Keep your head up!

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?

Amidst his uncertainty, one compassionate partner pulled him aside. With a reassuring tone, the partner said, “You’re learning from each experience. Keep pushing forward; victories will come. Your position here is solid. You’re one of us.” These words provided the encouragement he desperately needed at that moment.

As believers, we often need to encounter moments of divine reassurance, especially when we struggle. This story reflects the compassionate reassurance we sometimes need. God, in His infinite wisdom and kindness, gently reminds us, “Yes, you have made mistakes, but do not fear—your place in My kingdom is secure.”

God’s assurance of our security is a gift that sustains us daily. We must embrace this truth, allowing it to bring peace to our hearts.

When we truly grasp the depth of God’s security, we are empowered to extend similar compassion and reassurance to our brothers and sisters in faith.

Max Lucado encapsulates this beautifully: “Our task is to stand tall in God’s love, secure in our place, sparkling in kindness, surrounded by His goodness, freely giving to all who come our way.” This is a call to not only receive God’s love but also actively live it out by extending grace and kindness to those around us.

Everyone needs affirmation now and then—this is your reminder that your relationship with God is unshakable and secure despite your imperfections.

Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

More Devotions

The word contrite in Hebrew is ‘dakah’ which means one that is crushed to pieces. Paul wrote of being a ‘living sacrifice’ holy and acceptable to God. Being a living sacrifice means we often can walk off the altar. To be a continual living sacrifice we need to renew our minds day to day!

Recently, I’ve been impressed by the Lord to address the anxieties many are feeling about the future– how to be strong in the face of the intense opposition we’ll be facing as believers. One of the founders of the modern state of Israel, David Ben-Gurion once said, “Courage is a special kind of knowledge, the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. From this knowledge comes an inner strength that inspires us to push on in the face of great difficulty. What can seem impossible is often possible with courage.”

For a season, I worked in Washington, D.C., for one of America’s largest Christian political organizations. Sometimes I saw how politics could get ugly and, more often than not, how it changed people — not for the better…but usually for the worse!

In the mid 1850’s a troubled teenager from Northfield, Massachusetts moved to Boston to try to find work. He hadn’t gone to school beyond the fifth grade; he couldn’t spell, his grammar was awful and his manners were brash and crude. Thankfully, an uncle took him on as a shoe salesman–on condition that he be obedient and that he attend church.

Have you ever felt uneasy, unsettled or unstable? Or maybe a better question is — who hasn’t? How do we overcome these feelings?

Is that a trend or something? I don’t know what it is but I’ve heard that phrase said quite a bit. We were even walking down the Wal-Mart isle to pick up a few things and my wife showed me a T-shirt with “I have issues” written across the front! I guess the world is coming to the sad reality that we really do have some issues.

It never ceases to amaze me, the way the devil uses our offenses and our “offendedness” to divide and conquer marriages, relationships, churches — even entire nations!