The importance of keeping Jesus in your decisions cannot be overstated. Making decisions can be difficult and stressful, especially when it comes to important matters like relationships, finances, and career choices. However, when we keep Jesus at the center of our decision-making process, we can trust that He will guide us towards the path that is best for us.

One of the main benefits of keeping Jesus in your decisions is that it allows you to align your will with His. When we seek God's will for our lives, we can trust that His plans for us are good and that He will work everything out for our ultimate benefit. By staying close to Jesus and listening to His voice, we can be sure that we are making decisions that are in line with His will.

Another advantage of keeping Jesus in your decisions is that it gives you a sense of peace and assurance, knowing that no matter what the outcome of a particular decision may be, God is in control. When we put our trust in Him, we can release our worries and fears about the future, and instead, focus on living each day to the fullest, knowing that He will take care of us.

Additionally, keeping Jesus in your decisions also allows us to practice humility. By recognizing that we are not in control, and that our understanding is limited and we are fallible, it reminds us to seek His guidance in all things. It allows us to rely on Him as the ultimate guide and authority, and it reminds us that we are not the ultimate decision makers in our lives.

In conclusion, keeping Jesus in your decisions is crucial for living a fulfilling, peaceful, and authentic life. When we align our will with His, we can trust that He will guide us towards the path that is best for us and that we can find a sense of peace and assurance knowing that He is always in control. Making decision with Jesus in mind helps us to understand that we are not the ultimate decision makers but He is the ultimate authority, we just follow His will.

2020 well was, you know kinda terrible. 2021 came and left in a flash with no improvement. 2022 (2020 too) seems to be off to a rough start, of course. How are we supposed to stay positive in times like these?
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Well, the short answer is Jesus. The long answer is also Jesus.

Time and time again, the Bible instructs us to not be of this world. What does it mean by that you may ask? Well, the answer is more complicated that you might think. Yes, of course, it means to not get too wrapped up in sin and the pleasures of this world. But it also means we need to change our perspective of this world and our lives in it.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2:15-17

What we need to do is focus on the big and I mean BIG picture. If you think about the totality of your life, I truly hope you aren’t focusing solely on your time on Earth. This is just a blink of an eye, a brief moment in time in the eternity of your life. If you can somehow wrap your head around eternity, that will help you understand that this pandemic is temporary and your life is so much grander and longer than what you we are dealing with right now.

I truly believe that one day I will look back on these days as just a fleeting memory of time. A “remember that one time when we had to live through the turmoil of our worldly lives and we thought it was sooo important” kind of thing. I plan to one day sit at the feet of Jesus praising Him for getting me through this tough time of my live and understanding that there was a purpose. A purpose to this stress, a purpose to this pain and purpose to this pandemic. But we already know the purpose don’t we? At least we can come up with some theories if we try hard enough.

This is a time to get closer to Christ. This is a time to trust Him with our lives. This is a time to reflect back on our worldly lives thus far and change our perspectives moving forward. This is a time to focus on eternity and not this temporary life on this floating rock.

So, whatever you are dealing with today.... COVID, work, school, family problems, stress, anxiety etc., keep this perspective in mind. When you focus on eternity and your part in it, these things will seem more manageable. I remember reading a book in college called "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". Well my friend, compared to eternity, all of these things are the "small stuff". 
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That is why I am not afraid of what’s going on. Because I know there is a bigger story at play and I trust the author with the ending. 

​So, as I was jogging this morning, I was thinking about what 2020 means to me and I'll tell you, I think I'm grateful for it. Hear me out.
 
Do not get me wrong, I do not like wearing a mask or being quarantined. 2020 has changed our lives dramatically, whether we cannot go to work, we cannot go to school, we cannot see our friends or our family. But I think this year has given us unique opportunities and forced us to kind of tackle things a different way.
 
Two things that 2020 has forced us to do:
 
#1 - 2020 has forced us to slow down.

In Exodus, God tells us to be still. God wants us to be still at times so we could hear him. Be still so we can learn from him. It has forced us to slow down in a way we have never imagined. Gone are the times of going to movies, going to restaurants all the time, concerts, whatever those distractions we are used to. Our society has been distracting us from our families, from our friends and from God. They are kind of gone. I mean, you can still go to a restaurant, kind of, but it certainly has spurred our desire to go do that. 2020 has forced us to be still and to slow down.
 
#2 -  It has also forced us to be around our family more, quite frankly.

I am home all the time now. I have two teenage daughters and they are going to school from home. My wife goes to work. She is a school principal and must be there but she is home a lot more as well. 2020 has forced me to be around my family more now, which brings a whole slew of blessings with it. Maybe it has done the same with you.
 
Two opportunities that 2020 has brought:
 
#1 -  2020 has given us the opportunity to focus more on God.

Since we are home more now, we have had plenty of time to “be still”. So we have had the opportunity to read the Bible more, to follow Christian social media more and to learn more from Bible plans. It has given us the opportunity to do all sorts of stuff that we weren't able to do before because you were so busy.
 
Take advantage of this opportunity to get closer to him.
 
#2 - 2020 has given us the opportunity to refocus our lives.
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So as we go into 2021, we all have the opportunity to learn from 2020 and refocus our lives going forward.
 
Think about how you want to refocus. I, for one, do not necessarily want things to go back to normal. Going back to normal to me means the busyness and the chaos we were dealing with. Refocusing means less time watching TV, less time going to movies, less time going restaurants, less time even to travel to work and back.
 
It means more time with my family, my friends and with God. It’s given us an opportunity to refocus our lives and not go back to the way they were.
 
So think about these things, especially as we turn the page on another year. Think about how you can refocus your life and refocus your faith on God.

​Can I be honest with you? Of course I can, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not in a good mood. I am stressed, scared, upset, exhausted and discouraged.

Like the rest of you, I am being inundated with bad news all the time here in 2020. Between COVID-19, racial tensions and so much more, this year has not been a great one. Oh, it will go into the history books, but not for any reason we want to remember.

Personally, this year has been tough. It started off with my favorite basketball player of all time, Kobe Bryant (I know he was a flawed human) tragically dying and now I am facing a future where my daughter has been diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes. Everything in between has been almost out of the book of Revelation. I am now working from home full-time, I haven’t eaten out inside a restaurant in months and have to wear a mask into the store. Top that off with being absolutely mortified every time I turn on the nightly news.

In times like these, most of us get down, depressed and feel hopeless. Nothing seems to be right in the world. No one seems to be happy. The future looks so dark.

My wife asked me last night “Is this how we are going to have to live forever? Will things ever get back to normal?” I told her I don’t know. I really don’t.

Our church started services back last week. But now with an immune compromised daughter and COVID-19 cases increasing in my area, we still haven’t gone back to our church service. I miss my church family, but also know that God has given me the knowledge to make the right decisions for me and my family.

Where do we go from here? We go to God.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -  Isaiah 41:10

We all need to remind ourselves that this world has been in worse shape than this before. History tells tales of fallen governments, slavery, natural disasters, world wars and terrible injustices. The earth is not immune to the work of the devil, my friends. Make no mistake about it, he is hard at work. What happens is that the devil is patient. He is like a tiger in the jungle. He waits and waits and pounces at a moment when you least expect it. But we should expect it. You see, with the armor of God surrounding us, the devil is helpless. But when we let our guard down, when we get too caught up in worldly things, when we get a little too comfortable, he is there waiting.

God is in charge. He always has been.

Every time this world gets too far off course, God intervenes. He did it with Noah. A little over 2000 years ago things got so bad, He came down here himself to show us the way. And we still can’t seem to get it right.
Jesus has already showed us how to cure all of these problems … love. Love God, love yourself and love your neighbor. That’s it friends, that’s everything.

Yes, there will always be some bad things in this world. Like I said, the devil is hard at work. But Jesus already told us that He has it all covered.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Those are the actual words of Jesus Christ. God himself, came down and told us to love one another and if we love Him and look to Him, everything will be OK.

So, yes, I am discouraged, but I also have hope. I have hope that my Savior already knows how all of this ends. I have hope that my Savior has a plan. I have hope that my Savior has all of the power and at the right time the sun will shine again on our world.

So today, I encourage you to look ahead and not behind. God is in control. He knows what is going on and He wants us to learn something from our experiences. First and foremost, we need to learn that we really do need Him. If anything shows us that we need God, it’s all of the turmoil that 2020 has brought to us.

Take a moment to pray today. Don’t ask for anything. Just tell God that you hear Him and you will do better. Tell Him that you trust Him. Tell Him that you love Him and will try harder to love everyone else.

So what should we all do when nothing seems to be going right? TRUST GOD. He’s got this. I promise. 

Almost everyone has or will be impacted by the recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. We ask that everyone take a moment to say the prayers below for some of the most impacted. Together with God's grace, we can conquer this. 


Pray For People Who Are Infected With COVID-19 Or Facing Quarantine

Dear Jesus,

During Your ministry on Earth You showed Your power and caring by healing people of all ages and stations of life from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. Be present now to people who need Your loving touch because of COVID-19. May they feel Your power of healing through the care of doctors and nurses.

Take away the fear, anxiety, and feelings of isolation from people receiving treatment or under quarantine. Give them a sense of purpose in pursuing health and protecting others from exposure to the disease. Protect their families and friends and bring peace to all who love them. 

In your name I pray, Amen. 


Pray For People At Higher Risk Of Developing The Disease

Dear Lord,

We lift to You our concern for people who are more likely than others to become severely ill from COVID-19 — the elderly and people with chronic health conditions. Protect them from harm and be their comfort in this time of uncertainty.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 


Pray For Medical Professionals, Caregivers, Researchers, And Leaders Responsible For Decisions About Fighting The New Coronavirus

Dear Father,

We seek Your wisdom daily. Be with people making decisions that affect the lives and futures of our families, communities, countries, and the wider world. Inspire and invigorate people developing better tests to diagnose the virus, vaccines to prevent it, and protocols and communication to eliminate the disease’s spread. May truth and empathy be the touchstones of people setting policies for our protection.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. ​