Reflection questions:
Are you filling your mind with things that draw you closer to God or things that distract you from Him? How might you invite Him to renew your mind (Romans 12:2)?
In what areas are you relying on your own intelligence and understanding to get you through, rather than trusting in God’s wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness to you?
Are there intellectual doubts or struggles that keep you from fully trusting God? How can you bring those to Him in faith rather than trying to solve them on your own?
Are there emotions—such as anxiety, fear, or anger—that feel overwhelming or unmanageable? What would it look like to surrender your emotional burdens to Him?
Are there past hurts or disappointments that still shape how you feel today? How might God be calling you to experience His healing and freedom?
How often do you allow God’s truth to influence your emotions, rather than letting circumstances or others dictate how you feel? What steps can you take to center your emotions on His promises?
Need help getting clarity? Check out this free LifeScore assessment.
Sample Prayer:
“God, transform my thinking so that I see the world through Your truth, not my fears or doubts. Help me to discern what is right and wise in a world full of distractions. Heal the wounds in my heart that I don’t even know how to express, and give me a peace that passes understanding, even when my circumstances don’t change.”
Hi, everybody. Pastor Chuck Allen here, and I want to thank you so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. Today we're launching a new series at Pastor Bobby and I will be walking through all the way to Easter. It's a series of 25 weekday podcasts entitled what Only God Can Do. You know, we live in an age of amazing human achievement. Walking on the moon, mapping human genomes, creating artificial intelligence. I mean, we can connect with anybody in the world with something that fits in the palm of our hand. But here's the deal. With all those advancements, with all the things we can do, there's still some things that only the creator of the universe can do. So the question that we want to ask both today and each of the 25 days that we're together is, well, what is that one thing or maybe multiple things in your life, maybe that you feel desperately that you need, that deep down you know only God can deliver in you and for you and through you. You can't do it on your own. Now, I don't want you to stay in some 50,000 foot ethereal space. I want you to get down to this thing that only God can do. It's tangible, it's real. It's something in my life that I face. And I need God's unique intervention in my life for this to happen. I have folks in my office on the regular that want to talk about, but I desperately need God to do something. But we don't ask him to do it. We don't trust him to do it. God tells us to come to him boldly. And that's what it's all about. What only can God do? Maybe intellectually, maybe it's like Romans 12:2, don't conform to the pattern in this world, but be transformed. How? By the renewing of your mind so you can know the perfect will of God. What about emotionally? Like when Paul writes to the Philippians in chapter four, don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your request to God and then you get the peace. What about physically? Like in First Corinthians 6, we're reminded that this is the body where the spirit lives. Or spiritually, how do we grow to become closer to God? Because we need help. What about in our marriage? What about his Ephesians 5? We can move from, you know, just being selfish to selfless. How do we move from being apart, building unity and faithfulness and truthfulness and honor and love as parents, how do we invite God into our world to help us equip to love and teach and guide our kids and his truth? And how do we model that grace in our homes? Not perfectly, but consistently. What about socially, in our meaningful relationships? How do we cultivate those? And let's don't forget practical areas like our money, our finances? What can God do to provide for our needs and teach us contentment and empower us to be generous? What about our work, our careers, our vocations, the gifts that we have been given by God to glorify Him? Or what about just in our hobbies, in our leisure time, finding joy and fulfillment and peace and rest? Well, you look at all that. And what I want us to grasp in this opening journey today is that this is about your intimate, personal relationship with God. When we ask, what is it that you need that only he can fulfill? We're inviting you into this deeper connection with your Creator.
Remember, y'all, it's how deeply personal God takes every concern in your life. Somehow, supernaturally, wondrously. Whatever is number one in your heart is number one in his heart for you. I mean, this is beautiful. When we ask, what is it that you need that only God can fill? This is about embracing what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:13, where he said, lord, you've examined my heart and you know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up, you know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home, you know everything I do. How incredible is that? The God that created the universe knows when you sit down and stand up that intimate knowledge should invite us into bringing the deepest, heaviest burdens we have directly to him. I mean, first Peter 5 says, give all your worries and cares to God. Why, though? Because. Because he cares for you.
I love that God doesn't tolerate our concerns. He treasures them. But hear me, friends. When we bring all those things to God, he begins a work in us. Isaiah says in chapter 43, verse 19 that he's about to do something new. He says, I've already begun. Don't you see it? God works within all of our circumstances, creating new pathways that none may have seen possible. But, friend, listen. He tells us in Hebrews 4:16, come boldly to his throne. He's a gracious God and when we do, he says there will receive we will receive mercy and we'll find grace to help us when we need it most. So today approach him with boldness and faith.
Maybe we want to look at some of these things in our life. And I want to encourage you. Would you go over to a really cool site called Easterand Sugarhill.com and click on the resource button? Following today's podcast is a series of reflective questions. Like the first one is, are you filling your mind with things that draw you closer to God or things that distract you from it? And how might you invite him in to renew your mind? And a series of other questions. And then there's also in there a link where you can click for a little life Score assessment to kind of feel how am I doing in my walk with God? What's the shortfall between where I am to where God wants me to be? So Lord, would you help transform our thinking so that we could see the world through your truth, not our own fears or doubts? God, would you help me discern what's right and wise in a world full of distractions? Would you heal my wounds and my heart that I don't even know how to express and give me a peace that really does pass understanding in our humanity and even when my circumstances don't change, reminder remind me that you're always good. You're always there for me. Lord, thank you for your love in Jesus name, Amen. Thanks again for joining me on the weekday podcast. Stay tuned as Bobby and I walk through 25 days of what only God can do. And don't forget to check out the website eastern sugarhell.com and click on the Resource tab. God bless you. Bye now.
