August 12, 2026 · 5:47 AM

Our Advocate

I was doing some research and asked, “When would someone need an advocate?” The answer was simple. It said that when a person’s own strength, clarity and ability isn’t enough. It went on to say that someone needs an advocate when they can’t speak for themselves, defend, guide or comfort themselves. Immediately I started thinking of times in my life when I felt each of those things. Some of the darkest times of my life came to mind. Then I started thinking of others who have been walking through some tough times. It turns out we all need an advocate when we come to the end of our own abilities.

A few hours before Jesus would be arrested and crucified, He was trying to prepare the disciples for the chaos that was about to ensue. Their world was about to be shattered and they wouldn’t understand what was happening. In John 14:6, Jesus told them, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever” (AMP). As they were about to go through the darkest time of their life, He sent them the Holy Spirit to comfort, advocate and intercede for them. They wouldn’t understand receive counsel and strength from the Holy Spirit as well to endure the hardships they were going to face. Jesus didn’t leave them or us alone to face this world. Instead He sent us the advocate we all need.

Jesus continued in verse 27, “Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]” if you’re going through something today where you don’t have the strength to fight your own battle, you’re scared of an unknown future or your ability isn’t enough for the moment, take heart. You have an Advocate who will counsel, strengthen, comfort and intercede for you. He will also give you peace to calm you in the storm and walk with you through the toughest challenges. The Holy Spirit isn’t a reward for those who have it all together. He was sent as God’s Provision for those who don’t. Reach out in prayer and ask Him to advocate for you today.

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August 11, 2026 · 5:59 AM

Resisting Cultural Compromise

In Matthew 13 Jesus told the parable of the sower. The sower scattered seeds across his property. Some seeds fell on a footpath, but birds are them. Some fell on shallow soil. Those seeds sprouted quickly, but their roots were shallow and when it got hot, they died because their roots weren’t deep. Other seeds fell among the thorns. Those sprouted and grew, but were choked out by the thorns. Then some fell on fertile soil. Those sprouted, grew and produced a harvest. Jesus explained that each of these represents people’s hearts and how they respond to God’s Word. Some hear and don’t understand it (footpath). Some hear it, receive it and then fall away at the first sign of trouble (shallow soil). Some hear it and receive it, but it’s choked out by the worries of this life (thorns). Some hear it, receive it and produce fruits of the Spirit (fertile).

In Acts 13-14 Paul planted churches in the region of Galatia. It was a modern area with a mix of cultures and religions. The people quickly received the Word of God, but soon after Paul continued his journey, others came in to corrupt the seeds that he had planted. At the beginning of his letter, he quickly addresses it by saying, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ” (NLT). They were struggling to live in a culture with shallow roots. Paul didn’t want them to wither at the first sign of heat. He reestablished who they were in Christ through the next few chapters and finally encouraged them to live Spirit led lives that produce love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Colossians 2:7 says, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” We live in an age that is very much like the Galatian culture. There’s pressures to conform to this world’s standards instead of God’s. The culture compels us to compromise what we’ve been taught, but we must resist and not change the Gospel because it’s convenient. We must let our roots grow deep in Him. Our hearts must become and remain fertile soil for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Only then will His Word become fully developed in our life and produce the fruits He calls us to produce.

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August 10, 2026 · 5:54 AM

Living Out Your Purpose

I was talking to a group recent,y about living out their purpose in everyday life. One of the first things we have to do to find our purpose is to see what burden God has given us. Our burden is found in what breaks our heart and the heart of God. It can be an injustice, a situation, crisis, etc. The next thing we need to do is to look at the every day gifts we’ve been given in Romans 12:6-13. How has God equipped you for that burden? Finally we need to look at is the opportunity that’s right in front of us. How can we affect it with the people around us or help the people affected by it? Living out God’s purpose in our life is almost always birthed where these intersect.

Nehemiah was living in captivity in Babylon. Some people had returned from visiting Jerusalem and he asked them how were things going over there. When they told him things were not going well and the walls were torn down, Nehemiah wept for days. He developed a burden for the people there and began praying for them. Chapter two tells us he was a cupbearer for the king of Babylon. In this job he developed leadership skills, diplomacy and logistics. All these competency gifts helped him with his purpose. When the king asked what was wrong, Nehemiah was able to share the burden. The king supplied him with resources and necessary protection to build the wall. He was also able to get the people of Jerusalem to catch the vision and work with him to complete the project.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT). Each of us have our own burden that God has put in us in order to accomplish the good things He has planned for us. There are also gifts and skills we have been given naturally by Him that we must learn to operate and develop. Next, we need to look around us. What opportunities exist around where God has us right now? God doesn’t always start us with something huge. Instead He asks us to be faithful in the small things right where we are. As we’re faithful and we develop our gifts, our opportunities change as well as our gifts and burdens. You are God’s masterpiece, perfectly situated who is equipped and situated to live out your purpose right where you are.

Photo by Kaique Rocha from Pexels.

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August 7, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Freedom In Forgiving

One of the things I learned years ago is that forgiveness takes one person and reconciliation takes two people. Also forgiveness is required by God, but reconciliation is not. What forgiveness does is it sets you free from a mental prison of bitterness, anger and resentment. It also opens us up to God’s forgiveness. It’s not always easy to do, but God asks us to forgive others because He’s forgiven us. I can tell, you that it is freeing to forgive, even when they didn’t ask for it. You don’t have to wait on them to come ask for it or even go to them to tell them to offer it. Forgiveness is between you and God with you trusting Him to handle it instead of you. Don’t let another day go by being consumed by what someone else has done to you. Let forgiveness set you free.

Here’s some Bible verses on forgiving others:

1. Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others].

Mark 11:25 AMP

2. Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Ephesians 4:31-32 GNT

3. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us]. And lead us not into temptation [but rescue us from evil].’

Luke 11:4 AMP

4. Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.

Colossians 3:13 TPT

5. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:14-15 NLT

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August 6, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Burning The Ships

One of the most well known stories of the New World (whether true or not) is about Hernan Cortez. You may remember him from your history class back in the day. The story goes that in 1519 he had plans to conquer Mexico. As his men left their ships he wanted them to understand there was no turning back to their previous life. There also wasn’t room for failure, so he destroyed the ships. He wanted them to fight with everything they had and to leave the past behind. They fought for years to conquer the land. With the help of Allie’s they created, the weapons they brought and their determination, they were able to defeat the Aztecs and pave the way for the Spanish forces to colonize Mexico. The story of Cortez burning the ships has been used throughout history to illustrate points because it illustrates so many things including leaving things behind.

The Bible shares the story of the patriarch of Israel. God approached Abram, as he was called at that time, to ask him to leave his father and mother. Abram was asked to travel to a distant land that he didn’t know about or even which direction it was. I don’t know if Abram had to think about it or gave an immediate yes, but he left his life behind to follow where God led. Along with his story, Hebrews 11 also tells the account of Moses. Verse 24 says that when he matured, he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Instead of clinging to his comfortable life, he stood up for the freedom of the Hebrews. His burn the ships moment came when he stood before Pharaoh and demanded that they be let go. Because of their faith and willingness to walk away, God used them in mighty ways.

In Matthew 10:39 Jesus said, “Those who cling to their lives will give up true life. But those who let go of their lives for my sake and surrender it all to me will discover true life!” (TPT) What has God asked you to leave behind? Have you burned those ships or are you keeping an open door to them? We tend to try to leave a way back because it’s comfortable to us, but that way back impedes our progress. Jesus has asked us to give Him our whole heart and life. Surrendering to Him and His will is the only way to the abundant life He offers. It’s time we all had a burn the ships moment in our life where we commit fully to the life He called us to. We like to identify with the results of Abraham, Moses and others listed in Hebrews 11, but not with the cost. True discipleship, true Christianity, is to no longer cling to the things that hold us back and to fully surrender our lives to Him. Ask Him today to show you what things you need to let go of and then fully commit to living the life He’s called you to.

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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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August 5, 2026 · 5:56 AM

Receiving Right Words

One of my most quoted verses in the Bible has to be Proverbs 18:21. It says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (ESV). On average, each person speaks over 12,000 words per day. The words we choose matter. However, as I began thinking about this verse more, I think it is also important for us to consider who we let speak into our life. Others have the power To bring death or life to us. We’ve all had someone say something to us at one point in our life that stayed in our mind and affected our decisions. Just because someone speaks something over us or to us, doesn’t mean we have to receive it.

In 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel was looking to anoint the next king of Israel. He went to Jesse’s house to find him. Jesse lined up all his sons, but the prophet didn’t find the next king. When he asked, Jesse brought in David, Samuel acknowledged David was the next king. However, in the next chapter, David’s brothers, who were present when he was anointed, saw him at the battlefield bringing them food from home. Then Goliath steps out and David begins asking questions. Eliab, the oldest brother, heard David and said, “I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” (NLT) David rejected the lies from his brother spoken over him, but received the words from Samuel. Because of that, he was not only able to face Goliath, but to defeat him as well.

Another verse in Proverbs I quote often is Proverbs 13:20. It says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (ESV). Wise people speak wise words to and over people. Fools are always tearing each other down. They speak whatever comes into their mind and say ugly things to people for a laugh. Who are you hanging around, and who are you letting speak into your life? It makes a difference in whether you will stand up and fight giants or cower and run. You will always have people who try to tear you down or speak lies over you. Like David, you have the power to reject those words and find someone else to be around. Your words matter too. Speak wisdom and blessings to people, and wise people will also want to be around you.

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August 4, 2026 · 5:48 AM

Trust Beyond Today

I grew up when you kept a map or an atlas in the glove box to help you find your way. It’s such a different experience from using the interactive maps on our phones. We’ve grown accustomed to them finding the best route, telling us where traffic is, accidents are and rerouting us when we make a mistake. A few weeks ago it told me to exit. I looked ahead and didn’t see any traffic for the next mile or so. I had a decision to make. Do I trust it knows something I don’t or do I know more than it based on what I see? I decided to stay on the freeway. In the moment I didn’t understand what it was doing. Up the road, I found out there was a major accident blocking several lanes with no exit in sight. I sat there wishing I had listened and exited, even when I didn’t know what it was doing.

In John 13, Jesus had gathered the disciples for what we now call the Last Supper. Before they ate, Jesus put on a towel and began washing the dirty feet of the disciples. Peter protested when it was his turn. In verse 7, Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (NLT). Peter still protested what Jesus was trying to do in the moment. He didn’t understand the lesson he was being taught, couldn’t see why Jesus was doing a servants job and couldn’t see Jesus was coming to save him from his sins instead of from Rome. Because of his lack of understanding, he pushed back in the moment like many of us do when we don’t understand what God is doing. Peter ultimately surrendered his will and understood later the lesson Jesus was teaching him.

Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” Much of walking by faith and not by sight is not understanding in the moment what God is doing or why He’s doing it. We don’t see what He’s accomplishing in us through hardship in the moment. In those moments we have a choice. We can protest like Peter or we can trust in the Lord and rely on His understanding in those moments knowing He sees what’s ahead better than we do. Time gives great perspective to the times we’ve had to walk in darkness, without a ray of light. When we look back, we can see God’s hand as we walked through the Valley of the Shadow. When we gain that kind of perspective, it helps us to trust what He’s doing now, even though we may not understand in the moment.

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August 3, 2026 · 5:59 AM

Resurrecting Hope

In the early 1900’s a man named Darby and his uncle were working a gold mine in Colorado. Like many others, they invested everything they owned into the mine. One day they struck a gold vein and began working it. Then all of a sudden it disappeared. They kept digging and couldn’t find it. They dig deeper, and still it was gone. After going through their savings, their hope ran out. They decided to give up. They sold their equipment to a nearby junk dealer. That man hired an engineer to examine where they lost the vein. The engineer discovered they had quit digging about three feet from the vein. The junk dealer bought it and hit the richest gold vein in Colorado at the time. Darby was later quoted as saying, “I stopped three feet from gold because I lost hope.”

In John 11, Jesus went to Bethany after His friend Lazarus had died. When He arrived at the village, Jesus asked to be taken to the place where they had buried him. There was a large stone covering the entrance to the tomb. Verse 39 says, “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days! [It is hopeless!]’” (AMP) Even though it was hopeless, Lazarus’s sisters had them move the stone. Jesus prayed and then called out to Lazarus. He came out wrapped tightly in burial cloths. Jesus then told them to unwrap him and set him free.

I love Lamentations 3:21-22. Jeremiah was going through a hopeless season. Then he penned these words, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease” (NLT). All of us face hopeless situations at times. Things that God has promised seem to be long past due and impossible to revive, yet we can still dare to hope by remembering God’s faithfulness. Like Martha and Mary, we may need to roll some stones out of the way so He can call things back to life. God invites us to step out in faith and trust even when things look hopeless. Great is His faithfulness to revive, renew and to resurrect hopeless situations and forgotten dreams. Don’t lose hope yet.

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July 31, 2026 · 6:04 AM

God’s Justice

When we hear that God is just, it’s easy to picture a courtroom with God holding a gavel. While he is a righteous judge, His justice is never separated from His mercy. While His justice restores us, His mercy heals us. His justice sets things right and His mercy makes us whole. When we read that God is just, the Bible is telling us that He doesn’t just punish wrong, but He is actively working to put back together what sin tore apart. We don’t have to be afraid of a just God. We need to submit to His processes and His promises. His justice is served when our lives are restored tomHis purposes. While sometimes we want just His justice in situations, it’s good to know that it’s always coupled with His mercy.

Here are some Bible verses on God being just:

1. If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].

1 John 1:9 AMP

2. Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed (happy, fortunate) are all those who long for Him [since He will never fail them].

Isaiah 30:18 AMP

3. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Romans 3:25-26 NLT

4. He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT

5. He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT

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July 30, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Seasoning With Salt

There’s a saying that says, “Always leave them wanting more.” When teaching people this principle, I like to tell the story of something that happened a couple of years ago. I was riding with my friend in his truck on a rainy day. As we were going down the road, we saw a guy carrying a duffle bag walking on the shoulder. He was getting soaked and we thought the Christian thing to do was to pick him up. He put the duffle bag in the bed of the truck where it was still getting rained on, and climbed in the back seat. My buddy told him he could bring it inside, but he declined. As we we driving, he asked him what was in the bag. The man said sternly, “It’s none of your business!” Shocked, I said, “You don’t have to be rude about it. We just wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to get messed up.” He repeated himself with even more attitude. My buddy pulled the truck over and told him to get out. Before he could grab the bag, we sped off!

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others” (Matthew 5:13 TPT). Salt brings out incredible flavors in food, and it also makes you thirsty. If there’s too much, it makes the food inedible. If there’s too little, or you can’t taste it, what’s the point. The question my wife and I ask all the time is, “Did you leave them thirsting for more?” As people explore faith or are around us as Christians, that’s the question we have to ask. Did our conversation, and the way we acted, make them want to know more about God?

Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” (NLT). The word “attractive” means seasoned with salt. We need to make sure we’re interacting with people who don’t know Jesus so we can be salt and light. There’s little point to salt or light unless you’re around unseasoned people in the dark. Jesus didn’t spend all His time in the Temple or only with believers. He made a point to be among people who didn’t believe in God, taught them in ways they could understand and left them wanting more. We need to ask God daily for wisdom in how to live, speak and act in front of non-believers so that we make them thirsty to know more about Him. We will know it’s the right amount when they ask for more.

P.S. I know you’re dying to know what was in the bag, and it’s none of your business. 😉😂

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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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