting us know that we will gain guidance; it is also letting us know that as time goes on, our knowledge will continue to grow through God’s guidance to us.

Verse 6 is simply going on by explaining to us that most men will not understand God’s wisdom and instruction. Gaining God’s wisdom and instruction is a very intentional process. Verse 7 helps us to understand what that process is.

Why do some people want God’s knowledge and others don’t?

Verse 7 begins by saying, “The fear of the Lord”. Those alone are very powerful words. These words alone are helping us to understand that we have to have a strong desire to learn and apply the wisdom and knowledge that God is willing to freely give us. Sadly, most people don’t have that desire. They simply have no desire to follow God. Whereas the first part of the verse is explaining what causes us to gain knowledge, the second part of the verse helps us to understand that those who despise wisdom and instruction are seen as fools.

Something interesting I want to bring up real quick in case it comes into anybody’s mind is that verse 1:7 sounds a lot like verse 9:10. Verse 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”. Verse 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”. I just want to point out real quick that the difference between these verses has to do with the Hebrew word being used for “beginning”. Verse 1:7 is telling us that the fear of the Lord is the first step to gaining knowledge and instruction. Verse 9:10 is sort of like an adjective. It’s describing to us that the fear of the Lord is the primary step. You could basically say that verse 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the first step while verse 9:10 is letting us know that it’s impossible to gain wisdom and instruction without taking that step. There’s no way of getting around it. The only possible first step to take is to fear the Lord.

Present Day

Sadly, these verses are being very ignored these days. Some people don’t want God’s knowledge and instructions. Some people do want God’s wisdom and instructions, but they won’t take the steps needed. Some people do want God’s wisdom and instructions, but don’t realize the benefits that come with His wisdom and instructions. Just in general, a lot of people these days don’t even know the difference between what’s good and what’s bad. A lot of people these days don’t really care much about the difference between what’s good and what’s bad.

I hope that you have the desire to gain God’s wisdom and instructions. Not only will it benefit you, but it will benefit those around you. The world definitely needs people who have gained God’s wisdom and instruction. If you feel like God wants you to share His wisdom and instruction, feel free to do so. The world may not be on your side with things, but at least God will be on your side. It’ll definitely be worth it. You have the possibility to make a very meaningful difference in people’s lives. Simply fear the Lord, gain His knowledge and instructions, then let the Holy Spirit use you to teach other people.

I have always loved parables, and for today I thought I’d go into The Parable of the Sower.

Background (vs. 1-2)

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.”

The first two verses aren’t a part of the parable, but rather they tell you about what was going on at the time. It starts off that Jesus went to what was likely Peter’s house and decided to sit by the Sea of Galilee. Then there was a whole bunch of people (A LOT) who were coming to Him because they were wanting Him to teach them something, and Jesus decided to do so. There were too many people on land though, so Jesus went over to a boat in the Sea of Galilee and chose to sit while he taught. It was very common those days for people to sit while they taught.

The Wayside/The Hard Heart (vs. 3-4)

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.”

Something I think is cool about Jesus’ parables is that the field, seed, and birds always have the same meaning in every parable he gives that uses them. The field always symoblizes the earth. The seed always symbolizes the Word of God (God’s message to us), and the birds always symbolize Satan.

In the case scenario of the wayside, Jesus is basically saying that people with a heart that’s so hard that they won’t accept the Bible to any degree are the people that Satan will overtake. Keep in mind that the wayside does not refer to a heart that isn’t able to understand. The wayside is refering to a heart that doesn’t have the desire to understand.

Is that you? Are you the kind of person who is unwilling to accept God’s Word? Do you have a desire to understand the Bible or do you simply feel like there’s no point in trying to understand it? If so, keep in mind that these are the kind of people that Satan will love to devour. There’s nothing blocking him from devouring the kind of person that wants nothing to do with God.

The Rocky Soil/The Shallow Heart (vs. 5-6)

“Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.”

The rocky soil is symbolizing the kind of person who will accept God’s Word but has no foundation to their faith. This kind of person is very willing to accept God’s Word. In all honesty, these kinds of people will accept God’s Word with much joy in their hearts. Other than that, the shallow heart and the hard heart aren’t too different. The shallow heart has a better start in the sense that they start off willing to accept the Bible with much joy whereas the hard heart just won’t accept it at all, but in the end, they end with very similar results. They don’t truly let God into their hearts.

People with a shallow heart will happily listen to God’s Word but, when something doesn’t go the way that they were hoping, the shallow heart will simply go straight back to not accepting God in their life.

Are you the kind of person who will stop accepting God’s Word if things don’t go your way? How hard of an impact will unpleasant experiences make on your relationship with God? If so, keep in mind how helpful things like prayer and the Bible can be to strengthen your relationship with God. To avoid having a shallow heart, continuously try to strengthen your relationship with God. If life ever gets so unpleasant that you just don’t want God in your life anymore, take that as an opportunity to learn to lean on God instead of feeling like you have to carry the weight of those moments alone.

The Thorny Soil/The Over-Involved Heart (vs. 7)

“Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.”

Ouch. This kind of heart is undoubtedly common yet very unfruitful. Unlike the hard heart and the shallow heart, the over-involved heart does have a good foundation to their faith. This kind of heart isn’t just happy to accept God’s Word. This kind of heart treasures it deeply and will not be defeated by persecution or tribulation.

This kind of heart is far from the kind of heart that God desires for us to have though. The over-involved heart is the kind of heart that cares too much about the things of this world. When a person has a heart that’s compared to thorny soil, they have a heart that focuses too much about things such as money to fully give their hearts to God.

Are you the kind of person who doesn’t put as much focus on your relationship with God as your cares of this world? Are you the kind of person that will put a pause on trying to continuously grow in your relationship with God if a care of this world creeps up on you? Keep in mind that Satan loves to deceive us whenever he can. The cares of this world can become very deceitful.

The Good Soil/The Receptive Heart (vs. 8)

“Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Aaaahhh… the good soil. Who doesn’t love the thought of having the heart that God compares to good soil rather than no soil, rocky soil, or thorny soil? This kind of heart can only be achieved by a strong relationship with God. It’s definitely the best kind of heart out there. Having a receptive heart is a very good goal to aim for in every kind of way.

The people whose hearts God will compare to good soil are hearts that have been strongly convicted by sin. These kinds of people have a heart that hasn’t just heard God’s Word, they’ve built a good and strong relationship with God that cannot be broken by any means. The receptive heart isn’t just willing to hear God’s Word, they are eager to understand it to it’s fullest. If you want to understand God’s Word to the fullest, God will continue to reward you with a deeper knowledge of the truth. If you have a heart that will yield sixty fold or thirty fold, the Holy Spirit will bring that up to a hundredfold.

Are you the kind of person who has a really strong foundation to your faith? Is there anything of this world that will ruin your relationship with God? How do you handle things that don’t go your way? How strong is your desire for God to help grow your understanding of His Word?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. - God’s hint at why he’s telling this parable. Try to hear what God is trying to teach you.

God,

Thank you for giving us your Word. Thank you for letting us know that you are always there for us and with us. Please help us to realize what kind of heart we have and to have the desire for you to change our lives for the better.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

God loves you all and wants all of you to have a heart that can be compared to good soil. Let the Holy Spirit guide you, and God will help you to achieve the best kind of heart out there.

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Some examples in my life have been seeing God answer a prayer. One example was when I was being tested for brain surgery. The thought of it was totally freaking me out. I couldn’t stop begging God to make me unqualified for it. Eventually, I decided to stop begging God to do it my way. I later decided to pray to God that He would do whatever was going to be the best for me… whatever that path may be. What do you know? Even though I was only halfway through testing, I was instantly told that it was confirmed that I did not qualify for it. That’s when I started to realize that God had put me in a situation where He helped me learn how to let Him take control of my life.

Sometimes prayer can simply lead to God helping you see how He’s a part of your life. Something you should keep in mind though is how much you actually desire to see God in your life. If God answers your prayer by helping you to think about it in the right way, you likely won’t realize that He’s helping you unless you desire and are willing to see Him.

Praise the Lord that He gives us a way to talk to Him. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about God. God doesn’t just want to have more power than us or anything. God wants to be a part of your life. God wants to have a relationship with you. God desires to help you life a wonderful and worthwhile life… even if things don’t always seem to go your way.

There were many hard things that David went through. Arguably the most well known example is with David and Goliath. Since David was just a kid. Nobody was supportive of him fighting Goliath. Just in general, they thought he was crazy for deciding to fight Goliath… who was known as the champion of the Philistines. David went for it anyways. What do you know? David was correct. God helped David defeat Goliath.

Another example of his has to do with him and King Saul. David was put in a position where King Saul originally loved him, but he later hated him to the point where he just kept on throwing spears over and over again to try and kill David. God prevented David from being killed though.

There are many examples of how God was a part of David’s life. That includes many examples of how God was a part of his life when life was hard.

You won’t have to go through the exact same cercumstances as David did, but God can be a part of your lives in the same way. All of it stems from the fact that David believed in God, trusted Him, obeyed Him, prayed to Him, kept Him first in his life, and surrendered himself to God.

God wants to be a part of your life. He will be in your life in wonderful ways (despite how hard it may be to go through some of the things that lead up to it) just so long as you have the heart to let Him. God gives us freewill. Do you have a desire for God to be a part of your life in many wonderful ways even if life gets really hard?

It's hard to believe it's been a year since I made the new year's resolution to consume less sugar. To say it was a trial is an understatement, for God truly tested me and not only that, but the consequences of my actions leading up to April 24th, 2024 were a glimpse into the reality of my dietary lifestyle up to that year.

I have chosen to write this testimony for Joy Amidst Trials, because not only was this a trial, but the Lord has moved through this on-going test to bring me greater purpose in Him than I have had before. My joy comes from Him, and this trial is a testament to His hand in my life.

Taking Care of this Temple:

Growing up, we are told to eat our vegetables and finish our dinner before we can have dessert. However, the culture is so enveloped by the consumption of sugar that parents rarely ever explain to their children the consequences behind their eating habits.

No, instead, we make a spectacle of watching and enjoying infant reactions to the first time they consume sugar. It's cute, funny, and gets a lot of likes! But behind that facade of entertainment and amusement comes addiction, obesity, diabetes, and a lot of mental problems that have resulted in the culture we have today.

Now, I'm not saying that sugar is bad to consume, but I want to provide you a glimpse into my thought process when I wrote down, “I want to consume less sweets.”

For me, I could eat an entire box of double stuffed oreos dipped in chocolate milk and still go on craving a melted chocolate chip cookie with ice cream lathered atop of it. In fact, that was a routine of mine.

My cravings for sugar spiraled out of control and I knew that one day I needed to discipline myself before I were to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). My own father, who prides himself on his health and fitness regimen, was diagnosed pre-diabetic just a few years prior. Plus, all my grandparents have had T2D for decades, my grandmother on my mother's side had her leg amputated and passed away from a heart attack, diabetes related, and my grandfather on my father's side had a multitude of health problems related to his diabetes before he passed. This is all to say, I was headed toward this and I knew I needed to change or else. I needed to take care of the temple the Lord entrusted me with, for His Spirit to dwell within. At least, that's how I saw it when writing that goal.

Growing Up with Sugar:

From my adolescence, to my teenage years, I ate a lot of sugar. So much so that when I have kids, I hope to not introduce them to candy or things of that nature, and just show them the keto sweets that I eat.

The thing was, I never had a chubby phase in life. I've always been mostly skin and bone, and I was called a twig in middle school. It was a point of challenge as I wanted to gain weight and ate in such a way that I should be obese, but apparently my metabolism was so good that it would burn away a dozen glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme.

I've even devoured three whole Cinnabons in a single sitting. Barely struck a bulge of fat in me. Thing was, anytime I would get a physical from the doctor, they told me I was healthy, just a little underweight for my height.

No one suspected a thing. At least, that was until around 2021 when I started getting symptoms of hyperglycemia. Things like drinking a lot of water and constantly urinating, even throughout the night. I didn’t know what it was at the time, and because of a lack of care for my body and always being told that I was healthy, I never went to the hospital. In fact, I lost so much faith in doctors after COVID that I didn't trust going to a doctor. My trust was in my body's immune system because prior to that I hadn’t been sick for eight years. Never a real reason to go to the doctor.

With this trial, however, I see hospitals and doctors like churches and pastors; consisting of fallen people who are trying to help others get better in this broken world of ours. My faith now is in Christ Jesus, and He is the one that will deliver us from our ailments using the hands of His creation here on earth.

Leading Up to April 24th:

After I wrote that I wanted to consume less sweets, I didn't stop. In fact, as flesh crept in and the enemy used that to their advantage, my cravings became worse.

For the first three months of 2024, I had two full jugs of lemonade, one carton of chocolate milk, and three pints of ice cream a week. This was on top of any time we'd go out for extra sweets when celebrating birthdays, going on dates, anything that added. I was not crucifying my flesh, I was gorging on sugar. All this time, the Holy Spirit would gently nudge me asking, “When are you going to commit to your goal? When are you going to take care of My temple?”

I would just put it off and say, “I'll start next week.” Then the next week came and the conviction would come again and again.

Suffering Ketoacidosis:

At the start of April 2024, I had started the onboarding process to be an Amazon driver. On the second shift I worked by myself. The first half was fine, and then I went on my break. I had a Subway sandwich that I didn't finish because it seemed like the chicken wasn't cooked all the way through.

Then a couple hours into the evening shift, my stomach began aching profusely. I was freaking out because it was my second day at this new job that's strict on stopping the sprinter van, but I really needed to go to the restroom. When I did, I had to park at a 10 minute parking spot where the van could barely fit. I rushed to find a restroom, and when I did I prayed for the Lord to deliver me from the pain I was in.

There was a little relief, but as soon as I got back out on deliveries the pain returned. It grew subtly and when I finished I rushed home as fast as possible. The moment I got home I went to the restroom and sat on the toilet. Then I felt nauseated and threw up.

Over the course of three days, I threw up everything I ate. For someone who is underweight, this wasn't good. I would sleep for fifteen hours a day, unable to stand without feeling light-headed and fatigued. After three days, I began feeling a little better. Then, the next Wednesday, six days later, I went to make myself breakfast. I looked at the sink and immediately threw up again. It was at that moment I knew something was terribly wrong.

My brother took me to the hospital and I struggled to get to the E.R. Once there they ran multiple tests on me after waiting for around 30 minutes in the E.R. I finally got to lay down and relax after they put an I.V. in my arm.

Suddenly, a doctor rushed over and she yelled, “Stop, don't give him anymore of that!”

She immediately came up to me and said, “You have diabetes, we need to admit you to the ICU.”

Hearing that made my heart sink, and my first thought was, “Why Lord? I thought I had more time.”

Leaning into the Prince of Peace:

When looking back on my time in the ICU, I can only describe it as a hospital TV show drama. The nurses all had different personalities that likened it to that of those types of shows.

I had one nurse who was super charismatic, with him flirting with the other nurses by doing a backflip in the ICU. However, he did his job well and tended to me efficiently. Then there was another nurse who was the drama expert, talking to every patient about their issues while also gossiping about the issues with insurance fraud cases going on.

All my fiance, at the time (now married), and I could do was listen and laugh at just how crazy the hospital life is. And I was there for three nights! My Pastor and church brothers and sisters came to visit, and he anointed me with oil. We prayed and it was then that I knew God was doing a work for me.

The question was, “How was I going to view this deeply troubling news that I had diabetes?” And not to mention, the doctors were figuring out that it was most likely Type 1 diabetes, not Type 2!

For those who don't know what the difference between the types are; type 1 is when your pancreas completely shuts down and doesn't produce insulin to break down glucose in your blood. This is most commonly diagnosed in children, vs T2D being found in older adults with poor eating habits. T2D you can reverse, T1D you currently cannot reverse.

Apparently, I could have always had T1D, which means I would have been born with it and not realized which is why I've never been able to gain weight. My doctor explained that my metabolism has been acting as my pancreas, breaking down my muscle mass in order to actually break down my glucose, and now my body has finally caught up and just can't do it anymore. So I now take insulin every day.

But back to the question, “How was I going to view this new disability in my life that could most likely end up resulting in my death if I don't take it seriously?”

At this point, it was a week away from my 27th birthday, and a little over a month away from my born-again 1st birthday. The trials had added up in just 1 year of following Christ and now this seemed like it was another trial to top it off from God.

Afterall, God made me how I am. He knitted me in my mother's womb. I am the only known person in my family to have Type 1 diabetes, which seems to be passed down genetically. I am now one of the oldest people to be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. How am I to react to this? Did God give me this test because He knew I could handle it?

I mean, I did ask to eat less sweets but didn't really commit. Thus God picked me up and placed me onto the narrow path called hypo and hyperglycemia. My response to Him was and has been, “Thank You, Lord, for entrusting me with this. You've blessed me with protection all this time, and now that I am here, I can be truly used as an example for Your Kingdom.”

It has still been a challenge, but I leaned into Him and He has held me ever since. In fact, it was in the hospital where He revealed to me His vision for my life. Showing me how I look in my own eyes contrasted with how He views me in His eyes. And let me tell you, if you ever have a prayer to ask Him, ask Him to show you this, because it is like night and day!

Every doctor that came to me, every nurse that came to me, they all were somber in their detailing of all the complications that will arise in diabetes. But I was not going to let that drop the smile from my face because I had the Lord with me, and He provided so much comfort.

Now, I live day to day, with this potential for death that is ever-present. We all technically do, just mine alerts me when I'm getting close and need to either eat sugar or jab myself with a needle.

However, I just know that without this blessing in my life, I probably wouldn't have changed course the way I have. Also, if I had Type 2, I probably wouldn't take it as seriously because I would technically now be considered pre-diabetic, and the idea of reversing something that I feel God placed in my life for a reason, it will have to be God healing my pancreas for me to be fine with reversing it. Besides, I don't need to be healed to believe that He is real. I know He's got me right where He wants me.

All of this is to say, trials will come in ways that will kill you. But if you come out of it and learn unfortunate truths, how will you respond?

Try leaning on God for His plan and vision for your life. Because that is where you may find the greatest joy amidst your trial!

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among who you shine as lights in the world,”

One problem I’ve been having at work is that I am sometimes scheduled to work with a lady who doesn’t get along with anyone (except one lady whom she highly and clearly favors). Everyone around me was complaining about her, and it was easy for me to automatically join in and share the things that she’s done and said to me. When someone else that she only still works there because nobody tells the manager about her, I told them an example of something that I told the manager. Then I brought up that I found it interesting that she was working at a Christian camp despite never showing the fruits of the Spirit and being a terrible example to the guests of what a Christian should be like.

I was listening to a sermon earlier today though that brought up this verse. It made me realize that I was simply bringing up to people a complaint that I had about her and that that was impure of me to do. It was not a good example of me to just throw out a complaint about someone.

We have very different personalities, but neither of us are perfect examples. That applies to everyone who is reading this. Whenever you choose to view someone as a bad example of what a Christian should be like, keep in mind that you aren’t the perfect example either. If you want peace in any scenario, make sure that you’re trying to see things from God’s point of view.

When I look back at what my medical history is like, it’s not the kind of journey that every man would desire. I started having absence seizures when I was 7. I started having grand-mals when I was 11. I’ve been told that ages 11-13 (since my seizures are drug-resistant) I would have approximately 7 grand-mals a day that would typically pass me out for 1-1.5 hours (the longest I’ve heard is 4 hours) and approximately 25-30 absence seizures a day. My seizures were so bad that I lost both my short term and long term memory. We were finally able to get a little bit of control on them once I started the keto diet (which was approximately for a decade). That diet has made it so that I’ve had kidney stones multiple times. I’ve gone to the hospital multiple times. I’ve almost died multiple times. There was a time I had a seizure that made one of my teeth get knocked out which later caused me to have gum problems. I got in a bike accident, whiplash twice, and fell off the top of an 8 foot ladder all last year.

There’s a group of people with epilepsy that I talked to yesterday, and I just heard a whole bunch of stories that were way worse. Seizures that lasted longer, made people pass out for a longer period of time, seizures that happened more often, parents who weren’t allowed to stay at the hospital with their son, more surgeries than I’ve had, and so on.

This kind of makes me think of a story that one of my grandpas heard and mentioned before. There was a man who was complaining about what it was like to have one of his feet missing. He later saw someone who couldn’t walk at all, and he started to think about how much easier life must’ve been for him than the guy who couldn’t walk at all.

I’ve always been aware that my life is not the worst. It was interesting hearing those stories yesterday though. I still feel like life is hard sometimes (everybody’s life is hard sometimes), but it just made me realize what I knew in a different way. I didn’t just know that there were people who had it harder than I did, I came across a whole bunch of people with examples of it.

Do you ever have moments like that? Moments when you think life is hard but then come across someone with an even harder time? How does that make you feel? Do you feel like God has protected you from a worse life? God gives you the option to choose how you want to view things. I hope you realize how God has made things easier for you though. There are definitely ways that things could’ve been harder in your life.

If you can’t find a viewpoint of how God has made your life easier for you, that’s okay. In all honesty, we shouldn’t expect life to be easy. Instead, we should trust that God will be with us throughout the hard times. God loves you. He doesn’t want you to suffer. He will always be with you. Just pray for strength for whenever life does feel hard.

We often desire to live easier lives. I can guarantee from personal experience that a hard life is still a life you can love… even before knowing what a harder life could look like. Don’t judge how wonderful your life is based off of how easy or hard it may seem to you. God has great plans for you.

God gave us a book full of testimonies in order to help teach us.

Testimonies are powerful. In all honesty, there was a mission trip that I went on a couple of years ago, and I found that my testimony was the most influencing thing I could tell people. God has given you a life that people can learn from. You just need to have the heart to learn from your experiences first and the willingness to share it/them with others.

Testimonies are a gift. Feel free to share that gift with others.

P.S.- Your testimony is so powerful that it can change people’s lives for the better without having to preach. If your testimony is centered around God, then God will do the preaching for you through your testimony.

Something about your testimony that I want to point out is to not dismiss what your thoughts and feelings are. They play a big part in it. Your testimony isn’t just a story. It’s a neverending adventure with God. What was your life like before you became a Christian? How/When did you decide to become a Christian? What has your life been like since then? Whether it’s simple or dramatic, God’s children definitely have a testimony.

Something big that I feel like a lot of people might not add to their testimony is their thoughts and feelings. Take the stories of my life that I’ve written as an example. I don’t simply tell you stories of my life. I tell you the thoughts and feelings that were going on as well? Did you feel like life was unfair at some moment? Do you feel like God has kept you from a rougher life? Have you ever been grateful to be a Christian? Have you ever felt bad about something you’ve done against God? Have you ever wondered why God would do something in your life? What thoughts led you to believe in God? Those are just some examples of things that you can include.

Here’s another way to think of it. Imagine how much different the Bible would be if it didn’t include the thoughts and feelings of people. God calls us his favorite creation. Adam loved Eve. Moses was nervous. Hannah was sad. David was brave. David loved Bathsheba. The disciples were sometimes scared. There was a moment that Jesus felt like God had foresaken him. There are lots more examples. Take every thought and feeling in the Bible, and it loses a lot.

Whenever you share your testimony, don’t be afraid to add what you think or how you feel. Simply share whatever you feel has been a part of your testimony.

Thanks for reading!

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A big example that comes into my mind is how people might feel if they don’t get presents on Christmas. Just imagine how much worse Christmas would be without family though. This is actually making me think of a family I know with 20 people in it (2 parents, 18 kids). They all get everyone gifts. That’s a lot of gifts to get on Christmas. Now here’s the question. Do you need that many gifts on Christmas, or would you be happy with just a few… or maybe none?

I hope that you all have a merry Christmas. Remember, Christmas isn’t about the presents. It’s supposed to be about Jesus. Even if you have to spend Christmas alone, you are still able to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. I hope that you guys get to spend a wonderful Christmas with your family though.

I never had a problem with that. I wasn’t that curious about what my childhood was like. I was more focused on what my life was currently like. I had great friends (still do), God has been teaching me more and more throughout my life, and I have a family that loves me and has helped me whenever I’ve needed them. I didn’t feel like there was a need to know about my childhood.

When I was 14, my dad and I got a paper in the email from court that we were expected to sign. I was really confused about what was going on. Why was the court giving me and my dad papers that we needed to sign? I talked with my dad about everything, and apparently it had to do with a very traumatic childhood that I had. I will admit that the only stories of my childhood that I’m aware of are stories that I’ve been told, but I am definitely okay with that.

It sounds like I had a very traumatic childhood. Maybe that’s why I’m the only person in the family that has seizures. I don’t know. Anyways, it sounds like there was a 9 month period of my life when I was younger that had a bad impact on me. Sometimes I wonder if God possibly allowed me to lose my long term memory so that I wouldn’t be haunted or whatever by what happened. I know that this story is very broad, but that’s because my dad knows the story better than I do. I also don’t know how he’d feel about me going into the details about it, even though he was clearly a very good dad. He was not the problem.

I don’t know for sure why God allowed me to forget my childhood, but I at least know that He has a very good reason for it. I’m at least grateful to know that much.

God may do things in your life that you don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a bad reason (or no reason) for what happened. Be grateful to at least know that. I have learned that I can be grateful to God for things He does/allows even if I have no understanding of why. I hope you realize that in your life as well.