Jesus is looking for faith (Luke 8:22ff; Matthew 8:10, 22). The kind of faith that will believe big things and even pray big, holy, audacious prayers.

Being steadfast has nothing to do with self-sufficiency. In fact, steadfastness is only truly visible when it faces a headwind of adversity.

Imagine being in the circle of disciples the day Jesus spoke these words: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3 ESV).

What are your plans today? It’s a simple and direct question, generally asked by someone who is either affected by your plans or who wants to be involved in them. But what if God were the One asking?

David asked the rhetorical question, “Where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). The answer, of course, was nowhere. There was not a corner of the universe or even a hidden nook in the place of the dead (Sheol) where God was not present. And that truth delighted David’s soul.

Jesus didn’t come to earth in the expected way or at the expected time. Nor did He do the expected things when He got here. He didn’t revamp the political system or overhaul the economy. He even disregarded the demands of the religious heavyweights.

Jesus didn’t come to earth in the expected way or at the expected time. Nor did He do the expected things when He got here. He didn’t revamp the political system or overhaul the economy. He even disregarded the demands of the religious heavyweights.

Jesus didn’t come to earth in the expected way or at the expected time. Nor did He do the expected things when He got here. He didn’t revamp the political system or overhaul the economy. He even disregarded the demands of the religious heavyweights.

If we want to truly love one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ—if we want to truly “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3)—then there is one thing we must do: We must pray for each other.

Living in the midst of a God-defying culture, in a city where you could be arrested if your neighbors tattled on you for worshiping Jehovah, Daniel did a bold thing. He prayed … three times each day … with his windows open.

The feeling of desire is almost always with us. On the surface we might identify it as the desire for some new possession—car, house, clothes, technology, or even something as ordinary as a new coffee pot. It could also look like the desire for a new friend, new job, new skill, new opportunity, or any number of things we may want.