simple but very profound truth, "How can you let God down when you weren't ever holding Him up?

Some church-raised young adults experience similar self-doubt when it comes to making spiritual judgments. Instead of equipping them to make thoughtful, prayerful decisions and then to trust God for the outcome, the church has instilled a debilitating fear of sin or "stepping out of God's will." How can we expect the next generation to move forward with confidence into God's future when they are scared of making a misstep?1

And honestly, I'm tired of knowing I have issues but having no clue how to rein them in on a given day. I need something simple. A quick reality check I can remember in the midst of the everyday messies.

Finding the gentle middle between exploding and stuffing can be hard, but God is working on me. How about you?

I struggle with decisions, too. I don't want to miss out on opportunities, mess up relationships by disappointing people, or misstep right out of God's will.

When the lies of the enemy — fear, doubt, anxiety, unbelief, discouragement — rush in, we must immediately take those thoughts captive. Captive to the Truth of God's Word. The Truth of who we are as children of the One True God.  

When the lies of the enemy — fear, doubt, anxiety, unbelief, discouragement — rush in, we must immediately take those thoughts captive. Captive to the Truth of God's Word. The Truth of who we are as children of the One True God.

Dear Lord, I want to remember that You are always here for me — on good days and bad. Help me to enjoy the good ones and receive Your help on the not-so-good ones. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Don't miss this point—though the famine phase is hard, it does not have to be void of joy. Look for the joy. It is there. Answered prayers, treasures of wisdom, and the peace of God's provision are waiting for you in this phase. Depending on God brings such joy as I would never know any other way.

No matter how vast our pit, prayer is big enough to fill us with the realization of His presence like nothing else.

I'm no longer at the first cliff where the ground fell out from beneath me. But I'm also not all the way across to solid ground where everyone exhales, exhausted but relieved. No, I'm in the middle, which honestly might be the scariest of all places. Moving ahead and turning back are both equally terrifying.

There is no perfect decision—only the perfectly surrendered decision to press through our fears and know that God is working in us to bring about good through us.