September 24, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Eliminate Hopelessness

In the 1950’s a professor did an experiment where he placed rats in water to see how long it would take for them to drown. Several died within minutes. He then decided to introduce hope into the experiment to see if that changed anything. He placed more rats in the water and waited until they were giving up. Once they began to drown, he reached in, grabbed them and held them a few minutes before placing them back in the water. This time they didn’t give up. They continued to swim for much longer than before. He wrote that the rats quickly learn that the situation is not hopeless and when hopelessness is eliminated, they do not die.

When Abraham was 75 years old, he had given up on having kids. He began to reason and come to terms that everything he had acquired in life would go to his servant. He was hopeless at that point, but God visited him and told him he would have a son. Abraham was excited and believed God. However, a year passed without Sarah getting pregnant. Then another. Soon a decade passed. Then another. Because God eliminated hopelessness, Abraham continued to believe. When he turned 100, his wife finally became pregnant and had a son. They named him Isaac, which means laughter. God did the impossible for a couple and all they could do was laugh when He did.

Isaiah 40 was written to Israel while they were in captivity in Babylon. They were on the verge of giving up. God spoke to them on verse 31 and said, ”But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak“ (GNT). If God can give a 100 year old a baby and deliver an entire nation from captivity, He can meet your need. He will eliminate hopelessness from your situation and give you strength to keep going. When God is involved, it is never too late, never too far gone and never too hopeless. One word from Him and the situation will turn around. Receive His strength today to keep going and to trust Him.

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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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September 23, 2026 · 6:04 AM

Before Fear Leaves

The Bible is full of people who made excuses when God asked them to do something. Moses told God that he had a stutter and couldn’t talk to Pharaoh. When Gideon was called a mighty warrior and told to go rescue Israel, he countered that he was from the weakest tribe and the least important family. Even after Jeremiah was told God knew him and called him to be a prophet to the nations before he was born pushed back saying that he was too young up be used. Johnathan pretended to go, but went in the opposite direction. None of their excuses seem unreasonable, but God doesn’t look for excuses when He asks for our obedience.

God didn’t deny that Moses had a stutter. Instead He asked Moses, “Who created the mouth?” He then reassured him that He would give him the words to say. To Gideon, God reinforced that he should go no matter what and comforted him that He would go with Gideon. God was then very direct with Jeremiah. He said, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you” (NLT). I think we all know what happened to Jonah. God sent a storm to get Jonah and then a large fish to take him back the other direction. In each of these cases, God didn’t remove the fear or thing that hindered them. He met them where they were and they moved forward before their fear disappeared.

Paul addressed this same issue in 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Moses didn’t need to become a public speaker. Gideon didn’t need a full army. Jeremiah didn’t need to wait until he was older. Jonah didn’t even have to want to go. However, each of them had to recognize the fear didn’t come from God and that He had equipped them with the power to accomplish what He called them to do. Where have you been making excuses instead of taking the next step in what God has called you to do? It might not be as big of a job as these guys, but it still requires the same faith and obedience before the fear is gone. Just like God was with them, He will be with you. Step out in faith and obedience today.

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September 22, 2026 · 5:58 AM

Conflicting Desires

In Luke 15, we find one of Jesus’s most famous parables. The Prodigal Son tells the story of a young man who asked for his share of the family inheritance from his father before his father died. Even though it was against custom and that he was rejecting his place in the family, the father gave him what he wanted. The son went away and squandered the money and was broke when a famine came. The son came to his senses and returned home seeking forgiveness and a place as a servant. However, the father, who gave him what he wanted even though it was in conflict with his desires, saw him a long way off, ran to him and restored his place in the family.

In 1 Samuel 8, the nation of Israel asked the prophet Samuel for a king rejecting God’s plan for them and their place in His family. In verse 7, God told Samuel, “Do everything they say to you, for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer” (NLT). God then warned them what would happen if they had a human king instead of God as their leader. They said they would live with the consequences and God granted their request even though it was in conflict with His design. It wasn’t long before everything God said would happen came true. They learned the hard way that wanting God’s blessings without His leadership leads to problems. For generations they followed the pattern of falling away, repenting and returning.

Each one of find times in our life where we are like the prodigal or Israel. We want to choose our way instead of God’s because our desires are in conflict with His design. Like He did in the Bible, He will give it to us so we can learn the hard way that His way is better. When it happens in my life, I think of Acts 3:19-20. “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.” When we repent of choosing our way over His, He is faithful to forgive us, bring us back into relationship and give us times of refreshing. If you’ve squandered what He’s given you and you’re ready to return, He’s looking forward to your return and to restore you.

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September 21, 2026 · 5:45 AM

Confronting The Problem

Several years ago I took an assessment at work. It had some unflattering things to say about me on it. I made light of it and joked with the instructor on one of them. She said something back that hit a nerve and got me upset. I lost my cool in front of my peers. The instructor said, “Maybe it’s not wrong.” Now, on top of not liking what it said, I was upset that I lost my cool. I called my wife from my hotel room to tell her what it said and what happened. She simply,y asked, “Well, is it true?” I retorted back, “It doesn’t matter if it is!” She quietly said, “Maybe it does. Why don’t you take some time to figure it out.” I looked at everything and it was true. It turns out I was mad because the truth exposed something in me and I had a choice to confront the problem or the one who had delivered the message. I chose poorly during work, but that night, I chose to confront the problem.

In 2 Samuel 12 David was confronted by the prophet Nathan over his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband to cover up his sin. The truth offends what he was doing behind closed doors was exposed. Instead of rejecting it, he said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He didn’t try to make excuses, defend his actions or blame someone else. He then penned Psalm 51 where he asked God to forgive him. In verse 10 he wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (NLT). When the truth exposed him, he asked God to give him a new heart and spirit that was able to overcome temptation and sin that was pulling him away from a life that pleased God.

Proverbs 9:8 says, “Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you” (AMP). When God confronts something in you, do you take responsibility for your error and learn from it or do you try to justify it? God brings conviction so we can grow and be more like Jesus. When we push back on the truth that He brings, we push back on the things He wants to do in our lives. Wise people, like David, understand correction is part of the growth process that God has for us. It is beneficial for us to receive it and to learn from our error. What is God pointing out in you right now that He wants you to change? Instead of pushing back and confronting the truth, ask God to help you confront the problem so you can become more like Him.

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September 18, 2026 · 6:03 AM

Meeting On The Mat

One of the common themes throughout the Gospels and Early Church time period were people on mats in busy places begging for money. There art so many stories where Jesus healed them and forgave their sins. I especially love the story where these friends carried their friend on his mat to Jesus. When they couldn’t get to Him, they ripped off the roof and lowered him to Jesus. As I think about all those people on the mats, I realize we are all like them in some way. These mats weren’t just what the invalid people laid on. They represent the place where our limitations meet divine intervention. They remind me that all of us are in need of a savior and that we must come to that place where we ask Jesus for help. It’s when we realize we are on these mats that Jesus sees beyond our initial need and takes care of our other hidden needs to. The mat is a meeting place where true healing takes place, but we have to become humble enough to know we need it.

Here are some Bible verses where Jesus met people on mats:

1. Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!” And he was healed instantly.

Acts of the Apostles 9:32, 34 NLT

2. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Mark 6:54-56 NLT

3. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

Acts of the Apostles 5:15-16 NLT

4. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

John 5:6-9 NLT

5. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” …So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

Luke 5:18-20, 24-26 NLT

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September 17, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Being Enough

What card do you play when you want to show your credibility? I know some people say what university they graduated in order to validate themselves. I know others who point to their position at their job. Some talk of their experience and others the people they’re connected with. We all have something we point to that we’re proud of, but what if that was taken away? Who would you be without it? Is the value you place on yourself based on that or in how other people treat you because of it? We all want to be valued in other people’s eyes in one way or another. However, many of the things we point to, won’t matter for eternity.

In Philippians 3 Paul is building his credibility with the readers about who he is so they’ll trust him instead of deceivers. He also goes a little overboard to make a point. He tells them he’s a Hebrew’s Hebrew born of the tribe of Benjamin. He then lets them know he was a strict Pharisee who knew the Law and lived it better than just about anyone. He was also one of the most zealous people in regards to the Law. So much so that he hunted down Christians and killed them. People knew who he was and how religious he was. He had all the credibility you needed and the accolades of people, but when he came to know Christ, his identity ceased to be in those things. He realized it was all superficial, self righteous pride and he wanted to teach us a lesson.

Philippians 3:8 says, ”Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ“ (NLT). Are you holding on to an identity that you’ve created or are you holding on to what Jesus considers as important? The more we let go of the things that this world values, the more we’re able to receive what God has for us. It’s time to be like Paul and throw those things that make us self righteous in the garbage. They may give you the approval of people which can interfere with God’s approval. Your identity and your credibility comes from who you are in Christ and what He’s done for you. It’s time to quit trying to make others think you’re enough when God already says you’re enough.

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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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September 16, 2026 · 5:59 AM

An Everlasting Foundation

On the night that I hit rock bottom in life, I was laying on my living room floor circled up. As I was crying out to God for help, it was like the Lord took me up to look down from above. I saw myself laying just as I was, but I was on a house foundation. It was raining on me and there was house debris all over the yard as if it had been hit by a hurricane. I felt like the Lord say, “I have stripped away everything you built that wasn’t for me. However, your foundation is good. Now rebuild your life my way on this foundation and it will survive any storm.” That night I repented and agreed to live my life God’s way and to rebuild piece by piece, brick by brick.

In Matthew 8:24-25 Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock” (NLT). He went on to say that anyone who hears His teaching and words and chooses not to obey them is like a foolish person who built their life on the sand. When the rains, wind and flood come, it will collapse and have a great crash. The crowd standing there was amazed at this teaching. They each had a choice to make because they had a decision to make on whether to follow it and build their life on the Rock or not.

Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.” Notice how the parable of Jesus and this proverb talk about when the storms of life come. Every one of us will face storms, rain, winds and being overwhelmed by floodwaters in some form. Storms don’t create the failure. They expose our foundation and our foundation is what determines our future. If you haven’t built on the everlasting Rock as your foundation, it will be a total loss. Have you been building your life God’s way with an everlasting foundation? It only takes one storm to find out.

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September 15, 2026 · 6:09 AM

Peace In The Pain

Horatio Spafford faced a lot of loss. His business burned down in the Chicago Fire while he was still grieving the loss of his four year old son the year before. He worked hard for the next couple of years trying to help rebuild the city and needed a break. They decided to go join D.L. Moody in Europe for bit to get a break from the overwhelming work of rebuilding. As they were leaving he got held up with some urgent zoning and rebuilding issues. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead, but their boat hit another vessel in the Atlantic. He received a telegram from his wife that said, “Saved alone.” He took another boat to go meet up with his wife. When they arrived at the wreck site, the captain got Horatio and showed him. It was in that moment he penned the words to the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” In the middle of incredible loss, his outlook changed as he focused on God’s character.

In 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah went to Shiloh to offer his annual sacrifices. His wife Hannah, who had been barren, went with him. She desperately wanted a son for years. She was depressed, wouldn’t eat and was visibly sad about it. After her husband made his sacrifice, she went into the Tabernacle to pray where she wept bitterly before the Lord. Eli, the priest, saw her lips moving, but no words coming out. He assumed she was drunk and got onto her telling her to get rid of her wine. She responded she hadn’t been drinking, but was praying in anguish and desperation. He told her, “Go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad (NLT).

Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.” We all deal with loss and circumstances that steal our joy. Like these two examples it may occur over several years. Nothing had changed in either of their cases, but instead of staying focused on their situation, they trusted in the Lord and fixed their thoughts on Him. Instead of being crushed under the weight of everything, they stood on the eternal Rock. Their trust in God gave them peace in the midst of their circumstances. We can experience that same peace and countenance change when we keep our thoughts on God, trust in Him and have faith in His character over the moment we’re standing in.

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September 14, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Waiting In Silence

I once heard a quote attributed to A.W. Tozer that shook me. It said, “If the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the Church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the Early Church, 95 percent of what they did would stop and everyone would know the difference.” I believe he was pointing out how easy it is to build a full, meaningful life that centers around God, but doesn’t pause long enough to notice or hear Him. We’ve grown so accustomed to a busy life that being still can cause us to feel guilty and unproductive. We have to ask ourselves, “When’s the last time I let myself be still, quiet and undistracted before the Lord?” It’s a question that even the most faithful and spiritually seasoned person needs to ask when life gets loud.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just had one of the most productive ministry days of his career on Mount Carmel when he found himself on the run. God led him to Horeb, the mountain of God, and asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He told the Lord everything he was busy doing, but the Lord told him to go stand before Him on the mountain. Then there was a great wind that tore into the mountain, but the Lord wasn’t in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but God wasn’t in it. After that there was fire like he had just seen God do at Mount Carmel, but the Lord wasn’t in it either. Finally there was a gentle whisper of a still, small voice and Elijah hid his face in a posture of humility, the same way Moses had in the presence of God, because he recognized he wasn’t just hearing a sound. He was in the presence of God. He learned that God is not always in the noise and fire. He’s often speaking in a gentle whisper that we must quiet ourselves to hear.

Psalm 62:5 says, “For God alone my soul waits in silence and quietly submits to Him, For my hope is from Him” (AMP). Waiting in silence isn’t wasted time. It’s where we submit to God, hear His gentle whisper and have our hope restored. Elijah didn’t get his next assignment from the fire on Mount Carmel. It came from being quiet in the presence of the Lord. Like him, we need to carve out some time to wait before the Lord in silence to hear His voice before we try to do more for Him. It’s the only true way to build a meaningful life that doesn’t just center around God, but submits to Him and gives Him control of what we do. After all, a life that waits for Him in the silence will always look different than one that just works for Him in the noise.

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September 11, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Here I Am

One of the things I do every day is to put a challenge coin in my pocket that says, “That others may live.” As I pick it up, I pray, “Lord, here I am. I am on your team. Send me where you want me to go. Put people in my path who need to hear from you, and use me how you see fit today.” It’s a constant reminder to me that my life is not my own and that my ultimate goal is to do what God wants me to. There were several instances in the Bible where God called out to people and their response was, “Here I am.” God used each of them. I believe that when God calls us, you and I should have that same response letting Him know we are available.

Here are some Bible verses where people said, “Here I am”:

1. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

Genesis 22:10-12 NLT

2. “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’… And He said, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.”

Genesis 31:10-11, 13 NIV

3. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn’t the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.” When the LORD saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Yes, here I am.”

Exodus 3:2-4 GNT

4. So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel 3:8-10 NLT

5. Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8 AMP

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