David knew that when it feels like God is far from us, the best remedy is remembering who God is and how He has worked on our behalf before. What are your mental photographs of God’s faithfulness? What are your memory stones? Do you have verses underlined in your bible, have you written down answered prayers, do you have a tattoo or a special trinket on a bookshelf to help you remember a way that God has provided for you?

About six months ago, I noticed one of my pavers popping up higher than those around it. I thought it might be an anomaly, but it kept getting worse and eventually became a tripping hazard. I didn’t know exactly what was under the paver causing it to pop up, but I suspected it was an evil root plotting to destroy my cool sidewalk. Yesterday, I decided to find out.

This operation required the right tools to remove the pavers and cut out the evil root. Then I had to bring in fresh soil to replenish what the root had displaced and carefully put the paver back in place. After I did all of that, I again have a beautiful sidewalk.

This is so much like life as a Christian!

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…?”

And as the new resident, the Holy Spirit has the ultimate goal of perfecting us – of getting rid of the tripping hazards in our hearts. However, to do so, he has to cut out all the evil that has rooted itself inside and which plots to destroy our lives.

When you left your home for work today, if you left at all, did you do so with excitement and exhilaration or with dread and depression? Do you ever ask - what's the point of work? Many see work as a necessary evil used to get what we want. Is it the same in God's eyes?

Are you stressed? Are financial pressures causing you to eat too much? After watching the evening news do you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders? When you look at your calendar of video meetings, are you burdened by the unending tasks? Maybe it’s the uncertainty of the future that keeps you up at night.

At the Holiday's, emotional hurt is amplified and multiplied. Think about the people you know who have lost a child, a parent, a spouse, or a best friend in the last year. The Holiday blues are a thing.