Tag Archive | "Nelson Searcy"

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CLERGY CORNER: How to use your words for good

Posted on 29 October 2015 by LeslieM

The words you speak every day carry more power than you realize. They have the potential to take your life – and the lives of those around you – in either a positive or a negative direction. To use your words for good, you must first begin focusing on certain categories of words while working to eliminate others from your vocabulary altogether.

Specifically, decide to create a habit of speaking words of praise and encouragement. At the same time, choose to steer clear of any kind of gossip or complaining. When you do, you will see a positive difference in your life and in the effect you have on other people. Here’s a quick look at each of these types of words to help you get started:

Praise – Words of praise shift your attention away from selfishness and toward God’s goodness. Try starting every day by praising God for who He is and for the blessings in your life. Let those words settle into your heart and become part of the wellspring you speak from for the rest of the day.

Encouragement – Everyone needs encouragement. As you begin speaking from a God-focused heart, encouraging words will come naturally. You will begin seeing other people as God sees them, which will make you want to use your words to help them grow in that direction. When you stop focusing on others’ shortcomings and, instead, become a source of encouragement, you are cooperating with God in building them into the people He wants them to be.

On the negative side of the equation, there are two major categories of words that can sabotage your life and your relationships. Speaking these words is like ingesting small, daily doses of poison:

Gossip – Gossip, in all forms, is destructive. Not only does it tear others down, it also deteriorates people’s trust in you. When you gossip, you are engaging in an activity that has no possible end result but harm. Others are hurt, and the noxious words seep into your soul, creating internal toxicity.

Complaints – Complaints become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you feed the small irritations in your life with words, they will grow into more substantial problems. The energy you spend focusing on them gives them heightened potential to derail your best life.

Nelson Searcy is the founding and lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. Sunday services are held at 9:30 and 11 a.m. www.bocajourney.com.

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CLERGY CORNER: Family Matters

Posted on 30 July 2015 by LeslieM

One evening recently, my wife and I stopped into a small boutique shop in our neighborhood after dinner.

While browsing, I spotted a decorative plaque that read: Remember, as far as anyone knows, we are a nice, normal family.

The shopkeeper noticed my chuckle and said the plaque had been a huge seller.

My interest was piqued. I went home and did some research on the licensing of this quote. Turns out, it’s being printed on everything from coasters to clocks, and sales have skyrocketed in the last few years.

Why do so many people relate to the sentiment? Because, deep down, we all feel like our families aren’t what they should be.

There are skeletons in our closets. There are old scars and new wounds left by broken marriages, wayward children and countless disappointments.

Most of us even worry at one point or another that our families may border on being (gasp) dysfunctional. So we do our best to portray a nice, normal image to the on-looking world.

Here’s some comforting news: Every family is dysfunctional. The question is to what degree?

Family can be a source of support and grounding, but it can also be a hotbed for conflict and unresolved tensions. Thankfully, there are steps you and I can take to help keep our families strong and filled with love:

Focus on God – Establish your family on a solid foundation by focusing on God.

Start by taking time to pray together every day. If you aren’t in the habit of praying as a family, it may be awkward at first. Don’t let that stop you. The cliché is true: The family that prays together stays together.

Forgive Quickly – Every family is made up of flawed human beings. You’re not perfect and neither are those closest to you, so you aren’t going to get through life without being hurt. Decide to forgive your family members of their wrongs quickly. Showing grace and allowing for each other’s mistakes is the oil that keeps the machinery of family running.

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Prioritize Quality Time

Investing time in family members is essential to deepening relationships and keeping things on course. Build more family time into your routine:

Have Dinner Together. Several times per week, have dinner as a family.

The dinner table is where community is built.

Celebrate Successes and Special Occasions: Birthdays, graduations, weddings and holidays are powerful times to reconnect with family and focus on God’s blessings.

You and I have a responsibility to create healthy families, but we have to simultaneously turn them over to God. We can build foundations, but we can’t control outcomes.

As we put God first and then let go and trust him to work out his purposes, He will.

In the process, he’ll build strong, beautiful families who display his unconditional love to the world.

I would love for you to join me at The Journey – Boca Raton this Sunday at 9:30 or 11 a.m., as we continue our teaching series about a guy who knew a few things about family dysfunction and other hardships, Joseph: From Pit to Pinnacle.

As our guest, you’ll receive a free copy of Unshakable: How to Stand Strong Through Life’s Storms – an essential guide to weathering the inevitable difficulties we all face. Visit www. bocajourney.com for more details. I hope to see you there!

Nelson Searcy is the founding pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton.

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CLERGY CORNER: Are You Talking to Yourself?

Posted on 30 April 2015 by LeslieM

By Nelson Searcy

Go to any metropolitan city in the world – and even some not so metropolitan – and you will inevitably see someone walking down the street talking to himself.

Your tendency is probably to pity him for being disturbed. The irony is that you carry on conversations with yourself all the time, too – just not usually aloud.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you talk to yourself all day every day through the thoughts you allow to fill your mind. So what are you saying to yourself? Are your thoughts working for you or against you?

Everything you choose to do or not do, say or not say, starts with the seed of thought. Your entire life is an outgrowth of what goes on in your mind. So getting a handle on the words no one hears but you is key to creating the life you are meant to live. Here are three practical steps to help you adopt better thinking:

1. Listen to your internal dialogue. Tune in to the script that’s constantly running in your own head. Too often, your thoughts and mine are on autopilot. We don’t give them much consideration. Or worse, we forget that we are their masters and we let them have their way with us. Remember:

You can’t always control the thoughts that pop into your head, but you can control what you do with them.

Thoughts only have as much power as you give them.

It’s not a sin to have a false or tempting thought pass through your mind. Let it go. The sin comes when you choose to indulge that thought, either by dwelling on or acting on it.

2. Take every thought captive. When God is working in your life, he will fill you with peace, love and joy. Those gifts will be thwarted if you refuse to let them take root and influence your thoughts. It’s up to you to resist habitual thought patterns and instead match your brain to what God is doing in your spirit. Be intentional about trapping and disposing of thoughts that don’t line up with his truth.

3. Replace old thinking with new. As you eliminate thoughts that don’t benefit you, replace them with new ones that do. Fill the newly vacant space in your mind with a more positive internal dialogue. There’s more than one way to think about every situation and event in your life. When you choose to see the positive, you are agreeing with God’s perspective – you are agreeing with his view of you, your circumstances and the people he has put around you. That alone will propel you toward a fuller, happier life.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10 we’ll be celebrating the special day by providing free family portraits for everyone who attends. The Journey Church meets 9:30a.m. or 11a.m. at Boca Raton Community High School. There will be special programming for Kidz birth thru 5th grade too. For more, see www.bocajourney.com. I would love to see you there!

Nelson Searcy is the author of 13 books and serves as the founding pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton.

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CLERGY CORNER: Why your words MATTER

Posted on 29 January 2015 by LeslieM

The words you speak on a daily basis are powerful. They carry more weight than you may realize. Not only do they shape your thinking and, therefore, determine your actions, they also direct your relationships, your accomplishments, and, ultimately, define your reality. Still, it’s easy to underestimate the significance of words because they are so commonplace. You are immersed in them on a daily basis like a fish in water.

Stepping back and choosing to see the power and impact of your linguistic habits takes intentionality. But, when you are able to do just that, you’ll begin to realize that every word you say has the ability to change your life for better or for worse. The first step in using what comes out of your mouth to create the life you’ve imagined is to recognize three essential truths about the nature of words:

1. Words are a gift from God. The ability to use words at all is a gift from God. He was the first one to harness the creative force of words – and he has entrusted you with the same ability to use words to create the world around you. Given the substantial nature of this gift, you can’t just throw your words around any old way you please; they contain too much power and carry with them too much responsibility.

2. Words can build up or tear down. As a kid, you probably chanted the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Even though it sounds good in theory, the phrase is just plain wrong. Words can hurt. I bet you don’t have any problem remembering the last harsh words that were spoken to you, or the last encouraging words you received. Other people’s words have incredible impact on your heart, as do your words on theirs. Keep this in mind as you speak to your spouse, your children, your friends and your coworkers.

3. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your words. Words aren’t neutral. Every word that goes out has a consequence attached to it. How you speak to the people in your life will determine the quality of those relationships. How well you communicate with God through prayer will determine the quality of your connection with him. Your internal dialogue with yourself will determine the quality of your actions and interactions each day. When you consider all of these things together, it naturally follows that the quality of your very life is created by the words you speak. Using your words intentionally is crucial to living the life you’ve imagined.

As you become more conscious of the way you use language, you can begin to take advantage of its power to shape the life you want. In the process, you will be able to stop inadvertently sabotaging others and yourself with words that do nothing to help you.

To explore the power and significance of your words in more depth, be sure to check out my new book, Tongue Pierced: How the Words You Speak Transform the Life You Live (David C. Cook, 2015). Pick up your copy at Amazon. com, a book retailer near you or by visiting The Journey Church in Boca Raton. We would love to see you at our 9:30 or 11 a.m. service this Sunday! The Journey Church meets at Boca Raton High School.

Nelson Searcy is the author of 13 books and serves as the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. www.bocajourney.com.

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CLERGY CORNER: Embracing Failure

Posted on 30 October 2014 by LeslieM

The word failure is full of negative connotations. It’s connected with so many other off-putting words – words like disappointment, inadequacy and inferiority. But, what if I told you that, when it comes to failure, you have been sold a bill of goods? That failure, when viewed from the right perspective, is actually a positive thing – a necessary element in all of your achievements? Would you believe it?

The truth is that failure is the primary building block of every success you’ve ever had. When you were learning to walk, you fell down countless times. Each time you got back up, you were sturdier. The first time you played baseball, you whiffed every ball, but, with practice, you began making contact. When you started driving, you didn’t whip right into your first parallel parking space, did you? You had to back up and try it again.

Life is a process of growing through the failures that shape your ability to succeed. The key is to have the right perspective. If you see failure as a dead end, it will destroy you. If you see it as a stepping-stone to greater things, it will be just that. As the famed American soccer player Kyle Rote, Jr. once said, “There is no doubt in my mind that there are many ways to be a winner, but there is really only one way to be a loser and that is to fail and not look beyond the failure.”

With every failure, you have a choice: you can either use it as an excuse to give up or you can let it grow you up. If you will choose to concentrate on growth, your failure can become a catalyst for moving you closer to the life God has in store. He will use the experience to get you ready for something greater in your future. To help you get there, take these four steps when failure strikes:

1.) Face the emotions associated with your failure. Don’t be surprised by the intense emotions that come along with a setback – and don’t ignore them. Acknowledge the feelings of fear, anger, blame or shame barraging you and make an effort to work through them. Get to the other side so you can focus on the future.

2.) Allow your failure to draw you closer to God. Failure doesn’t separate you from God. He is not disappointed in you and he’s not pointing an “I told you so” finger in your direction. Rather, God wants to use your failure to draw you deeper into his presence.

3.) Identify and learn from the source of your failure. If you don’t learn from your failure, you waste it. Your first step when you fail should be to identify the root of the problem. Once you figure out what caused the failure, glean whatever insight you can from that knowledge. What you learn can be an integral part of your growth.

4.) Find and obey God’s new plan for your life. When you give your failure to God, he will exchange it for a new plan. Rather than preventing you from reaching your potential, failure should be a building block to help you get there.

If you’ll consistently take these four steps, your failures will become the building blocks for the life you’re meant to have. One day, your story of perseverance may be the story that will inspire others to press through and build on failure in search of their own ultimate success.

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. The 3-year-old church meets at Boca Raton Community High School (I-95 and Glades Rd) each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For more info., visit www.BocaJourney.com. He is the author of 11 books and served for 10 years as a pastor in New York City before moving to South Florida. Each person who visits The Journey Church this fall will receive a free copy of his latest book “Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong,” on which this article is based.

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CLERGY CORNER: Summer Daze

Posted on 22 May 2014 by LeslieM

Summer is a time for stepping back from the business of daily schedules and routines; a time for relaxing and rendezvousing with family and friends. But while the hot, hazy days have a way of lulling us into a lazy summer daze, this time of year shouldn’t be all play. If we will choose to be intentional, summer is also the perfect time to reconnect with God and grow spiritually.

The break from the daily grind that this time of year gives us opens the space we sometimes need to refocus our mind and energy on God. You and I can capitalize on summer’s more relaxed atmosphere to make sure we are taking some of the practical steps that will grow faith year-round:

Read Your Bible – Looking for some summer reading? Why not start with the Bible? If you’ve never read much of the Bible, you may be surprised by just how entertaining it is. There’s plenty of drama and intrigue to keep you engaged during your days on the beach. The gospel of Mark is a good place to start. From there, read the rest of the gospels, Proverbs and Paul’s letters to the early church. You’ll find lots to chew on.

Talk to God – The relaxed pace of summer will likely give you more wiggle room in your morning routine. Why not take advantage of this time to start a morning habit of spending a few minutes in prayer. Start your day by thanking God for who He is and all the ways He has blessed your life. Thank Him for all of the good things that are unique to this time of year. Ask Him to draw close to you and direct your summer days.

Spend Time with Other Believers – If church is something that seems to get crowded out of your schedule other times of the year, decide to use the summer to get into the habit of attending regularly. If you do, I bet you won’t want to stop when the fall rolls around. That weekly hour of worship will become something you look forward to.

Don’t spend your summer days in a summer daze. Just like every year, the next three months of fun and sun will be here and then over before you know it. You can choose to drift through these days and get to the fall in no better spiritual condition than you are now, or you can choose to be intentional about using the summer to grow your relationship with God; to do a few simple things that will ensure you are enjoying deeper fellowship with Him when the weather begins to cool down and new routines begin to ramp up.

Let me invite you to start a summer of spiritual growth by attending The Journey’s kick off of God On Film happens June 1. In this engaging series, we’ll be discovering the hidden meaning behind some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. Every first-time guest who attends on June 1 will receive a FREE Cinemark movie ticket. Plus, you’ll receive my latest devotional book, Unshakable. More great summer reading! Hope to see you there!

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. The 2.5-year-old church meets at Boca Raton Community High School (I-95 and Glades Rd.) each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For more, visit www.bocajourney.com. Searcy is the author of 11 books and served for 10 years as a pastor in New York City before moving to South Florida. Each person who visits The Journey Church this summer will receive a FREE copy of his latest book Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong, on which this article is based.

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CLERGY CORNER: Finding purpose

Posted on 30 January 2014 by LeslieM

Has your life gotten off course? Do you wake up in the morning feeling like you should be doing something different with your time, something more? Do you want to find your purpose and accomplish your dreams, but you just aren’t sure how to get started – or how to get started again?

Growing up, most of us have a clear mental image of how our future is going to unfold. We study and work toward that image, convinced we’ll eventually end up with the life we’ve envisioned. But, at some point along the way, many of us get off track. Things don’t go the way we thought they would. Circumstances throw up roadblocks and detours. Eventually, we realize that our vision isn’t lining up with our reality. We aren’t where we want to be.

When we’re staring down disappointment, unfulfilled potential and lack of direction, our minds inevitably turn to questions of purpose and significance. Even if we haven’t considered God’s will much in the past, we begin thinking about His plan for our lives and how it intersects with our daily to-do-lists. If we’ve always been cognizant of God’s will, we start wondering if we’ve missed it somehow.

Does God have a specific plan for your life and mine? Does he care if you’re a doctor, a rock star or a stay-athome parent? Does he care where you live and who you marry? Questions about the extent of God’s involvement in our daily decisions have been debated for centuries. They’re at the heart of the age-old discussion concerning the interplay between God’s sovereignty and our free will. While these questions are deeply nuanced and make for interesting theological conversation, suffice it to say that God does care about the details of your life – and he wants to be involved in those details.

God wants nothing more than for you to know his purpose for you and align yourself with it. When you do, he can bless you abundantly and direct you into the life he has in store. As Scripture explains: The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’ (Psalm 32:8)

If you are struggling with a lack of direction and purpose, rest assured that God has more in store for you than the life you are currently living. He wants to advise and guide you. He wants you to know his will.

What is God’s will? Simple: God’s will is the highest and best plan for your life. It is the direction you would choose if you could see things from His perspective. In your own understanding, you operate with limited information, but God already knows how your story plays out in its entirety. He has the master plan, and he wants to lead you down the best path to all that is in store for you.

You have a choice to make. You can either stumble through each day, filled with the stress and uncertainty that come with operating in your own power, or you can choose to invite God into your decisions and intentionally surrender your life to His will. Submitting to God’s will doesn’t mean things will be perfect. There will still be valleys, but they won’t be as low. And the peaks will be even higher. When you ask God to begin directing your steps, you will finally begin to experience the satisfaction of living the life you were created to live.

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. The 3 year old church meets at Boca Raton Community High School (I-95 and Glades Rd) each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For more, visit www.Boca Journey.com. Author of 11 books, Searcy served for 10 years as a pastor in New York City before moving to South Florida.

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CLERGY CORNER: A Season of Joy

Posted on 31 October 2013 by LeslieM

Holiday decorations seem to make an earlier appearance in store aisles and living room windows every year. Even though we’re still just shy of November, you don’t have to look far t o find Christmas trees or tinsel.

While the holidays bring happiness and celebration, they can also be an especially difficult time for those who are hurting or lonely. The reflective nature of the season has a way of magnifying life’s problems.

When holiday blues strike, they can make you want to pull away from the bustle and keep to yourself. Resist that urge. The people around you are there for a reason. Not only can they encourage you when you are feeling low, but the way they see you handling the difficulties in your life can help them in turn. Here are 3 ways to reclaim joy and share your underlying strength this holiday season:

Borrow from others – If you start feeling depleted, be quick to lean on the faith of those around you. Try thinking of your faith like a gas tank. Sometimes, your tank runs low. But, at just the right moment, God brings other people around you who have full tanks. You can borrow from their reserve to make it through. If you surround yourself with a network of strong, faithful friends and family, they will be there to step in with the help you need.

Part of the reason God created the church was to give you a circle of likeminded people, willing to come alongside you when you need support. Let me encourage you: If you aren’t part of a local, Biblically-based church-find one. You need a community of people who will rejoice with you in good times and comfort you in difficult times; people who can lend you their faith and strength when you need it most.

Be a willing witness – There’s power in being vulnerable enough to let your difficulties be seen by others. How you handle hardships can be an incredible witness to other people. Everyone you know is going to face failures, doubts, relationship problems, health issues and other circumstances that have the potential to shake them to their core.

When you show strength in the face of the same types of situations, they will notice … and they will want to know how you do it. They’ll become curious about your faith. When they ask where your strength comes from, be ready to answer:

In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… (1 Peter 3:15)

Part of the good that will come out of your hardest times will be your ability to relate to and help other people who are dealing with similar situations.

Turn Pain into Purpose – God works all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), all things – even the layoffs, the rebellious kids, the break-ups and the foreclosures. He is constantly weaving every circumstance you face into a beautiful tapestry. Every pain serves a greater purpose; every failure leads to a greater future.Choose to walk through your painful times in a state of awareness and God will show you what he wants to do through them.

Enjoy the season ahead! I pray that it will be a time of joy and celebration with the loved ones in your life.

Nelson Searcy is lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. The 2.5 -year-old church meets at Boca Raton Community High School (I-95 and Glades Rd) each Sunday at 10:30 a.m.. www.BocaJourney.com.

Nelson is the author of 11 books and served for 10 years as a pastor in New York City before moving to South Florida.

Each person who visits The Journey Church in November receives a free copy of his latest book Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong, –on which this article is based..

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CLERGY CORNER: When the Going Gets Tough

Posted on 29 August 2013 by LeslieM

The start of the school year always brings with it a sense of new beginnings. There’s new work to be done, new friends to make and new experiences to enjoy.

You don’t have to be a current student, or the parent of a student, to appreciate the renewed energy that comes with this time of year. No matter your age or stage in life, the late-summer fresh start is yours to enjoy.

But even with all the excitement that another academic season brings, one thing is for sure: there will also be major doses of difficulty as the year progresses.

Hardships are inevitable. That’s why every new beginning also signals a fresh opportunity to face life’s unavoidable problems with revitalized strength. When the storms of life whip up around you over the next year, here are 3 steps you can take to stand unshakable in their midst:

1) Sidestep Surprise – The situations that have the most power to shake you are the ones that seem to come out of nowhere. When you’re sideswiped by a problem you didn’t anticipate, it’s easy to become vulnerable. So choosing to not be surprised when the going gets tough is key to standing strong.

God never promised that life would be easy, but he did promise to be with you every step of the way. You will encounter trouble in this world, but take comfort in Jesus’ assertion that He has already overcome every trial and tribulation you face (John 16:33). No matter what is going on around you, you have the assurance of his peace.

2) Ask the Right Question of the Right Person, Right Away – When life goes wrong, your first instinct should be to turn to God. Too often, you and I are quick to ask our friends for advice, buy self-help books, or turn inward and start mining our own resources, rather than looking to Him.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, they shouldn’t be our first stop for support. When trouble is brewing, our reflex should be to look to God – and to ask Him the right question.

I’m sure you’ve known people in difficult situations who spend their energy questioning God, rather than trusting him. Asking why doesn’t accomplish anything. Try asking what instead. Rather than giving into the common temptation to demand, “Why did you let this happen to me, God?” ask “What do you want to teach me through this?”

3) Embrace Emotions – Once you have given God top priority in the difficulty you’re facing, embrace the emotions you are feeling. Tune in to what’s going on in your heart. God gave you your emotions; he doesn’t expect you to ignore them. You don’t have to plaster on a smile and muscle through. As you lean into God first, and then embrace the emotions that your situation is stirring, he will use what you are feeling to draw you closer to himself.

Staying steady when things get hard has nothing to do with how strong you are and everything to do with how strong God is.

No matter how smart, rich, connected or resourceful you consider yourself to be, you can’t make it through life’s toughest storms unscathed on your own. But as you build your life on the foundation of God’s strength and take these practical steps in every difficult situation you face, you will be able withstand whatever comes your way during this new year of fresh possibilities.

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. The 2.5 yearold church meets at Boca Raton Community High School (I-95 and Glades Rd) each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For more, visit www.boca journey.com. He is the author of 11 books and served for 10 years as a pastor in New York City before moving to South Florida. Each person who visits The Journey Church in September will receive a FREE copy of his latest book “Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong” — on which this article is based.

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CLERGY CORNER: Weathering the Storm

Posted on 30 May 2013 by LeslieM

As Floridians, you and I are well aware of the damage that can be caused by a powerful storm. With hurricane season approaching our own shores, we’ve watched with empathy as the people of Oklahoma have faced the destruction and aftermath of last week’s tornados. Unfortunately, devastating storms are an unavoidable part of life in certain areas of the country. As long as we live in their path, we run the risk of coming face-to-face with the havoc they wreak.

Still, while natural storms like hurricanes and tornados aren’t easy to weather, they often pale in comparison to the other types of storms we face throughout our lives – the difficult situations and unexpected circumstances that whip in and leave us shattered.

Marriage problems, illnesses, financial crises and the death of loved ones are just a few of the storms we’ll all have to deal with at some point. Communities can be rebuilt and buildings restored, but these personal storms have the potential to damage us in unseen, irreparable ways.

As a pastor, I’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of people facing the hurt, loss and confusion that are often the result of life’s storms. When listening to what they’re going through, and when facing difficulties in my own life, I’m always reminded of a principle I learned while riding out a literal hurricane years ago: You and I can survive the storms of life if we have the right foundation. Storms will come, but we can be unshakable in their midst.

When the storms of life hit, the first and most important thing you can do is make sure you are building your life on a solid foundation. Whether you realize it or not, you are building your life on some sort of foundation – one that reflects whatever it is you have faith in. And you do have faith in something. We all do; we all have a set of beliefs through which we filter the world. Over time, those beliefs become our bedrock.

What do you have faith in? Yourself? Your spouse? Your business partners? A religious tradition? Karma? The universe? If your faith is built on the right foundation, you’ll be able to stand strong through life’s most intense disasters. But if you put your faith in the wrong place, you will struggle when difficult circumstances come and, all too often, collapse completely when the strongest storms start raging.

The only foundation capable of withstanding life’s storms is a foundation of faith in God and his son, Jesus Christ. In the scriptures, Jesus himself says: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me, (John 14:5-7). Later, he asks his disciples: Who do you say that I am (Mark 8: 29). Eventually, we all have to answer the same question; we all have to make a decision about who we believe Jesus is. Who do you say he is?

When you make faith in Jesus your foundation, God will give you what you need to face everything this life throws your way. When things go wrong, you won’t be anxious; you’ll let yourself rely on God’s strength.

You’ll have the confidence to move forward, knowing that he is protecting you and that he has a plan for your future. From this solid foundation of faith, you’ll be able to weather every storm, making it to the other side of each one stronger for having taken the journey.

Nelson Searcy is the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton.

You’re invited to attend The Journey this Sunday, June 2 for the kick-off of the new GOD ON FILM teaching series — where you will discover the meaning behind the biggest summer blockbuster movies. Every firsttime guest will receive a FREE Cinemark movie ticket.

The Journey meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at Boca Raton Community High School (Glades Rd. and I-95, exit 45, beside Whole Foods).

Learn more at: www.Boca Journey.com

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