6.8.2025 Word from the Pastor

Life is full of ups and downs. And there are moments when our minds don’t follow where our hearts are. I’ve noticed that even in my own life, it’s sometimes hard to feel motivated, hard to find purpose. Even though you know the truth or you’ve been through similar situations in the past, it can still be difficult to find the strength to overcome.

Last week in particular, I could tell I was holding a tension in my heart. It was one of those moments when I began to feel something was off inside. And even though I knew that wasn’t where I was supposed to be—nor should I have been dwelling on negative thoughts—I couldn’t help but feel that way.

I think the Bible is very clear that there are no perfect characters. No one has ever lived such a flawless life that they never faced seasons of difficulty or doubt. Even Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, who saw the power of God and fire come down from heaven to consume his enemies, found himself weary and afraid for his life, asking the Lord to take it. We too go through seasons of ups and downs. But what’s important is how we handle those moments.

As I felt that something was off, my mind naturally wanted to stay in the sadness. I could feel my thoughts pulling me deeper into discouragement, telling me things like, “You should feel bad,” or “Just stay in your feelings.” Even though that wasn’t the full picture, I was believing the lies and let myself sink into them. On the way home, I just wanted to be alone, so I parked and sat in my car.

Then all of a sudden, I caught myself thinking—what am I doing? It was absurd how much my heart was trying to convince me to sit in sadness and think about how bad everything was. I had completely forgotten about the things I should be thankful for, the things that are actually good in my life. And that’s when this verse came to mind:

2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

It says we destroy arguments and opinions that go against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive. In that moment, it felt like the Holy Spirit was reminding me—take your thoughts captive into obedience to Christ. I was reminded that those negative thoughts and emotions were not meant to linger in my heart. Instead of sitting in them, I needed to surrender them to the Lord.

We are in a constant spiritual battle. The enemy comes to kill and destroy. Ephesians 6 reminds us that we are fighting not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and cosmic powers. It is the enemy’s desire to keep us down, to feed us lies, and to stop us from overcoming. But the way forward is by putting on the belt of truth and picking up the sword of the Spirit. We fight by capturing our thoughts and proclaiming what is true.

Again, I was reminded that I must surrender my thoughts to God. I must surrender my emotions and take that step forward. Because it’s that one step forward that leads us to life. God isn’t looking for polished, perfect Christians. He uses broken believers so that his glory can shine. He takes our weaknesses so that his strength may be seen through us.

So we keep walking by faith, step by step, day by day, following the Lord.

Let us truly surrender everything, so we can encounter and meet with the Lord. Amen.