"Do you want a kind spouse? Be kind. Do you want a God-fearing spouse? Be God-fearing. Do you want a spouse with a prayer life? Have a prayer life.
Stop asking for what you haven't offered, or rather, become what you're asking for."

It's amazing when people complain about their spouse and nitpick everything they do wrong or don't do at all, yet the one complaining is so outward focused on their spouses negative qualities and lacks that they are to oblivious to what they're doing wrong as well. People don't want to admit when they're in the wrong. They don't want to be the one failing and making mistakes so they find things to complain about the other to get the focus off themselves.
In today's society, a lot of women expect a man to be at her beck and call and basically serve her every need. Yet those same women are some that do nothing for their husband. They don't serve him, don't put his needs above their own, they only care about what they want. They use manipulation as a tool within their marriage to get what they want. Same goes for men. Men can be stubborn and hardheaded and at times can't easily admit when they're in the wrong.
People say they understand the foundation of marriage that God created, but I don't think they truly do. If it doesn't weigh in their benefit they somehow forgot that part of scripture. How convenient. One of my favorite books happens to be 'The Home Beautiful' by J.R. Miller. The way this author describes a Christian home and the roles within it are outstanding and so well said. The word 'Roles' can be a touchy subject in this day and age because a lot of them would be referred to as "old-school". Both husband and wife have a role to play in their marriage and home. Those roles may differ within each marriage, but don't expect one person to carry all the weight.
How are you going to sit there and pray for all these things in a partner, but you're none of them. Don't be hypocritical. If you want a spouse who listens, you need to listen when they need to talk. If you want a spouse who brings you home a surprise gift because they know it's your number one love language, be ready to shower them in words of affirmation because you know that's theirs. Being married to someone means being in a partnership, loving each others endlessly, having grace with them, and understanding the differences within each other and use them to benefit your marriage. If you struggle with your marriage or loving each other like you once did, go back to doing all the things you did with each other before you even got married. Go to the places that you fell in love at. Do the fun things you did while you fell in love. Be the person you want your spouse to be. And in the meantime, pray like crazy. God can heal the broken that's within both of your hearts and bring you two closer than ever.

A lot of us, majority of us, wonder what our purpose in life is. We feel like we aren't fulfilling our mission to the fullest. We think whatever we do, it's just never enough. But have you ever thought, that maybe your purpose is to simply love God? Because by living a life where you love God and it's so visible to everyone around you, they can feel Gods love and presence just by knowing you. That is so sweet and purposeful in itself.
We worry too much about what we aren't doing and forget just how important everything we are doing is. Imagine your everyday routine. Let's say the first thing you do is go buy a cup of coffee and you are kind and patient to the barista because you can tell they are having a tough morning, is that enough? Let's say you pass by a homeless person and give them something to eat, is that enough? You volunteer consistently at church and in your community, is that enough?
At the end of the day it doesn't matter how much money you make, how many hours you worked that day, if you had an extra scoop of ice cream even though you're trying to eat healthier. At the end of the day, it's how kind you were to the people around you, how many people you talked to about Jesus. It's about spreading His love and goodness to those who don't know about it. So yes, being kind to your barista, generous to someone in need, and all your time and energy you put into serving your church and community, all of it shows your love for God. As long as your intentions behind all of that is to simply reflect Gods love, you're doing a great job. Loving God, that's all of our purposes. Love God and love His people.

What is it that draws new people into a church? Whether they are a new believer, or just looking for a new church home, what is it they look for in a church? Well personally, I look for Jesus. Does this church represent Him well? Is He the center of every sermon, event, and gathering? I don't care how fancy the building looks or how good the coffee they serve is, if they do even serve any. Because that's not what matters. That's not why I attend church. Sure it's a perk, but that isn't what our focus should be on. Am I learning a lot from the sermons they preach or are they too surface level? Am I hearing the same ole sugar-coated sermon, or are these sermons authentic and deep?
People go to church because they want to learn more about Jesus. They want to be able to go out in the world and confidently share the gospel, bringing new people to know Gods love. But sadly, I think a lot of churches are to surface level and superficial and care to much about the number of attenders rather than their impact on the people. A lot of people who attend church just do it to because it feels like an obligation and the "norm" to go every Sunday. Going to church and having the opportunity to gather with other believers is a privilege. But you should also be benefiting from it. It should be bringing you closer to God.
Now, with that being said, don't take that as just because you go to church and learn something, you've done your part. We need Jesus daily. You should be spending time learning and growing in your faith in your own time. Pray to Him daily, reflect in the Word, praise Him through worship in your car ride on your way to work. Praise Him in the mundane moments. There is glory in even the most simplest acts.
So, truthfully, what is it you think people nowadays look for in a church that they want to join?

Easier said than done most of the time. This is definitely something challenging for a lot of us, probably all of us. When someone bothers you or you don't really like them, it's easy to want to ignore them or maybe not be the nicest towards them. It's easy to just want to brush them off. But, loving them is what God calls us to do. Love those who are hard to love. Because by doing so, we are showing them the love of God. A forgiving, patient, gentle kind of love.
Just because you might not necessarily want to, doesn't mean you shouldn't. Everyone deserves to experience the love of God and sometimes that's through us.

Society tells you to do what makes you happy and put yourself first. With the recent New Year, as a resolution a lot of people have said "this year I'm focusing on myself." People prioritize themselves and their desires above all else. Yea sure we all have fallen into this habit, chasing something that makes us happy rather than something that would glorify God. It's not always something easy to do. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to do what God has called us to do. Which a lot of the time, majority of the time, means being less of self-centered and more Christ-centered. Even if it's something you don't want to do at all, and dread every single day, it is for His glory, not your benefit. In everything you do, let it be done to glorify His kingdom. Even if you have to sacrifice your own happiness in the process. God is forever and His plans for your life are always good. You might not be able to see it right now, but trust me, He hasn't forgotten about you or left you. His plans for your life are working themselves out. We should be making glorifying Gods kingdom the source of our happiness. God is the source of our happiness, not this world. This world is temporary, God is forever.

That’s a tough one to swallow. I know we all have beaten ourselves up over little things we can’t control or things about ourselves we don’t like. The issue is, we are looking at ourselves through the eyes of the world, not the eyes of God. We are made in Gods image and it is perfect. He looks at us and doesn’t see the extra tummy roll you have or the crooked teeth you might have or the outdated clothes you’re wearing. He is looking at who you are on the inside. How you bless others when you have so little on this earth. How you always help those who need it most. How kind and patient you are to strangers. He is looking at who you are as a human being, not how you look. In fact, He created you. He created those crooked teeth and He thinks they are beautiful. He loves each and every inch of you because He made you and He thinks you are just how you’re supposed to be. Now I know it’s going to be hard to walk away from reading this and begin to look at yourself differently immediately, but pray that God helps you see yourself the same way He sees you. We all have insecurities, it’s going to be hard to forget all them especially when the world likes to shove it down your throat how you should look. But remember this quote. "If Jesus wouldn’t say it to you, neither should you." You wanna know what the Bible say about you? I’ll reference one of the most well known verses out there, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” God loves you so unbelievably much, even with all your flaws and insecurities He still gave His only Son to die upon a cross and bear so much pain that you may have eternal life. His love for you and I is more than we could ever fathom. So though the world may tell you that you need to change, God loves you just how you are and where you are. Don't change just because the world tells you you need to.

Crazy to think of human love as weak and delicate. If you’ve been in love you know it is one of the most beautiful and purest joys ever. It is a privilege to feel something so deeply within. To us, humans, love is something we all seek throughout our lives. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. Some of us even measure our worth based on how loved we feel. Human love is both a blessing and a curse in a sense since we feel it all so strongly. Both the beauty and pain, we feel it all. We allow it to have such a stronghold over us, which I would say is the opposite of weak and delicate. But human love compared to the vastness of Gods love is so minuscule. Gods love has no end. Humans, man if someone makes you mad enough or disappoints you enough continuously, that love you have towards that person seems to dissipate over time. But Gods love, He continues to love us time and time even when we sin and fall short daily. His love is so strong and powerful and human love seems like a grain of sand compared to His endless ocean of love. Human love isn’t unimportant, I’m just simply trying to get you to understand just how much God loves you and how much love He does have for all of us. As humans we are supposed to love. We are supposed to love everyone around us just as God loves. Which after saying all that, those are some big shoes to fill. But all we can do is try to love as much as He does. Try to out love God. Good luck with that but I believe in you.

It's annoying when people get in this mindset. They come to church wanting people to only see a certain side of them. The side that is perfect, has no flaws, and could do no wrong. Honestly they just look like a clown trying to put on a show. Church isn't meant to be a stage for your shows. It's meant to be a place that people can come to feel safe, feel God's presence, His love, and learn the Word of God. It's a place for the broken and lost to find refuge. It's truly is a "hospital for sinners" because we're all sinners.
I think church has become a repetitive thing people just attend because it's apart of their weekly routine and you're "supposed to go". They come and put on their best smiles even though they're hurting inside, but they wouldn't want anyone to know that. They volunteer every week and are actually some of the best servants in the church. This isn't a museum for you to show off how much you serve God. Because if that's your intent behind it, you aren't serving God, that's serving yourself and your ego. When you walk into a church, you should feel a warm presence swoop upon you. That's God and the authentic love of His people around you. Be genuine in loving God's people. Church is for the broken, and we're all broken so come to the hospital that is church and be healed.

We see this all throughout history. Man looking in all the wrong places to find things that will bring him true happiness, when in reality God is the only thing that can truly fulfill our desires and happiness. Some people find joy in wealth, food, shopping, traveling, and while all those things can be great, they aren't our source of happiness. Majority of people tend to idolize all those things and loose sight of what truly matters. They prioritize the things of this world over heavenly things.
Trust me I get it. I love me a good in-n-out burger, I love buying something new and exciting, I love seeing my bank account get larger, I love exploring new places. But none of those things matter in the end. When judgment day comes, and you're standing in front of God before He either greets you into the pearly gates of Heaven, or banishes you down to hell, do you think you'll care then how much wealth you have to your name? I think that'll be the last thing on your mind. The greatest wealth we will ever receive is being with our Lord and Savior.
Instead of searching for things in this world to bring you joy, this world that only brings chaos and devastation, search for joy in Jesus. He will provide you with everything you'll ever need. Not want, but need. He may bless you with things you want along the way, but don't take them for granted and don't hold them higher than the Lord. None of it matters if you don't have God in your heart. Don't follow in the steps of mankind who have continuously shown that you can't find joy in those earthly things. There is a joy like you've never felt before, but you'll only find it in Christ.

Sometimes this is harder to wrap your mind around than you'd like to admit. We all go through periods of trials and hardships, but it's what we do within those moments that matter most. Are you pushing God away, or are you using it to really trust in Him and lean on Him? This difficulty you're dealing with, you aren't alone. It may feel that way at times, but God has never left your side. He is the one thing in life that is so constant. It's actually quite beautiful how He can take such a broken moment in your life and use it to bring the two of you closer than ever.
You never have to worry about Him leaving you or giving up on you. All He asks is that you let Him in and trust His will for you life. You're in a hard place right now, but it's temporary. This too shall pass. I know it doesn't feel like you'll ever escape this broken feeling, but you will. As long as you keep your faith and trust in Him everything will work out for the better.

I think majority of us have heard this quote from the movie Evan Almighty, whether from actually seeing the movie or clips of it on social media. It truly gives you a new perspective on life and the way God works. We constantly pray for God to give us strength, courage, kindness, etc. but instead, He gives us the chances to be all of those. I could go on and on about this quote because it's so powerful and has opened my eyes to so many different instances in my life that I'm struggling with, but this isn't about me.
I want you to look at your life. What is it you're struggling with most right now? Family issues? Work problems? Anything you're dealing with and praying for God to help you handle. He's giving you those opportunities to be strong, be patient, love those who are hard to love. I've dealt with plenty of issues that have caused me to pray hard to God, asking for His guidance and His strength to get through it, but little did i know, He was already giving it to me. Because through all those problems and struggles I was facing, it gave me exactly what I needed in order to prepare me for the next challenge in life.
I too wish that God would just give me the strength and patience I prayed for instead of just having me live through it; which sometimes I think He does just by thumping you on the head in a moment and causing you to feel convicted, but how would you learn from that? By Him giving us these opportunities to learn and grow, He is preparing our hearts and minds. Next time you go to your spouse, friend, or whoever you vent to about whats challenging you, remember this quote and ask yourself if this is one of those opportunities God has given you to grow.

It's easy to think when you're dealing with something that you're all alone but you're not. People around you may have given up on you, failed you, or even cast you away. But God is with you all the time and that's all that truly matters. Whether you think He is or not, He is with you always. You just aren't letting Him into your heart. He will never forsake you. He loves you beyond measure. The only reason you're ever felt like He wasn't with you, wasn't because He just decided to give up on you out of the blue, it's because you closed off your heart and mind to Him. He will love you, stand by you, and give you all the wisdom and knowledge you need to make it through whatever it is you're dealing with, as long as you allow Him to work within you. You are never alone.
Pray that God would lead you to make wise decisions that aren't centered around your earthly desires, but around the desires of the Lord. Pray that He holds your hand and walks beside you and eases your mind to be able to have the clarity and discernment that is required to handle all situations. You have Jesus, you can get through this, but not without the Lord.