Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

Victory and the Final Outcome

While Jesus was on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished.” The outcome of His sacrifice not only paid the penalty for the sins of the world, but additionally ended the regime ruled by Satan.

When Jesus rose from the dead, darkness was defeated and life prevailed. After His resurrection, Jesus said to his disciples, “All power and authority is given to Me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). The ...

From The Triumph by James Goll on YouVersion

Blood. What is your first reaction when you read that word? Do you get squeamish? Leviticus 17:11 declares there is life in the blood.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. – Leviticus 17:11 ESV

In Christ’s blood, we receive life that death cannot conquer....

From The Triumph by James Goll on YouVersion

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up t...

From The Triumph by James Goll on YouVersion

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. – 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 ESV

In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, the apostle Paul warns of the devil’s plans to outsmart us. Outwit is the term the New International V...

From The Triumph by James Goll on YouVersion

You were born into a war—no matter where or when you were born—and you were meant to claim victory in that war. This doesn’t sound like great news at first, but as you learn about this war, the news gets better. You have the privilege of choosing which side to fight for; and when you choose to follow Jesus, you make the decision to be on the winning side!

For though we walk in the f...

 

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion

As we seek, know, abide in, and submit to God there is a beautiful trust that develops and matures. When we spend more time with Him, we begin to know Him better. As a result, we genuinely learn what His voice sounds like.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor any...

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion

Have you ever seen the picture floating around of Jesus, the little girl, and the teddy bears? Jesus and a young girl are facing one another while she tightly holds a small teddy bear in both arms. Jesus has one hand out for her to give Him her teddy bear, and the words “Just trust me” are above His head. Above the little girl’s head are the words, “But I love it, God.” Unfortunately, there is so...

 

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion

One of the best times of the year (in my humble opinion) is when it’s not too hot, certainly not cold, and the sun is shining bright. The sun rays warm our bodies, we can relax outside without melting, and we may even find ourselves saying, “This weather is so perfect.” It is pure bliss! When we think of abiding in God, it is a similar experience. Every moment feels like that perfect, blissful ...

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion

As we begin on our journey of thriving with God, take a twirl with me down memory lane. Imagine you are outside on a playground. Yes, a playground! Imagine you’re standing on pine needles as a soft breeze blows gently across your face. The air is filled with a symphony of laughter, screams, and the “clink, clink” of beads in little girls’ hair. You can smell the freshly cut grass that has so effor...

From THRIVE with God on YouVersion

Have you ever tried to utilize an item while missing the key elements needed to do so? Imagine grabbing a pen with no ink, opening a milk carton to find it empty, or attempting to turn on a lamp and realizing the bulb was gone. In each of these situations, the missing components make it almost impossible to interact with the tool as desired.

In a similar way, our relationship with God can be void ...

Rescue, Not Religion

Why did Jesus come to the world? Was it to create a religion? Or something else?

The answer lies in Luke 4. Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth, and when he went to the synagogue service, he was given the scroll of Isaiah to read aloud to the congregation. He read:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the pri...

Where Do I Go for Help?

We sometimes face issues around our health, marriage, finances, relationships, work, and life in general that cause us to feel heavy. They often leave us broken, hurting, wounded, messed up, confused, doubting, hopeless, and uncertain. Where do we go with our stuff?

Church? Really, how helpful has that been? Have you, like me, ever felt like your life, story, and/or current circumstances were just a little t...

The Enemy's Footholds in Your Life

In our attempts to move toward the future that God wants for us, we have to recognize how our enemy, the devil, is holding us back. In Genesis 3:1-7, he is a deceptive yet convincing snake sowing doubt about God’s goodness. In 1 Peter 5:8, he is a roaring lion seeking to devour us. In John 10:10, he is a thief seeking to kill and destroy us.

God wants us to understand who we are up against and how...

A God-Fearing Life That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. — Ecclesiastes 12:13

What is the purpose of life? Solomon gives us the answer in Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty." It's a powerful (albeit succinct) conclusion to a book filled with questions about meaning and fulfillment.

To fear God doesn't mean l...

Empty Materialism Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! — Ecclesiastes 5:10

How much is enough? Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes 5:10 that those who love money will never be satisfied. The pursuit of wealth and material gain often leaves us feeling empty. Why? Because money and possessions can never fill the void in our hearts that only God is meant to occupy.

From ...

The Inevitable For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. — Ecclesiastes 2:16 

Death is the great equalizer. Solomon observed that no matter how wise or foolish a person might be, all eventually meet the same end. He writes, "The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool" (Ecclesiastes 2:16). It's a sobering truth. No amoun...

The Limits of Human Wisdom and Understanding The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. — Ecclesiastes 1:18 

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the weight of knowledge? Maybe you've learned something about the brokenness of the world or carried the burden of understanding someone else's pain. Solomon knew this feeling well. He writes in Ecclesiastes 1:18, "The greater my wisdom, the gre...

The Futility of Earthly Pursuits "Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!" — Ecclesiastes 1:2 

Have you ever worked tirelessly to achieve something, only to find the excitement didn't last? Maybe it was a career milestone, a personal goal, or a big purchase. At first, it felt like the ultimate fulfillment. But before long, you were left wondering, Is this really all there is?

Solomon, the writer of Ec...

If we make a daily practice of the first four daily habits, after a while, others will ask us why we are doing what we are doing. We need to be able to answer in the first person.

Why Are You Doing This?

When you go beyond your job description and serve others, they will be curious. In their mind, they will try to understand your actions through worldly motives like “he’s just trying to get ahead.” But when your service springs fro...