I see this all the time. Christian creators will drill it into your head that "you only have to win once" or push the "once saved, always saved" narrative. But the moment you fall into a season of repeated sin—when you are so drained, exhausted, and broken that you can barely pull yourself out of bed—those exact same people flip the script. They look down from their pedestals and tell you: "You aren't following God anymore. You should be ashamed." Let me make this crystal clear: Life is a continuous battleground. It is a brutal, daily struggle. You are bound to hit seasons so dark that sin feels like all you know, and God becomes your literal oxygen. I am zero percent impressed by people who wear a cross necklace just to broadcast a "perfect" life to the world. Anyone can fake a clean slate. Anyone can hide their secret battles. The people who actually impress me? - The ones who get back up, no matter the sin, the relapse, or the humiliation. - The ones who are brutally honest about their flaws and struggles. - The ones who stay consistent in the dirt, which most people are too proud to do. The greatest, most impactful people are not the ones who do it perfectly. They are the ones who remain consistent despite being imperfect. Keep fighting. Jesus loves you. 💪👑

Sometimes, we might try our hand at something we wanna do in life. That, or walking through life in general. Sure, even if you walk with god, you’re still gonna find storms, and a lot of em, in life. But the difference between having God in your storm compared to the opposite is that you have a foundation to lean on, even if said foundation is in your mind. Time and time again, this verse, Matthew 7:24-27 states that “Following Jesus’ Teachings is like a wise builder who built his foundation on the rock. The storm came, the winds blew, and the house still stood. But disregarding his teachings is like a foolish builder, who built his house on the sand. The same storm came, the winds blew, and how great was that crash!” Praying to god atleast gives us a mental net to push forward. He may not give you a lift, but he will show you the way.

Let me get to the point. I would like to start today’s message with the book of 1 Kings 19:1-8, where we see the prophet Elijah fleeing from the wrath of Queen Jezebel. Fearing for his life, Elijah ended up running into the wilderness alone. Weak, fearful, and distressed, Elijah said these very words while calling out to God: “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” I know that there’s someone out there who’s feeling like Elijah —no matter how much they pray, how many sermons they consume, or how much head knowledge they’ve gained about God— they feel like they are slowly deteriorating, so much so that they end up saying, “Heavenly Father, everything hurts. I don’t think I could move any longer.” If that someone is you, know that your story doesn’t end there and will never end there. After Elijah’s sorrowful prayer, God responded not with condemnation or contempt but by sending His angels to give Elijah bread, water, and rest. Scripture says the food “gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai.” Similarly, if we pour out all our emotions to God—our anguish, guilt, stress, weariness—God will provide the rest you need. Sometimes a moment of silence is all you need to truly feel the peace of God reverberate throughout your spirit.

Not everything’s going to go your way in life. It’s a broken world, after all. Sometimes, god uses it as a lesson, and sometimes that’s just the consequences of the world and/or your mistakes. Blaming yourself won’t help you entirely if you don’t do anything with it. Give yourself grace, and walk with the cane God gives you every day through his word. Slow doesn’t always mean shoddy. It just means you still have a long way to go.

"For though a righteous man falls 7 times, 7 times he rises once more, while the wicked stumble into calamity." I found this verse personally stuck out to me more than most of the other verses. For Monday and Tuesday, I've been trying to challenge the negative thoughts in my head, working just 1% more focused than yesterday, even if things seem pointless and that it would be "better to stay down". I slowly begin to realize that it isn't purely about the destination, but whether I could kill any regrets I might have in the future. I don't think that thought might rise when I pursue future endeavors, but hopefully it does.