How do you see to navigate the darkness of this sinful and broken world? When you are overwhelmed by the darkness, what gives you hope and direction and illuminates your way?

When darkness falls suddenly upon you, remember the light always pierces through.

The Apostle John wrote, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5, ESV).

We can have hope in the shadows and in the darkness of this world, because in Jesus, we have the light of life. The light of Jesus pierces through the darkness and illuminates our way.

What do you hold on to in your suffering? How do you hold on in your suffering?

When we feel like we cannot hold on in the middle of our suffering, we need to find hope to hold on to, and a strong rescuer to hold on to us when we feel we could let go.

The Apostle Paul assured the Roman church in their suffering, saying, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, ESV).

What do you need to do to prepare the way for God in your life? How do you need to make the pathway to God straight and level in your life?

The season of Advent is a season of repentance and fasting. Advent is “a little Lent”, a time of repentance and preparation. Advent is a time of confession and readying for the arrival of the messiah—Jesus Christ.

God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah, saying, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.’” (Isaiah 40:3-4, ESV).

What is the greatest gift that has ever been given? What is the greatest gift you have ever received from someone?

Not all gifts are created equal. A gift can be given and not received. A gift is not fully appreciated until it has been both given and received. We cannot benefit from, experience, or enjoy a gift we have not received.

In John’s gospel, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV).

This is God’s gift—his love for the world. God loves the world so much that he gave.

What did God give to express his love for the world? God gave his only son.

How can we have God’s peace in the presence of evil? When we are living in a broken world, occupied and influenced by evil, how do we trust God and have peace?

Jesus taught us to pray in The Lord’s Prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13, ESV).

There are temptations and there is evil in the world, but God will lead us through our temptation and will deliver us from evil when we come to him in prayer.

We can have God’s peace, even in the presence of evil, knowing that God will lead us and God will deliver us when we cry out to him.

Have you ever felt lonely, discouraged, or downcast? Are you feeling this way now?

The holiday season can bring up many emotions for people. For some, it is a time of joy and celebration. For others, it can be a time of loneliness, discouragement, and downheartedness.

Recent research from “The Loneliness Epidemic”, written by behavioral scientist Susan Mettes, shows that 19% of Baby Boomers report feeling lonely for at least some of each day. For Generation X, this number rises to 33%. And for the Millennial Generation, it reaches a staggering 46%. At baseline people are feeling lonely and disconnected.

While we may feel loneliness, feel discouragement, and feel downcast, especially during the holiday, we are not alone. God is with us. There are others who are experiencing, and who understand, what we are going through, because they are going through it too. We are not alone.

What is the most important word you can hear, listen to, and obey?

Wisdom is important and most of us seek a wise word that we can hear and put into practice for the greater benefit of our lives.

The most important word we can look for and listen to hear is the word of God. The Bible communicates God’s most precious and holy word to us. God’s word is sure, is valuable, and is beneficial for teaching us, rebuking us, correcting us, and training us in all that is right and good. God’s word helps to complete us and prepares us to do good work in the world.

The Apostle Paul wrote his young disciple, Timothy, saying, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).

Where do you find the comfort you need in difficult times? How do you pray in the midst of your hardship? Where does your guidance come from to navigate the road ahead?

There can be seemingly insurmountable difficulties in this fallen and broken world. We look for peaceful living. We look for consolation in hardship. We look for God’s good grace to help us in our time of need.

God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah, saying, “For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.” (Isaiah 30:19. ESV).

God gives us a peaceful dwelling of comfort when we come to him. God hears us when we pray to him. When we call out to God, he answers us in our affliction.

How blessed is your seeing and your hearing? What is it that you are looking to see? What is it that you are listening to hear?

We are all looking to see and to hear from God in some way in our lives. We are all looking to see and listening to hear something transcendent. We are looking to see God. We are listening to hear from God.

In the days of the Old Testament, the history of God’s people, prophets and kings were looking for the coming messiah and listening to hear from heaven from God.

In Luke’s gospel account, Jesus turned to his disciples privately and said to them, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23-24, ESV).

When you fail to meet God’s standards and God’s best for life, how do you move forward? What do you do with your guilt? How do you seek God and find the restoration you need to go on?

We all fall short of God’s best for us. We fall short of God’s standards. We fall short of God’s holiness and God’s hopes for us. We miss the mark.

The Psalmist reminds us of God’s faithful promise, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103: 12, ESV).

Where does your security and protection come from? Where can you find the refuge you need in times of trouble?

Our perfect security, our refuge, and our protection is found in God alone.

The Psalmist writes, “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalm 59:16, NIV).

God gives us the strength and the love that we need in the midst of our hardship. God is our protective fortress when we are assaulted by our enemies. God is our refuge when we are surrounded by troubles of all kind.

Where does your peace come from? What is the outcome of the peace God gives you?

True and lasting peace comes from God. It is God’s peace that gives us the true and lasting rest we long for and so desperately need.

The Psalmist writes, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8, NIV).

God allows us to rest in safety, as God gives us the peace we need to lie down in his security.

Are you comfortable with waiting? Are you sure in the face of uncertainty? Do you grow impatient with the journey of life? Do you grow weary in the waiting? What hope and healing do you need as you travel along the way?

God meets his children in their need as we journey along the way. God is at work as we are traveling along the way. God is working in our waiting. There is hope for healing as we journey through this life.

Unique to Luke’s Gospel account is Jesus’ healing of ten lepers as he was on the way to Jerusalem. Luke tells us, “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’” (Luke 17:11-13, ESV).

What causes you to worship God and to be in awe of him?

When we consider our great God and his great benefits, we are compelled to worship. God is worthy of our worship, not only for who God is, but for all that God has done to create us and to bless us.

The Psalmist writes, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 130:1-5, ESV).

What role does gratitude have in our worship? How is thanksgiving and worship connected?

You can tell a lot about the state of your relationship with Jesus by how thankful you are. Thanksgiving is an act of worship. Thanksgiving expresses our love to God.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Ephesus, saying, “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-21, ESV).

What all do you have to be thankful for? Is it possible to be thankful in every circumstance?

We have so much to be thankful for in this life.

As followers of Jesus, we can be thankful for our God and his salvation through Jesus Christ. We are also called to be thankful in all circumstances. Rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving encompass the will of God for the follower of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote the Thessalonians, saying, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).

When is a good time to be thankful? Is there a bad time to be thankful, or to express thanksgiving?

Being thankful is extremely important. As followers of Jesus, we have so much to be thankful for and we are called to express our thanksgiving to God. Giving thanks is an act of worship and expresses our gratitude to God.

The chronicler proclaimed, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV).

Who rules and reigns over your life? Who governs this world and your life?

We are all ruled by something or someone. The question is, “Who is your king? Who rules over you? Whose kingdom do you belong to?”

Jesus spoke in John’s Gospel and proclaimed, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36).

Who we see as our king, and where we see his kingdom, effects how we live and make decisions in our lives.

How do you find the strength to strain forward in the face of challenges and adversity? How do you find the courage to fail forward when you fall or fail in the face of misfortune?

We will never finish the course if we stop or quit when we encounter trials or hardships.

As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Or, as the Apostle Paul wrote the church in Philippi, “I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, ESV).

How are you guided through this life? Where do you get your direction and guidance from? How are you sure of which way to go?

We are all guided along life’s path through different means. It is God’s guidance that should ultimately guide the follower of Jesus. We need to be guided by God’s Spirit.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Rome, saying, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14).

We know that we are God’s children when we are being led by God’s Spirit.