I have been praying for you.
Each time we meet, I see the tears in your eyes. I hear your heart. I know you want to be
different. I know you are weary of fighting the same battles. I also know that you love the Lord
more than you sometimes think you do, because people who no longer care do not grieve over
their relationship with Him.
As I have prayed for you, a thought has stayed with me.
I wonder if you have been asking Jesus to fix your life when His first desire is simply to have
your heart.
Several years ago, you made a promise to the Lord. By His grace you kept it for a time.
Relationships were restored. Life changed. Then you stumbled again, and ever since it seems as
though you have believed that because you broke your promise, Jesus has stepped away from
you.
Brother, I do not believe that is how Jesus works.
When Peter promised Jesus that he would never deny Him, Peter meant every word. Yet before
the night was over, he denied knowing the Lord three times.
After the resurrection, Jesus met Peter by the Sea of Galilee. He did not ask Peter, “Will you
make Me another promise?” He did not shame him or remind him of his failure.
Instead, Jesus asked one simple question:
“Do you love Me?”
Then He said,
“Follow Me.”
Jesus was not trying to rebuild Peter’s confidence in Peter. He was teaching Peter to place his
confidence in Jesus.
Perhaps that is what Jesus is doing with you.
Maybe the Lord is not waiting for you to become stronger before He will receive you. Maybe He
is inviting you to stop depending on your own promises and begin depending on His faithfulness.
The Christian life has never been built upon our ability to keep promises. It has always been
built upon God’s ability to keep His promises.
Jesus has never asked you to carry your life alone.
He has asked you to walk with Him.
There is a difference between asking Jesus to repair your life and asking Jesus to become your
life.
One says, “Lord, fix me.”
The other says, “Lord, I need You.”
One is looking for a solution.
The other is looking for a Savior.
The wonderful news of the gospel is that when we truly find the Savior, He begins changing us
from the inside out. Real change is not something we manufacture. It is the fruit of staying close
to Jesus.
Think about His words in John 15.
He did not say, “Produce fruit.”
He said, “Abide in Me.”
Branches do not strain to produce grapes. They simply remain connected to the vine. Life flows
from the vine into the branch, and fruit appears because life is present.
That is what Jesus wants for you.
He is not asking you to become a stronger man.
He is inviting you to become a closer man.NOTE TO A BROTHER IN CHRIST – JULY 30, 2026 2
Brother, I believe the Lord has not given up on you.
I believe He still loves you.
I believe He still calls you by name.
I believe He still delights in every step you take toward Him, no matter how small.
So stop measuring God’s love by your failures.
Stop believing that your broken promises are greater than His unbroken promises.
Each morning, simply come to Jesus.
Tell Him you need Him.
Open His Word.
Pray honestly.
Walk with Him today.
Tomorrow, do the same.
Do not worry about living the rest of your life. Just stay close to Jesus today.
Remember these words:
Jesus is not asking you to prove yourself to Him. He is asking you to stay with Him.
You do not need a new promise.
You need a deeper relationship with the One who has never broken a promise to you.
I love you, my brother, and I am praying that you will discover that Jesus Himself is enough.
Walk with Him.
He will not leave you.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Clay