Jesus is “acquainted with grief.” He understands your sorrows. When you are grieving, turn to your Heavenly Father. He knows you fully and completely. He is aware of your pain. He is with you.

Change can be hard because we become attached to our current situation. If you are being called to do something new but are being held back by your desire for sameness, pray about it. Ask God to help guide your thinking so that you can make the right decision and approach any upcoming transitions with the right attitude.

Charles Spurgeon said that Psalm 131 was “one of the shortest psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” In the psalm, David tells us that pride causes stress. When we surrender and let go of things outside of man’s understanding or control, we turn to God with humble hearts and trust Him with the faith of a child.

In the above verse Paul explains that if we live, we live for Jesus, and if we die, we die for Him—it all belongs to Him. You can find comfort knowing that if you devote yourself to your faith, all that your life is, every one of your accomplishments, and, your failures, too, belong to Him. Your life is filled with meaning because of Him.

The Bible is filled with verses about shade, shelter and taking refuge in the Lord. When stresses in your life heat up, remember that Jesus is your shade. He protects and shields you in the midst of trouble.

Make your time with God count. Don’t miss the deep meanings and direct messages from God that are in His Word by rushing through Scripture. Instead, slow your pace. Stop and take a moment when something touches your heart. Let it sink in and become part of you.

The Bible states that God is incomprehensible, yet He is knowable. How can that be? God is infinite and all powerful, yet, amazingly, He is personal and His love is intimate and individual with each and every person. Your relationship with Him is unique, unlike any other.

God’s word has tremendous power when it is hidden in your heart. The faith that no one else can see connects you to God and provides a strong foundation from which all other relationships can grow and flourish. Make it a point to memorize Scripture to strengthen your connection and help you live a faith-filled life.

Turn to the empowering Scripture above when you need encouragement to face difficult situations. Turn your focus to filling your heart with God’s strength. He won’t let you down.

Surrender can have a bad connotation in our culture: It can mean that you gave up or lost a battle. But when it comes to faith, surrendering to God is key to experiencing His love and mercy. Surrendering or offering yourself to Him, trusting and obeying His instructions even when they don’t make sense—these actions make you a winner in God’s eyes, for they are the heart of your faith.

It is easy to be distracted by technology—a second to check social media or email can turn into an hour of missed time with your family or enjoying the beauty that God has placed before you. Make a commitment to unplug during your vacation or family time—and keep it! You won’t regret being present in the precious moments that you share with your loved ones.