God Writes The Best Stories (Left It In The River)

God Is Telling The Truth (Kingdom Heroes) Day 1 of 5

From Kingdom Heroes by Tony Evans on YouVersion “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) Before we look closely at the lives who modeled faith as told in Hebrews 11, I want to give you a simple definition of faith: Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. It’s basing  actions on the belief that what He says is true. Faith isn’t merely feeling like God is telling the truth. Nor is it saying God is telling the truth. It is acting like God is telling the truth. “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV) This faith walk is to be done without the requirement of prior visible, empirical evidence to validate it. It is rather to be based on the integrity of God. Faith always includes movement and actions aligned with what you believe to be true. Unless your faith makes it all the way down to your feet, it’s not faith. Rather, it’s an intellectual concept that hasn’t been mixed with action, and nothing concrete will show up in your life. Exercising faith takes God’s involvement in your life from a theory in your mind to a reality in your life. A number of years ago, the church where I serve installed motion-detector lighting, where the lights come on only when motion is detected. Similarly, God will give you the power and light you need when you need it, but He’ll wait until He detects motion on your part. If there’s no movement in faith, there’s no power in your life. God is real. He has great power. But He will not manifest that power in the ways you need Him to until He sees the motion of your life in faith. If there is no movement, His power lies dormant even though it’s there to be accessed at any time. It’s in living a life of faith that we gain God’s approval. “This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:2) Here’s another way I define faith: Faith is acting like it’s so even when it’s not so, in order that it might be so simply because God said so. It is in living a life of faith, just like the kingdom heroes examined throughout this plan, that we gain God’s approval (Hebrews 11:2).

Turning Setbacks Into Comebacks (The Shift That Changes Everything) Day 5 of 5

From The Shift That Changes Everything by Ted Pagel Jr. on YouVersion If there’s anything my life has taught me, it’s this: setbacks are not the end of your story. They often feel final, painful, or discouraging, but God has a way of turning what looks like defeat into the very soil where new beginnings grow. Some of the greatest breakthroughs in my life came right after seasons I thought would break me. I’ve faced times when dreams died, relationships fractured, or opportunities slipped through my fingers. In those moments, I wondered if God had forgotten me. But as I look back, I can see how every setback became a setup for something better—not because the pain vanished instantly, but because God was quietly shaping me in the middle of it. The apostle Paul understood this better than anyone. He faced beatings, imprisonment, persecution, betrayal, and constant danger, yet he wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed…struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). His confidence didn’t come from his circumstances; it came from knowing God was working through them. He believed his struggles were producing a glory that far outweighed the pain. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. – Romans 8:18 NIV I’ve found that to be true. When I’ve walked through adversity, God has used those seasons to refine me, redirect me, and rebuild parts of my life that had been neglected. Sometimes He closed doors I was never meant to walk through. Sometimes He strengthened my character in ways success never could. Sometimes He positioned me for assignments I would not have accepted without the struggle. The world sees setbacks as evidence that you’ve failed. God sees them as opportunities to deepen your faith, strengthen your resilience, and prepare you for the next chapter. He’s not finished writing your story, and He hasn’t wasted anything you’ve walked through—not one tear, one disappointment, or one delay. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV If you’re in a setback season right now, take heart: God specializes in comebacks. Even when you can’t see the path forward, He is working behind the scenes. You might feel struck down, but you are not destroyed. You are being shaped for something greater than you can imagine. Hold on. Keep trusting. Your comeback is already in motion. Ready to take the next step? In The Shift That Changes Everything, I share the full journey, including deeper teaching, more personal stories, and practical tools to help you walk with resilience in every season. Get the book and additional resources at TedPagelMinistries.org.

Dealing With Difficult People (The Shift That Changes Everything) Day 4 of 5

From The Shift That Changes Everything by Ted Pagel Jr. on YouVersion If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s this: we will encounter difficult people. They show up at work, in families, in friendships, and sometimes even in church. Early in my life, I thought the solution was to avoid them, fix them, or outmaneuver them. But over the years, God’s taught me that dealing with difficult people begins with something much harder: letting Him deal with me. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:46-48 NIV Jesus is my model here. When I read the Gospels, I see Him interacting with every kind of person: the broken, the proud, the hostile, the needy, the self-righteous, the outcast. He was incredibly patient with the disciples, who constantly misunderstood His mission. He loved tax collectors and sinners, people society rejected. He spoke truth to the Pharisees whose hearts were hard. And He reached out to the sick, the lonely, and even the dead. Every interaction showed the same thing: He never lost sight of who He was or who they could become. That truth has reshaped how I deal with difficult people. Most of the time, their behavior isn’t about me at all. Pain has a way of shaping people, and often someone’s harshness, anger, or unpredictability is rooted in wounds I can’t see. Understanding that doesn’t excuse their actions, but it helps soften my attitude so I can respond rather than react. Responding requires self-control; reacting is automatic. Responding means pausing, praying, and choosing wisdom instead of emotion. Reacting often means I’m letting someone else’s attitude dictate mine. I can’t control someone else’s actions, but I can control my response. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:18 NIV Boundaries are also crucial. Jesus loved people deeply, but He wasn’t afraid to walk away from harmful situations or speak hard truths. Love and wisdom work together. Setting boundaries doesn’t mean you’re unkind; it means you value peace, clarity, and emotional health enough to guard them. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:12-13 NIV When I remember how Jesus loved me when I was difficult, broken, and far from Him, it becomes easier to extend grace to those who frustrate me. His love transforms my attitude, giving me patience, compassion, and strength to navigate complicated relationships with wisdom.

The Illusion Of Control (The Shift That Changes Everything) Day 3 of 5

From The Shift That Changes Everything by Ted Pagel Jr. on YouVersion For a long time, I thought I could control far more than I actually could. Maybe you’ve been there too, believing that if you plan well enough, work hard enough, or pray long enough, everything will fall into place exactly the way you want it to. But life has a way of reminding us that we’re not as in control as we think. Years ago, psychologist Ellen Langer wrote about “the illusion of control,” the belief that we can influence outcomes even when those outcomes are clearly beyond our reach. There are people who get frustrated, angry, and overwhelmed because life didn’t follow their script. Those who need everything to go perfectly rarely enjoy the peace God offers. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. – Proverbs 21:5 NIV The truth is, we can plan, prepare, and make wise decisions, and the Bible encourages us to do exactly that. Proverbs tells us that diligence leads to plenty, counsel brings stability, and wisdom helps us understand the right path. But even the best plans can hit dead ends. Even the strongest strategies can unravel. Even the most faithful prayers can seem to go unanswered. It’s in those moments that God gently but firmly reminds me: You were never meant to carry the weight of controlling every outcome. Control is exhausting. Surrender is freeing. Scripture says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8–9). That isn’t meant to discourage us; it’s meant to comfort us. God sees what I can’t see. He knows what I don’t know. His plan is always bigger, wiser, and more loving than anything I could have orchestrated. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV The more I release my need for control, the more I experience God’s peace. The less I cling to my own plans, the more I see His plans unfold. Letting go isn’t losing; it’s trusting.

Life Is Unfair (The Shift That Changes Everything) Day 2 of 5

From The Shift That Changes Everything by Ted Pagel Jr. on YouVersion Life doesn’t always play fair. I learned that early. There were many days growing up when I wondered why I got such a raw deal. Why did I have to grow up in a dysfunctional home? Why was my father an alcoholic? Why was he so cruel to my mother? Why were we so poor? I didn’t ask for any of it, and I certainly didn’t deserve it. Maybe you’ve felt that way too. Maybe you’ve looked at your life, your circumstances, or your past and thought, “This isn’t fair.” Psalm 73 describes a man named Asaph who felt the same way. He tried to live with integrity, but it seemed like those who didn’t care about God had it easier. He said, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain…for all day long I have been plagued” (Psalm 73:13–14). I’ve echoed those words myself. But as I grew older, I began to see that even in unfair seasons, God was doing far more than I understood. My father’s story, for example, didn’t begin with him. It stretched back to his own childhood, where he claimed he was beaten by his father “until the blood ran down his legs.” Pain often has a history, and brokenness is usually passed down unless someone lets God redeem it. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NIV That realization helped me stop seeing my life only through the lens of injustice and begin seeing it through the lens of God’s hidden purposes. God was forming resilience in me, compassion in me, and a deeper dependence on Him that I couldn’t have gained any other way. The Bible is full of people who faced overwhelming unfairness; Jesus Himself endured the greatest injustice of all. Yet every one of them discovered that God was still faithful, still present, still working. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” – Job 1:21 NIV You may not understand the why behind your circumstances—and you don’t have to. What matters is the Who behind your story. God is just. He sees what you’ve endured. And He promises that one day, every unfair thing will be made right. Until then, trust Him, even when life feels unfair.