Sometimes taking even one step out of your comfort zone can be hard. I’ve grown up in Claremore Assembly and my faith was just routine. I’d go to church only to hang out with my friends, I’d sing the songs because that is what you’re supposed to do, and I’d read my Bible like it was a chore that had to be done. It wasn’t until I was apart of Refresh when I realized I need to check my heart and ask myself “Am I doing this to strengthen my walk with God?” From then on I understood that I wasn’t strengthening my walk and was staying in a comfortable position. It was then that I knew I had to change my perspective and actually grow in Christ. God started moving in my life and my faith really started growing. Even then it was a slow process because I still cared about what other people thought of me. However, in John 18:36 Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest from the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” The world is not our home and the people in it are only in our lives temporarily. However, God is in our lives forever and He is our final resting place so caring about what what other people think of us shouldn’t be a worry in our lives since God’s opinion is the only one that matters. If we only care about God’s opinion, then it will be easier for Him to work in our lives. Although it can be hard sometimes, we need to trust that God has everything in control. When we face hard times it is only because God wants our faith to grow. James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds.” When we face trials, it strengthens our hearts and our faith. God’s intentions are to help us grow in Him so we can live better lives for ourselves and for others.