Page 70 – Guideposts Articles

Inspiring Bible Verses for Overcoming Obstacles

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

My favorite copy of the Bible is marked and dog-eared and has been rebound three times. In The Book are promises precious beyond measure to me, because I have found that God always stands behind them solidly, unwaveringly, as surely as the sun rises and the tides ebb and flow.

The particular promises that follow are a part of the fabric of my life. Each of them represents a milestone in my personal history. I share them with you as the gold they are.

1. When I need guidance:
“Know Him in all your paths, and He will keep your ways straight” (Proverbs 3:6).

2. When the answer to prayer seems slow in coming:
“Steady patience is what you need, so that after doing the will of God you may receive what you were promised” (Hebrews 10:36).

3. When I have sinned and need forgiveness:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

4. When I’m lonely and long to feel Christ’s presence:
“Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me” (Revelation 3:20).

5. When I do not feel good enough to be acceptable to God:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

6. When I am tempted:
“…God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

7. When I need physical strength and good health:
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… He will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

8. When I wonder if God understands what I’m up against:
“But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting Him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since He had the same temptations we do, though He never once gave way to them and sinned” (Hebrews 4:14, 15).

9. When troubles multiply:
“… we triumph even in our troubles, knowing that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope—a hope which never disappoints us, since God’s love floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:3, 5).

10. How I know there is life after death:
“… I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in Me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. He is given eternal life for believing in Me and shall never perish” (John 11:25, 26).

How to ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

A favorite hymn in our family urges the listener to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”

It’s a beautiful sentiment. But how are we supposed to do that?

It was easy for Peter, right? He actually saw Jesus—with his natural eyes—walking on water. He asked Jesus to call him out onto the waves, and when Jesus did, Peter walked on water—until he was distracted by the storm raging around him. But what about us? How do we “turn our eyes upon Jesus?” I don’t think it’s all that different from Peter’s experience:

1) Ask for help from Jesus.

Peter asked Jesus, “Master, if it’s really You, call me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28, The Message). We can do that. Theologian Andrew Murray wrote, “What folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer, whereon everything else depends, must be obtained by personal effort! . . . Just as He will give all other grace to answer prayer, so, above all and before all, He will bestow the grace of a praying heart.” So ask Jesus to help you turn your gaze to Him.

2) Turn away from your circumstances.

As Peter found out, you can’t “turn your eyes upon Jesus” and simultaneously watch the wind and waves. So, turn away from your circumstances. Stop fixating on your problems or the day’s newscast. Give it a rest. Or, rather, give yourself a rest from the things that stir up anxious thoughts.

3) Turn away from yourself.

To use another metaphor, “Consider how the wild flowers grow” (Luke 12:27, NIV), as Jesus said. How do wildflowers grow? They don’t struggle or stress. They don’t “work” at growing. They don’t “look inward.” They turn toward the sun. They open themselves to the sun’s rays. So, turn to the Son in prayer and open yourself to Him.

4) Close your eyes and focus.

Maybe you’ve been driving in the car, the radio blaring, when you wanted to be careful not to miss a turn or spot an address. What did you do? You turned off the radio! It may seem silly to some, but you knew that fewer distractions equals more focus—and better vision.

So it is with turning your eyes upon Jesus. Close your eyes, and you’ll see Him more clearly. Slow down and you’ll find Him more quickly. Seek him with the eyes of your heart, giving Him time to “enter your vision,” and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

How to Grow a Biblical Garden

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Sabra Ciancanelli

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. Genesis 1:11

On the third day God created plants… Anyone who has ever spent time tilling the soil, nurturing seeds and watching them bloom recognizes there is a very spiritual side to gardening—a deep communion with God that happens when we help nature flourish.

By creating a Bible Garden and growing the plants mentioned in God’s Word, we help draw that connection even closer. There are more than 125 plants, herbs and trees referenced in Scripture. The slideshow below features hardy varieties that would grace any garden.

How to Deal with Negative People

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

Do you have a negative person in your life? Someone who “gives free reign to…complaint” and “speaks out in bitterness” (Job 10: 1)? How do you handle that person?

First of all, it’s important to emphasize that, if the unhappiness is chronic, overwhelming and deep-seated, you should urge the individual to get counseling or other professional assistance. Someone suffering from clinical depression is ill and needs a trained therapist and possibly medical help.

But if the negativity is a matter of habitual attitude rather than illness, then try these strategies to help lead the pessimist toward a more positive view of things.

1. Look first to yourself.
Before you can convince anyone else to be more optimistic, you need to root out all negativity in yourself. “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” Jesus said. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7: 4-5).

When you have cleared your own mind of negativity, fill it with thought of God and verses of Scripture that give hope, such as: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3); “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26); and “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

This exercise should be repeated whenever you feel yourself slipping into negativity.

2. Model a positive outlook.
The positive person refrains from gossip, complaining, criticism, angry outbursts, hopeless statements—even such seemingly harmless ones as gripes about how bad the weather is or how discouraging the news. Instead, he or she is an example of kindness, good humor, patience, generosity, hopefulness. This kind of person makes everyone he or she meets feel better. Take the Apostle Paul’s advice and speak about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…excellent or praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).

3. Strengthen and share your faith.
“Preach the gospel,” St. Francis of Assisi is reported to have said, “and, if necessary, use words.” Of course, a positive example goes only so far; if someone has never heard the Good News about how Christ changes lives, then we believers are called to share it. Choose your opportunity tactfully and let your negative friend know about your beliefs and the Bible’s promises. Invite him or her to your church to experience a Christian welcome.

This, of course, takes courage. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you to speak about your faith “with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31). Look for an opportunity to share with your negative friend the truth that God intends only ultimate good for us. The Bible says so in no uncertain terms. “‘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’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

4. Pray for the person.
The best thing to do for a negative person is to pray for him or her. This may come easily for you if that person is a personal friend—but Jesus commanded us to go further and pray for our enemies. Be “faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12) as you seek to help lift someone from the throes of negativity into the power of positive thinking.

Hold on to Hope

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

Remember when you were a child and made a wish on the first star that appeared in the evening sky? “Star light, star bright…I wish I may, I wish I might…have the wish I wish tonight.” And how many birthday candles have you blown out, with friends and family urging you, “Make a wish!”?

Once adulthood arrives, “wishes” are often relegated to daydreams or packed away as silliness. But hope—ah, that’s something else entirely!

Hope is the cord that connects us to God, the very thing that enables God to work in our lives. Repeatedly the Psalmist points to the power and benefits of hope. “No one who hopes in you [God] will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). “The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18). “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God” (Psalm 42:11).

Hope goes beyond wishing; hope is believing, expecting, anticipating a reality yet to come. Here’s how hope can help in your life:

Hope heals.
Just as your body needs rest to recover from hurt or injury, so does your wounded spirit. When life’s troubles surround you or the future looks bleak, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him” (Psalm 62:5). Hope makes strong. Hope enables you to develop spiritual muscles to combat whatever comes your way. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 41:2). “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:24).

Hope anchors your faith.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see” (Hebrews 11:1). Raise your eyes above everyday woes and look to your Divine Helper.

Hope is a gift from God.
“‘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’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Claim God’s promise of hope…today!

Holding God’s Hand

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

On the wall of my mother-in-law’s bedroom in Louisville, Kentucky, hung a framed quotation in Gothic script:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

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When I first went to Louisville to meet my new in-laws, I would step into that room, read these lines by the poet Minnie Louise Haskins, and puzzle over them.

Although my father’s father had been a Unitarian minister, my parents never went to church, or even talked about religion. The only one in the family who did was Daddy’s sister Helen, who attended the austere red-brick Unitarian church on East 35th Street in Manhattan, where I often went with her.

I was only a visitor at Aunt Helen’s church, but whenever I had to fill in a blank under Religion, I would write “Unitarian.”

The words in that frame seemed to me the embodiment of everything Unitarians rejected. An anthropomorphic deity (how could anyone hold the “hand” of God!). Blind faith (why should being led around in the dark be better than stepping out in the clear light of reason?).

Such outmoded religious notions, Aunt Helen had assured me, were believed only by ignorant people.

My mother-in-law, Helen Sherrill, however, was not ignorant. An author and authority on early childhood development, she must have thought this enigmatic quote important to hang it where her eyes would light on it first thing each morning.

Later, when Mother and Dad Sherrill moved to New York City, the Haskins quotation hung on the wall of their bedroom there. It hangs today in my bedroom.

In the years since I first read those words, I’ve become an adherent of that “outmoded” religion. And I’ve come to see in Haskins’s prose-poem the traveler’s guide to heaven.

Our hand in his is, of course, a poet’s way of expressing trust. And why should dark be better for our journey than daylight? Because, I’ve come to feel, holding our hand is God’s delight.

Oh, there are practical reasons too, why he cannot banish the darkness here and now. Light–his Light– would show us too much. In 1991, an operation was performed on a blind man named Virgil. For 45 years, neurologist Oliver Sacks reported, Virgil had functioned effectively as a sightless person.

Suddenly able to see, he was overwhelmed by a torrent of impressions bombarding a brain that could not process them. He became disoriented, listless, miserable. When an illness destroyed his new-won vision, Virgil welcomed the return of blindness.

“Now, at last,” wrote Dr. Sacks, “Virgil is allowed to not see.”

Allowed to not see…If we were suddenly able to see as God sees–the entire past, the entire future, the ultimate consequence of each thing we do, each word we speak–perhaps we too would be unable to cope. Perhaps in his compassion God must keep us in the dark.

But I think his hand-holding goes far beyond mere necessity. When our kids were teenagers, a Beatles song throbbed through our house: “I want to hold your h-a-a-a-nd.” I believe God sings the same refrain. I think he longs to keep us company, to walk at our side, hand in hand.

I think he doesn’t reveal the future to us not only because we couldn’t handle it, but because if he did we’d drop his hand and race ahead alone. “Thanks! I see how to get there now!”

Getting there, even to some noble goal, is not as important to God, I suspect, as the journey in companionship with him. It’s relationship, not achievement, that he wants.

Hagar: God Sees and Hears

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Sabra Ciancanelli

Hagar worked as a servant for Abraham and his wife Sarah. Sarah was unable to have children, and as was a common practice of the time, Sarah offered her servant, Hagar, to Abraham in hopes she would conceive. Hagar became pregnant, but Sarah grew jealous and upset about the situation and threw her out of their home. Hagar was alone in the desert when an angel appeared and promised a blessing on her child, naming him Ishmael, which means “God hears.” Hagar responded with, “You are the One who sees me.”

Fourteen years later, Hagar returned to Abraham and Sarah gave birth to her own son. Once again, Sarah forced Hagar and Ishmael to leave. Once again they fled to the desert. Abraham had given them a bottle of water, but soon it was all gone. They were both near death when God again heard their cries and an angel called to Hagar: “Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying.” The angel reminded Hagar of God’s blessing and provided a spring of water. Hagar and Ishmael survived and prospered. Ishmael sired a great nation. Genesis 25:12-18 lists his many descendants that were divided into twelve tribes, and, as God had earlier revealed, “They lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them” (Genesis 25:18).

Here is Hagar’s life story in the Bible:

• Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian servant
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar. (Genesis 16:1, NIV)

• Hagar was a surrogate for Abraham’s promised son because Sarah could not have children.
So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. (Genesis 16:3-4, NIV)

• She was the mother of Ishmael
So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. (Genesis 16:15, NIV)

• She was sent away by Sarah into the desert
“Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. (Genesis 16:6-7, NIV)

• She was promised that she would be the mother of a great nation, paralleling God’s promise to Abraham.
The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” ( Genesis 16:10, NIV)

• She was sent away again by Sarah
Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. (Genesis 21:14, NIV)

• God provided for her and her son; they settled in the wilderness
God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. (Genesis 21:20, NIV).

• Hagar found an Egyptian wife for Ishmael
While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt. (Genesis 21:21, NIV)

Read 10 Remarkable Women of the Bible.

Growing in Devotion by Tithing Your Time

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Julia Attaway

Human beings are masters of self-deception. We say we’re too busy to fit more time with God into our days, and yet the simple math of TV + Facebook + texting + surfing the web = a number to which we don’t want to admit.

Here’s one way to make progress: Tithe your entertainment time. Carve out 10% of it to dedicate to God every day. Abandon one television show for the sake of your relationship with your maker. Set a timer when you go online, and dedicate the 20 minutes after it rings to scripture study. Set a rule for yourself that you’ll spend one minute in prayer for each text you send. Leave a Bible open next to your computer, so it nags at you.

There are dozens of little tricks we can use to limit our tendency to waste time. All of them have one thing in common: They start being effective when we decide to dedicate more time to strengthening our relationship with God.

God’s Peace Can Be Yours

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Sabra Ciancanelli

Let me give you one of the most beautiful statements ever uttered: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

There is music in these words, spoken by Jesus in John 14. They fall upon the mind like light, with a benediction in their touch.

Peace I leave with you…let not your heart be troubled. Marvelous words which speak clearly their message of hope!

We ought to use such words more and more, for our life consists of that with which we fill our minds. There is remarkable therapeutic value in great words, particularly words from the Scriptures. Store your mind with these words, bring them out as needed, let them sink deeply into the consciousness until they dominate your thoughts. That is the way to get the peace of God in your very fiber.

There is peace in watching the sea come rolling in, then drawing back, the surge of great enormous power against the rocks roaring in, then sucking out again with tremendous force. Peace is felt on a soft summer day in hearing water lapping softly on shores of sand, or the light whisper of the wind in the tall and ancient pine trees or the buzzing of bees in a meadow in deep summer.

All of these bring peace to the soul. But how do you get the kind of peace that is deep, inexhaustible and lasting? Merely wishing for it or thinking about it will not bring it.

God’s peace. God’s peace can be yours, but to attain it you have to start practicing it. Perhaps one reason why you are high-strung or lacking in control is because for a long time you have been practicing nervousness and tension—not consciously or willfully, of course. In spiritual values as well as in other skills, you only get proficiency by practice.

Read More: Bible Verses for Peace

You cannot play the piano without practice; you cannot play golf without practice; neither can you become skillful in the spiritual life without practice. We are told to practice the presence of God. We must also practice the peace of God.

Begin today to diligently practice the peace of God, and after a while the peace of God will become an automatic process in you. How do you practice the peace of God? Condition your mind to live in high areas of peace. Set out in the morning saying, “I am going to attempt for as many minutes as possible during this day to keep God in my thoughts.”

Also, to calm nerves we must practice God’s peace in the body. The relationship of the body—to mental states and even to spiritual states—is a widely accepted fact. Get the body into a quiet state, and presently the mind and the soul tend to become quiet and calm, too. Practice breathing in the peace of God and breathing out all tension and worry. Try that six times a minute, deeply and prayerfully, while at the same time conceiving of yourself as taking in God’s peace.

Then there is this final thing. What is it that causes people’s nerves to become so severely agitated that life seems all bustle and burden? It is not the confusion of this life; it is not the noise and tumult in the world. It is, rather, the evil things that men do. It is the guilt they have in their natures, the wrong that they continually commit. Therefore, in order to have God’s peace, you may have to quit something.

Is something jeopardizing your spiritual well-being and also putting your physical health at risk? It is a strange thing—guilt in your mind sends out a disturbance and manifests itself in the nerves and in the heart and in the blood pressure. To have calmness, get rid of the impediments in your mind and ask God to transform you by His healing touch.

When Almighty God touches the secret place of the soul and cleanses it, you will know what He means when He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Your whole being will be soothed by the balm of His perfect peace.

God’s Cure for Weariness

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

Weariness isn’t something new. It’s been around as long as work and frustration, as long as difficulty and daylight. Jesus, more than 2,000 years ago, said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

But weariness is more than simply being tired. It’s a lethargy that worms its way into our souls. We become worn down in a way that isn’t eradicated by the usual prescription of rest and recreating. It’s more than something physical. It’s spiritual. Where does weariness come from? What can we do about it?

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Staying focused on our faith and on what God asks us to do is the best prevention for weariness. Here are some simple precautions that help us along the way:

1. Don’t do unnecessary things.
Focus your heart on doing what God puts right in front of you today before you pay attention to anything else on your to-do list. His work doesn’t have to be outwardly grand or glorious; it may be something very simple (and easy to overlook). “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

2. Stay connected.
We are made for companionship and community, and living in isolation is tiring to the soul. If no one is reaching out to you, take the initiative and reach out to others! For “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

3. Confess your sins regularly.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). If God can be worn down by our trespasses, so can we! Carrying around a guilt-laden soul is sure to weary us.

4. Seek revitalization instead of numbness.
When we’re tired, the easiest course of action is often to do something mindless. But it is the Lord who “refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). Turning to Him works far better than turning on the television.

5. Know what brings you joy.
When we are weary, we often cannot even remember what lifts our hearts. Keep a list of your blessings handy, to help you re-focus on what really matters.

God Is with You When Things Go Wrong

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

The Bible is filled with wonderful promises of hope and salvation. It is also full of stories of tragedy and misfortune. Turns out the people in its pages are not so very different from you and me! So take a lesson from them and remember:

You may never know why tragedy strikes.
Job was “perfect and upright.” He feared God and turned from evil (Job 1:1). Yet disaster struck; he lost his wealth, his children and even his health. Although Job kept asking God why, his misfortune never received the divine explanation Job was hoping for.

Job’s friends were sure Job must have brought his misfortunes on himself by sinning (Job 4:8), but they were wrong. God condemned their simplistic condemnation of his servant (Job 42:7). One thing is certain: “Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Do not be quick to blame yourself or others when something seems to go wrong. Often there are no easy answers.

God is able to bring good out of every situation.
Stephen was one of the outstanding figures in the early church, “full of faith and the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5,8). Yet he was stoned to death because of his Christian witness. A leader of his persecution was a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3), who soon afterward was confronted by the risen Christ and became known as the great Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-6, 22).

Evidently, Stephen’s courageous death was the catalyst that challenged Paul’s outlook and prepared the way for his conversion.

God’s hand is in all that happens.
Joseph was mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37). Years later, when famine forced them to come to Egypt for grain, they found their own brother in charge of everything. Joseph told them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

Although “wicked hands” crucified Christ, it was part of God’s plan for infinite good (Acts 2:23). You can be certain that “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).

Be confident that, with God’s help, you can handle any problem.
God made you in his own image. You have the intelligence and skills and mental, physical and spiritual resources either to solve your problem or to endure it while it lasts. You can say with the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

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Getting and Staying Spiritually Fit

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

Spiritual health brings satisfaction and happiness, just as physical health does. But you can’t get healthy spiritually by joining a spin class or running a marathon. Spiritual health requires spiritual exercises.

In a letter to his young assistant Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Exercise yourself toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). The Apostle compared physical fitness with spiritual fitness. “Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. Bodily fitness has a certain value, but spiritual fitness is essential, both for this present life and for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

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For spiritual growth, nothing can take the place of prayer–simply spending time with God, thanking him for his gifts to you, praising him, asking for guidance, admitting your sins and asking forgiveness and help.

You will grow as you set a good example–“in speech and behavior, in your love and faith and sincerity” (1 Timothy 4:12). And “keep a critical eye on yourself” (verse 16). From time to time, ask yourself how you are doing spiritually–and take the steps necessary to continue growing.

Here’s how you can check your own spiritual health:

1. A spiritually healthy person has a definite goal.
Abraham’s goal was to reach the land God had in store for him. Paul’s goal was to reach the whole known world for Christ. What is your goal for this month? This day? Think big–God will help you!

2. A spiritually healthy person is realistically humble.
Paul, probably the greatest saint of all time, called himself “less than the least of all saints” (Ephesians 3:8). He reminds us not to feel self-important with the question “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). St. Teresa called herself “a pencil in the hand of God.”

3. A spiritually healthy person is confident.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

4. A spiritually healthy person is optimistic.
They believe God is on their side and all will be well. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Take steps today to become more spiritually fit!