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by Luke KincaidTrust is essential to any healthy relationship. How good does it feel to know that you can trust a close friend, family member or significant other? The importance of trust cannot be understated: “Trust is the faith you have in someone that they will always remain loyal to you and love you. To trust someone means that you can rely on them and are comfortable confiding in them because you feel safe with them. It is the building block for any relationship without which the foundation will always remain shaky… Trust is that foundation upon which your relationship can survive the hardest of times. In fact, without trust, you cannot sustain your relationship for a long time. Lack of trust is one of the reasons for relationships to fall apart.” – Kalpana M.If trust is so important for human relationships how much more is it important that we place our trust in our God when it comes to our relationship with Him? What blows my mind about Jesus is that while human beings will always let us down in some way, regardless of the level of trust we put in them, the Son of Man will never let us down! We can always trust Him with certainty:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. – Titus 1:2I have really been enjoying reading through the book of Titus and love the truth contained in verse 2 which shows the fact that God will never lie to us. This means His Word is perfect and true and that God will always do what He says He will. This means that we can always depend on Him!2 Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” – Isaiah 12:24 Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock! – Isaiah 26:410 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 Much love,Luke

by Luke KincaidThe idea for today’s blog came to me while trying to purchase some of the world’s healthiest breakfast… McDonalds! It was a rainy Friday morning and I wanted something tasty to fill my stomach before I started working. After dropping Seth off at school, I realized that I had left my wallet at home and the disappointment began to set in. But then I remembered, I had some money which totaled R29.20 which I believed was enough to get something to eat.I parked my car, walked through the very cold, rainy weather, and began to investigate what my money could buy me. To my surprise I realized that I didn’t have enough to buy anything of substance with the closest meal costing R29.99. So, I stood there, trying to figure out what I could buy so I didn’t look like a strange person walking out empty handed.  While thinking this through I looked over to my left and saw a gentleman waiting for his food. So, I thought, “I can either walk out with a cup of coffee or humble myself and ask this gentleman for R1 and the worst thing he could say is no”.I asked and I was graciously handed R5. I purchased my food and enjoyed it while thinking that if I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have got what I wanted. Now this is a small example but as brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to, “2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” – Galatians 6:2. And while it may be difficult to ask for help in whatever difficult situation we find ourselves in, we could actually be robbing someone of the blessing of helping by not asking.I love these words from a lady by the name of Aubrey Hoeppner:When you ask someone else to help you bear a burden, you are giving them an opportunity to serve God and share Christ’s love with you. We also see throughout Scripture that God has created each of us in the body of Christ with different strengths, calling to use these strengths fully to glorify him and build up others. When you find you are weak in one area and call on someone else who is strong for help, you are giving them an opportunity to exercise their God-given gifts.So while it can be difficult to reach out to those around you when you are in need, it is necessary because we can’t handle everything by ourselves. There are times when we will need to reach out to our spiritual family and when others reach out to us let’s be willing to help bear that burden.Much love,LukeP.S. If you would like to read the entire article from Aubrey Hoeppner, you can find it here:Three Reasons Why Asking for Help Is Honoring to God

by Luke KincaidOne of my favorite ministers is a gentleman by the name of Paul Tripp. Today I wanted to share with you a portion of a blog which he sends out every Wednesday. The title of this specific blog is “Are You A Disappointed Christian?” The following are the six signs which he offers of one who may struggle with their disappointment as a Christian:“1. Disappointment with God. Do you feel as if God has not given you the life that he has promised? If we misunderstand what God is doing in the here and now, we’ll live with the wrong perspective and expectations, so disappointment is bound to set in. Lack of motivation for ministry. If you’re disappointed with the life that God has provided, you’re unlikely to get excited about sharing that disappointing news with others! A life of vibrant ministry is not defined by formal training or paid vocation but the result of an overflowingly thankful heart. Numbing yourself. When you’re disappointed with your life, you will pursue ways to escape it. That may come in the form of working too much, a hobby or activity, endless entertainment, or overindulging on food, alcohol, medication, or illicit sexual pleasure.  Envy of others’ lives. If you’re disappointed with your life, you will scan the lives of others to see how they’re doing. Inevitably, you will discover someone near you who is enjoying the life that seemed to pass you by. Envy will cause you to doubt God’s goodness and wisdom while telling you that you deserve better than what you are getting. Letting go of the habits of faith. When you’re disappointed with something, you don’t want to invest in or participate in it. Why read God’s Word, why pray, why hang around with other believers, why read good Christian books, and why encourage others to believe when none of those things seem to make a difference? Greater susceptibility to temptation. Once you let go of the habits of the faith, you let your spiritual defenses down. You are no longer connected to resources that stimulate and deepen your affection for Jesus, so the things of this world that woo you to step outside of God’s boundaries are more enticing.”Maybe you have identified with more than one of these and now realize that you may be struggling with disappointment in your walk with Jesus. Paul Tripp offers a few ways in which you can begin to go about dealing with this disappointment. The main one I want to share with you today is to seek the company of those who have what you are lacking right now in this moment.Christian fellowship is one of the primary ways in which we can see us overcoming our disappointment as we find strength in our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we strive to live out the truth of Proverbs 27:17:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.So don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you. And if you…

by Luke Kincaid When was the last time you thought about what heaven is going to be like? While thinking through last weeks blog on living for eternity I realized that I don't think about heaven enough. When we truly start to grasp where our future lies this can then motivate us to live fearless lives in the present. One of my favorite songs is called "You Hold me Now" by Hillsong United. Today I would like to share this song with you. You can simply read through the lyrics or listen along with the provided link: https://youtu.be/4ldX-5y8ulMOn that day when I see All that You have for me When I see You face to face There surrounded by Your grace All my fears swept away In the light of your embrace When Your love is all I need And forever I am free Where the streets are made of gold In Your presence healed and whole Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering, You hold me now You hold me now No darkness, no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now In this life I will stand Through my joy and my pain Knowing there's a greater day There's a hope that never fails When You're name is lifted high And forever praises rise For the glory of Your Name I'm believing for the dayWhen the wars and violence ceaseAll creation lives in peace Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering, You hold me now You hold me now No darkness, no sick or lame No hiding, You hold me now, You hold me now For eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your nameFor eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your nameFor eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your nameFor eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your name No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering, You hold me now You hold me now No darkness, no sick or lame No hiding, You hold me now, You hold me now Your Kingdom comes Your will be done In the earth as is it in heavenYour Kingdom comes Your will be done In the earth as is it in heavenYour Kingdom comes Your will be done In the earth as is it in heavenYour Kingdom comes Your will be done In the earth as is it in heaven  Much love, Luke