8 preface We have all lived in the shadows at some point. And many of us who have come out of the shadows still find ourselves slipping back into darkness and gloom. Some of us have stayed there for so long that we’ve become comfortable there. We have believed the lie that God is not who He says He is, or we can’t get past the devastations or disappointments in our lives. If God is love, or if God is “for us,” then why did He allow this or that? Or, perhaps we believe we can’t measure up to His standards because we think that’s what a successful relationship with Him is all about. So, forget it. And we decide to stay where we are and not let God in. Because it just seems easier that way. The voice of doubt will always try to get the best of us, intending to rob us of everything that God, in His amazing love, went to great lengths to secure for us. When I stop and think about what He has done for you and for me through His one and only son, Jesus, it brings tears to my eyes. Not only did the ruler of the universe come to this earth in human likeness to die in our place, setting us free from the law of sin and death so that we could live eternally with Him, but He