“Be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 TLB)

Everyone has a dream, but most dreams never come true. It's not that we aren’t smart enough, or outgoing enough, or even spiritual enough. Usually, our dreams don't come true because we’re unwilling to take the necessary risks to reach them. The Bible shares a sad one-s...

“Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” (Romans 4:17 NLT)

There are certain dead-end words in life: cancer, divorce, bankruptcy, infertility, and unemployment, to name a few. How do you know when you're at a dead end? You know it when things get out of your control.

When you're at a dead end and you're waiting for deliverance, you need to remember this: the situat...

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV)

When you go through difficulties in life, the first thing we try to do is blame somebody else. But it doesn't matter where the problem came from—God still has a purpose for it in your life. Even when you do something stupid, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, He can use i...

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21 NIV)

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions, and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.

God wants you to sense his presence, but he's mor...

“But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-8 TEV)

Nothing is going to happen to your dream until you wake up and put it into action. You have to make the decision: “I'm going...

“Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (Ephesians 3:20 TLB).

Dreaming is an act of faith. God gave you the ability to create and to imagine, but nothing happens in your life until you started dreaming. So how do you get God's dream for your life? You do three thin...

“I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NVC)

You exercise faith by setting goals. Goals are statements of faith by which you say, “I believe God wants me to accomplish something by a certain date.” If y...

“Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 TEV)

Pain is a natural part of life. We can't the escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons will always be with us. When they come, you can either become bitter or hopeful. The...

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT)

The Bible tells us three things about the importance of daring faith.

• God is looking for faithful people. God is actively searching for people who are sold out to his purposes, so that He can bless them. The Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen th...

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following him on the road.” (Mark 10:52 NASB)

I don’t know what your next step of faith is, but I do know this: you have one. God will never be finished taking you deeper in faith. There is always a next step.

If you don't take the next step, you will get stuck in a rut— and the only difference between a grave and a rut is the...

“From such terrible dangers of death He saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that He will save us again.” (2 Corinthians 1:10 TEV)

Fear is a choice. God is watching over you. He knows everything you're going through, and He is not afraid of the outcome of any hardship or trial you're facing. If God is not afraid, you do not have to be afraid either. Trust God, and don't give into your fears.

When the Ap...

“I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart.” (Psalm 119:11 MSG)

There are over seven thousand promises in the Bible. They're like blank checks, signed by God, waiting for you to cash. I hope you are memorizing each of the weekly Memory Verses in the Workbook, because you need to get some of God's promises stored up in your mind and heart.

When you start to doubt, when you start to feel discouraged or depressed, the Holy...

“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” (I Timothy 6:18-19 NLT)

Jesus told us to store up our treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20-21). How can we do this? In one of His most misunderstood statemen...

“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 MSG)

God wants you to use some of your money to help people in need. God didn’t put you on this earth to live for yourself. He blesses you so that you can bless others. This is all part of God making you more like himself.

Everything you have in life is because of God's...