21. confidence
When we are surrounded by war, we can have peace. When enemies rise up against us, we don’t have to be afraid. When it seems like we’re in a losing fight, we don’t have to give in to despair. How is this possible? Not through confidence in ourselves, because we are weak and will fall short in many ways and fail at times. Victory is only possible through confidence in Christ, who never fails.
Confidence is not brashness or foolhardiness—it is well-grounded trust and hope. True confidence comes from knowing that we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37) and nothing can change that.
Confidence strengthens us for the fight and enables us to face our enemy with boldness because we know that the final victory has already been won.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? . . . Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
— Psalm 27:1, 3 (ESV)
22. contentment
Possessing contentment lends simplicity and clarity to our lives. The secret to contentment lies in holding on to what matters so that we can let go of what doesn’t (and knowing what falls in each category).
It takes time to learn to be content. Paul said as much in Philippians 4:11b-13 (ESV): “. . . I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Here we see that contentment does not depend on what we have or don’t have; contentment comes as we rely on Christ for strength and find that He is enough.
In the morning when I rise, / Give me Jesus. // Give me Jesus, / Give me Jesus. / You can have all of this world. / Just give me Jesus.
— African American spiritual, “Give Me Jesus”
23. endurance
Running in life’s race requires endurance―lots of it. Obstacles block the road, and sometimes others try to get us off track. We grow weary and discouraged along the way. Yet in the midst of the hard that is life, there is God. Our need of Him creates space for His strength to fill. Our faith, which will one day be turned to sight, motivates us to press on. We trust that He will be beside us all the way, and so we keep running. His strength rises within as we wait on Him. We can’t endure trials, overcome temptations, or even face today on our own―only in Him.
And He can.
I can’t walk on the water / I can’t stand in the fire / Unless I look into Your eyes / Unless I have You by my side / I can’t conquer a giant / Or shut the mouth of a lion / I know that I am just a man / But when I’m in Your hands / You can
— Jason Roy, Matt Hammitt, and Riley Friesen, “You Can”
24. redemption
Christians’ lives are characterized by redemption. Not only have we been saved from the power of sin and death, but also God has promised to use for good everything that happens in our lives. I don’t know how that will happen, but I believe it will. In this life many of us can already start to see threads of redemption woven throughout our lives; how much more in the life to come? He who has redeemed us from sin will continue to redeem the events of our lives for our good and His glory.
Come, sing, my soul, and praise the Lord, / Who hath redeemed thee by His blood, / Delivered thee from chains that bound, / And bro’t thee to redemption ground. // Redemption ground, the ground of peace! / Redemption ground, O wondrous grace! / Here let our praise to God abound, / Who saves us on redemption ground!
— Daniel Whittle, “Redemption Ground”
25. healing
Healing. The very word breathes a sense of expectancy into the atmosphere, for everyone has needed healing at some time in their life. The concept of healing carries with it a sense of hope, of restoration, of brokenness made whole, of something or someone made new.
I believe that our God has power to heal, and I believe that He still heals, sometimes miraculously, even today. I don’t pretend to understand, much less be able to explain, why He heals some and not others. That’s something we all struggle with on this side of heaven. It’s one of the reasons why the subject of healing is so complicated.
I do know that healing comes in many ways, some supernatural and some natural (even natural means of healing find their roots in God). And healing covers many aspects of life, not just the physical. Healing can be mental, emotional, and spiritual as well.
In the end, healing isn’t all about us. The Lord heals us not just for our own benefit, but so that we can give Him glory through our testimony and so we can encourage others in their faith. Even though He sometimes wounds us, His hands heal. His healing hand is present and powerful, moving in our midst even when we are unaware.
The Healer’s in this place. . .
You said if we believe / The greater things would come / So pour Your Spirit out / Like a river, like a flood / Deliver every heart /Body, soul, and mind / All the darkness bows / Before the feet of Christ // The Healer’s in this place / The Healer’s in this place / Jesus, You are moving in our praise / There’s freedom in Your name / There’s freedom in Your name / Jesus, You are Healer in this place
— Evan Craft, Christine D’clario, Ryan Ellis, Josh Silverburg, and Samuel Montañez, “Healer”
26. holiness
God is holy, and He desires His children to be holy as well. Holiness is not only the absence of all evil; it is also the presence of all good. To be holy is to separate oneself from sin in order to shine with purity. Holiness is the glowing radiance of heaven’s Sun.
We will never be completely holy in this life. But as we grow in reflecting God’s glory and grace, we will grow in radiating His holiness as well.
Holy is the Lord our King, He whose praises we sing. Holy, holy, holy is He.
Holy, Holy, Holy! / Lord God Almighty! / Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; /Holy, Holy, Holy! / Merciful and Mighty!/ God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity! // Holy, Holy, Holy! / All the saints adore Thee, / Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; / Cherubim and seraphim / Falling down before Thee, / Which wert and art, and evermore shalt be.
— Reginald Heber, “Holy, Holy, Holy”
27. desire
After reading The Journey of Desire by John Eldredge, I have never thought of desire in the same way. Consider this quote from the book (emphasis original):
We are desire. It is the essence of the human soul, the secret of our existence. Absolutely nothing of human greatness is accomplished without it. Not a symphony has been written, a mountain climbed, an injustice fought, or a love sustained apart from desire. Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. Our desire, if we will listen to it, will save us from committing soul suicide, the sacrifice of our hearts on the altar of “getting by.” The same old thing is not enough. It never will be.
We all have desire. What we do with it is what matters. Will we choose to ignore it, bury it, channel it into addictions, or let it lead us back to the God who planted it in us in the first place? Desire can be a sure sign of what’s going on in our heart. If it’s acknowledged and directed onto the right path, it can lead to a deeper and more fervent relationship with the Lover of our souls. Without desire, the Christian life is dutiful drudgery. With it, the Christian life is deep delight.
Even though desire is a good and beautiful gift from God, many of us have thought it best not to accept it. It’s true that desire gone awry brings heartache, but desire in God’s hands leads us to the life we long for.
I dare you to unwrap this gift today.
Give me words, I’ll misuse them / Obligations, I’ll misplace them / ‘Cause all religion ever made of me / Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet / It never set me free // It’s gotta be more like falling in love / Than something to believe in / More like losing my heart / Than giving my allegiance / Caught up, called out / Come take a look at me now / It’s like I’m falling, oh / It’s like I’m falling in // Love, love, love / Deeper and deeper / It was love that made me a believer / In more than a name, a faith, a creed / Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
— Jason Gray and Jason Ingram, “More Like Falling in Love”
28. passion
Desire brings forth passion. Passion infuses our lives with intensity, ardency, and purpose. It adds adjectives to the traits we’ve been contemplating. Passion makes us ferociously truthful, relentlessly loving, radically gracious, indomitably joyful, unabashedly humble, trustingly confident, ever-increasingly grateful, never-endingly hopeful, and so much more. Passion for God drives us on a relentless pursuit of Him, even though the world we live in is filled with forces constantly trying to drive us back.
Lest you think that passion is bad, recall that the defining event of Jesus’ life, which also gives meaning to our lives, is known as His Passion. All throughout His time on earth, Jesus’ driving passion, His main purpose, was to fulfill His Father’s will by giving His life as a ransom for many. Catching a flame from the fire that burned in Jesus’ soul gives passion to our faith. Our goal in life should also be to do God’s will, whatever it costs and wherever it leads―to set our faces like a flint and not be turned back along the way. We are not to be half-hearted followers of the one who gave His all for us.
I don’t wanna go through the motions / I don’t wanna go one more day / Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me // I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking / What if I had given everything / Instead of going through the motions?
— Matthew West, Sam Mizell, and Jason Houser, “The Motions”
29. power
During a recent season, our family noticed this particular theme recurring a lot. The word itself―power―was showing up just about everywhere: signs by the road, T-shirts, containers of everyday items, songs on the radio, and on and on. It wasn’t always referring to God’s power, but that’s what we thought of. In addition, we often heard about God’s power in sermons at church and on the radio. It was an exciting season for our family.
This theme should be important in every believer’s life. I’m not going to get into the debate about the baptism/filling of the Spirit and what it means. Regardless of what branch of Christianity you are part of, you probably assent to the fact that the Holy Spirit lives in you. It’s amazing if you think about it. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you! Now that’s something to be excited about!
Consider what possessing resurrection power means. It means, for one thing, that we can overcome sin and temptation. Beyond that, it means that we can expect to see the Spirit moving in our lives, bringing life where once was death. There are many implications besides those, but I’ll leave you to think of them on your own.
God is Power. All things are possible for Him. Oh that we the church would rise up and begin to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, that the light of the glory of His majestic might would rise like the sun in all its dazzling splendor and shine away the darkening night.
The same power that rose Jesus from the grave / The same power that commands the dead to wake / Lives in us, lives in us /The same power that moves mountains when He speaks / The same power that can calm a raging sea / Lives in us, lives in us / He lives in us, lives in us
— Jeremy Camp and Jason Ingram, “Same Power”
30. hope
Deep within our hearts lies an ever-flowing waterfall of hope, springing from the promises of God. Hope that one day all will be made new. Hope that nothing that has ever happened will be wasted. Hope that there will be a resurrection reunion of all who have believed in Jesus’ name. Hope of eternal life. This hope never dies, but remains constant throughout the changes of this life. Hope fills us with confident trust and eager expectation that one day life as God always intended it to be will be restored, never to be taken away. Hope carries us through whatever we face, because we know that one day God’s promise of resurrection and renewal will be fulfilled.
Until that day, our hope is in Him.
My hope is in You, Lord, all the day long / I won’t be shaken by drought or storm / A peace that passes understanding is my song / And I sing my hope is in You, Lord
— April Geesbreght and Ed Cash, “My Hope Is In You”
Leave a Reply