Life changes when we adopt the mindset that everything we have belongs to God. Scripture tells us that He loves us and wants to give us good things. When we live with open hands and the understanding that nothing belongs to us anyway, it's easier to give cheerfully as the Spirit leads and to build a heavenly treasure that can never be taken away.

When we as broken people choose to follow Jesus, He inevitably leads us to other broken people who are also in need of a healing Savior. None of us are perfect -- but we have to love each other enough to call out sin for what it is in hopes that it will lead to repentance. Instead of ignoring destructive behavior, let's be willing to sound the trumpet when needed and hold one another accountable as fellow believers.

When it comes to the things we value -- our time, our money, our talents -- we tend to hold back from God because we're afraid He's going to take it away and leave us empty-handed. But when we give Him all we have, He can use it in miraculous ways. Instead of hoarding what He's given to us in the first place, let's offer it freely, knowing He can take whatever we have to give, no matter how small, and multiply it!

Though this world is filled with evil, God's given us the ability to overcome it through the power and protection of His Holy Spirit. He's chosen to dwell in us so that we may become more like Him and able to fight against darkness. And once the Spirit lives within us, there's nothing that can ever separate us from Him!

Even Christians who have seen the Light sometimes still choose to live in the dark. When we hide with our sin, we become prisoners of war. But God calls us to expose our sinful ways and walk in truth, embracing the abundant life He offers to us.

When Jesus died to save us from the power of sin, He replaced it with the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. We should live with confidence, not fear, knowing that whatever temptations and trials we face can be overcome through that same power.

As believers in the salvation power of Jesus Christ, we know this world is only a "terminal", a waiting room en route to our permanent destination of Heaven. But while we're here in transit, God's got a purpose for us to fulfill, and it's up to us to live out that purpose while we wait for Him to bring us home.

When our relationship with the Lord is where it's supposed to be, our relationships with other people tend to flourish, too. And the greatest friend we can ever have is Jesus! Through Him, even the most broken relationships can be reconciled if we allow Him to intervene and heal those past and present hurts.

God has the power to raise people from the dead -- He did that through Jesus, and He does that in us when we believe in Him. Christ died so we could live. But He didn't just sacrifice Himself to give us an abundant life in Heaven -- He did it to give us an abundant life here on earth, too.

We're our own worst critics, and when we mess up, if we're not careful, we can spend the rest of our lives wallowing in the mess and just surviving until our time on earth is done. But our purpose in this life is to live for Christ - not to merely exist, or to use this as a waiting room for heaven. God's given us a calling through His Son to be in relationship with Him and to make the most of this time to bring glory to Him.

Our life's purpose isn't to gain glory for ourselves -- it's to bring glory to the God of the universe by spreading the Gospel far and wide. And the best way we can do that is by allowing Him to use us as a "slingshot" for other believers who are looking to us to lead them forward. When we disciple those who are following behind us, we equip them to disciple those following behind them.

The devil will always try his hardest to get us to stumble when we're obeying the Lord. And that's never more true than in our relationships. When we're married, it's critical that we remain content in our own bed, and that we have people around us to hold us accountable. God is clear about the importance of staying sexually pure within marriage, but He is also gracious to forgive and redeem our mistakes.

God sacrificed His Son to save us. That doesn't mean we should just grab our ticket to heaven and waste our time here. He desires to use our lives for His glory, to pour us out as an offering and to let us become part of His Kingdom's work.

In a world of 24/7 news and social media, it can sometimes feel impossible to not get caught up in criticizing those in leadership. But as Christians, we're called to pray for all who are in authority -- whether we voted for them or not. Instead of complaining about the way things are being run, let's try getting on our knees, praying for those in charge, and trusting that God is ultimately in control.

Jesus left His disciples with the Great Commission -- the directive to go and spread the Gospel throughout the whole world. But do you know what's even more amazing? The same power that was in those disciples, who took the Gospel to the ends of the earth, is also in us when we choose to follow Jesus. We're not meant to keep what He's done for us hidden; we're meant to share the Good News, and share it far and wide.

When we become Christians, we put our old life to death and begin a new life in which we submit to the Lord. But we often struggle to leave our sin behind in the process. Our flesh reminds us of the sin that we're "missing out" on, but when we hold fast to Jesus and learn to resist the temptation, we begin to miss the sin less and seek God more.

It's easy for us to get caught up in our lives, just doing our own thing. But sometimes, God comes along, calls us out, and stops us in our tracks. And when the Lord uses something to get our attention, we'd better take notice and follow where He leads!

The world is filled with wolves in sheep's clothing -- and that includes in the Church. As Christians, it's important for us to always be discerning. Many churches today concern themselves more with pleasing a culture that's rooted in sin than with pleasing Jesus. That's why we need to pay attention to those who come into our church family, and those who lead within the Church, too.

The world is full of generally-accepted beliefs that are completely countered by Scriptural truth. No matter how much we've been told something, or how fervently we want to believe it, the fact remains: if it doesn't match up with what the Bible tells us, it isn't true. Before we can engage in productive conversations in our world today, we have to first be grounded in the truth of God's Word.

The more we understand that it's only by God's grace that we're part of His family, the more humbled we feel. And with that humility comes a desire to share the Gospel message with others. As we draw closer to Jesus, we realize the diversity of all those whom He calls His children, and that we're all brought together in unity because of Him.

The Bible promises that we'll have trouble in this life. But God has a bigger plan for us -- and out of our mourning comes His glory. Only He can provide the kind of lasting joy that persists even when tragedy strikes. And when He puts that gladness in our hearts that those around us may not understand, nothing will be able to steal it from us.

It's all too easy for us to make judgments about other people when we're ignorant about their lives and their backgrounds. But that's not a justification for us to stay ignorant. Instead, let's seek to learn from and about others so we're better able to share the Gospel with them in ways they can understand.

If you are not for Christ, you're anti-Christ. Scripture makes it clear that there's a distinct line separating those who proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and those who don't. There's no room to be on the fence; either we live for Him, or we live against Him.

We all need encouragement. So why are we so reluctant to give it away? When we have an opportunity to build someone up, let's take it as a chance to encourage them and not worry that it'll give them a big ego. And when it comes to giving praises, let's start by praising our God for all He's done for us!

In order to "run the race" that Scripture talks about, we have to find our strength and source in Jesus. And before we can do that, we have to allow ourselves to receive God's free gift of grace. When we keep our eyes on Him and allow ourselves to be used for His glory, He equips us to run not just any race, but a winning race.