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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September 10, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Unplugging Wells

During the Covid pandemic, while the world was on lockdown, people had a lot of time on their hands. They had to stay home when they used to go out. Some people took that as an opportunity to rediscover their hidden talents, hone their skills and develop their talents. I watched several videos and read stories of how people were investing their time into these things. Their lives had become so busy before the pandemic that they quit practicing or using these skills and eventually forgot they had them. The pandemic gave almost all of us a rare opportunity to reset our schedules, manage our time better and rediscover ourselves. Once it ended though, most of us went back to living the way we were before it. We forgot the lessons learned and put our talents on the back burner again.

Genesis 26 starts off by telling us there was a great famine that caused people to move, including Isaac. God told him not to go to Egypt, but to stay in the same country. When he arrived to the area the Lord told him to go, he found favor with the king and purchased land. When he planted crops, God gave him 100 times more than he planted. The Philistines were jealous and filled his wells with dirt. Verses 17-18 say that Isaac moved to the valley and reopened the wells his father had dug, but the Philistines and filled up after his death. There were fights and struggles over it, but he kept unplugging them until he had enough water for his people and flocks.

1 Timothy 4:14-15 says, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress” (NLT). Each of us have plugged up wells in our lives. These wells are spiritual gifts, talents and skills that we were given to serve the Lord with. We’ve allowed them to be plugged up by our schedule, our mismanagement of time and daily distractions. It’s time to redig those wells and give your attention to them so that you make progress in them once again. You weren’t created to make a living. Your God given purpose lies in the gifts and talents He gave you. Unplug those wells and use them for His purposes once again. That’s were you will find fulfillment and purpose for your life.

Photo by Thắng-Nhật Trần 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.

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September 9, 2026 · 6:07 AM

The Grasp Of Grace

John Newton wrote the world’s most beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.” It became the anthem for Christians everywhere because of the powerful lyrics that hit home. To Newton they weren’t just lyrics though. They were his story. He calls himself a “wretch” in the song. The definition of that is a wicked, despicable person. He had been in the slave trade, used profanity and defied God. When he gave his life to Jesus, it wasn’t a sudden change like some experience. His transformation seemed to take longer than others. He felt like he kept undermining his own progress in the faith. He had believed he was beyond saving until God proved him wrong. Despite all that, God used him to write a song that captures the heart of Christianity that still touches people today.

Paul the Apostle wrote most of the books in the New Testament of the Bible. I’ve spent a lifetime reading and studying them, as have so many others. However, the man who wrote these books once called himself the “Chief of Sinners.” In the book of Acts, after Stephen became the first martyr of the Church, persecution began to spread. Paul, known as Saul then, was there watching and approving. Acts 9:1 then says, “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers” (NLT). Not only did he approve, he was leading the way of taking men and women to jail and having them killed for their faith in Jesus. God met him on his way to capture more Christians and saved him, and used him to write books that have changed and shaped countless lives.

In 1 Timothy 1:16 Paul wrote, “But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” No one has sinned too much that God can’t save them or use them. Don’t let shame hold you back from what God wants to do in your life and through you. If God can save and use a slave trader and a persecutor of His Church, He can save and use anyone. No past is too dark. No person is too far gone. God’s amazing grace can transform any person anywhere. There is no one beyond the grasp of grace. God has given us these examples so that anyone who calls on His name will be saved.

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September 8, 2026 · 6:02 AM

Defeating Fear

I haven’t dealt with fear too much since I was younger, but I have friends who still have battles with it. Fear thrives in uncertainty. It plays the “what if” game with our mind. It keeps us up at night and causes us to make decisions that aren’t the best. It can also create a paralysis through over analysis. However, here what I’ve learned about fear. It only has authority when I give a situation more authority than God. It only grows in places where I feel like God is not in control. I have to remind myself that God’s stability is greater than any instability around me. Even when things are falling apart, I remember that God is still in control just like He was when Job went through his world getting turned upside down. I don’t have to understand why I’m going through something to know God is with me and has a plan.

In 1 Samuel 17, the Philistines and the Israelites were ready for battle. That’s when the Philistines sent out Goliath. He was huge and strong. Then he began to taunt Israel telling them they were nothing. Verse 11 says, “When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken” (NLT). Saul and Israelite gave Goliath more authority than they did to God’s ability to save them and fear kept them in a stalemate for forty days. However, when David stepped into the camp, his first reaction was to stand up and fight Goliath because he was defying God. David stepped onto that battlefield alone in full confidence because he saw God as greater than any giant. Fear had no authority in his life because God was the ultimate authority. While the Israelites compared themselves to Goliath, David compared him to God. He won both a physical and spiritual battle that day defeating physical and spiritual giants.

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Fear does not come from God. It’s a result of me not giving Him authority in all areas. Instead God gives us power rooted in Him to overcome it. He gives us the stabilizing force of love that casts out all fear. On top of all that, He gives us a sound mind that creates self discipline, which governs our mind causing us to choose what is right even when our emotions are trying to pull us in the wrong direction. Fear has no place in the life of a believer. Since it does not come from God, we can’t give it a foothold. If you’re struggling with the giant of fear, it’s time to restore authority to God in the areas it’s controlling you. Don’t compare yourself to the situation. Compare your situation to God.

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September 7, 2026 · 5:53 AM

A Close Friend

In 2003 I was going through the toughest time of my life. I was going through a divorce, my business was failing and my life was falling apart. I had three people who showed up daily during that time. My brother would call several times a day to check in on me and encourage me. A coworker friend would come over each morning to force me out of bed and make me go to work. A friend from church would then come over in the evenings to sit with me. He said, “I’ve never been married nor have I owned a business so I can’t really relate. However, I know you don’t need to be alone.” Those three saved my life and kept me going. They showed me the power of friendship and why we need them.

During that period, I read the book of Job a lot. One of my favorite parts was in Job 2. He had three friends who had heard about the loss he had experienced and showed up to see him. When they saw him, they identified with his grief and began to grieve with him. Verse 11 says, “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words” (NLT). Their presence was needed more than their platitudes. Sometimes people need you just to sit with them instead of searching for a solution or any advice you might give. Sitting in silence when suffering is too great for words often does more good than anything. Friends show up even when they don’t know what to say or do.

Proverbs 18:24 says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (NIV) Friends who stick closer than a brother show up and help carry a weight that’s greater than words. We all need friends like this, but we also need to be this kind of friend to someone. Life will always have hard times and bring moments too great for words. It’s in those moments when the godly friends mentioned in this verse rise to the top and show up. They refuse to let someone walk alone. We can’t afford to have unreliable friends nor can we be an unreliable friend. There’s too much at stake. Check in, show up and be present in someone’s life. You never know when you will need a close friend too.

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September 4, 2026 · 5:59 AM

The Cloud of God

One of the threads throughout Scripture is when there is a major shift in history, God shows up and manifests His glory in the form of a cloud. Starting in Exodus, then at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, when Jesus left earth and when He returns, God uses a cloud. It was His way of letting His invisible presence be seen, to let people know He’s intervening and that He is not far away. I believe God still cares for each of us and shows up in major transitions. He doesn’t leave us wandering and His presence assures us that He is there with us, walking through the wilderness, giving peace in impossible situations, and marking transitions now and in the future. The next time life has you down, look up and know you’re not on your own. God’s presence is with you.

Here are some Bible verses where God showed up in a cloud:

1. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the doorway of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tent door, all the people would rise and worship, each at his tent door.

Exodus 33:9-10 AMP

2. Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp.

Numbers 9:17 NLT

3. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”

Mark 9:7 NLT

4. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

Acts 1:9 NKJV

5. Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near.

Luke 21:27-28 GNT

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September 3, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Dealing With Doubt

Doubt is one of those things that we don’t really talk about when we go through it. The thoughts come in, we try to dismiss them away, but sometimes they linger. If you grew up in church and come from a family of generational Christians it’s natural for the enemy to try to plant seeds of doubt in your mind, especially after a tragic event of death of a close family member. We don’t talk about it because of the way we were raised, but if those thoughts linger, they will begin to show up in our actions. The good news is that when we go through periods of doubt, research shows that it gives us a chance to strengthen our relationship with Jesus and to let our roots grow deeper into Him. Doubt often produces a stronger faith. The Faith we talked about our whole life becomes real when we experience God intervene in our life and reveal Himself to us.

In John 20, Jesus had resurrected from the dead. Peter and John had been to the empty tomb, but Mary Magdalene saw Him. Doubt filled their minds I’m sure, but Jesus appeared to all of them that night with the exception of Thomas. He wasn’t in the room. When they tried to tell him their experience, he didn’t believe and famously said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (verse 25 NLT). We’ve nicknamed him and shamed him by calling him Doubting Thomas, but the truth is we all doubt at times and need God to reveal Himself to us in a real way. We all look for those moments we can look back on and say, “I know that was God!”

In Psalm 94:19 David says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Even King David, who slayed a giant, experienced doubts but he always went back to God’s Word and found comfort in God. Romans 10:17 reminds us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. When doubts arise, read the Bible, go to the Lord in honest prayer and let another Christian you know and trust pray with you. We all experience periods and moments of doubt. Let them drive you to know God more and to have that moment where you place your finger in His hands and put your hand in side so to speak. He is willing to let you experience it to grow your faith. Don’t let doubt chase you away. Use it to grow deeper in your relationship with 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 2, 2026 · 5:32 AM

Leave The Starting Line

One of the mottos I try to live by is, “Go, set, ready.” Most of us have heard and used that phrase in the opposite order. What I’ve realized is that I can use ”ready” and “set” as excuses to keep me from going. I’ll tell myself, “It’s not ready yet. I need more time to get it ready.” I allow myself to use that excuse knowing it will never be “ready” enough. The other thing I do is feel like I have to “set” things in order before I can go. Again, all I’m doing is waiting for the right moment which never comes. Years will go by and I’m still standing on the starting line having never gone anywhere because I’ve kept myself busy getting ready and set. I’ve learned to go and get things in order after I start moving and to work on making them ready while in motion.

In Joshua 13, God told Joshua, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered” (NLT). God wasn’t calling him a failure, but was pointing out that the job of conquering all the land He had given Israel was unfinished. There was more to do. Then God said, “I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you. Include all this territory as Israel’s possession when you divide this land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.” God told Joshua to give it to the tribes before it was conquered. It was unfinished, inhabited and formidable. God was telling them if they would go, He would drive out the inhabitants for them, but they couldn’t stand still. The gift He was giving was greater than their capacity. They would never feel ready or set enough.

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.” There are some things that will remain unfinished and imperfect in your life. Don’t let that stop you from obeying. God is still working. In fact He began while we felt inadequate, but if we keep going, He will be faithful to complete what He began. The things He’s called you to may feel formidable, unfinished and unconquerable, but don’t let that keep you on the starting line. As you go to possess it, He will complete the work. He will drive out the inhabitants. Your job is to get off the starting line in faith. Quit making excuses. Go!

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September 1, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Trusting God’s Strategy

Several years ago I was a sales manager. There was another salesman in our district that had similar numbers to my team, but his checks were double. I set up a meeting and asked the secret, and he told me. In our weekly meeting I shared the secret. One rep jumped up, told the team I was a liar and to not listen to me. He couldn’t see how changing the mix of what he was selling could double his check without increasing the volume. Another rep said he would do it. I explained he would have to trust me for 8 weeks before he saw his commission check. He agreed to follow the formula. Eight weeks later, he brought his paycheck stub to the meeting. It was double. After that, the rest believed.

In Joshua 6, God gave Joshua a strange strategy to defeat Jericho. Instead of building a siege ramp to get past their walls, God told them to march around the city in silence for seven days and when they shouted on the seventh day, the walls would fall. Jericho residents mocked them and laughed at what they were doing. Every other successful battle against a walled city had followed the pattern of using siege ramps. They knew what needed to be done, but God was asking for obedience over understanding. The Israelites had to walk in silence each day trusting God’s strategy while nothing was changing. After seven days of obedience without a change to Jericho’s walls, they shouted anyway and God took down the walls. Their obedience had won the victory and not their own strength or strategy.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (NLT). Throughout the Bible and today, God asks us to follow His strategy over our strength. Can you continue to follow what He asked over a long period of time even when nothing has changed? Can you sustain your obedience even when it doesn’t make sense? Obedience isn’t just the path to God’s promises, it proves it was God who delivered the victory and not ourselves. Have patient endurance and continue to do God’s will even when it doesn’t make sense and nothing is changing. Then you will experience all that He promised.

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August 31, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Lifting Your Hands

In Genesis, Jacob married Leah and Rachel. Through them and their handmaidens, he had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel. His oldest was named Judah, and was the tribe Jesus was born into. The name Judah means “praise”. However, if you break it down in Hebrew, the first portion of his name is “Yad” which is to lift your hands. There’s a connotation here that Judah means “to praise with your hands” which so many Christians do during worship. When our hands are raised, it’s also a sign of surrender. Were unable to do anything in our strength, so we must rely on His. Also, when our hands are raised, we’re taking our hands off the work that God is trying to do. There are plenty of stories in the Bible where people put their hands on what God was wanting to do and it didn’t turn out great in the short term. There are also stories where people raised their hands and God showed up.

In Exodus 17 we find such a story. The Israelites were in the desert on their way to meet God at Mount Sinai after being freed from slavery. Descendants of Jacob’s twin brother Esau showed up to attack the Israelites. Moses sent Joshua and some men to fight them. Moses went up on the mountain side to hold up the staff God had used to free them. Verse 11 says, “As long as Moses held up his arms, the Israelites won, but when he put his arms down, the Amalekites started winning” (GNT). When he was too tired to keep his hands raised, Aaron and Hur sat Moses on a stone and they held his hands up until they defeated their attacker. It was God who gave the victory, but Moses had to keep his hands up in order for them to win. Thankfully he had people around him who recognized the need for uplifted hands and helped.

Psalm 28:1-2 says, “O Lord, my defender, I call to you. Listen to my cry! If you do not answer me, I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead. Hear me when I cry to you for help, when I lift my hands toward your holy Temple.” God is our defender when we’re under attack. Like David in this psalm, we must cry out to God, lift our hands and praise in the battle. Just like the Israelites faced hardships, we will too. God uses those times and situations to help us trust Him and to prepare us to receive the promise. Whether you’re in the wilderness or in a fruitful time, make sure you’re praising God and recognizing His authority over your life. His way is better than ours. Take time each day to hold up your hands in praise and surrender to let Him know you trust in Him and in His plan.

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I’m taking a day of rest and recuperation. I pray this previously written devotional blesses you today. I’ll have a new one for you tomorrow.

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