Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

God created you for a unique purpose. The truth is, we are all unique. Psalm 139:13-14 in the Bible says, For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Consider what your unique qualities are. Are you confident, charismatic, or do you pay special attention to detail? Then, consider how God might want to use you t...

Do you have a secret war in your mind, your thoughts, or imaginations? The workings of our thoughts can be a hidden battlefield. Maybe at times you feel you're winning. Other times invasive and destructive thoughts get the upper hand. You are not alone. Jesus knows your thoughts. The people around you may not understand, but He does. And He is kind, and He is powerful, and able to help you. The wr...

I recently spoke at a church in central Oregon. Afterwards, a young woman came up to me in tears and said that she really connected with my testimony. She’d attended church as a child but then went off into the world and never returned. She was involved in all sorts of spiritual exercises and self-help practices but her soul was troubled. St. Augustine said, You have made us for yourself, O Lord,...

Do you have a secret? Maybe something you've done that haunts you—maybe an addiction or a sin that no one knows about? And you are wrestling? I want to encourage you today. First, you can't hide from God. He knows everything you do and think. This shouldn't scare you, but comfort you. He knows it all, and He still loves you. Secondly, there's a way to deal with your sin, your failures, your intern...

Pick up a magazine or turn on the television. Walk down an aisle of a store or notice a billboard. There’s a common theme of making our lives “better” – more enjoyable, more comfortable, and more restful. Every human being has a desire for real peace and rest. But, the answer to finding true rest for your soul isn’t in any of our modern conveniences. It’s only in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, Come to...

Many religions of the world share a similar theme: when people do something forbidden, there must be a sacrifice to compensate for their wrongdoing, and that will restore them to a state of purity or rightness. The ancient people of God did that as well. Whenever someone sinned, a priest had to sacrifice an animal on their behalf to make them clean. The power of the animal sacrifice to make a pers...

Our world is currently experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. Though we feel a deep longing for connection, most of us would agree that good friends are hard to find. If you’re feeling lonely today, I want to encourage you, my friend. There is someone for you that loves you like no one else. He knows you even better than you know yourself, and He wants to be with you—even closer than a brother or...

Have you ever known something was wrong—but you just did it anyway? We all have! Ever since the first man and woman chose to reach for power rather than accept God’s boundaries—no person on the earth has ever succeeded at living a life without sin—except one. And that is Jesus. He lived a fully human life and yet He did not sin. Then, He gave Himself up as a sacrifice for you and for me—conquering...

What do you think of when you hear the word “authority”? Maybe you think of the government, the police, or an expert on a specific subject. There are many voices in this world telling us what we should do, what we must do. And when those messages conflict, it can be very confusing. But there is one voice we can count on above all others. In Matthew 28, we’re told… Jesus came and told his disciples...

This world is full of ideas and full of religions that promise to unlock meaning and life-changing truth. But most of these are just ideas that float around, and they come and they go, and they change over time. And they’re subject to the trends and whims of humans who are constantly searching for purpose. But there is One who stands over and above all of that. It is God. God is the one who made i...

Have you ever held a newborn baby? It’s the closest we humans come to experiencing the wonder of God’s creational power. And it’s amazing. Just like that, a new person exists with a whole life ahead of them. What a miracle life is! Creating new life out of nothing isn’t something we have the power to do, but it’s something God does all the time. He made the whole world—everything! The beginning ve...

What’s the most difficult struggle in your life right now? In our lifetimes, we all face trouble and tragedies that cause our hearts to ache. At times, in our discouragement, it may feel as though the enemy of our souls is the one in control of the whole world. But I want to encourage you, my friend, today—God is the one who made the world, and He is still on the throne! Psalm 24 says… The earth i...

Since the very beginning, God had a mission—to be with His people, blessing them—so that they could go bless the whole earth! That was His plan in the Garden of Eden. It began there, and it still is His plan today. Humanity has not been faithful, but mercifully, God keeps forgiving. He will not give up on His original plan—His people. In Matthew 26, Jesus offered a cup of wine to his disciples, sa...

When was the last time you looked up at the sky? The moving clouds and daily change of colors are amazing to watch. On the other hand, if we constantly keep our heads down, looking only at the next place our feet will step, we can easily be discouraged. Trouble comes. Bad news is abundant. And we can be tricked into thinking that the enemy of our souls—not God—is the one in charge of the world. Bu...

Do you ever feel stuck in an internal battle between right and wrong? There is a real struggle going on in the spiritual world of your life. The enemy, the adversary of your soul wants to trap you, destroy you, and keep you from God. But God is always drawing us to Himself—toward life, truth, freedom, and flourishing. But you may be wondering…if this is a spiritual battle, who’s going to win? In L...

Have you ever felt unworthy to come before the Lord in worship? No matter what is going on in your life, you will always be welcomed by God—to come before Him in worship. The qualifications for worshiping in the presence of God used to be steep. Psalm 24:3-4 says, Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship...

We get questions from all over the world—people wondering, How do I worship God? What should I do? God has given us so much freedom in the way we worship. He’s not concerned about whether we sit or stand, sing or pray silently, kneel or dance. The important thing about worshipping God is that we acknowledge this truth—He is God, and we are not. Psalm 95 says, Come, let us worship and bow down. Let...

There are so many different ways to worship God. Some sing, some pray, some honor Him through generosity or service. These are all beautiful and valid ways to worship God. And you can do these by yourself…but there is something so special about worshipping God together. Did you know that the book of Psalms in the Bible is like an ancient songbook? Historians tell us that the Psalms were sung by Go...

Did you know that when you worship God, you are never worshipping by yourself? Even if you’re alone in your car, singing along to worship music on your way to work, or at home humming and praying as you get ready for the day…something powerful is happening.  There are others singing with you! It is a beautiful truth that…at any given time, somewhere in the world, other believers in the global chur...

Have you ever wondered why God wants us to worship Him? He has all the power in the universe, so why would it matter to Him whether we bring Him our love? He wants us to worship Him because He is holy and He is worthy. He is so deserving of reverence and honor that not worshipping Him would violate creation’s very design. God is the only one who can rightly say—worship me!...with no hint of arroga...

If you ask a young child what job they want to have when they grow up, they usually dream big, right? They say things that may seem outlandish to us: I want to lead this country! I want to be a soccer star or a football star. I want to be a rock and roll star! Their dreams are big because they can sense that their life has a great purpose. But as we grow up, disappointment and rejection can erode...

Have you ever believed a lie? Maybe you were told that you’re unlovable. Maybe you felt unlovable. Maybe you’ve believed that your existence is even a mistake. Lies we are told, and lies we even tell ourselves—cause our very identity—the way we view ourselves in the world—to become distorted from reality. The more we listen to them, the more our hearts are imprisoned by them. But God does the oppo...

“I can do it myself!” If you’re a parent, you remember that phase—when your children were young toddlers, and they did NOT want help from Mom and Dad. Children need to test their own skills and powers to discover what they can do all by themselves. As parents, we want to let our kids try new things, but sometimes it just takes too long, or it’s too dangerous and we have to step in. Kids need paren...

Do you feel distracted today? The things of life always call out for our attention. But a life spent scrambling from one thing to the next is not what we were made for. Sometimes we have to STOP and remind ourselves… We are made to worship God. To bring Him all our affection. David wrote in Psalm 103: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Did you notice how David is...

Who is the most powerful leader you can think of? Maybe it’s the president of a country, a business owner, or a celebrity. Now, imagine that person coming to your house and washing your laundry. It would never happen! But Jesus used His great power to become… like a servant—because He is our humble king. In Philippians 2, the Bible says that Jesus did not cling to His divine power. He relinquished...