May 1, 2026 · 5:57 AM

Receiving God’s Correction

How good are you at receiving correction? I’m not the best at it, but I know it’s a necessary step in my growth. When God corrects us, it can be painful, but how we respond to it says a lot about our heart. Does pride rise up and push back, or does humility rise up and accept it in love? God doesn’t correct us as a judge would a criminal. He does it the way a parent would correct their child would because they want the best for their child. God has our best interest in mind when He corrects us. He wants to grow us, to have us grow more fruit and to reproduce fruit in others. Don’t turn away from God’s correction. Instead, see it as a gift that He sees greater potential in you and is drawing it out.

Here are some Bible verses on receiving God’s correction:

1. Our parents corrected us for the short time of our childhood as it seemed good to them. But God corrects us throughout our lives for our own good, giving us an invitation to share his holiness.

Hebrews 12:10 TPT

2. My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12 NLT

3. All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage].

2 Timothy 3:16 AMP

4. Stubborn people who repeatedly refuse to accept correction will suddenly be broken and never recover.

Proverbs 29:1 TPT

5. If you pay attention when you are corrected, you are wise.

Proverbs 15:31 GNT

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April 30, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Conditioning

When I was in high school I played basketball. I loved being on the team, but I always hated the start of the season. I’m not talking about the first few games though. When we were allowed to start practicing, coach would spend the first few weeks conditioning our bodies and getting us back into shape. We ran sprints, horses, long distances, did calisthenics, jumped over benches and more exercises. I don’t remember touching a basketball those first few weeks. It was painful and my body was sore. I spent a lot of time soaking in epsom salt trying to recover. However, once the season started, we were better conditioned than any team and could out run them and wear them out giving us lots of victories. It turns out coach had a plan the whole time.

We read the story of Joseph in the late chapters of Genesis. When he was just a teenager, God gave him dreams that his family would now down to him. Foolishly, he told his brothers all about them. Being the younger brother, he probably rubbed it in while wearing the special coat his dad made for him. It’s clear that he wasn’t ready to lead at that time. His brothers then decided to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. He was then falsely accused of trying to rape his master’s wife and thrown in prison where he was forgotten. He went through this period of conditioning for 13 years before God exalted him to be second in command of Egypt. When he ruled Egypt, we see a very different person because of what he went through.

Psalm 66:12 says, “You’ve allowed our enemies to prevail against us. We’ve passed through fire and flood, yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness” (TPT). God allows us to go through storms and difficult times in order to condition us for the plans He has for us. His plans are good, but we are often not ready to fulfill them yet. In His processes, we are changed for the better and made ready to receive His promises. If you’re going through a tough time right now, hang in there. God is building your endurance and your character so that you’re able to handle what’s coming and help others. Conditioning doesn’t last forever. Victory is on the way.

Photo by Adolfo Florêncio on Pexels.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 29, 2026 · 5:44 AM

Bitter Seasons

In Ruth 1, when Naomi returned from the land of Moab, she was in a season of loss and grief. She said, “Do not call me Naomi (sweetness); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has caused me great grief and bitterness” (AMP). Her story reminds me of a few things. First, tough seasons reveal what we believe about God. Our pain often distorts our perspective of God. We question His goodness, blame Him for everything that’s gone wrong and decide we’ll never ask Him for anything again. God is not afraid of these raw moments or what they expose in our life. In moments like these, I try to put things back in perspective and look at God’s character throughout eternity instead of the lens of the moment.

Secondly, these seasons cause us to isolate. In this story, Naomi tried to send Ruth and her other daughter in law away. Bitterness tries to convince us that being alone is safer than being with people who love us. However, God often brings Ruth’s along side us during these seasons. They are people who refuse to leave, aren’t intimidated by our grief and won’t let us walk alone. They may not understand the pain you’re going through, but God has graced them with the work of restoration. I believe they are a sign to us of God’s mercy in hard times. Instead of continuously pushing them away, embrace what God is trying to do through them.

Finally, bitterness often blinds us to what God is doing behind the scenes. Naomi couldn’t see the harvest in Bethlehem that was waiting to be gleaned, the kinsman redeemer in the field looking for Ruth or the lineage to the Messiah she would now be a part of. Bitter season often reveal how limited our vision is and how active God’s hand is. I’m reminded of Psalm 126:5 that says, “They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.” Every sorrow we surrender to Him becomes seed in what was once barren ground. Every tear becomes prayer that waters those seeds. God does not waste bitter seasons. Instead He turns them into fertile soil for future harvests. God is already doing the work of restoration even though you can’t see His hand now. The time of joy is on the way.

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April 28, 2026 · 5:46 AM

But Lord Moments

I was reading in Acts 9 where God met Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul had papers in hand with permission to persecute believers and throw them in jail when God blinded him and called him to be a minister of the Gospel. God then spoke to a believer in Damascus named Ananias to go pray for Saul to receive his sight. Ananias responded like many of us, “But Lord!” He reminded God who Saul was and what he had come to do. Then God told him what He had in store for Saul. The Bible says that Ananias then went to find Saul and pray for him. Saul regained his sight and was baptized.

Ananias isn’t the only one to say, “But Lord,” to God. When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, he said, “But Lord I can’t speak.” When Gideon was called upon to deliver Israel from Midian he said, “But Lord I’m too weak.” When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, he said, “But Lord I’m too young.” When Peter was told to cast his nets on the other side of the boat, he said, “But Lord, it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been fishing all night.” In each of these instances, they did push back, but they also obeyed. Instead of trusting what they thought to be true, the believed what God told them. Each time, God responded to their hesitant faith.

When I’m faced with those same moments of hesitation, I think of Psalm 56:3. It says, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you” (NLT). Honestly, our hesitation is born out of fear. We’re afraid of the same things these people in the Bible were afraid of. We think we can’t speak, we’re too timid, too young or that we will look foolish. We can be honest in those moment like the psalmist and admit we are afraid. However, we must also take that next step of faith and say, “Nevertheless I will trust you, Lord.” When we take that step of faith, God will strengthen you and meet you just as He did in each of the stories above. You can trust Him because He’s already standing in the place He’s called you to.

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April 27, 2026 · 5:31 AM

The “And” Of God

I had a writing instructor tell me that a well written story doesn’t need to have “The End” added when the story was over. The reader will know if the writer did their job well. However, I’ve been deep into a story that was engaging and well written where I thought it was the end, but it kept going. It turned out, the story was only halfway done. What I thought was the end, was really the launching point for the other half that I didn’t expect. It reminded me of what a pastor once told me. He said, “Never put a period where God puts a comma.” There are times when we think our story is over, or that God is through with us, but instead of “The End,” there’s a comma for the story to continue.

I noticed something interesting as I read Joshua 1:1. It says, “And after Moses, Yahweh’s servant, died, Yahweh spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ faithful assistant” (TPT). The book of Joshua starts with the word “and” in the original language. That’s an odd way to start a book, but not only Joshua, but Judges and Ruth start with “and” as well. Here Moses had died. The Law was given. They were still in the wilderness after 40 years. God began these books with the word “and” so that the reader would see that God is continuing the story even though it looks like things are over. He’s reminding them that He’s not done writing and that there’s more to come. He doesn’t leave them stranded in the wilderness or leaderless. He commissions Joshua and reminds them that He will never leave them nor forsake them (verse 5).

I believe that same is true for your story. I believe God has an “and” for you too. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (NLT). It is God who is writing your story, and He will be faithful to keep writing it until He says it’s finished. Often what looks like an end is just a beginning of something new that God is creating in your story. When things feel hopeless, and you feel abandoned in the wilderness, look for the “and” that God is writing. We know that He works all things out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Instead of giving into despair or panicking, ask God to show you His “and.”

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April 24, 2026 · 5:55 AM

God Sees

In Genesis 16, Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had grown jealous of Hagar and sent her away. While she was in the wilderness, she was visited by the Angel of the Lord. He saw her tears, told her He heard her cry and made her a promise. Verse 16 says, “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?’” (NLT) It’s easy to feel invisible to others and to God when we’re going through tough times and our problems are so large. I want to remind you, God sees you. You are not invisible. You are not alone. Hold onto God’s promises, trust in Him and know you are in His line of sight.

Here are some Bible verses on God seeing you:

1. In mercy you have seen my troubles, and you have cared for me; even during this crisis in my soul I will be radiant with joy, filled with praise for your love and mercy.

Psalms 31:7 TPT

2. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.

Psalms 32:8 AMP

3. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], On those who hope [confidently] in His compassion and lovingkindness, To rescue their lives from death And keep them alive in famine.

Psalms 33:18-19 AMP

4. The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT

5. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.

1 Peter 3:12 NLT

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April 23, 2026 · 5:30 AM

God Leads

We all have leaders in our lives. Some of them we trust, and some we don’t. I’ve had some whom I didn’t question. If they said we could walk on water, I’d get out of the boat. There have been some I’ve had that if they told me to go right, I’d think really hard about going left. I’m always working on my leadership skills which means I’m always learning how to build trust. There are thousands of books on how to be a better leader. There are thousands of trainings you can take too, but not much is out there about how to be a good follower. None of us like to think of ourselves as followers, but we are. To be a good follower, you have to put pride and selfishness away, and trust the one who is leading you.

Following God starts with surrendering the leadership of your life to Him. Think of Psalm 23. That’s what it’s really about. “The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters” (AMP). Sheep don’t negotiate direction, question the pace or complain about their position. They follow where their shepherd leads them and trust him even when it seems contradictory to their logic. They understand he sees the bigger picture and is there to feed, guide and shield them through life.

The Bible is full of verses that talk about how God leads us. It’s also full of men and women who refused to follow where God was trying to lead them. They felt their plan was better or they failed to clarify what they understood of His plan. There are also many people who followed where God led them, and they were blessed immensely. God doesn’t force us to follow where He leads us. It’s always our choice. How well have you been following where He has been trying to lead you? Has pride or selfishness kept you from following? No matter how far you’ve gone in the other direction, it’s just one step back to following where He wants to take you. Learning to follow where He leads is a process each of us are in daily.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 22, 2026 · 5:51 AM

God Strengthens

When I was going through the hardest season of my life, I didn’t feel like leaving my house. I didn’t want to do anything, I was depressed and couldn’t see a future. Every thought was consumed by how bad things were. I knew I was in a downward spiral, but didn’t know how to pull out of it. One night, as I laid in my bed, I couldn’t sleep. I remember telling God I didn’t know what to do. Just then the words of a song I learned as a kid popped in my head. I heard, “The joy of the Lord is my strength,” playing over and over in my head. I began to sing it out loud with tears streaming down my face. I then remembered there was a channel on TV that played instrumental worship while showing peaceful scenes as Scriptures of God’s promises would fade in and out. That night, God began to give me the strength to move forward.

In Judges 6, Gideon was threshing wheat where no one could see him. He was afraid of the enemy that occupied Israel and was stealing their food. Just then the angel of the Lord appeared and called him a mighty warrior. He didn’t feel like a mighty warrior. He replied of how defeated they were and how it felt like God had abandoned them. Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” (NLT) Again he asked how he could accomplish something because he was from the “weakest” tribe and he was the smallest in his family. The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” God gave him the strength to defeat the oppressive enemy despite how he viewed himself.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” I believe that’s a word for you today. If you’re afraid of what the future will bring, God will strengthen you to face it. If you feel insignificant and small, God can strengthen you and use you to bring victory to others. If you feel discouraged, God’s strength will supernaturally flow through you giving you strength to move forward. Stepping out in faith comes from your own strength, but the battle is won through God’s strength. When we are too tired to stand, too discouraged to fight or too downcast to hope, God will strengthen you, help you and hold you up. That’s a promise you can trust.

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April 21, 2026 · 5:41 AM

God Speaks

Hebrews starts off in verses 1 and 2, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son” (NLT). God has been speaking to us since the time of Adam and Eve. His desire has always been to have a relationship with you where He can speak to you and you be able to speak back. In the Old Testament, God spoke through prophets to try to get His message across. He even gave the Torah, and later the Bible, as a written word so that people would know what He says about how we should live.

In John 1, the writer chooses to start off his book by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (NKJV). I believe God has been speaking to us since the beginning of creation through His son Jesus. John calls Him the Word or Logos in Greek. It means word, message or explanation. Then John goes on to say, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The invisible God sent His son so that we could see Him, hear Him and reveal Himself to us. There’s story after problem is that we don’t always want to hear what He has to say.

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Notice this is in the present tense. He still stands at the door of each of our hearts knocking and calling to us. Are you listening for His voice? If you do, He will speak to you as a friend. He’s still speaking today desiring to draw us into intimacy and fellowship. Notice He doesn’t force His way in. We must hear Him and open the door of our lives to Him. I want to encourage you today to shut down all the distractions in your life for a few minutes and listen for His voice. God wants to speak to you today through His son Jesus.

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April 20, 2026 · 5:48 AM

God Hears

There have been so many times in my life when I’ve called out to God in desperation. Most of the time, I don’t wonder if God hears my prayers, but when I’m in immediate need, that question pops up. It tries to create doubt in my mind or tell me that He hears everyone else’s prayers but mine. It’s in those moments that I have to remind myself that God hears the desperate cries of my heart, my inner doubts and my silent tears. He’s not up there looking for a reason to disqualify me or to find a reason not to answer my prayers. Instead, He bends down low to listen, to comfort and to assure me that I’m His child and He’s in control no matter how badly things look.

In 2 Kings 19, Jerusalem was under siege by the most powerful army on earth. Things were getting desperate. The army began to tell the people what they were going to do, that resistance was futile and that God wasn’t going to save them. King Hezekiah went to the Temple to pray. He laid everything out before God, including reading a letter from the other king. He asked God to rescue them. Verse 19 says, “Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria.’” God heard his prayer. God saw his heart. Then God answers that night by fighting for him and the people of Jerusalem.

Psalm 18:6 says, “In my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.” It’s good to call out to God in your distress. God hears our prayers when there seems to be no way out. There’s story after story in the Bible of Him answering desperate prayers. If you were to ask around, there are countless stories of people you know that have called out to Him in their moment of crisis and God heard their cry. He’s a good father who is willing and able to rescue us from any situation. He’s specializes in ones where we can’t see a way out. We just have to trust Him enough to call out to Him in prayer. He’s not far away. He’s standing there beside you in those moments. God hears you.

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