Monthly Archives: March 2022

March 17, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Fighting Peer Pressure

I was in a meeting when a group of coworkers decided to go downtown for dinner and to check out the night life despite being told by our supervisors not to. They were asking one guy to go with them and he said, “I don’t like to be out late. I’m a bear when I don’t get my sleep.” They continued to pressure him until finally he agreed. They all cheered and he smiled sheepishly. The group then turned to me and said, “Let’s go! Are you in?” Matter of factly I said, “No.” The leader of the group said, “Well, that was definitive.” He turned to the group and asked what time everyone wanted to leave.

Peer pressure isn’t only something that kids face. We as adults are exposed to it almost daily. Most of it is harmless, but there are those moments when it’s trying to get you to sin. I’ve learned that disobedience likes company. It’s a way of justifying your desires that are counter productive to what God wants you to do. If more people are doing it, then it’s the popular opinion and we must be misinterpreting God. That kind of peer pressure is what got Adam and Eve to sin.

Proverbs 1:10 says, “When peer pressure compels you to go with the crowd and sinners invite you to join in, you must simply say, ‘No!’” (TPT) If you haven’t decided before a situation arises how you are going act or what you’re going to say, it becomes increasingly difficult to respond the right way. We need to purpose in our hearts to say, “No” when temptation comes. We must be firm and have a desire to please God more than man. Remember that peer pressure only works when they think you can be influenced to go along with the crowd. Ask God today to help you stand firm in the areas where you normally give in.

Photo by Vishnu Prajapati on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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March 16, 2022 · 5:26 AM

Power In Praise

There’s a worship song out that says, “This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you.” I love that song because it’s a great reminder of the power of praise. It also reminds me of a time when I was in high school and I came under a spiritual attack that presented itself in a very physical way. A guy I knew attacked me in my home. One of my parent’s friends was there at the house and walked in at just the right moment. She told me to go collect myself. I went to the bathroom and began to praise because I recognized what was happening. When I came out, I was ready for battle, but God had already delivered me from the situation.

The story was similar in 2 Chronicles 20. A massive army came out against Israel. They prayed and fasted Seeking God’s help. They still had to go to battle, but they understood that the battle belonged to the Lord. On the way, the king consulted the people and they decided to send singers out in front of the army who were worshiping God. Verse 22 says that the moment they began to praise, the other army started fight among themselves and killed each other until no one was left. It took Israel 3 full days to gather the plunder left behind by the army. The Israelites were so grateful to God for the victory, they named the place “The Valley of Blessing”.

Verse 26 says, “On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today” (NLT). If you’re in a valley facing defeat, spend time praising God. Not only does it invite His presence into your situation, it gets your focus on Him rather than your problem. Praise is a powerful weapon that we must learn to use in our darkest moments. People all throughout the Bible used it (Joshua at Jericho, Paul and Silas in prison, etc), we should be too. You may not feel like praising God in your current situation, but that’s precisely when you need to. There’s power in praise.

Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash

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March 15, 2022 · 5:48 AM

Learning From Seasons

I remember seeing Time Life commercials when I was growing up. One of them was for music from the 60’s. They would list all the songs that this package came with. Every so often they would pause on a hit and let it play. One of those belonged to The Byrds. The song was “Turn! Turn! Turn!” The first time I heard it, I recognized immediately where it came from. Ecclesiastes. I can still hear that song playing in my mind. I didn’t understand then why it was such a big hit, but after studying history, it’s clear it resonated with people because it let them know that the war wasn’t going to last forever. The season would come to an end, and a new season would begin.

Job is someone who went through a difficult season. He went from a season of plenty to a season of loss and pain instantly. He responded by worshiping. He didn’t allow the changing seasons to affect how He viewed God. He understood that God allowed seasons to change and didn’t need his permission to do it. When his season lasted a long time, there was a temptation to curse God rather than to bless Him. It’s the same temptation we all face in difficult seasons. When we can’t see the bigger picture of what God is doing, and when we forget there is a season for everything, including loss, it’s easy to give in to that temptation. However, we must remain faithful, trusting in God’s plan even when we can’t see how He can turn it around for our good.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven” (AMP). Solomon had seen it all and understood it better than anyone when he wrote this. God has a purpose and a time for every season of your life. Just a quickly as you entered this season, you can enter another one. Whether your in a season of planting or reaping, bless God. If you’re in a season of tearing down or building up, worship. Seasons aren’t permanent, but your worship is. Faith is trusting God even when you don’t understand or like the season you’re in. Trust in His all sufficient grace that is our strength when we’re weak, and use the season you’re in to grow closer to Him.

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

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March 14, 2022 · 5:09 AM

Feeding 5,000

If you haven’t watched “The Chosen” yet, let me encourage you to do so. To me, it is the best written, best acted and best directed Christian show I’ve ever seen. The director is Dallas Jenkins who had been in Hollywood, where you’re only as good as your last movie. He was paid to direct a film that would bring Christians to the box office in 2017, but it bombed at the theater. He was pretty much run out of Hollywood. However, one fan sent him a message that changed how he thought about the failure. The person said, “Remember, it’s not your job to feed the 5,000. It’s only to provide the loaves and fish.” All he, and we, have to do is make the best bread and be the best fisher of fish we can be. It’s up to God to do the heavy lifting.

If you remember, in Matthew 14, Jesus was mourning the loss of his cousin John the Baptist, but people found Him. Word got out and people lined up to bring anyone who needed healing. After healing them all day, the disciples asked Jesus to send the people away so they could eat. But Jesus replied that they didn’t need to leave and told the disciples to give them something to eat. They replied, “But all we have is five barley loaves and two fish” (TPT). In verse 18, Jesus simply said, “Let me have them.” When they did, He blessed what they gave Him, broke it and gave it back to them to hand out.

We often look at the giant task in front of us and go to God in a panic telling Him what to do the way the disciples did. However, His response to us is the same. What do you have that He can use? It might look insignificant up against the problem, but it’s not your job to solve it. You need to offer Him what’s in your ability and hands. Let Him bless it, break it if necessary and give it back to you to give. When we do our part, He does His. When we act in faith, He moves mountains. It’s not just about His ability. It’s about your willingness to give Him what you have as well. Our act of faith in our weakest moments can produce the greatest results. When we’re at the end of our ability, we find the beginning of His.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

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March 11, 2022 · 5:38 AM

Prioritize Seeking God

I’ve heard it said that God has put enough of Himself in creation that those who are looking for Him can find Him, and those that aren’t might miss Him. God wants to be found. To be sought after, but we have to get past all the distractions around us in order to do it. Each of us need to daily look for Him in the midst of the chaos of our day. It takes a conscious effort to make sure we’re looking for Him. The Bible tells us over and over to seek Him, and that He rewards those who do. There are several of these rewards listed. We just need to make seeking Him a priority.

Here are some Bible verses on seeking God.

1. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29 AMP

2. You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 GNT

3. Seek God while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

Isaiah 55:6-7 MSG

4. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

5. What joy overwhelms everyone who keeps the ways of God, those who seek him as their heart’s passion!

Psalms 119:2 TPT

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

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March 10, 2022 · 5:30 AM

A Grateful Heart

As we were headed somewhere, my son, who was in the backseat, out of the blue asks, “Dada, who is your favorite leper?” I said, “You know, I haven’t given it that much thought. Who is yours?” He replied, “The one who praised God and went back to thank Jesus.” Then he asked, “Why didn’t the other nine who were healed go back and to thank Jesus for healing them?” I replied, “That’s the same question Jesus had, but we weren’t given the answer to.” He thought for a second then said, “We should always thank God when He answers prayers.”

He’s right, but many times, we forget. For many of us, what is urgent right now is what gets all of our energy and attention. Once it’s taken care of, we move to the next most urgent thing. For those 10 lepers, the most urgent thing was to be healed before the leprosy claimed their lives. Because it was considered “unclean” and contagious, the people who had it were cut off from family, friends and society. It was a lonely disease where everyone avoided you. So once these people got Jesus’ attention and their healing, they were ready to rejoin their families. Only one felt his most urgent need was to go back and give thanks.

Luke 17:15 says, “One of them, a foreigner from Samaria, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God” (TPT). The Bible records many healings Jesus performed, but this story records someone giving thanks for their answered prayer. Gratitude is a godly quality we could all get better at. When we look back at our life, we can see many times God has answered our prayers. Can we also see moments of gratitude like this leper’s? Take time today to thank God for all He’s done for you. You’ll find that the more you grateful you are, the more you’ll have to be grateful for.

Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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March 9, 2022 · 5:44 AM

Revealing God

Sometimes when I meet with church leaders, I’ll ask about problems they’re experiencing with staff. Because “ministry” can be very broad, often times staff members appear to be doing their own thing or nothing. I then get the staff together, have them stand up, close their eyes and point north. When I ask them to open their eyes, they see that nearly everyone is pointing in a different direction. I explain to the pastor or leader that when their is no clear direction, people tend to go in their own direction rather than in the same direction. This is true of any organization. The people need to know what direction to go in.

1 Samuel 3:1 says, “The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread” (AMP). Because of that, people did their own thing. Even Eli, the priest, had sons who were supposed to be ministers doing despicable things. They would harass the women, take offerings to God from the people by force and disrupt people’s worship. When people don’t hear from the Lord or can’t see what God is doing, they tend to do their own thing like kids in a classroom when the teacher walks out.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].” You and I have had a revelation of God’s Word, the world hasn’t. Our lives should reveal God to other people. We like to quote the first part of this verse, but the second part reminds us that it’s not enough to just hear God’s Word on Sunday, or to even know it. In order to give others revelation of who He is, we must keep it. Living like Eli’s sons, while carrying His name, doesn’t reveal who He is. We’re living in a time where people need to see genuine, authentic Christianity that points north to the Father.

Photo by Åaker on Unsplash

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March 8, 2022 · 5:47 AM

Becoming God’s Masterpiece

I was flipping through some videos and came across one where there was a table on a sidewalk with a sign hanging on it. It said, “Read a secret, leave a secret.” One young lady reached in the fishbowl filled with papers and began reading what someone else shared. It was written by another lady. She wrote, ‘Ever since I was young, my dad would tell me that I would never find love because of who I am. My first serious boyfriend told me the same thing when he broke up with me. Now I’m afraid to date. I feel unwanted and unworthy of love.’” The girl reading the secret broke down in tears, looked in the camera and said, “I wish I knew who this was. I would be her friend and love her. Everyone deserves to know love.” It was a sad video to watch, but also a reality that so many people face.

In Matthew 13, Jesus is sharing several parables. He tells one where a person finds a treasure in a field. He then buries it again, sells all he has to purchase the field. He also tells one of the pearl of great price is found. The person who finds it, sells all they have and purchases the pearl. In each of these instances, I always thought we were the ones who found the great treasure of Jesus, but in context with the other parables, it’s actually the other way around. You and I are the great treasure and the pearl of great price. Jesus gave up everything to pay the price for our sin because He values us so greatly. As 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “You were bought with a price.”

The next time you hear those voices that tell you you’re worthless, unworthy or unloved, fight back those lies with the Word of God. 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). Take out “we” and “us”, and replace it with “I” and “me”. You are a masterpiece created by God. You are worthy of Him giving up everything so that you can be with Him. You are recreated, a new creation even. You are called and have a purpose that only you can fulfill. The words and lies you hear are designed to prevent you from being who you were created to be. Rebuke those lies. Let go of them. They are not what God says about you. He knows you better than anyone and He says you are loved, you are worthy and you are worth more than you can imagine.

Photo by Isi Parente on Unsplash

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March 7, 2022 · 5:44 AM

Seeking More

One of a kid’s favorite games is hide and seek. Since we had some kids over recently, we encouraged them to play inside. The last one caught got to be it each time. On one occasion, the youngest player got to be it. After a few minutes of trying, she couldn’t find anyone. She was ready to quit. We encouraged her by setting a timer, offering hints and walking with her. She found no one. After the timer was up, we had her call out, “Marco!” The older kids responded, “Polo!” She began seeking again and was able to find them. I realized that each person has a different ability and threshold for seeking.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him” (TPT). Each of us are called to continually seek Him even after we’ve found Him. There are greater depths of Him to know beyond what we find on the surface at salvation. He’s not asking us just to find Him. We’re to know Him as well. We can’t just give up or stop seeking Him after salvation. We need to seek the different aspects of who He is because we’re going to need them as we go through life.

Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek more of his strength! Seek more of him! Let’s always be seeking the light of his face.” Seeking more of who God is should be a daily discipline for believers. Our personal revival starts with seeking these different aspects of who He is. When we go through dry times in our relationship with Him, the root cause in a lot of cases is that we have quit seeking Him. He wants to be found. He wants to reveal more if Himself to you, but you must move and seek Him. We have a promise in James 4:8 that says if we will draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. Seeking Him is the pathway to the closeness we’re looking for.

Photo by Eliecer Gallegos on Unsplash

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March 4, 2022 · 5:40 AM

Seek Justice

Trying to explain the things that have been going on in the world the last few years to a kid is tough for parents. They’ve got questions we don’t really have answers to or that they’re not able to comprehend yet. We’ve done our best to go to the Bible to look at the events through that lens. We look at what causes people to make certain decisions, why bad things happen and what our responsibility is. One of those responsibilities is to seek justice for those who don’t have a voice or are being oppressed. God is a God of justice, so we must live and act justly according to His Word. Our behavior and response should be influenced and born out of what God says rather than what others think. Above all, we must also pray for justice from God and for protection for the oppressed.

Here are some Bible verses on justice.

1. When justice is done, good people are happy, but evil people are brought to despair.

Proverbs 21:15 GNT

2. There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.

Psalms 106:3 NLT

3. No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.

Micah 6:8 GNT

4. Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the misfits. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!

Proverbs 31:8-9 MSG

5. Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right. See that justice is done—help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.

Isaiah 1:16-17 GNT

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

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