Living Fully in the Hands of God | January 17, 2026

Good morning. This is Carter Conlon, and welcome to my morning.

Today I want to share a passage of Scripture from 2 Corinthians 1, where the Apostle Paul speaks about having the sentence of death within himself so that he would no longer trust in himself, but in God who raises the dead. That Scripture has taken on a much deeper meaning for me since my recent open-heart surgery.

When I went into the operating room, I discovered something about my own heart. I was not afraid of death. I didn’t even pray to live. I simply told the Lord that I trusted Him completely. If He chose to let me live, I would live for Him. And if He chose to take me home, I was at peace with that as well. Perfect love truly does cast out fear.

God chose to leave me here, and in these years ahead I have determined to live every day to the fullest for His kingdom. Coming out of surgery wasn’t easy. I faced weakness, pain, and even bacterial pneumonia that kept me in intensive care for days. Yet in that place of weakness, I discovered something extraordinary—I still had a heart filled with the love of God for the people around me.

Without natural strength, God allowed ministry to continue. There were conversations, tears, prayers, confessions, and rededications of lives right there in the ICU. I often say that I came out of surgery with two new hearts—one physically repaired, and one spiritually transformed.

I’m praying that this deeper love God placed in my heart will carry into this next season of my life. I believe the glory of the latter house will be greater than the former. I believe there is still fruit to be borne for Christ and His kingdom. Retirement is not even a thought—how do you retire from preaching the gospel?

I want to encourage you today to let this grace of God govern your life. Trust Him fully. No matter what this world brings, your life is in His hands. Love never fails. Everything else may fail, but the love of God within us will endure.

As always, it’s still my morning—and I truly hope that my morning will make your day. God bless you. I love you.