One of the oldest stories in the Bible features early humans getting greedy and restless. So much so that they decided to build a colossal tower. But this tower project wasn't just a boredom buster. They built it because they wanted to stockpile power; they wanted more than they had (see Genesis 11:4-9). Naturally, humans tend to gather more than they need; to keep buying things and piling up their possessions. Why do we do this? Because it makes us feel safe or comfortable, or more in control.

Remember today, though: 'The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all its people belong to him' (Psalm 24:1 NLT). When we trust in what we own, in our hard-earned savings and/or privileges, then we're forgetting the most important source: God. All we have comes from God.

Our trust shouldn't be in our stuff, but in God's provision and generosity. Does the Bible have something to say about that, too? Yes: 'Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life' (1 Timothy 6:17 CEV). When we realise that 'stuff' isn't ours to keep, it's easier to be generous with it.

So what now? Feeling bored or restless? Trusting that God will look after you, do the opposite of those who built Babel: rather than getting stuff for yourself, give one thing away in the next 24 hours.

Waves are caused by the wind and tides - forces we can't see. We'll have sunk our feet into the sand to let waves crash against us and felt how powerful they are. Feelings can be powerful too. And, like waves, feelings come and go.

Paul, writing to the church in Philippi, says, 'discern what is best' (Philippians 1:10 NIV). Solid advice. We can't always trust our feelings. Why? Because, like waves, they come and go; they're sometimes small and sometimes huge! Here's the lesson: let's test our feelings, otherwise we may allow evil thoughts to control us' (see Colossians 3:5 NCV). We have to test our gut because emotions come in all forms - from accurate (and even God-given) feelings that alert us to danger or give insight into a situation, to the opposite, untrue feelings that make us think we're unwanted and unloved.

Thing is, though, we're not defined by how we feel, but rather by what God says about us. We may feel unwanted, but remember, God says, 'You are very dear, and I love you' (Isaiah 43:4 CEV). It can be difficult to internalise this truth, so we have to choose to get to grips with what God says about us. When we're struggling to know our worth, a head-knowledge of God's word, along with an invitation to the Holy Spirit to be with us, is the starting point for a deeper, heart-knowledge of his love.

So what now? When the feeling-waves hit, stand firm. Trust who God says you are in him and that he loves you.

In Luke 5, Jesus taught his soon-to-be disciple Simon an amazing lesson... He hopped on to Simon's fishing boat to get a bit of space from a crowd of followers, and they floated out on the sea for a while. Simon was convinced they wouldn't catch any fish because the nets had come up completely empty thus far. (Ever been fishing? It's harder when there aren't any.) But Jesus told Simon, '"Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish." "Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again"' (Luke 5:4-5 NLT). Almost immediately the nets were filled to the brim with fish. So full that they began to sink. Amazing work, Jesus!

We may feel like Simon: we've tried everything to fix our problem or experienced too many disappointments, and are ready to give up trying.

Here's the lesson: our whole situation can change when we invite Jesus on board. Some would call it a risk, but what Simon experienced when he began to follow Jesus was a life of fullness. We're called to that, too. We just need to make room for Jesus, follow what he says and walk into a full life with him.

So what now? When Jesus says 'go out where it is deeper' he means spiritually. This week, spend a solid block of time asking Jesus how you can take a risk and 'let your nets down' for a fuller life with him.

Before Adam and Eve messed up, we're told that 'they were both naked... and... not ashamed' (Genesis 2:25 NKJV). Why, of all the details we could be told about Adam and Eve, is that mentioned? Well, when Adam and Eve messed up, they separated themselves from God and felt ashamed about their nakedness. And since then, so have the rest of us: nakedness is a big deal. It means we're vulnerable, exposed to ridicule, shame or unwanted attention.

Perhaps the reason we're told about Adam and Eve's lack of clothing is to show us how moving away from God's care and guidance leaves us vulnerable. Adam and Eve felt ashamed and that they had something to (literally) hide. They felt weak and helpless. Which we would too, in the middle of a huge garden with no clothes on, having been lured into disobeying God's only condition.

But... God saw Adam and Eve, and sees us, for all that we are, regardless of how we try to hide. No matter how much we dread being seen as weak and vulnerable, stripped down to the real us, he sees every lumpy, blemished, undesirable bit of us and loves us anyway. When we're vulnerable, let's not move away from God, but towards his love and protection.

So what now? With God, being vulnerable helps you get stronger. Your vulnerabilities allow you to get closer to him. He says: 'My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak (2 Corinthians 12:9 GWT).

Nowadays we don't really need to plan any day-to-day journeys. We can just tap our desired destination into the GPS and off we go. However, we've probably all challenged that little electronic voice, thinking we have a better idea of how to get there. It can be a similar story in our journey with God. He will never lead us the wrong way, but when we can't see where we're headed, it's tempting to want to wrestle back control.

Psalm 23 describes different parts of the journey. At the peaceful part, we're reminded that God leads us into 'green pastures' (Psalm 23:2 GWT), a place to be restored and find rest. At the low point, we can be in the 'darkest valley' (Psalm 23:4 NIV): times of loneliness, conflict, grief, disappointment. Real difficulties aren't a walk in the park, but that's not the time to ignore what God's saying and go our own way. He knows what he's doing. Hard times make us grow. Our trustworthy God will direct our path (see Proverbs 3:6) and make sure our journey is more than worth it.

The question is, wherever we are in our journey: 'Are we going to keep our eyes fixed on him, trusting that he knows what's best for us?'

So what now? Go for a walk. Use a GPS to direct you to Point B. Make a few random turns and see how much longer it takes you to get to where you wanted. God is the best GPS for your life journey.

No surprise... we're living in the information age! We can find any info or answer by 'googling' or 'youtubing' or 'Alexa-ing' it, etcetera. And we have instant access to a myriad of opinions on a myriad of subjects, issues and causes. We actually don't have to think for ourselves too much.

But God calls us to be discerning, and to prioritise and discipline our thinking. His word tells us to: 'Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life' (Proverbs 4:23 TLB) and 'capture...rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ' (2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT). Why? So that God can, 'transform you into a new person by changing the way you think' (Romans 12:2 NLT).

Changing our thinking habits is hard! Hebrews 12:11 (NCV) says, 'We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have learned from it, we have peace, because we start living in the right way.' Discipline doesn't bring immediate joy, but it is good for us in the long run.

God will help us change our thinking, but we must make the choice to change. And the more we choose to change, the more instinctive it becomes to think like Jesus does: 'Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable...things that are excellent and worthy of praise' (Philippians 4:8 NLT).

So what now? Today, set an alarm for each hour. Whatever your thoughts are when the alarm goes off, consider whether they're God-honouring or not.