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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April 13, 2026 · 5:50 AM

Trust What’s Inside

At one of the jobs I’ve had, I was sent to a month of training. After that month of training, I went to the store to have one week of shadowing someone and then a week of them helping me as I typed everything in. I’ll never forget that next week. My boss told me that I was going to be on my own helping customers, but if I had any questions throughout the day, they would help me. I was terrified wondering about messing up. I told him I needed more time working with someone else because I wasn’t ready. He said, “Yes you are! Trust the training. You’ve got this.” He was right. Everything I had learned helped me get through my day successfully.

In Deuteronomy 30, Israel was about to walk into the Promised Land. God told them that they were going to fight and that they were going to experience all the blessings He told them about, and all the curses. During those times, all they had to do was return to Him and they would experience blessings again. I’m sure they didn’t feel ready to go and take the land. They had been wandering for forty years. When the moment arrived, God told them He would make them successful. They wondered how they would follow His orders and if was too far away from them to remember. Then in verse 14 God said, “No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it” (NLT). They needed to trust what they had been taught. It was inside of them.

In Jeremiah 31:33, God says again, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days, I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Each of us have a calling on our life. God asks us to step out and obey, but He proceeds it with a time of preparation. When the times comes, don’t let fear rule the day. Don’t let insecurity hold you back. God has given you what you need in order to accomplish it. He had written His Word on your heart and given you the instructions you need. You don’t need to know all the steps in order to get started. You only need faith to take the first one. Trust what He’s spoken and trust His Word. It’s inside of you and the Holy Spirit will remind you what He said and give you the words to say too.

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April 10, 2026 · 5:56 AM

Redeemed

When I hear the word “redeemed,” I think of coupons and I hear a song about not being able to get Heaven in roller skates (iykyk). However, when this word was used in the New Testament, it had an entirely different meaning than I imagined. The word meant to buy a slave at auction and then to set them free, never to be sold again. When you were redeemed by Christ, you were a slave to sin. You were bought with a price so that you could be free from the Law of Sin and Death. You were made right in God’s eyes. What an incredible picture of a word we barely use, but is found throughout the Bible. You have been redeemed! Walk in that freedom today and live your life as one who’s been bought, freed and restored.

Here are some Bible verses on being redeemed:

1. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,”

Revelation 5:9 NKJV

2. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34:22 ESV

3. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:13-14 ESV

4. For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19 AMP

5. But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.”

Isaiah 43:1 NKJV

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April 9, 2026 · 5:30 AM

True Direction

When I was in my teens, I learned how to use a compass and follow a course. My favorite memory of that was being handed a five mile course through some woods I wasn’t familiar with. I went through creek beds, up hills and through some dense woods. I found each marker right where it was supposed to be. To stay on course, I looked ahead to a fixed object and made my way to it. I learned that on short distances, the compass worked well. However, if I were to use that compass to go to the North Pole, I would end up about 500 miles away because compasses follow magnetic north and not true north. Magnetic north shifts constantly and often causes travelers to lose their true direction over time.

In Genesis 6, the world was only a few generations in when sin took over. Mankind had quit following God and had started following their own way. Each person had their own version of north and that led them away from their creator. Verse 12 says, “God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction” (AMP). When true direction is lost, you need a compass and a fixed point to find your way back. Mankind wanted neither and God sent a flood in order to start over hoping we wouldn’t lose our true direction again.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].” The way you and I keep our true direction in a world that has lost theirs is to keep our focus on heavenly things. We must set our sights on the truth of God’s Word that never changes. When each person has their own truth, we lose our true direction. We end up following our paths instead of His. Don’t let the distractions and worries of this world throw you off course. Put God’s Word in your heart, fixate on it and follow it no matter what. Our true direction is heaven, so let’s keep our eyes fixated there as we navigate this earth.

Photo by Ali Kazal 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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