Our worries and pressing difficulties can feel paralyzing at times. But these psalms lift up the Lord as the true restorer of all things, the One who sets the world right. God is truly the One who created the world and who can move mountains.

I used to think the characters in Bible stories were superheroes – almost perfect. To me, they were so noteworthy, good, honorable, or special that it was no wonder they achieved a lasting legacy in the pages of God’s holy word, the Bible. 

But even a cursory reading of the Bible quickly tells us otherwise. Other than Jesus, who is actually both God and man, there’s not a single human being who ever walked this earth who is perfect. Every person in the Bible is flawed and falls far short of holiness, no matter how many pages are devoted to them.

Take King David, referred to as “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). He was an adulterer who had his best friend killed so he could marry the man’s wife. Abraham was a deceiver (Genesis 20), Jacob a cheat (Genesis 27), and Moses a doubter who didn’t get to set foot in the Promised Land (Numbers 20).

But there is a way to overcome our all-too-human flaws and step up in faith to be far better than we are on our own, and God shows us how throughout Scripture.

Here, let’s take a look at the Bible to answer how to be the person God needs you to be.

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Coaches often advise people embarking on a lifestyle change to start their day with a positive, affirming routine that both centers and energizes them. Starting the day “right” often leads to a strong noon, and that momentum carries through until nightfall. Similarly, starting your day in prayer, by bowing heart, mind, and soul to the Lord of the universe, can propel your day from ho-hum to positively sparking with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Turning to the Lord in repentance and prayer is a key way we can uproot that kernel of discontent and envy, and replace it with the perfect peace of Christ.

If you are in a time of sorrow or suffering, or if you feel you just cannot come up with the right words to express what you are feeling deep in your heart, perhaps a reading of these will help you understand how to verbalize the cries of your heart.

Cain’s feigned ignorance in his “I don’t know” was a direct lie, but then his challenge to God took the matter one step further. By asking “am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain exhibited indifference to the role of compassionate and caring shepherd God has already given to humanity.

When you are experiencing a mental or emotional slump, negative thoughts can quickly get overwhelming. Mental health professionals call these “faulty thinking patterns.” An easy way to understand this is to think of your emotional state as a balance that should be weighted equally—logical, rational thinking on the left side of the scale, feelings on the right, evenly balanced. 

But sometimes, our feelings get out of control, and more weight begins to bring that scale off-balance. That’s when we often experience “faulty thinking,” expecting the worst, making assumptions, unfairly blaming ourselves, and more. When this happens, it can be helpful to ask God to take away these negative and irrational thoughts and counter them with His mighty and perfect truth.

Here, then, are eight prayers you can pray to help eliminate or reduce faulty thinking patterns.

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Hosea 4:6 reminds us that we run a big risk when we ignore God’s truth. We must hold tight to the Word given to us by the Lord and follow Him despite the temptations and other messages surrounding us.

Anxiety can be debilitating sometimes. Those with diagnosed anxiety disorders might have medications or a number or coping strategies that help, while those who deal with anxiety sporadically might just plow through as best as possible until the situation is resolved.

But one of the most powerful anxiety-combatants at our disposal is easier than you might think: going to the Lord in prayer.

We can look to Scripture and see how Jesus reacted when He experienced anxiety over his impending execution. After the Last Supper, he took his closest friends and retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he sank to His knees and poured out His heart to the Father. In His sorrow and overwhelm, He went to the source—the One who could fix everything.

As we’re told, “He fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will’” (Mark 14:35-36).

However, it can be difficult to pray when you are feeling distraught, lost, or flattened by fear. If you are experiencing severe or crippling anxiety, you might feel like you don’t have the words to utter about your feelings of overwhelm or chaos, or you don’t know where to begin.

Here, then, are six prayers you can pray when you are feeling anxious:

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It is important to understand anxiety is not a sin, nor is it someone’s “fault.” It is also not evidence of lack of faith. Plenty of faith-filled Christian believers experience anxiety.

Joseph planned to extricate himself from the situation, but thanks to a divine dream, he changed his mind and went on to become the most famous stepfather in history. What was this dream that came to Joseph, and what can it teach us?

With polarizing political views and seemingly endless bickering about what does and does not make “good government” or “godly leaders,” it’s sometimes difficult to wrap our minds around what God thinks about government. It can be even more difficult for us to understand how to behave or think as Christians.

But government is not a new system for organizing people, and God has a number of things throughout Scripture to say about this.

What does the Bible say about the government? For starters, God wants us to be obedient—to Him and to the authorities.

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In Protestant denominations, All Saints Day is a time to give thanks and remember those who have gone before us in the faith. This means celebrating those genuine Christian believers who have already passed away—also known as saints.