May 20, 2026 · 5:37 AM

Trusting God In Uncertainty

I’ve found that when God asks me to do something where the outcome is uncertain, fear has a way of creeping in. Fear of the unknown can create all kinds of symptoms. For me, it creates procrastination while I try to see if I can guarantee the outcome. For others, it creates paralysis through analysis. Some people become very controlling of the things they can control in hopes of being able to control the outcome. What does uncertainty produce in you? There are some who see the uncertainty and instead of giving into fear, they trust God for the outcome and step out in faith. I think we would all love for that to be our go to response.

In Matthew 14:22, Jesus put the disciples in a boat to go ahead of Him across the Sea of Galilee. Along the way, the faced a storm that made their future uncertain. The rain was coming down, the waves were rocking the boat and these seasoned fishermen let fear take over even though they were doing what Jesus asked them to do. After several hours, they looked up to see Jesus walking on the water towards them telling them not to be afraid. Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water” (AMP). The Lord told him to get out as everyone else stayed in the boat. They all had the opportunity to walk on water, but only one stepped out despite their fear and trusted Jesus.

Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You.” Where do you put your trust when you are afraid? Is it in routines, in what you know or what you can see? Peter and David trusted God over what their fear was telling them. David was in a desperate place when he penned these words. He had been captured by the enemy who knew who he was. Instead of giving into fear of an unknown future, he trusted the character of God and placed his faith their. We all have a choice where we place our faith in times of crisis, fear and uncertainty. Instead of choosing to let fear control our behavior, choose to trust an unknown future to the God you know you can trust. Put your faith in Him, step out of the boat of the familiar and step out in faith. Trust God even in uncertainty.

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May 19, 2026 · 5:44 AM

Kingdom Over Calling

History is littered with people who have been given great dreams to accomplish. Some become so obsessed with their dream that it consumes them. They get so focused on their dream dream that it becomes the source of their identity. When that happens, the dream giver becomes optional. Think of Samson whom God called from birth to rescue Israel with his strength. As he grew up, he began to love his strength more than the one who empowered him. That pride became his downfall. I could listen to modern people who fell into the same trap that he did. We all must be careful not to let our gift become our god or our calling to become an idol that we chase.

David was a young man when Samuel anointed him to be the next king of Israel. It wasn’t long before he defeated Goliath and was a regular in the king’s home. David must have thought it was happening then, but God saw fit to send him through adversity to prepare him for his calling. David lived in hiding, moving from cave to cave instead of palaces. He commanded a rebel army of outcasts and rejects before he commanded the national force. In the process of adversity, he learned to quit chasing the dream and to start chasing the dream giver. Twice he had the opportunity to kill King Saul and ascend to the throne, but he did not touch God’s anointed. David had a heart after God rather than the throne. When he was ready, God gave it to him. Throughout his life, he showed he was owned by God and not the throne.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also” (AMP). Have you found yourself chasing your dream or calling more than the One who planted that in you? God’s order is to seek Him first, then all these other things will be given to you. There’s a process that we go through that reveals and prepares our heart. When we bypass the process, we become like Samson rather than David. We find ourselves seeking the calling rather than the creator. God gives dreams and callings for the Kingdom. If you’re in a season of preparation or waiting for the calling to come to pass, seek God and His kingdom. When the time is right, God will give it to you and cause it to come to pass.

Photo by Marco ten Hoff on Unsplash

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May 18, 2026 · 5:47 AM

Safety Devices

When you start to think about it, we are surrounded by safety devices. Our homes have smoke detectors to alert us when there’s a fire. We’ve made it the law that you have to wear a seat belt in the car. There are railroad crossing arms nearly everywhere a road crosses the tracks. Just about every place and activity have some form of safety around it, yet people still choose to ignore or not use the safety devices. We don’t replace batteries in smoke detectors. We rationalize not wearing a seat belt on short trips. We go around the railroad crossing arms when we’re in a hurry. In every one of those scenarios people have paid the price of ignoring the safety device. Some have sued when they’re the ones who ignored it. The safety devices are there to help us, yet we feel inconvenienced by them at times.

In Judges 2, God told the Israelites not to make a covenant with the other nations in the Promised Land. When Joshua died, it says, “Another generation arose after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped and served the Baals, and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt” (AMP). God had given them the Law, leaders and even met with them in the form of an angel to warn them not to do things opposite of His ways. They went through several generations and leaders who kept trying to bring the people back to God’s ways so they would receive the blessings of following Him. However, time after time, they ignored Him and suffered the consequences.

Proverbs 13:13 says, “Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, But he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] will be rewarded.” God’s Word is a lamp, a warning system and a guard rail for our lives. When we ignore it, we face the consequences. When we follow it, we are rewarded with blessings. It’s not always convenient and we don’t always understand the guardrails He’s given us, but we must live by them if we want to get the most out of this life He’s given us. We can’t pick and choose what parts of His Word we obey and what parts we ignore. “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].” His Word is for our good and our safety. We can’t afford to ignore it like other safety devices. This one has eternal consequences.

Photo by Google Gemini

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May 15, 2026 · 6:00 AM

Falling Isn’t Final

One of the lessons we’re trying to teach our son is that it matters how you respond when you fall or get knocked down. In life, it’s not a matter of if you fall, but when. Sometimes falls are caused by failure, people or circumstances. Failure is only fatal when we choose not to get back up and keep going. God doesn’t prevent every fall, but as a believer, He makes sure it’s not final. He gives us the strength to get back up. Scripture tells us that God forgives us, upholds us, lifts us up and strengthens us when we hit the ground. No matter how many times we fall or get knocked down, we always need to get back up, one more time.

Here are some Bible verses on falling:

1. I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Psalm 118:13-14 ESV

2. The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall And raises up all those who are bowed down.

Psalms 145:14 AMP

3. The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him. If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up.

Psalm 37:23-24 GNT

4. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

Micah 7:8 NLT

5. For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.

Proverbs 24:16 AMP

Photo by Airam Dato on Pexels.

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May 14, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Crazy Faith

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in Joshua 10. Joshua led the Israelites into war against five kings. As they were fighting, God threw hailstones from the heavens and killed more men than the Israelites combined. The battle continued to rage, but nightfall was upon them. That’s when Joshua stopped, looked up into heaven, and said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon” (Joshua 10:12 NLT). The next verse says the sun stood still until Israel defeated their enemies.

Can you imagine the kind of boldness, courage and faith it took to make such a request? To me, this is one of the greatest miracles of the Bible. God paused time so that Joshua could defeat his enemies. I love it when God shows off like this. To me, it’s Him saying, “If you can think it, I can do it. All you have to do is ask.” The problem is that I feel like I’m bothering God when I ask for something crazy like this. But God is sitting there wanting me to stretch my faith and ask Him for the unthinkable.

Ephesians 3:20 is a familiar verse to most Christians, and I love how the Amplified Bible writes this verse. It says, “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].” God can do infinitely more than your wildest prayers, craziest hopes and unrealistic dreams. He’s just waiting for you to trust Him enough to ask Him for it.

Photo by Cade Prior on Unsplash

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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May 13, 2026 · 5:45 AM

Risky Faith

In life and in business, we have learned how to make calculated risks. We run the numbers, we look out possible outcomes and then make a decision based on that information on whether we should proceed or not. The problem we run into is when we let that bleed into our spiritual life and then try to call it faith. They are not the same. Faith steps out not knowing what the outcome will be. Faith is built on trust in God rather than on human wisdom. A calculated risk says, “I’ve crunched the numbers and the odds are acceptable.” Faith says, “God has told me to do this. His word is enough even when it appears the odds aren’t.” One trusts in our abilities while the other trusts God’s.

In Genesis 12:1, God told Abram, “Go away from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you” (AMP). Abram didn’t start looking at the risk of leaving his family behind, walking away from his inheritance or not knowing where he was going. Because God said it, he packed up his things are started walking where God directed him. If he had done a risk assessment, he would have never left based on the odds of survival. However, Hebrews 11 says by faith he lived as a nomad in a tent. By faith he trusted in God’s promise. Genesis 15:6 says that God counted his faith as righteousness. As a result, he became the patriarch of a nation and experienced a close relationship with God.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” It’s not by taking calculated risks that we please God. It’s by acting in faith on what He said no matter what we think the odds are. Acting in faith can seem risky to us. Walking into the unknown can feel scary. But without faith, you can’t please God or truly know Him. Without faith, there is no intimacy with God. Has God asked you to do something and you’re stalling because of the risk? Have you tried to see how it’s possible to make it work? Faith doesn’t look at the numbers or the odds. Instead it trusts God’s abilities over your own. Risky faith takes the first step before you know the second one. God rewards those who seek Him and walk in faith and not by sight.

Photo by Davyd Markovskyi on Unsplash

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May 12, 2026 · 6:04 AM

Fear’s False Kings

One of the most repeated commands in the Bible tells us “do not fear.” That’s because fear is the default response whenever we can’t predict, control or understand what’s happening. God knows that fear, when left unchecked, will pull us away from Him. Fear will expose who or what we truly trust. It produces a fork in the road between what we say we believe and what we will actually do when things are out of our control. We often choose something opposite of what we say we believe. That’s why the Bible makes it clear that fear is not from God. Instead He gives us a of power, love and a sound mind. Those will help us choose what is right over what fear wants us to choose.

In 1 Samuel 8, Israel asked for a king. It displeased and upset Samuel. He felt rejected after years of leading the nation, but God reminded him that they were rejecting God not Samuel. As he gave them his parting words in chapter 12, Samuel exposes why they really requested a king. Verse 12 says, “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king” (NLT). When they gave into fear, they replaced God as their ruler with Saul. It makes me wonder where have I asked for a “king” in my life that God was already the ruler of.

Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will remember and trust in the name of the Lord our God” (AMP). Chariots and horses represent human solutions to our problems they way Israel chose a king. When fear arises in our life, we will either choose to trust in something that can be counted, controlled or visible to us or we can choose to trust in God. When fear raises its head in our life, God offers an anchor of safety in the middle of chaos. He invites us to trust in Him instead of the substitute strengths and false kings that fear points us to. Our hope is not in the creation or something we can manufacture, but in the name above all names that has never failed or abandoned His people.

Photo by Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza on Unsplash

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May 11, 2026 · 5:56 AM

Surrendering To The Yoke

There are certain verses in the Bible that draw me in when I read them. Matthew 11:28-30 do it every time. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (NLT). Yokes aren’t something we see very often in the age of tractors, but I believe much of this verse hinges on understanding the yoke and how it was used during the time Jesus spoke these words. His audience would have easily understood, but today we will dig a little deeper.

Yokes were a tool built for two to work together. A farmer would often pair a stronger ox with a younger one. The yoke would help the younger one learn from the other one as he matured. The older ox would shoulder the load, set the pace and direction. If the younger one tried to show how strong and capable it was, it would be fighting against the intention of the yoke. It had to learn to work with the more experienced ox. The ox would learn by staying close, not trying harder. In fact, if it tried to veer off, resist or set the pace itself, it often got hurt. Once it surrendered to the yoke and the older ox, it became more productive and the load instantly became lighter.

Jesus is inviting us into a life of proximity where He sets the pace, carries the load and teaches us how to live the life He created us to live. If you’ve tried to set your own pace or shoulder the load, you know how exhausting that can be. Jesus is inviting us to come to Him and surrender our way of doing things as we learn His rhythm of life and allow Him to do the heavy lifting. When we finally admit we can’t do it on our own, He’s there waiting to give us a yoke that is easy to carry as we learn to walk in step with Him. At some point we must decide whose yoke we’re going to be under, whose strength we’re going to trust and who will set the pace for our life. Jesus’s invitation isn’t to make us try harder, but to walk closer and to trust Him. Will you go to Him today and surrender your way for His?

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May 8, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Growing Deeper Roots

I was speaking with someone recently who in a matter of days was robbed, had their car break down, lost their job and had a family member diagnosed with cancer. They still trusted in God, and though they were shaken, they believed God would meet every need. A person like that has deep roots in their faith. A season like this will not blow them over, but actually cause their roots to go deeper. Have you considered how deep your roots in Christ are? In Matthew 13 Jesus told a parable about a farmer scattering seeds. Some fell in shallow soil and when the heat came, they dried up. Some fell among the thorns and the roots were chocked out. Some fell in fertile soil and the roots went deep. This person planted their roots in God’s Word and not only survived, but produced in every season. Determine today to plant your roots in Christ and trust Him no matter what season you’re in.

Here are some Bible verses on growing deeper roots.

1. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7 NLT

2. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV

3. Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.

Proverbs 12:3 NLT

4. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Ephesians 3:16-17 NLT

5. There is hope for a tree that has been cut down; it can come back to life and sprout. Even though its roots grow old, and its stump dies in the ground, with water it will sprout like a young plant.

Job 14:7-9 GNT

Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

I’m taking a week of rest of rest and recuperation. Please enjoy these previously written devotions that I’ve hand picked for this week.

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May 7, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Spending Quality Time With God

After my wife and were engaged, my dad bought each of us “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. In the book, we read how people give love and receive love. Each of us typically want to be loved in one to two ways. The book goes through the five love languages (physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts and quality time), and it also gives you an assessment to help you know what your love language is so that you and your spouse can keep your love tanks full.

We know from Genesis that we are made in God’s image. I think what that means is that we have a lot of God’s qualities in us. We know that He shows us love, therefore He wants to be shown love. We know that John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…” he’s also given us the Gifts of the Spirit. I believe one of God’s major love languages is gifts. Abel showed God love by bringing Him the gift of his best lambs and it made God happy.

I also believe God’s other dominant love language is quality time. He loves to spend time with each of us. That’s why prayer is so important. I love Psalm 27. It’s loaded with good stuff. In verse 8 it says, “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’” (NLT). I hear God saying, “Come spend some quality time with me,” to each of us. Do we respond like David?

It’s important to note that we often show love in the way we want to receive it. To keep a relationship healthy, we have to learn to show it in the language of the person we are in a relationship with. Quality time and gifts may not come naturally to you, so you’ll have to work at it. Take some time today to spend some quality time with God. I know you’re reading this as a part of that, but take some time to just sit in His presence so you can hear what He has to say. You’ll be surprised by how your relationship with God changes.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

I’m taking a week of rest of rest and recuperation. Please enjoy these previously written devotions that I’ve hand picked for this week.

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