Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you ever feel like God is far away?

What are some things that have happened that made you feel like God was more distant?
Did you find a way to be closer to God?

Did you feel like you had to act better for God to love you more?

God wants you to know that there is nothing in the world you can do to change His love for you. Yes, He wants you to behave. He wants you to obey. Those things are not what makes Him love you though.

God is always closer than you think. His love is present even when you make a mistake. It is there so that you know where to run to. If you have a problem, even if you caused it; God wants you to run to Him. He wants to help you get back on the right track.

The Devil tries to make you think God is far away and makes you focus on how you disappointed Him so that you do not return to God. The Devil is a liar! Jesus made a way for you to go to God no matter what.

Anytime you feel like God seems far away just pick up the Bible and read a story of how God always came through for His people. Pray to God today, and ask for Him to help you feel His presence. He wants to be closer to you because nothing can separate you from His love.

Read Romans 7-8

These chapters deal with overcoming sin. It is no secret that we all struggle with sin and temptation. Being human we have a sinful nature. We are going to fail from time to time. There is a difference between messing up and making a choice to walk in sin.

God sent His Holy Spirit to empower us to overcome that sinful nature. The mercy of Jesus washes the sin of our past away from us, but staying away from sin isn’t easy. God knows that! He doesn’t want us to take advantage of grace by sinning because we are confident that forgiveness is ours. He wants us to strive to be like Jesus and live without sin. That is why His Holy Spirit has come to equip us to fight the battle of sin.

Take a moment today to search your heart and ask yourself: am I taking grace for granted?
If the answer is yes then know that you are still within reach of God. His grace is sufficient for you. Knowing the difference makes the difference. Allow the holy conviction of God to turn you from that mindset and get on track to loving God by living better. You can’t earn His love, but you can show yours by giving Him your faithfulness. Your fervent devotion to Him will always bring you closer to His presence where you will never feel far away.

Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

Do you ever wonder if your friend is really an enemy?

Does it feel like certain people treat you one way and when around others act differently?

What are ways that you identify people who act like a friend but try to purposefully hurt you?

Has anyone close ever said something that hurt you but eventually you realized it made you better in some way?

What are some ways to recover a friendship after you stopped talking from being hurt and then realized they only said something to help you?

The truth hurts! It is often the people closest to us that notice the little things we need to change and perfect. They try to tell us that something is weird about us or that we are doing something wrong, and we immediately take offense. Nobody likes to hear that they are wrong or odd. If our friends don’t tell us what is not right; who will?

Self-reflection is an important part of growth and maturity. We need to take time on a regular basis to think about who we are as a person. Unfortunately it is usually the moments that we get hurt that we dwell on our faults and failures. Why? Because people are quick to tell us when we are wrong.

The important thing is to know how to recognize the difference between a friend and a fr-enemy. A fr-enemy is someone who acts like a friend to get close to you then tries to harm you on purpose and without remorse. A friend is someone who tells you the truth in love. It may hurt at times, but you know they want the best for you. The Bible is clear that they both exist. We need to pray for God to give us wisdom and discernment to know the difference.

Read John 13

Even Jesus had this dilemma. His friends didn’t understand Him when He spoke of the sacrifice that He was about to make. His dear friend Peter denied Him and swore off their friendship in moments of pressure, but Jesus recognized it as a mistake and still treasured his friendship. Friends are hard to come by. Good friends are priceless, and we need to remember to give them grace when they make mistakes just like Jesus did for us.

Action: Take time in prayer and ask God to lead you back to any friends who truly are friends that you have lost because of mistakes.

Fr-enemies are out for destruction. They are fair weather friends that turn on you for self-gain and jealous vengeance. Jesus knew that Judas would sell him out but allowed him to remain because He knew it was part of God’s plan for our redemption. We can’t always avoid our fr-enemies, but we can guard ourselves from becoming like them. It is important to hold our integrity of being Christ-like even to those who thrive on our destruction. Even in a room full of fr-enemies always maintain the goal of showing others what it is to be a friend.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Have you ever made a choice and as soon as you did you knew it was a mistake?

Did you find a way to correct the mistake, admit it, or ignore it?

What are some areas of life that you have noticed those choices happen often?

What are three things you could do to strengthen yourself in those areas of your life to make better choices?

Did you know you don’t have to make choices alone? Sometimes making a decision can be so difficult, but God says in His word that He will gladly and generously give you the wisdom you need to make good choices.

God never wants us to feel alone or left out. He wants to guide and direct us so that we can live an abundant life. God wants joy for us and not suffering. He knows that we often make wrong choices that can cause harm to ourselves and others. He created us to be in His image, but it is easy to forget how to do that so the Bible is a tool to remind us. If we go to the Word of God and hide it in our hearts then that wisdom helps us to make better decisions.

It isn’t always easy, and God knows that we all struggle to do the right thing sometimes, but Jesus gave His life to cover our mistakes with grace. We still have access to God because of the forgiveness of our mistakes through Jesus Christ. This act of mercy wasn’t to give us the freedom to sin but to help us through our problems. So give thanks to God today for making a way for us to live life to its fullest by giving wisdom to make better choices.

Read James 1

One of the most difficult times to make good choices is during moments of temptation. Don’t lose heart in those moments of extreme challenge. We all have weaknesses. We all struggle to keep ourselves strong in certain areas. The important thing is to learn what your vulnerability is and find ways to guard your heart from the things that weaken or tempt you. Some temptations can’t be avoided. They are around us constantly so we have to become strong in other ways. When we learn to stand firm on the Word of God and run to Him in our time of desperation we always find help.

Action: Take a moment and ask God to reveal what you can do to find strength over your weakness.

Remember that through Christ we are still victorious even in our weakness. He is made strong when we allow Him into our vulnerable areas. Temptation is just sinful desires trying to get the better of us. Christ overcame sin by dying on the cross and raising from the dead. When we receive Him as our Savior we become an overcomer of sin too. It is our right to take authority over the things that try to break us down. God will always provide a way for you to escape from sin and temptation. You are not alone in your struggle. Cry out to Him and He will help you make the right choice.

Proverbs 20:11
Even a child is known by his actions, whether his conduct is pure and right.

Have you ever done or said something and then wondered why you did it?

Do you ever lash out and say something mean out of jealousy or frustration, and later realize it wasn’t a big deal and you were out of line?

What are some things that you do that seem to irritate other people?

Have you tried to work on those actions to become more likable?

Do you feel accountable for your actions or do you think others should accept you as is?

Everybody has flaws. There are quirks that we develop from our surroundings that stick with us. When we get around other people who were raised differently, those habits can stick out like a sore thumb. We develop our personalities over such an extended amount of time that we are often unaware of our habits and how they affect others.

It is important to be comfortable in your own skin. No one will ever truly accept us unless we can learn to embrace ourselves. Confidence is the strength of character that carries us through life. It should be a goal in every person’s life to identify their characteristics and the purpose behind them to understand who they are and why they do the things they do. When we understand ourselves we no longer need to defend our actions, and we can dismiss criticism when it comes our way.

We also should continuously look at ourselves and listen to repeated complaints about our actions and decide if we should change certain areas. There will always be groups of people that single you out and mock the things you do. Those aren’t necessarily things to change. That is bullying and simply meant to weaken you. Never change for the manipulation of haters. You will recognize the things that come up in conversations from safe people and situations, like family time or your teachers, that will guide you when you need to look at certain flaws and realize the only way to change them is to take action.

Read Romans 5-6

The Bible is full of stories of men and women who are full of character flaws and poor decisions. Somehow God sees past all of the mistakes and searches out the heart of each person. He knows you are human and flawed. What God is concerned about is what is happening deeper with you. Is the heart of a person striving to get away with as much trouble without getting caught or are they focused on staying on the right path and simply stumbling at times?

Think for a while on what it is you are known for and how that affects your image.
We often miss the fact that we are not called to perfection. Perfection was given to us as a gift. We wear the perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus simply by believing. We didn’t earn it! We are unworthy. Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice to justify our actions. It is our job to NOT take advantage of the grace He gave to us. How? It is only possible by keeping our hearts open to Christ’s perfecting work. It is refining ourselves and daily submitting to God that identifies us as His children. If you need to give up some practices that are keeping you from God, ask Him to help and empower you with His perfect love to take action.