Fasting has many benefits, one of which is that it allows space for Jesus to grow. Also, in a culture or circumstance that aims to crush your courage, fasting actually adds strength and reliance on God. Consider how you can create room for Jesus to grow in your life by both praying and fasting.   

Christian fasting — voluntarily abstaining from food for spiritual purposes — can have many positive expressions and outcomes. Among them are an expression of our worship and hunger for God, a strengthening of prayer, repentance and return to God, seeking God’s guidance, and a longing for Christ’s return.   

The Beatitudes are a series of blessings that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. When you consider your blessings in life, remember that to be truly blessed is to live in a state of closeness with God because He is the blessing.

Christmas is more than the seasonal festivities that are all around us. It’s a time to pause and reflect on what truly matters — the birth of Jesus. As you celebrate Christmas, remember the reason that we can have true hope and unending joy in this season and beyond is because of the birth of our Savior.

We tend to imitate influential people in our life. When you think of imitating Jesus, consider that it starts with God-gifted compassion, it’s built on faith-filled service, and it leads to heaven-sourced miracles.

Immanuel is always present and working despite the messiness of life, as He desires to be near to us. As you consider your own life, what are the things that prevent you from feeling close to Him, and what things that foster closeness and connection?

Immanuel means God with us. God is transcendent, meaning He is above all things.  And He is immanent or near all things. Do these truths comfort or challenge you, and in what ways?

God’s power and promises grant us access to partake in His divine nature. Practicing these virtues lead us to a love that is not just good for us, but good for others, too.  

Godliness is reverence for God expressed through a life of holiness. Consider what impact you have seen or could see in your life if you are growing in godliness. In light of your response, think about growing in your godliness by both grace-given effort and grace-driven repentance.

How steadfast — or in other words, enduring and patient — are you in your walk with God? When you’re steadfast you make the repeated decision to wait for good because you trust that you’re anchored to something bigger than yourself; something eternal.