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b'I sat on the couch, overwhelmed. If only the fluffy pillows could shield me from all the decisions I had to make: what to do with my major, how to make a living, who to marry (scratch that\\u2014who to even date), how to help my friends who were making wrong choices, etc.\\nThankfully, as I\\u2019ve grown and matured, God has deepened my understanding of the good news of Jesus: I\\u2019m saved not only from the punishment my sin deserved but also from living in fear.\\nAs children of God in Christ, we come from a place of secure identity. We no longer have to live from a place of striving, but a place of rest. Jesus did our work for us on the cross. All we have to do is live into the truth of the gospel. And fun fact: we don\\u2019t even have to do that on our own. We have God\\u2019s Spirit, who has empowered us.\\nThe Holy Spirit provides joy even in the hard times (1 Thessalonians 1:6). He sees reality from the finish line. Even in the darkest times, when we rely on God\\u2019s Spirit rather than our own strength, there\\u2019s hope because He knows the ending.\\nIt\\u2019s easy to look at life from the viewpoint of the struggle: we\\u2019ve been hurt, those we love are hurting\\u2014so what is God doing? When we remember Jesus is the Victor over sin and death and is returning to make all things new, we have hope (Revelation 21:1-5). Even when we\\u2019ve been hurt, we know the ending is victory and God is working for our good and His glory even through the worst of situations (Romans 8:28).\\nThe gospel is powerful in the darkness because God embodies love. He is love. When we look at our circumstances through God\\u2019s Spirit instead of ours, we view them not from a place of dashed hope, but expectation. \\u2022 Sarah Rexford\\n\\u2022 The gospel changes how we see because it invites us to see things from God\\u2019s perspective, not our own. What circumstances do you need to fight to see from God\\u2019s perspective? \\n\\u2022 The gospel renews our whole mindset. How does this affect the way you interact with your circumstances? \\n\\u2022 Feelings of defeat don\\u2019t change the reality that we are victorious in Jesus. How does this free up your mindset to feast on truth rather than feed on lies? \\nBeing confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 139:13-14'