Journey Church Amarillo

Seasons change, but what does that mean, and what do we do with that?

The voices we allow into our lives have a profound impact on our anxiety, our identity, and our peace. People closest to us generally fall into three categories: divisive people who stir up conflict and raise our anxiety, sharpening people who challenge us to grow, and safe people who bring us rest and peace. Being intentional about who gets access to our inner world is one of the most practical steps we can take toward living with less anxiety. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us that walking with the wise makes us wise, while the company of fools brings harm. Community is not optional for those who want to live with less anxiety. We are made for it. Above every human voice, the voice of Jesus matters most, and faith in Him ultimately shapes who gets to speak into our lives.

Anxiety is an automatic emotional response to real or imagined threats, and it is not a sign of weak faith or a character flaw. Philippians 4:6-9 offers a clear framework for becoming less anxious: God has a role, and so do you. Your inner life is like a dwelling place, and you have the ability to shape what lives there. While you cannot always control every thought that enters your mind, you are responsible for the patterns you return to repeatedly. Guarding what comes through the windows of your eyes and ears, including media and entertainment, plays a significant role in the health of your inner life. Inviting the Holy Spirit into that inner dwelling and asking Him what needs to change is one of the most powerful steps you can take. The goal is not simply to feel better, but to become more like Jesus, someone who responds to life rather than reacts to it.

Do you know why you do what you do? Today that’s the question. What is motivating you? What is driving you? When you figure that out, when you really press into that question, everything changes.

Many Christians assume that if something is truly God's will, it should feel easy. But Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane tells a very different story. He was perfectly obedient, completely innocent, and still experienced anguish so intense that His sweat became like drops of blood. Difficulty does not mean you have missed God. It may mean you are right in the middle of His will. True surrender, modeled by Jesus in Mark 14:36, involves radical honesty with God, a confession of His power, and an active choice to align your will with His. The question is not whether the path is hard. The question is whether you are willing to keep walking it.

Train for Godliness
Ancient Greeks trained in the gym completely naked—no hiding anything.

When Paul told Timothy to "train in godliness" (1 Tim 4:7-8), the message was clear: spiritual growth requires absolute vulnerability. God already sees every part of us (Hebrews 4:13). Stop trying to hide your mess and let Him actually train you.

Waiting is unavoidable, but how we wait matters far more than the fact that we wait. Mark 13 gives a powerful framework for understanding the signs of the end times without falling into fear or obsession. Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, which was fulfilled in AD 70, and also pointed to a final cosmic fulfillment still to come. He made clear that no one knows the day or the hour except the Father. Active waiting means redirecting anxious thoughts toward God, living with readiness, and sharing the gospel with others. Everything in this world will eventually pass away, but the words of Jesus never will. Waiting is not wasted time. In God's hands, it is the very place where faith is built.

Hannah's story in 1 Samuel is a powerful picture of what it looks like to bring your deepest pain before God with honesty and persistence. Despite years of heartbreak, social shame, and unanswered longing, Hannah refused to stop praying. She poured her soul out before God, made a covenant with Him, and trusted Him with the very thing she was asking for. God heard her, remembered her, and answered her prayer. Her response was not to hold tightly to what she received but to worship and surrender. This challenges us to examine our own prayer lives, asking whether we are being truly honest with God about what we need. It also calls us to balance our requests with genuine gratitude for what He has already given us. God has not forgotten you, and persistent, heartfelt prayer still matters.

Spiritual Warfare
How do we know if what we are going through is Spiritual Warfare or just the fruit of our choices? Fruit is a big clue.

Pastor Howie finishing his sermon series on "When God Seems" 

Today it is when he seems late