April 27, 2026 · 5:31 AM

The “And” Of God

I had a writing instructor tell me that a wel, 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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April 17, 2026 · 6:07 AM

Transforming The Heart

When we talk about the heart in the Bible, we’re talking about more than your blood pumping muscle. It’s talking about the core of who you are. It’s the place where your thoughts, will, emotions and character come from. It’s also the place where God chooses to meet us and to pour more of who He is and what He wants in our life. He does that because it’s the control center of our whole person. Make sure you are opening your heart up to Him so He can put what He needs to in there. It’s one more way in which we are transformed from the inside out.

Here are some Bible verses on the heart:

1. 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 3:17 NLT

2. I delight to fulfill your will, my God, for your living words are written upon the pages of my heart.

Psalms 40:8 TPT

3. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 NLT

4. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

II Thessalonians 3:5 NKJV

5. Endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:4-5 ESV

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April 16, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Looking On The Inside

In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul chose to listen to the people he was leading rather than God. Because of his continuous disobedience God tore the kingdom from him to give to someone who was better than him. As Samuel mourned for Saul, God told him to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from Jesse’s house. When Jesse’s firstborn went in front of Samuel, he looked at his height and build. He immediately thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed.” Then in 1 Samuel 16:7, God replied, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (NLT).

In the next chapter, King Saul and the Israelites are ready for battle with the Philistines when Goliath steps out. He challenged them to a one on one fight to determine the winner of the battle. Looking at his outward appearance and hearing his words, Israel became fearful. For forty days this happened until David showed up. Instead of seeing an intimidating, undefeatable giant, he saw victory through God’s strength. He offered to fight, but people laughed at him. When he went onto the battlefield, even Goliath laughed because he was looking at the outward appearance of things. David won the battle that day because he knew who God was and he stepped onto the battlefield risking everything and giving God the chance to show up.

1 John 4:4 reminders us, “The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” I don’t know what giant you’re facing or how your situation looks. I do know that God is greater than it and more powerful. It’s time you quit looking on the outside of the situation and started looking inside of you. God does not give you fear. He gives you power (2 Timothy 1:7). If you’re feeling outmatched and overwhelmed with defeat on the horizon for certain, step aside for a minute, pray and remember who is within you. Through Christ Jesus we have victory and nothing we face is too big for Him. Your giant is small and helpless compared to Him. Quit looking on the outside and start looking on the inside.

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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 15, 2026 · 5:42 AM

Guard Your Mind

Some friends and I were discussing how what you think affects your entire life. It has an effect on your emotions, your actions, your wellbeing and even your relationships. Yet somehow, we rarely try to regulate or control what we’re thinking. It’s no wonder that Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV). This is why the lies that go unregulated in your mind often feel like identity. There’s power in positive thinking, but God wants to do more in your life than to have you think positively. He wants to transform you from the inside out. That begins with what goes on in your mind.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (NLT). What’s beautiful about this is that it is an ongoing thing in your life that is not behavior modification. It’s a transformation of who you are from the inside out. It happens both instantaneously and progressively at the same time. It’s a work that God does in us, but it’s also something we have to let Him do in our lives. It starts with deciding to regulate what we think about and what we’re dwelling on.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” What Paul describes here is mental stewardship. It’s not something that is passive. Just as we are to take every thought captive, we are also to fix our thoughts on things that point us back to Christ. I question the thoughts that come after I capture them. Are the true? Do they line up with what the Bible says? If not, I don’t allow my mind to dwell on them. It’s about being intentional with what I allow in my mind because that the area God uses to transform my life into His will. Our enemy wants to control that battleground too. Don’t surrender that ground. Choose to be intentional with your thoughts and watch how God transforms every aspect of your life.

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April 14, 2026 · 5:52 AM

Praying For A Miracle

For the first several years of my son’s life, he would cry at restaurants when the staff sang “Happy Birthday.” He also would act like you were hurting him by brushing his hair or by patting him on the back. We finally found out he was allergic to gluten, dairy and eggs, and they were heightening his senses. We had to make dietary changes. For years we struggled to find the right food wherever we went. One day we were at a family member’s house and said he couldn’t eat what they made. After we explained why, he asked if we liked living that way. He anointed my son with oil, prayed and asked if we all believed. We did. Then he asked for a glass of milk. It didn’t affect him. We then took him back to the doctor for more testing, and it was verified. He was no longer allergic to those items.

In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching inside someone’s house. Every room was packed by people listening to Him. People were even gathered around the house listening through doors and windows. That’s when a group of friends showed up carrying their paralyzed friend on a stretcher. Since they couldn’t get to Jesus through a door or window, the climbed onto the roof, tore a section off, and lowered their friend down to Jesus. He saw the faith of his friends, forgave his sins and healed him. Verse 26 says, “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, ‘We have seen amazing things today!’” (NLT) I love this miracle because it was the determination and faith of others that helped him be healed through Jesus, and the testimony spread pointing others to Jesus.

James 5:14-15 says, “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” I believe this verse is still true today. I’ve seen it with my son and with others. If you need a miracle, seek a minister or mature Christian to pray in faith. I’ve found there are times we need to rely on the faith of others to place our need before Jesus. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He did them in the Bible and for others in the past, He can do them today and in the future. Keep believing and praying for a miracle. I believe He will do it.

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