Having a right set of doctrines is not enough. This truth was put to the test in the trials and storms of my journey, and it drove me beyond my superficial acceptance of the truth into a deeper understanding of God’s very nature.

Did you know that the core of Christianity is not a set of philosophies, a religion, a world view, or even the teachings of Jesus? It’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive and He cleared the way for us to have an intimate relationship with the living God. We spend a lifetime in hopeless pursuit of everything else expect God, ignoring that the very heart-cry of our soul is for a relationship with Him.

Do you have a clear and accurate picture of who God really is?

Do you really know God? Do you?

Everything hinges on who you envision God to be.

He is not some distant, shallow, narcissistic, judgmental, killjoy in the sky. God loves us more than we could ever imagine and He is passionately committed to us. Life, technology, busyness and so many other things get in the way of this pursuit and we become so distracted that one day we find ourselves leading a life of ‘quiet desperation’. We must not be distracted on our journey into the very nature of God. His heart cries out, “You turned your back on Me, but I’m not turning My back on you. You have no idea what I will do to get you back my child.” God’s passion to redeem us by stepping into our world and dying for us isn’t because of anything we have done or could ever do—it’s only because of His amazing grace. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or haven’t done, He still offers us grace. God pursues us, God accepts us completely, and despite how messed up we are, He provides a way back to Him. “I love you” could not have been said a better way!

Do you believe that God has already written your story and all you have to do is let go, take hold of your destiny moment and step into the pages of His story? Philippians 1:6 tells us tells us that God finishes what He begins, but we need to take the first step and jump into what He has written for our lives.

Are you worn out?

Are you broken?

Are you fractured?

Are you desperate?

Are you ready to give up?

Are you hopeless?

There is hope for the brokenness and it’s a portrait of grace that can heal all of life’s heartaches and pain — it’s Jesus Christ! Our Heavenly Father gave us His Son to go to the cross for us! Swallow your foolish pride, stop believing the lies, and bring all the fractured and broken pieces of your life to Him. The God of relationship will surround you with His redemptive love and grace, and He will restore your broken lives and heart to His. Beloved, He loves you so much!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Romans 15:13 (NIV)

I don’t know how turbulent your life is at this very moment or how deep your pain is, but I do know that God is bigger than all of it. He is big enough to take all of the pain, fear, anger and the stuff of your life that you can throw at Him and love you through it all. He never promised us that we’ll be exempt from the trials and tribulations of life, but He does promise that when everything comes crashing down around you — you will be held by His grace.

We all need to know we are held. We all need to know that someone realizes life is too short and that we feel as if we are falling through the cracks. His word is a love story with a consistent theme of hope! No matter how miserable your current circumstances are or how big your giants are or how many your sins are…God offers hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. —Galatians 2:20, 21 (MSG)