July 8, 2026 · 5:52 AM

The Accent Of Heaven

I went to high school with two girls who had British parents. While talking with them and their parents one day I noticed something strange. The girls had an American accent while their parents had a strong British accent. I didn’t understand it back then, but since that time there have been studies on this phenomenon. It turns out that while kids learn their first words and such from their parents, they learn and adopt the accent of the people they’re around the most. All kinds of psychological factors play into it, but what it boils down to is who they are around the most.

In Acts 4, Peter and John had just healed the lame man that the gate Beautiful. They had taught about Jesus in the synagogue just after and won over many converts. The local Jewish religious authorities brought them in for questioning. They demanded to know by whose name they had healed the lame man. Peter, with all boldness, reminded them about Jesus and what they had done to Him. He then told them there is salvation in Jesus. Verse 13 says, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus” (NLT). The disciples no longer spoke like ordinary men. They had been in proximity to Jesus and that changed how they spoke.

Colossians 3:10 says, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Paul was reminding us that just because we were born into sin, doesn’t mean we should adopt that way of living. Instead we should put on our new nature. That means we should adopt the new way of living that reflects someone who has been around Jesus. The more time we are with Him, the more we know Him and become like Him. Your new nature isn’t put on by trying harder, but instead by your proximity to Jesus. Can people recognize you as someone who has been around Jesus? Your words and life reflect who you’re around. Put on your new nature daily and develop the accent of heaven.

Photo by Luz Mariana Gonzalez from Pexels.

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July 7, 2026 · 5:50 AM

When God Seems Silent

I was talking with someone the other day about ways to help someone who is really going through it. One of the suggestions they had was for the person to help someone else who is going through something worse than they are. That helps give perspective on their situation and gets the focus off of you and onto others. One of my suggestions was to have them try to recount all the prayers God has answered in their life. That helps them to shift focus from their problem to God who is able to take care of the situation. It also reminds them that they’ve been in tight spots before and God showed up. Sometimes in the middle of our problems we forget that God hasn’t abandoned us before and He’s not going to today.

I love Psalm 77 because it’s an honest prayer by Asaph when Jerusalem was under siege. Things were bad with no escape in sight. The report was that no one would survive. He has sleepless nights, fears of what ifs and questions of God’s goodness. He wrote, “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?” (NLT) These are all real questions we face when going through a hard time. This man led worship on the Temple and was chosen by King David, yet he struggled with questions doubting God’s goodness in the middle of a hard time. However, his psalm doesn’t end there.

In verses 11-12 he changed his perspective. He wrote, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” By doing this, he switched his momentary perspective of God to an eternal one. In the moment, sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is good, but when we look back across a lifetime and history of creation, we can clearly see the track record of His goodness. He also decided to meditate on the things God has done in the past rather than his problems of the present. In doing so, Asaph remembered, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!” God’s deliverance comes when no one sees a way out and it’s often a path that unseen in the moment. We must keep trusting God, remember all He’s done and be prepared for Him to make a way where there seems to be no way.

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July 6, 2026 · 5:42 AM

Moving Meadows

I often refer to September 25, 2003 as the day I hit rock bottom in my life. After months of struggling, the straw that broke the camel’s back hit me that night. I had to face about 30 people who worked for me and tell them I didn’t have the money to pay their checks. I was in a construction process and getting money from another business in town to fund everything. When I went to get my final withdrawal, they declined to give it. My source had dried up. They decided to take over my business and fire me. In hindsight, God was moving me to a different place in life, but in the moment I didn’t understand. I’ve seen Him cut off one source in my life to get me to follow Him to my next.

In 1 King 17, Elijah told King Ahab there wouldn’t be any rain until he said so. Then God directed him to go live by Kerith Brook during the drought where he would have water and ravens would bring him meat and bread. While he was in the place God had him, and was providing for him, the brook dried up. God was moving him to a new place and a new source. When arrived at the village God sent him to, he saw a widow gathering sticks to make a fire for her last meal. He asked her to give it to him and then use the leftovers to make a meal for herself. When she obeyed, God caused her oil and flour to never run out until the drought was over providing for both of them and her son.

Psalm 23:1-2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams” (NLT). When the Lord is our shepherd, we have all that we need. He will lead us from place place and from provision to provision. In these stories, the business I was borrowing from wasn’t my source, nor were the brook and ravens Elijah’s source. Provision is found in the place the shepherd leads us to. We need to learn to be attached to the shepherd more than the current location of provision. God is constantly shaping and growing us, and that often requires moving meadows. Instead of guarding and fighting for old provisions, listen to the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him to greener meadows and peaceful streams of provision.

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July 3, 2026 · 5:59 AM

The Fruit Test

In the Garden of Eden, God planted the Tree of Knowledge. He told Adam and Eve that they could eat the fruit of any tree except that one. Eventually they took the fruit and ate it. That fruit exposed their inner desire to no longer have God as their source of knowledge. Today, each of our lives produce fruit. That fruit also exposes what’s in our heart. We can say we believe or live a certain way, but the fruit will always outweighs our words. You cant say you’re an orange tree with apples on your branches. No one would believe you. People see the fruit that our lives produce. We can’t claim one thing while producing another. Fruit is the visible evidence of our internal source. We will always be identified by our fruit.

Here are some Bible verses on

1. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Colossians 1:10 NLT

2. You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.

John 15:16 AMP

3. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:17-19 NLT

4. My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.

John 15:8 AMP

5. A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.

Matthew 12:33 NLT

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July 2, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Removing Blind Spots

I remember taking Driver’s Ed. There came a time in the class where we took the instruction and put it into practice by driving around. When it was my turn to log some hours, he had me drive on the freeway for a while. There were times when he had to hit the brakes on his side of the car because I wouldn’t go slower than the speed of traffic. When I went to change lanes, the instructor asked me what I needed to check after I turned on my blinker. I replied, “My rear view and side mirror.” He then asked, “What else?” I shrugged. He told me I needed to look over my shoulder as well to check my blind spot. If I change lanes and hit a car, it’s my fault because I should have checked my blind spots. I’ve never forgotten those instructions.

We all have blind spots in our lives, and we all need instruction and correction too, but not all of us invite it into our lives. In Exodus 18, Moses’ father in law had heard all of the great things Moses had done for his people, so he went to meet him. The next day he saw Moses judging the people and how inefficient it was. After asking a few questions about it, he said, “Moses’ father-in-law said to him in Exodus 18:17-18, “The thing that you are doing is not good. You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone” (AMP). He gave Moses a better way to do it. Instead of responding, “I’m in charge here and don’t need your help,” Moses listened to the counsel, received the instructions and accepted the correction. How do you respond when someone does that to you?

Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.” Counsel is an outside perspective that helps guide us so we don’t hit things, or people, in our blind spots. Instruction is someone else telling us how do something we often think we know how to do. Correction is being told we’re in the wrong. All three are often hard to receive because of our pride. If we’re willing to put aside our pride, and invite these three things into our life with an open heart and mind, we will achieve far more than we ever could without it. We will also have better relationships with the people around us because we won’t be bumping into them in our blind spots as much. The key is for us to invite it into our lives or to accept it when someone else, including an in law, is offering it.

Photo by Ani Coloca 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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July 1, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Redirecting Your Heart

When I was a kid, if there was a tornado or any other kind of disaster drill, we would have to get under our desks. I joke around about how indestructible those desks were if there were supposed to protect us. Now we go to an interior room to hide. I watched a video recently where a guy was filming doing just that. A few moments later, he was standing in the rain because his house was destroyed by the tornado. It was incredible to see. He looked at the camera as he was going into shock and asked, “Am I all right?” It’s crazy how we trust in different things for security, but it turns out they’re giving us a false sense of it.

In Matthew 6, Jesus was giving the Sermon on the Mount. In verses 19-21 He said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (NLT). He was asking us to examine what or who we are putting our trust in. We think if we have enough money we can retire, if we make a certain amount we can be successful or if we live in a certain area we have made it. Which direction are we positioning our heart towards? Is it in things that give a false sense of security or in the eternal?

Colossians 3:1-2 says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” We spend a lot of time preparing and thinking about things that are temporary. Where we store our treasure and what we spend our time thinking about reveal what we place our treasure and security in. Just like that guy’s house, what we think is secure can one day disappear if it is here on earth. We must learn to redirect our thoughts, our treasures and our posture toward the eternal. It’s not too late to change what you set your sights on. Point your heart at the eternal and reset the desires of your heart.

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June 30, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Sharpening Your Axe

I heard the story of two lumberjacks who decided to have a competition of who could cut down the most trees in a day. One went one way and the other a different way. After about an hour the first lumberjack noticed the other had quit chopping. He worked even harder and thought the second one was taking a break. About every hour the second one would stop chopping for about ten minutes throughout the day. At the end of the day the first one was excited to show off how much he had done. When they went to look at the second one’s trees, he had cut nearly double. The first one exclaimed, “How? You took a break every hour!” The second one replied, “I wasn’t taking a break each hour. I was sharpening my axe.”

Paul was Timothy’s mentor in the faith and ministry. We get some insight into that relationship in the two books written to encourage Timothy. Paul was teaching him how to sharpen his axe as a believer. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul encourages him to study the Word to show himself approved by God and so he could correctly explain the truth. In 2 Timothy 2:3 he’s encouraged to endure hardship and to not avoid it so that he can please the lord. Then in 2 Timothy 1:6 he’s encouraged to fan into flame his gifts. Paul understood that living in this world will dull our axe blade and that to be an effective Christian, we must constantly be sharpening ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed” (NLT). A dull blade still cuts, but it requires more strength and effort. Implementing daily spiritual disciplines will help keep you sharp and effective. To do that you need to study in the Bible, examine your heart, renew your mind, put God’s Word into practice and pray. Jesus provided examples of this by withdrawing from the crowd to be alone with God. When is the last time you stepped away to purposefully sharpen your axe? We must take time each day to sharpen our axe so we can be more effective for the Kingdom in a world that tries to dull it every day.

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June 29, 2026 · 5:48 AM

God’s Hidden Fingerprints

In some of the hardest times of my life, I remember calling out to God, “Where are you? Help me!” I felt like I was drowning and God was nowhere near me. I even got upset and angry at Him for allowing me to go through such pain and loss. After some time had passed, I began reflecting on that period. I began to see God’s hand in the circumstances that I couldn’t see in the moment. The further I’ve gotten away from it, the more I see how God was right there with me walking through it, guiding me and leading me to where I am now. There wasn’t a portion of my life that His fingerprints weren’t on. He was there in the darkness with me.

The book of Ruth is only one of two books of the Bible where God does not speak directly or intervene in a miraculous way. Naomi had left her home because of a famine. While away her husband and two sons had died leaving her destitute in a foreign land. She wanted people to call her “Bitter” because of how bad things were. She felt God had abandoned her too. However, you can’t read Ruth without seeing God’s hand in it all. She returned at the beginning of harvest. Ruth happened to walk into the field of Boaz. He happened to be there and see her. Even the other kinsman redeemer declined to take Ruth. God had it all worked out and created a family line that included King David and Jesus.

In Isaiah 45:3 God was speaking to Cyrus, but I believe it shows how God still operates with us. He said, “I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name” (NLT). God will give you hidden treasures in the darkest times. You won’t be able to see them in the moment, but with the light of perspective, you can. He has not forgotten you, nor has He abandoned you. He is calling you by name even now. When you take a moment to reflect on your life, I believe you will see the fingerprints of God all over it – especially in the darkest times.

Photo by Kostas Exarhos from Pexels.

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June 26, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Eternal Mindset

If you want to short circuit your brain, think about eternity. It’s a hard concept for us to grab because everything we see, experience and know has a beginning and an end. Yet, God set eternity in our hearts. He put something in there that’s more than we can comprehend, but is also something that gives us purpose and meaning. It’s a reminder that we are spiritual beings having a temporary physical experience now. This world and all it offers will never fully satisfy us because we were made for eternity. You and I were built for more than this moment we are standing in. God, who placed this in you, spoke about it in His Word. Put eternity at the front of your mind and let it shape how you think, act and live.

Here are some Bible verses on eternity:

1. Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].

Hebrews 7:25 AMP

2. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 NLT

3. For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].

Philippians 1:21 AMP

4. The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity].

Proverbs 11:30 AMP

5. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

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June 25, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Open The Flow

During a drought one summer, my yard started to die. I began using the sprinkler in the evenings, and I moved it around every so often. Wherever I placed it, I would turn the water faucet on full blast in order to cover the most ground possible. Little by little, the grass began to turn green again. When I looked at my neighbor’s yards, many of them had started doing the same thing. I can honestly say that I didn’t see anyone watering their yards with the water barely turned on. Can you imagine how ineffective that would be? Yet some of us only open the flow of Jesus into our lives a little, and we wonder why we’re not growing.

When you accept Jesus as your savior, you are saved and begin your relationship with Him. However, you and I control the valve on how much we allow Him to influence our life. If we restrict the flow of Him into our life, not much is going to change in how we talk, act or live. We will remain in spiritual immaturity. Those who open the flow, will grow and be changed. The more of our life that we give Him access to, the more we become like Him. The more we move toward spiritual maturity. Our lives will bear the fruits of the Spirit as well. There are clear differences between those who restrict Jesus in their lives and those who don’t. Your spiritual life will always grow in proportion to the amount of influence you allow Jesus to have in it.

Colossians 1:10 says, “We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness!” (TPT) God desires that each of us would yield all of our life to Him. When we do, we open ourselves up to His fullness. How much of your life have you yielded to Him? If you’re not bearing much fruit in your life or are not experiencing all He offers, surrender everything to Him. You’ve trusted Him with your eternity. Why wouldn’t you trust Him with this life? How He sees you has to become more important than how others see you. Open up the flow of His presence in your life and watch the growth take place.

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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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