You Can Have a Fresh Start

Trying to control everything is exhausting…but why is it so tempting to control or manage life? 

Isaiah 26 says, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.”

Peace doesn’t come from controlling more. It actually comes from giving that control back to God. That’s what trust is. Giving the right to control to God. 

So, the next time your mind starts racing, or your heart gets worried — Trust the One who is safe. The One who is reliable. The One who’s faithful. Gently bring your heart back to trusting God. Because on the other side of trusting Him, there’s peace. 

You can take this ONE step further and pray this with us…

Sometimes questions feel off limits. Like “good Christians” shouldn’t have these kinds of questions or doubts. But here’s the truth: you’re not crazy for having questions.

You see this all over Scripture– people asking why, how long, where are you God, what are you doing, do you hear me? God never dismisses these questions. He leans in. 

Psalm 62:8 says, “Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” That means all of your “can I ask that?” questions, confusion, frustrations are welcome. Real faith has room for honest questions because these questions don’t weaken your faith…they deepen it. Your questions may not always be met with an answer, but Jesus will meet you there every time.

If you’re wrestling with something, will you pray this with us?

There are moments when life feels painfully…ordinary. Routine days, unnoticed work. In the monotony of it all, you might wonder if any of the things you’re doing really matters or if God sees you. 

In Exodus 3, Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness when He sees a bush on fire. Now, tending sheep is not impressive and Moses wasn’t leading or performing here. Just another unimpressive day. But Moses sees this miraculous burning bush and goes over to look at it. 

“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

Before Moses ever speaks to God, God sees Moses. The same is true for you. God notices you in the ordinary places. The quiet, the boring, the hidden, and the in-between. Here’s one reminder you might need today: God sees you before you see Him. If you want to pray through that, we have a guided prayer for you below:

Feeling inadequate can be paralyzing. Maybe you’ve said one of these things lately…

I’m not talented enough. Not spiritual enough. Not confident enough. Just…not enough. 

But over and over in the Bible, God chooses people that we would never pick to be influencers for Him: shepherds, fishermen, the overlooked, insecure, and unqualified. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Meaning this: your weakness is the very place that God shows off His strength. Your weakness doesn’t disqualify you – it actually qualifies you to be used by God in a significant way. 

Take this one thought with you today: God uses your ordinary to show off His extraordinary. If inadequacy has been keeping you stuck, we have a prayer for you below:

Waiting has to be one of the hardest things in life. Waiting for answers. Waiting for a bad date to end. Waiting for change. Waiting, big or small, is not fun. 

Lamentations 3:25-26 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” God doesn’t waste waiting. He uses it to grow you, strengthen you, prepare you. To make your faith deeper. 

Waiting doesn’t have to be passive, either. Waiting can look like trusting God even when you can’t see very much progress. 

Here’s your one thought today: waiting isn’t wasted when God is in it. 

If you’re growing tired of waiting, we’ve created a guided prayer for you:

Did you know people felt like God was silent in the Bible? So you’re not the only one if you’ve ever

-Prayed and nothing changes

-Hope but don’t see movement

If you’ve wondered, “God, are You even doing anything right now?” 

Jesus answers that question. He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” If we’re going to take Jesus at His word, “always” means always. 

Even when He feels silent. Even when you feel stuck. When you can’t see Him. 

Maybe God is wanting us to reconsider something today. His silence isn’t a sign that He’s gone- maybe it’s just a sign that He’s working in ways you can’t see yet. Take this with you the rest of your day: God’s silence is not His absence. 

If you want help trusting Him in the quiet, there’s a prayer waiting for you below:

Shame has a way of convincing you that you’re too far gone or just out of reach. Making you believe that you’ve messed up at least one too many times for God to want you. Shame looks like…

Replaying old mistakes

Feeling permanently stuck in a pattern you can’t break

Internalizing negative thoughts so much that you start saying, “I am bad” instead of “I did something bad.”

Shame gets loud and tries to drown out this truth: “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. Let’s personalize that- While I was still a sinner, Jesus died for me.”

Jesus didn’t wait for you to fix yourself. He doesn’t love you because you got it together. 

He loved you first. He loved you at your worst. 

And He loves you now. 

Take this thought with you today: God’s love for you isn’t based on you. It’s based on His character and His character doesn’t change. If you want a prayer to help quiet shame, pray this with us:

It’s easy to look around and feel behind.

They got the job. 

They found the relationship. 

They bought the house.

They are figuring out life…and you may be wondering: “did I miss my turn?”

But Psalm 139:16 says, You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (NLT) What does that mean? It means that God is not pacing you against anyone else around you. He’s guiding you on a timeline that’s wise, intentional, customized, and filled with purpose. 

You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re being shaped by a God who loves you. 

Here’s one thought for today: God’s Not comparing your timeline to anyone else. And you don’t have to either. 

If you need a moment to breath and trust His timing again, we have a guided prayer for you below: