READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:6-8; LUKE 15:1-7; 19:10; 1 PETER 1:3-9

When I was eleven, I marched with a school group in our town’s Christmas parade. We started near the football stadium and then marched through town. After two miles or so, we finished at the end of Main Street. As my friend Meredith watched the thinning crowd, her face drooped as much as her pom poms, and she began to cry. Feeling alone and scared, she wondered, Where’s my mom? How can she find me? What if I can’t find her?

As Meredith’s friends, we tried to reassure her. We told her that her mom knew where the parade ended and would come for her. We reminded her that her mom would look for her until she found her. We assured her that her mom would never, ever leave without her. And we were right. Meredith couldn’t see her mom when she needed comfort most, but her mother searched for her until she was reunited with her daughter. Then they went home together.

Meredith’s anxiety arose from not being able to see her mother. She didn’t stop believing her mom cared for her. But not being able to lay eyes upon her mother left Meredith feeling abandoned. Each of us can experience that same fear in our relationship with Jesus. When we put our trust in Him, believing in His death and resurrection, we are united with God. He becomes our Father, and we gain a new identity as His children. God loves us, and as a good Father, He promises never to leave us (John 10:28-29; Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 3:1).

Sometimes it seems like our worries would calm down if we could just see God, right? Though we can’t see Him with physical eyes, we can trust what the Bible teaches about Him: that He is with us. He loves us, He pursues us, and He will never let us go. • Allison Wilson Lee

• Can you think of a time you felt like God was far away? We all go through times like these, but God is eager to remind us of His love and nearness. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about how He has seemed distant and how that’s made you feel. In addition to talking to God, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to—people who can remind you of His presence with you? Are there any Bible verses that help you feel closer to God?

• After Jesus rose from the dead, He promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). He ascended into heaven and sent His Spirit to live in all believers (John 14:15-18, 26-27). How could it be encouraging to remember Jesus is always with us through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us?

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 119:105; ROMANS 8:33-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17; 1 PETER 5:8-9

As an old story goes, in the Old West, thieves trying to escape law enforcement would sometimes turn their horses’ shoes backwards. These “bank robber horseshoes” supposedly tricked investigators into assuming the criminals traveled on horseback in the opposite direction. With tracks from the horseshoes pointing one way—but the thieves traveling in the other—they hoped to evade capture. This deception allegedly sent officers of the law away from the robbers they tracked.

In my relationship with God, I notice Satan practices a similar kind of deceit. With his lies about who we are and who God is, Satan disguises untruth as truth and points us away from God.

When we trust in Christ, believing His death and resurrection provide forgiveness and eternal life, we become new creations. Our enemy, the devil, will remind us of past sins, accusing us and saying we’re not blameless in God’s sight. But in His Word, God says, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17). In Jesus, we don’t carry the burden of guilt any longer.

The Bible assures us nothing can separate us from God’s love once we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Yet our enemy wants to convince us that our mistakes and sins will leave God shaking His head at us in disgust. The enemy may highlight rejection we’ve experienced and nudge us to ask, “Who could ever love me?” Yet God’s Word reminds us we are His much-loved children (1 John 3:1). And Jesus always comes to seek and save us when we’re lost (Luke 19:10).

Scripture labels Satan as the “father of lies,” but Jesus is the Truth (John 8:44; 14:6). How will we know when our beliefs have followed the enemy’s deception down the wrong path? When our thinking doesn’t match up with what Scripture teaches about the character of God and about who we are in Christ. God’s Word directs us on the right path to keep us walking in truth, and the Holy Spirit lovingly guides us back to this truth again and again. • Allison Wilson Lee

• When have you been tempted to believe Satan’s lies about who you are or who God is? What past hurts or sin does the enemy remind you of as he attempts to derail you from the truth?

• Which Bible verses or passages can help you remember the truth? Who is a trusted Christian in your life who could help you find Scriptures like these? Remember, God has designed us to fight Satan’s lies in community, so we can always remind each other of what’s really true.

[Jesus said,] “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NIV)

READ: PROVERBS 15:31-33; HEBREWS 12:5-13

When we’ve done something wrong, and someone calls us out on it, what’s our response? Shrug it off? Refute their claims? Sink into shame or self-hatred? Or do we remind ourselves of our identity in Christ—as beloved, forgiven children of God—then take the time to think about what they’ve said and consider how to do better next time?

Friends, we are—by nature—not very good at accepting correction. We can get so wrapped up in our anger, defensiveness, and hurt that we miss out on what loving correction is supposed to be—a nudge onto a better path. As I put it to my youth group a few weeks ago, “Humility is in short supply.”

God puts people in our lives to encourage and support us, and also to call us out when we’re missing the mark or wandering down the wrong path.

There are plenty of examples in the Bible. Apollos didn’t have the full picture of the gospel, so Priscilla and Aquila explained God’s ways to him more fully in Acts 18:24-28. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan rebuked David for sinning when he used his power as king to have sex with Bathsheba and arrange for her husband’s death. In Exodus 18, Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, worried that Moses was overworking himself while he was settling disputes between the people of Israel, and Jethro proposed a new system.

All three of these leaders took the correction and went on to continue to follow God and see Him do amazing things! What about me and you? It’s so hard to accept correction with humility and grace, but as we lean on the Holy Spirit, with time and practice, we can get better at it. We can ask God to soften our hearts and open our eyes to see the whole truth—not just what we want to see. Correction isn’t supposed to tear us down—it’s supposed to build us up! It makes us wiser, stronger, and better equipped for what God has in store for us.

The next time you find yourself standing corrected, slow down, breathe, and take the time to think before you respond. Is the heart behind their advice or rebuke to hurt you, or to help you? Lean on Jesus, lay aside your pride, and learn to listen. That’s how we grow! • Hannah Ruth Johnson

• Can you think of a time when someone’s advice or correction has been helpful for you? Consider taking a moment to thank Jesus for that person and the advice they gave!

If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Proverbs 15:32 (NLT)