May 17, 2024 · 5:35 AM

Being Sheep

One of the things that bothers me is how the world has made the word sheep a negative thing to call someone. What’s worse is that we as believers have adopted this thinking. Throughout the Bible, we are referred to as sheep, yet many are now trying to run from this identity. Lions and wolves don’t need a shepherd, so we like to identify with them. “Lions, not sheep,” is what I hear people say. When we try to be anything other than sheep, we are trying to replace the Lord as the shepherd of our life. We are incapable of being a good shepherd for ourselves and our enemy will use anything or anyone else to try to trick us into following their voice. That’s why Jesus told us His sheep know His voice and will follow Him. Whose voice is leading your life right now? Is it yours, someone else’s or God’s? We’re all following a shepherd. Make sure the Lord is your shepherd.

Here are some Bible verses on being sheep.

1. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalms 100:3 NLT

2. “You, my sheep, the flock that I feed, are my people, and I am your God,” says the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 34:31 GNT

3. Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].

Matthew 10:16 AMP

4. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness.
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Psalm 95:7-8 ESV

5. And when he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them and they will follow him, for they are familiar with his voice. But they will run away from strangers and never follow them because they know it’s the voice of a stranger.

John 10:4-5 TPT

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May 16, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Leaving The Doldrums

Not long after Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, other ships began to make the voyage across the pond. Several ships noticed a strange phenomenon as they sailed near the equator. There was very little wind and ships would drift there for weeks or months. In time, this area of the ocean became known as the doldrums. Sailors avoided it because they didn’t take the provisions to survive a trip that got stuck there for a long period. The doldrums became known as a place of stagnation, depression and death.

If you read the first part of Acts, the disciples had been in the doldrums since the crucifixion of Jesus. They had moments where Jesus would appear to them, but when He left, they would feel just as stuck as before. On one of those occasions Jesus spoke to them and said, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised as I told you before. (Acts 1:4 NLT).” Wait? For how long? How could Jesus leave them adrift in the doldrums? It was a dangerous time to be in Jerusalem. Just 40 days before, Jesus had been killed and they feared they were next.

They met in the Upper Room and prayed for the next ten days as they waited. Then Acts 2:2 says, “Suddenly there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. (NLT)” God sent the wind of the Holy Spirit to fill their sails and push them out of the doldrums. That wind pushed them and the message of Jesus all over the world. They were no longer stuck in their depression and doubt. They were revived and renewed because they waited on the Lord in prayer.

If you’re stuck in the doldrums, let me encourage you not to give up. Wait on the Lord in prayer and ask for Him to send the Wind of the Holy Spirit into your life. I’m talking about spending some serious time in prayer. The disciples prayed and waited in one place until God answered. We need to do the same thing. We need to commit to praying not just a one or two sentence prayer, but an active, waiting on God all day kind of prayer if we truly want out of the doldrums. We need to wait on the Lord until He answers. Be prepared though. When that rushing, mighty wind blows into your life, God will take you farther than you ever dreamed possible.

One final thought: The doldrums are where hurricanes originate from. What seems like a windless, stagnant place is where God launches His most powerful forces.

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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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May 15, 2024 · 5:48 AM

The Test Of Waiting

Waiting on God’s timing isn’t easy. It exercises muscles that we rarely use. I have my own timeline and my own will that sometimes are not on the same page as God. I’m ready for things to happen my way right now. God wants us to wait for things to happen His way when He has everything lined up. I’ve learned that waiting on His will and timing builds strength, reliance and stability. We grow stronger when we stretch our patience muscle. I forget that patience is a Fruit of the Spirit. Though it feels like it’s wearing thin, it gets stronger each time we wait on God. While that muscle stretches, it also is building our reliance on Him. When we wait on His timing, our resources may run out. Also when we do things His way, our lives and future are more stable.

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. In 1 Kings 17, he was running from Jezebel after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God sent him to a brook to wait and told him to drink from the brook and that ravens would bring him food. While waiting, the brook dried up. Then the Lord sent him to a village where a widow would feed him. In each instance he waited for God’s timing and on God’s provision. Even though he was where he was supposed to be near the brook, that provision dried up. He didn’t panic. He sought the Lord who directed him to his next place of provision. When he showed up to the village, the widow was making her last meal. I’m sure she was wondering where the next one was going to come from. Because she obeyed, she, her son and Elijah were provided for.

Psalm 33:20 says, “We wait [expectantly] for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (AMP). When we wait on the Lord’s will and timing, we can feel exposed, yet He is our shield in the waiting. He is also our help in our time of need. We can either try things our way in our timing , which can affect so many parts of our life, or we can wait for His provision and timing. I have to remind myself in those moments that God is my provider and not myself. When we take timing and provision away from Him because of fear, we place ourselves on the throne of our life. There are always consequences to that, while there are blessings He gives us for our obedience. Can you obey and keep Him on the throne of your life when things aren’t easy or happening according to your schedule? That’s the test of waiting.

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May 14, 2024 · 5:40 AM

Church Hurt

I saw a post on X yesterday from an author I met years ago. She posted something to the effect of, “There’s no hurt like church hurt.” I started reading through the replies as people shared their church hurt stories. I started thinking about my own story, but that’s when it hit me that I had forgiven and let go of mine. There are people who hold onto that hurt for the rest of their lives. The people we love have the ability to hurt us the most. We forget that the people in the church are people, and people are imperfect. They are also brothers and sisters in Christ making them our spiritual family. While we sit in our pain waiting for them to come to us, we forget that Jesus said if someone offends us, we are to go to them. We also forget that we must forgive in order to be forgiven. These are two very difficult things, but not impossible.

In Genesis, we read the story of a young man named Joseph who had eleven brothers. Out of All the kids, he was the favorite and treated as such. After his dreams of being in charge of the family, his brothers hatched a plan to pay him back. They threw him in a pit, stole his coat and sold him into slavery. After nearly 25 years of slavery and prison, he was released and made second in command of one of the greatest civilizations in history. He was distributing food during the famine when he saw his brothers come in needing food. After he revealed himself, his brothers were scared of payback. Sensing their fear in Genesis 45:5 he said, “But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives” (NLT). He had chosen forgiveness and had seen God used his hurt to place him where he could fulfill God’s ultimate plan.

Colossians 3:13 says, “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” (TPT). Paul knew what it was like to be church hurt and he had seen it happen to others. He gave us this reminder that we must remember they’re human too and that we to must put on the robe of forgiveness and release it. Holding on to past pain holds us in a prison like Joseph was in. It’s when we release it that he can restore us to positions where we can make a difference. Remember that forgiveness doesn’t always require reconciliation. It means you choose to let go and trust God who will use our situation to bring healing to others.

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May 13, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Giving Away Treasure

On our tour of Israel we visited the caves of Qumran. It’s located not far from north end of the Dead Sea. In 1946 some shepherds were watching their goats in the area. The goats were climbing the steep rocks looking for food. As it became time to head to camp, one of the shepherds climbed up the cliff to bring down a couple of goats that weren’t coming down. He came upon two small openings in the cliff which he felt like could be caves. He threw a rock into one and heard some pottery break. He looked in, but couldn’t see anything. He and the other shepherds decided it was too late to explore and that they would come back in a couple of days hoping to find treasure. When they did come back and make it into the cave, many were empty and a a few had papers in them. The treasure they had found wasn’t what they were hoping for, but turned out to be the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In Judges 7, we read were Gideon had an army of about 32,000 men and were headed to fight the Midianite army of about 135,000. On their way, God whittled down Gideon’s army to just 300 men who would fight this battle. He divided his troops into three groups giving each man a rams horn and a clay pot with a torch in it. They approached the enemy’s camp around midnight and got into position around their camp. At the right moment, they blew the rams horns, then broke their clay pots, lifted their lights and shouted, “A sword the Lord and for Gideon!” (NLT) The Midianite army woke up in such confusion and fear that they fought themselves and the Lord gave victory to Gideon.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” Paul used this imagery to remind us of the treasure, strength and light we have inside of each of us. Like Qumran, it’s when we are broken and let others see inside that they can discover the real treasure of Jesus. It is His strength that helps us through the battles we face and will help others as well. Finally, we must let His light shine wherever we go. It causes confusion to our enemy, but leads others to a saving grace from the darkness they’re living in. Don’t keep your faith hidden away from others. You have God’s treasure inside and He’s placed you around people seeking it. Open up and give this treasure away like you’re made of it.

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May 10, 2024 · 5:25 AM

Forgetting God

I once heard someone say that Christianity is only one generation away from extinction. When you read through the Old Testament you see how many times a generation didn’t pass down their faith or thank God for what He did for them. It says that they forgot God. It’s easy to read through Scripture and judge them for that, but you and I are in danger of doing the same thing. Human nature is to cry out to God in our distress and then to forget about Him when things are going well. Good relationships require communication in good times and in bad. If you haven’t had many needs arise lately, when’s the last time you had a great time of prayer? Praying isn’t just about taking your needs to God. If it is, you’re in danger of forgetting God.

Here are some Bible verses on forgetting God.

1. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

2. That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10 GNT

3. They forgot what he had done, the miracles they had seen him perform.

Psalm 78:11 GNT

4. But they quickly forgot what he had done and acted without waiting for his advice.

Psalm 106:13 GNT

5. But when you entered the good land, you became full and satisfied, and then you grew proud and forgot me.

Hosea 13:6 GNT

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May 9, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Worship In The Valley

Two of the biggest lies we hear when we’re going through a difficult time is that no one else understands and that God doesn’t care. I remember hearing both and believing them. The first one tries to get you on a technicality because there is no one else with your exact situation. I’ve found that while our situations may be unique, the pain and the process we go through is very similar. While someone may not be able to fully understand my exact situation, they can identify with the pain. That leads us to the second lie that God doesn’t care. The lie wants you to think that if God cared, you wouldn’t be going through so much. The truth is that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He’s there with you to guide you and comfort you. He makes all things work together for our good.

I don’t know anyone who went through as much as Paul or Job. Job lost everything including his wealth, his kids and property. He still was able to worship God in that moment. In Job 2:9, when his wife told him to curse God and die, he responded, “Shall we accept good from God and not the trouble?” (NIV) When Paul was thrown in prison with Silas after having been beat, he invited God’s presence into the deepest, darkest part of that prison in the middle of the night by singing praises. When both of these men felt abandoned by people and God, they worshipped knowing that God dwells in the praises of His people. They held to the truth that God cares for us no matter how bad things may seem.

Psalm 31:7 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul” (NLT). In the darkest nights of my life, the most painful times, I turned on praise and worship music to help me worship when I didn’t feel it. God is worthy of our praise no matter what it is we’re going through. He sees the anguish in our soul and He cares deeply for us. He knows that the pain, the hurt, the sadness and the darkness will only last for a little while. He never leaves us in those times though He may feel far away. He’s there leading us into a greater joy and life that often goes through the darkest valley. Don’t listen to the lies and despair. Listen to the truth and worship.

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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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May 8, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Redeemed From Failure

In 2003, I was going through the hardest time of my life. My first wife had left me and my business was going under. I ended up divorced and bankrupt. My mind began to be consumed with one thought, “You’re nothing but a failure!” I couldn’t shake it. I had failed God, failed at love and failed at business. That thought I couldn’t shake made me think my life was over and that God could never use me. I felt like I had let everyone down. As I was going through it, I received a word from God through someone who didn’t know me or what I was going through. God said, “What seems like an end is only a beginning. I have not left you. In fact I am walking through this with you. Im not in front of you or behind you. I’m right beside you. Where I’m leading is to a place where you will experience joy like never before.” Over twenty years later, looking back, I can say God has been true to that word.

In John 18, Peter was standing in a courtyard watching and listening to people accuse Jesus. That’s when a little girl recognized him and asked him if he was a disciple of Jesus. Peter denied it. Two more people asked about it that night and he got to the point he vehemently denied that he knew Jesus. Luke says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter after the rooster crowed and Peter left weeping bitterly at his failure. Peter began to focus on his failure and even went back to his old life of fishing rather than preaching. That’s when Jesus showed up and asked him if he loved Him. Jesus took his failure and used it to build a rock solid faith rather than to use it to disqualify him.

Psalm 103:1-4 says, “Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy” (AMP). God doesn’t just forgive our failures. He redeems our life from the pit that they create, including pits that are so deep you can’t see the sunlight. Instead of beating us up or leaving us, he gives us kindness and mercy in those times. Our greatest growth will come from our lowest moments of failure if we focus on who Christ wants us to become and follow His leading rather than succumbing to the thoughts of our failure. He restores us and leads us into new beginnings after failure if we will let Him.

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May 7, 2024 · 5:48 AM

Getting Some Rest

Did you know that humans are the only mammals to put off sleeping? We stay late, get up early and work ourselves to death. It’s no wonder the coffee industry will do more than $350 billion in sales in the US alone. The energy drink market is over $20 billion a year. We’re caffeinating ourselves to wake up and stay awake throughout the day because we’re missing rest. I’ve worked for a company that valued long hours. They wanted people in debt because it meant they had a reason to work. When we work so hard and rest so little, we can forget that God is our provider. I’m not against hard work or coffee or making a good living. We just need to be careful of what we’re sacrificing and what our motivation for it is.

Jesus worked hard too. He grew up understanding hard work as a carpenter. He carried that over into His ministry. He even got tired and exhausted from the work God called Him to. John 4:6 says that Jesus was tired and sat down next to a well to rest. That’s when He met the Samaritan woman. In Matthew 8, we read the story where Jesus was asleep on a boat. They had to wake Him up to calm the storm. He took time to rest even though He was about His Father’s business. He also trusted God to give He and the disciples their daily bread. Luke 8:3 tells us the names of several people who contributed to the Jesus to provide for His needs so He could minister. He was able to rest and trust God to take care of His needs.

Psalm 127:2 says, “It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the Lord provides for those he loves, while they are asleep” (GNT). Don’t let worry or work continuously rob you of rest. God rested after a week of work and even made taking a rest one of the Ten Commandments. Our bodies and minds were not created to go 24/7. What is the motivation behind staying up late and working hours that are longer than normal? Is it the praise of people? Is it that you see yourself as your provider? It’s good to be a driven individual. Just watch your motivation. Man looks at the outside, but God is looking at your heart. You are to be a good steward of your time, your energy, your body and your money. Ask God to give you wisdom in how to be a good steward in all these areas and to trust Him to provide even when you sleep.

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May 6, 2024 · 5:40 AM

The Lesson Of Contentment

One of the hardest things to learn is contentment. Last week we watched the movie “Unsung Hero” about the Smallbone family. The father lost everything, including their house, when a concert tour he was promoting flopped. He was promised a job in the US, so he moved his family here only to find out it wasn’t a sure thing. The rented a house, but had no car, no food and no furniture. They made a chart of prayer requests for their needs and as God answered their prayers, they moved them over. The kids were content with nothing, but the dad struggled with it seeing their situation as a reflection of him. His discontentment led to depression and family arguments. Discontentment affects relationships horizontally with people and vertically with God.

Job in the Bible was one of the wealthiest people of his time. He had everything you could want. He had land, resources, a family that he loved and lots of employees. When Satan approached God to accuse people, God pointed out Job and his contentment. Satan said that he was only content because of God’s blessings and protection. When Satan took everything from Job in a day, we read how Job fell to the ground and worshipped. He prayed in Job 1:21, “Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb, And naked I will return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (AMP). He had possessions, but they didn’t have him. Because he recognized that everything he had was from God, he was able to be content even with nothing.

Paul had learned a similar lesson. In Philippians 4:12, he explained, “I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.” That secret is contentment. Simply put, contentment is submitting to God’s plan even when your circumstances are not ideal. This doesn’t mean you don’t have ambition to improve your life or circumstances. It’s an attitude like Job’s that recognizes what you have has been entrusted to you by God for this moment. Are you stewarding it well? Are you content with what He’s given you? Or is your discontentment affecting your relationships? The secret to facing life in any circumstance is contentment.

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