October 12, 2026 · 5:30 AM

The Belt Of Truth

In 1967 Katherine Switzer decided to run in the Boston Marathon. She registered and started the race. The only problem was that women had not been allowed to run in marathons, especially ones that were as prestigious as that one. In the middle of her race, Jock Semple, the race director, attacked her. He grabbed her bib number and tried to pull it off while shouting at her that she didn’t belong in the race. Katherine refused to quit. She kept running and refused to yield to the lie that she didn’t belong. She stood her ground and finished the race. The attack was photographed and reported internationally, becoming one of Time Life’s “100 Photos That Changed The World.” Five years later, women were officially accepted into the Boston Marathon.

In Luke 4, Jesus had just been baptized and affirmed by the Father as His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. In the days that followed, the devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread” (NLT). Satan attacked His identity right away. He was then tempted to yield to Satan in exchange for worship, but Jesus refused to budge. Finally he tempted Jesus by asking Him to prove who He was by jumping and letting angels catch Him. With each lie that came His way, Jesus pushed back with the truth of the Word of God and overcame them. The devil has been using lies and deception to get people to yield to temptation, lose their God given identity and believe something other than what God has said. Only the truth can help us to stand against him.

Ephesians 6:13-14 says, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth.” It’s amazing to me that the first piece of armor we are to put on is the Belt of Truth. What we would typically put on last, God tells us to put on first. Knowing the truth is imperative to standing your ground and resisting the lies of the enemy. Whether he has attacked your identity, your beliefs or your trust in God, the best way to defeat him is through knowing the truth. You will be tested. You will be attacked and lied to. As a believer, you should be putting on God’s armor every day so that you aren’t pushed out of the race God has called you to run.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

October 9, 2026 · 5:53 AM

Remember To Worship

I saw a video of a surgeon who talked about the difference between patients who pray and worship before a surgery and those who don’t. He said the moment patients begin to worship, their whole body, mindset and demeanor changes. They become more relaxed as they go under anesthesia. My wife watched the same thing happen with her father before his surgery. What happens when we worship is that our brain quits focusing on the problem and the fear. It shifts its attention to the only one that is greater than what we’re facing. Fear is present when the situation we’re facing is greater than our ability to solve it. Worship reminds us we serve the One who is greater than anything we face and is more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think.

Here are some verses to remind us to worship:

1. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.

Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV

2. Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation. They exult in your righteousness.

Psalms 89:15-16 NLT

3. Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! He is our God; we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides.

Psalm 95:6-7 GNT

4. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness].

Psalms 29:2 AMP

5. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:23-24 NKJV

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

October 8, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Being Permeated By God’s Word

One of the artisan things that has been mostly lost is the art of making bread. It’s so easy to go to the store to buy a loaf that few of us have time to make it unless we have specific dietary needs. My father in law though still makes tortillas. While it’s not a loaf of bread, the process is similar. He always heats water on the stovetop while he mixes the dry ingredients. He then adds a little water at a time until the mixture is just right. He then separates it out into smaller balls of dough, then he takes a wet paper towel, covers them and waits. He gives the yeast time to activate and interact with the dough. Once it has permeated the whole ball of dough, it’s time to roll them out and cook them. It’s a process that can’t be rushed or you change the end result.

Meditating on God’s Word is a lot like that process. We have to take the water of God’s Word and add it to the dry mixture of our lives. It then has to be kneaded into every area so that the dryness is gone. This means that we can’t just read the Bible for the sake of reading it. We must look at it and consider how we apply it and live it out. After that, it’s time to stop and think about it on a deeper level. What is the context? Why did God put this in the Bible? What all is He trying to say? You then look at it from the angle of every person in that passage thinking about its implications to them. By asking these questions and really chewing on the verse or passage before applying it, you allow it to permeate your entire being and gain deeper understanding of it. Then, when you’re crushed or walk through fiery trials and the heat of life is applied, you will produce the life you’re called to live.

In Matthew 13:33 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and worked into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (AMP). Each of our lives must allow the Word of God to be worked into our lives through meditating on it. There are promises of being successful if we do (Joshua 1:8) as well as having a life that produces fruit in every season of life (Psalm 1:2-3). We are also told in James 1:22 not just to be hearers of God’s Word, but to also be doers of it. To do that, we must pray for insight and direction as we read, then spend time asking the question and meditating on it. God’s Word, like yeast, is alive and active and is wanting to permeate every area of our life if we will slow down the process and allow it to do its work. Don’t read it to check off a Christian box. Read it to transform your life, to guide you and to lead you into His promises.

Photo by Skyler Ewing from 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 7, 2026 · 6:07 AM

Identity Under Pressure

When a country, corporation or group wants to change what people believe, they don’t start by attacking what they believe. They start by chipping away at a person’s identity. They challenge their habits, assumptions and patterns that a person finds their identity in. People then begin to internalize the new system, culture or belief system without feeling like they’ve made a conscious choice to leave their belief system behind. The education system, news, entertainment, pop culture, medical systems and local governments create a pipeline that slow,y erode the beliefs someone held tightly and flip them to the point that others who hold beliefs that they once held are seen as archaic and less enlightened. A person rarely gives up their long held beliefs on a moment. They fall prey to a system that has been used for thousands of years to get them to make small compromises.

In Daniel 1, King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonia empire besieged Jerusalem and defeated the Israelites. They captured people, especially people of influence and of the noble family, and took them back to Babylon. Verse 4 says, “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men, Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon” (NLT). The king was taking people that not only were physically attractive, but also educated in order to indoctrinate them in order to get the Israelites to assimilate into the Babylonian way of life, leave their faith and adopt the king as their authority rather than God. It’s the same practice used today to get Christians to change what they believe, question the Bible and adopt the culture of the world.

However, Daniel understood what was happening and we can learn from how he stood firm in a culture and system that was designed to get him to abandon his beliefs. Verse 8 says, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.” Daniel defeated Babylon’s system by first determining who had the real authority over his life, who he trusted with decisions and who he found his identity in. He guarded his daily habits, limited what the new system could change, stayed grounded in his daily spiritual disciplines and drew lines in the sand that he wouldn’t cross. Like Daniel, we must regard what God says above all else and not allow a culture that does not know Him to tell us who He is. We must stay in communication with Him through prayer, read His Word to us daily and renew our mind through the Spirit. Daily obedience is how you stand firm when your identity is under pressure.

Photo by HONG FENG on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 6, 2026 · 5:41 AM

Vertical Value

When I was a kid I heard the parable of the rich rancher. He had started with nothing, but worked hard, bought land and became the richest person around. He had so many acres and livestock that there wasn’t very much that he didn’t own in the county. One day a childhood friend came to visit the rancher. He was excited to show off how much he had acquired and built through the years. They drove all through the land, past fences and through gates stopping along the way. When they got back to the ranch house, the rancher bragged to his friend, “Look around. I own everything you see!” Just then the setting sun caught the friend’s eye. He said, “Do you own that too?” In that moment, the rancher gazed upward and realized that he had built a life on basing his value horizontally comparing himself with others rather than vertically finding his worth in God.

In 1 Samuel 17 David faced Goliath. All the descriptions of Goliath show that Israel measured his worth by his height, his armor and his fighting record. When they compared theirselves to him, they ran in fear. However, when David arrived, he knew who he was in God’s eyes. He didn’t measure his worth in being a shepherd or the youngest in his family, so he was t afraid of Goliath. In fact, he got a righteous anger in him at Goliath for defying God and his fellow countrymen for being afraid and doing nothing. His own brothers taunted him because of his age, his occupation and his inexperience, but David wasn’t phased. He spoke to Goliath, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (NLT). He didn’t compare himself to Goliath, but rather he compared Goliath to God and understood victory was coming.

In Galatians 6:4 Paul reminds us to not fall into the same trap of comparison that so many have fallen into. He wrote, “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” When God created you, He had very specific things in. Ind for you to do. You don’t need to compare your calling and work with others. Are you being faithful where God has planted you and doing what He’s asked of you? If so, you are being successful in God’s eyes. Quit trying to prove yourself to others, gain their approval and comparing what God asked you to do with what He’s called them to do. When you’ve shown faithfulness in the little things, He will give you more. The next time the sun catches your eye, let it remind you to look upwards rather than at others.

Photo by ARTO SURAJ on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

October 5, 2026 · 5:58 AM

Being An Ambassador

I’ve lived near ambassadors before, but have only gotten to know one. Ambassadors are the highest ranking diplomat from a country sent to live in a place that is not their home. They represent the authority of the country they’re from and serve as a bridge between the two parties that are separated geographically, politically or on issues. They act as a direct line of communication during a crisis, create goodwill between the separated parties and helping their own citizens who are also abroad. It’s quite a remarkable role and also a huge responsibility. They are chosen based on their ability and connection to the leader. Their conduct is a direct reflection of their of their nation and affects how others perceive that nation.

In John 4 Jesus stopped in Samaria on His way to Galilee. There was hostility between the two people groups and they rarely spoke to each other. It was there at a well that He encountered a Samaritan woman and asked her for a drink. She was shocked He asked her. He then used that as an open door to build a bridge and connect her to God. After answering her questions and offering her living water, she ran back to her village as a newly appointed ambassador. “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him” (NLT). She became the one who built the bridge between her community and Jesus. The whole village began to believe once they met Jesus. She was the one most would have chosen as an ambassador but she had a heart that was willing to tell what had been done for her.

2 Corinthians 5:18 says that we have been given the responsibility and message of reconciliation to people who are not yet citizens of Heaven. Then verse 20 says, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, Come back to God!’” You and I are God’s representatives on earth. This place is not our home, but we are here to bridge the gap between the lost and God. We do that through creating a direct line to Him through prayer, living a life that points others to Him and being willing to say what He tells us to as He makes His appeal through us. Like the woman at the well, we don’t have to have everything together nor be perfect. We simply must be willing to be His ambassador wherever He has planted you.

Photo by Google Gemini

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

October 2, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Strength To Stand

When things start to go wrong, what do you do? I usually start bracing myself and start taking a defensive posture. When I do that, my plan is to face the situation in my own strength even though I’ve found out several times that I’m not strong enough. What I need to do is to seek God’s strength. His strength is made perfect when our weakness is exposed and proves not to be enough. His strength will help us in the battle to stand our ground after we’ve been through it all. Physical strength isn’t enough when you’re fighting spiritual battles. You need God to strengthen you. So if you’re facing something right now and your strength is failing, ask God to give you His strength to still be standing when you’ve made it through.

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

1. We pray that you may be] strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy.

Colossians 1:11 AMP

2. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

3. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be].

1 Peter 5:10 AMP

4. Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

5. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and encouragement and the good [well-founded] hope [of salvation] by His grace, comfort and encourage and strengthen your hearts [keeping them steadfast and on course] in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 AMP

Photo by Rhand McCoy on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

October 1, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Complete Faith

I grew up hearing the stories of George Mueller. He was a man of faith who lived in the early 1800’s and cared for over 10,000 orphans in his lifetime. One morning the head mistress of the 300 children in the orphanage told him that the kids were dressed for school, but they didn’t have anything for breakfast or any money to purchase it. George told the kids to sit at the tables and they put out their place settings. He then thanked the Lord for providing food. Just then the local baker knocked on the door. He said he couldn’t sleep and thought the kids could use some bread. He baked all night and brought it to them. As soon as he left, there was another knock at the door. A milkman said his cart broke down just outside and he needed to get rid of the milk before it went bad. George kept a prayer journal and in it had over 50,000 times when God answered his prayers.

In Joshua 3, the Israelites had left the desert and were ready to enter the Promised Land. After a three day fast, the people consecrated themselves before entering. While Joshua was praying, God said, “Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there’” (NLT). In order for them to be able cross the Jordan, they had to step into the mud and the water. When the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, stepped into the water, God then stopped the river so they could pass through on dry ground. When everyone had crossed, the priests stepped out of the middle of the river and it began to flow again.

James 2 tells us how our faith and actions are interlinked. He used Abraham putting Isaac on the altar trusting God to provide as an example. In verse 22 it says, “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” In almost every example I can find, people acted in faith before God answered their prayer. Not only did they ask God to provide or to help, they sat the kids down to eat, they stepped into a raging river and they tied up their son and raised the knife. Faith and action are interlinked. What is the step of faith God wants for from you for the prayers you’re asking Him for to be answered? Don’t just pray and believe. Act! Let your actions make your faith complete.

Photo by Emilio Borraz Ortega 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.g

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 30, 2026 · 5:57 AM

Speaking With Salt

Have you ever ordered food at a restaurant, tasted it, and found it was too salty? What about a plate of food that lacked salt? Which did you send back? The one that had too much salt. Why? Because you can add salt to unflavored food, but when there’s too much salt, you can’t take it out and the food is inedible. It’s the same way when we’re speaking with one another, especially those we disagree with. I’ve seen some ugly words in posts from people who disagree politically, religiously and even with sports teams. When there’s too much salt, the other side sends it back. They don’t listen, but instead reject it. There’s no problem with disagreeing, but the amount of seasoning you use in your words determines if it makes them thirsty for more or if they return it.

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. Verse 2 says, “So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed” (NIV). They couldn’t, so they kept asking him to tell them his dream and they would interpret it. Their exchange went on and got so heated that he decided to have all of them in his kingdom put to death. When they came for Daniel, he asked why there was such a harsh decree. Verse 14 says Daniel spoke with wisdom and tact, and he was taken to the king to ask for some time to interpret the dream. He went to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to ask for prayer that God would reveal the dream to him. When God did, he went back to the king to tell him the dream and interpret it. How he spoke to the king made all the difference and he saved the lives of many people.

Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Outsiders here refers to people outside of the faith in Jesus. It also says we should make the most of these opportunities when we talk to them. We should use wisdom and tact in our words the way Daniel did. While the other people attacked the king for what he was asking, Daniel used grace and speech that was seasoned with just enough salt to reach the king and to get him to listen. Let the Holy Spirit guide your conversations with people of different faiths or of no faith at all. He will help you to speak with salt so that others will be drawn to what you say instead of rejecting it.

Photo by Burak Argun from Pexels

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 29, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Living Letters

When I’m watching videos and someone starts with, “You guys have been asking me about this,” or “I’m obsessed with this,” I keep scrolling. That person is being paid to tell me it’s a good product. When I read reviews on Amazon or Google, I trust them more, but I still sort by most recent and run them through AI filters to look for fake reviews. However, when someone I know tells me about something that has changed their life or I can personally see the results, I trust that the most. Who do you trust more: a paid spokesperson or someone whose life you can actually see results from? Influencers talk, but the lives of people you see reveal the truth.

In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul says our lives are living letters that others can read. In verse 3 he writes, “Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This ‘letter’ is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts” (NLT). The Gospel is most visible when it is embodied in our daily life. Other people are watching how you react, what you say and how you live. Has Christ made a difference in you? Has He changed your life so that you live, speak and act differently than the world? As someone once said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words whenever necessary.”

Ezekiel 36 says that God will give us a new heart. Then in verse 27 He says, “And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” When we invite Him to be the Lord of our life, He changes us from the inside out starting with our heart and then by renewing our mind. This internal transformation of going from old to new results in a life that is changed and read by others. They can see the results of Christ living in me and you because we become new creations. Each of us are living letters that show what’s on the inside. What are people reading when the see your life?

Photo by Bingqian Li from Pexels.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized