Monthly Archives: July 2023

July 31, 2023 · 5:45 AM

Preparing For Blessings

Growing up in sports and then working in sales caused me to hear a lot of motivational sayings. One of them that I remember is from UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He said, “When opportunity knocks, It’s too late to prepare.” If you’re out of a job, you prepare for the next one by having a resume ready. In football, teams practice a two minute drill in case they’re down and need to score in the last two minutes. Preparation helps you be ready to capitalize on the opportunity that’s at hand. We all pray for once in a lifetime opportunities, but how many of us put in the work of preparation for such? If we haven’t prepared, we could miss out on the blessings God is trying to give us.

In 2 Kings 3, the two kings of Israel and the king of Edom were headed to teach the king of Moab a lesson. He had quit paying tribute to keep the peace. They decided to do a sneak attack so they took the long way went through the wilderness where there wasn’t any water. After seven days, the men and animals were parched and morale was down. They called for the prophet Elisha to help. He told them that the valley was going to be filled with water in the morning, and that they wouldn’t hear wind or rain. They needed to dig as many holes as possible to catch the water. Even though the army was exhausted, they dug the holes. The next morning they were filled with water as the prophet said. They had plenty for themselves and their animals to be victorious in the battle the next day.

Proverbs 24:27 says, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house” (NLT). There are things we must do first in preparation for long term blessings. The ways we prepare differ according to the blessings we’re praying for. If you’re praying for a spouse, do everything you can to prepare to be the best spouse yourself. If you’re praying for financial blessings, then prepare by learning wealth management. No matter what blessing you’re asking God for, there are steps you need to be taking now in order to receive it. Otherwise you may squander what God gives you or miss out on it completely. What holes do you need to be digging in order to contain what God is going to pour out? His blessings may fall suddenly without any warning so you need to be prepared. Even though you may be exhausted and tired, you need to step out in faith and dig. The amount of blessings you will be able to retain are directly proportionate to the amount of preparation you do.

Photo by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash

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July 28, 2023 · 5:37 AM

God Will Strengthen You

one of my favorite Bible verses is 2 Corinthians 19:9. Jesus told Paul, “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak” (GNT). Normally when we are losing our strength or having a weak moment, we try to compensate for it, but here Jesus is reminding us to trust in His strength. He is the one who makes us strong through His strength. It’s ok to not be strong all the time. When we feel that we have to be strong all the time, it’s actually pride showing up in our life. It’s when we surrender and admit our weakness, that God reveals His strength in us. You don’t have to have the strength because His strength show up in its greatest effectiveness when we admit we can’t do it on our own.

Here are some Bible verses on God strengthening you.

1. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

1 Peter 5:10 NLT

2. “I am the Lord your God; I strengthen you and tell you, ‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’”

Isaiah 41:13 GNT

3. Lord, strengthen my inner being by the promises of your Word so that I may live faithful and unashamed for you.

Psalms 119:116 TPT

4. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.

Psalm 10:17 ESV

5. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 AMP

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July 27, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Risking Failure

Taking risks and being open to failure are a couple of things I try to teach my nieces and nephews. Those who aren’t afraid to fail and take risks are some of the most successful people on the planet. The greater the risk, the greater reward. However, when you fail, fail fast. Don’t keep going in that direction just because you’ve risked a bunch and you’ve committed. There are times to cut bait and run. At that point, figure out why it didn’t work and where it went wrong, then take another risk. If you can have the courage to push through a few seconds of fear, you can do just about anything. All of these things hold true for money and God’s blessings in our lives. Hoarding them does no good and stunts their growth.

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable we’re all familiar with. A man was going to take a long journey and decided to entrust some of his property to some of his servants. He gave one five talents, one two talents and one talent to another. The one who had five talents invested it and was able to get a return of ten talents. The one who was given two talents also invested his and doubled it. Then the person who only had one dug a hole and buried. He let fear keep him from taking risks with what was given to him. In the end, his fear cost him everything. If he had done something risk free like putting it in the bank just to get a little interest, it would have been better than succumbing to fear.

In verse 29, the master said to him (and the Master says to us), “For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance” (AMP). Part of valuing the gifts and blessings of God is being willing to risk failure with them. God invests different gifts in each one of us, but He’s watching to see what we do with them. We will have to give an account for our actions (or inactions) one day. If you’ve been letting fear of failure dictate your decision in risking them, it’s time to get enough courage to push past that fear and to do something with them. Start that blog, sign up for that course, ask for the microphone, stand on stage, send that letter or whatever it is that fear is keeping you from doing. God is counting on you to value your blessings enough to risk failure with them.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin 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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July 26, 2023 · 5:23 AM

An Extraordinary Day

I’ve noticed that God tends to show up in the most extraordinary ways on seemingly ordinary days. I wonder how often I miss Him. I was on a mission trip to Haiti about ten years ago when we decided to challenge each other to look for Jesus. Each night we would sing worship songs, pray and share. It was during those share times that we would tell stories of extraordinary things that happened where Jesus showed up. When we started looking for Him in our daily interactions, we began to see Him working through people and in people. We saw prayers answered, people healed and needs met in unexpected ways. I found that the more I look for Jesus in my ordinary life, the more extraordinary things He tends to do through me.

In Exodus 3, Moses was in the middle of an ordinary day. It started like any other one for the previous forty years. He took the sheep out to graze on the mountain side. That’s when he saw an amazing sight. There was a bush on fire, but it wasn’t being consumed. “‘This is amazing,’ Moses said to himself. ‘Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it’” (verse 3 NLT). When he went to see what God was doing, he had a holy moment with God. His future changed in an instant. No longer would he be tending sheep in the wilderness. Now he would lead God’s people out of bondage. That life change happened in an instant on the most ordinary of days because he didn’t stay still when he encountered God.

Psalm 14:2 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.” God is looking for those who are looking for Him. Will you keep your eyes open today to try to find Him? Today may have started like any other day, but it has the potential to be extraordinary if you will seek God today in the mundane. You may not be called to lead a nation out of slavery, but you may be used to help someone out of a bondage they’ve been in for years. You may not raise the dead, but you can make someone glad to be alive. I don’t know where you’ll see God or how He will use you. I just know if you seek Him and look for Him, you will find Him and He will use you. Don’t let this extraordinary thing pass you by.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

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July 25, 2023 · 5:57 AM

A Double Portion

Do you ever hear a common phrase and actually stop to think about what it’s saying? There’s a phrase my wife and I hear often that has become a bit of a pet peeve. It’s usually said at funerals by a person who comes up to speak about the deceased. They’ll usually say something like, “If I ever become half the person they were…” Another way they’ll say it is, “I hope to accomplish half of what they did.” Think about that. If you were half or only did half, then the next generation only wanted to be half of you, they would only do a quarter of the first person. Why do we insist on going backwards? Why do we only aspire to be half of someone else’s legacy? It’s not Biblical, nor is it God’s intention for you to only do a portion of the previous generation.

In 2 Kings 2, we read the story of Elijah being taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire. All day long he’s going from place to place while his assistant Elisha follows him. At each city, he tells Elisha to stay there, but he refuses. Also at each city there are prophets who tell Elisha that Elijah is about to be taken to Heaven. In verse 9, Elijah asks Elisha, “‘Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.’ And Elisha replied, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor’” (NLT). Elisha didn’t aspire to be half of who elijah had been. He wanted to be twice the person. He didn’t want to do half of what elijah had done, he wanted to do twice as much. Guess what? He did! God honored what he spoke and gave him a double portion so he could accomplish twice as much.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” Why would you on,y want to run at half the speed as someone else in a race? God is calling you and me to more. He wants to give us greater amounts of His Spirit and blessing, but if we only ask for half we’re missing out on all He has for us. It’s time you and I asked God for a double portion instead of a half portion. We live in a world that desperately needs what we have. We need the mantle of Elijah on us with a double portion of what God gave him. We need a double portion of the boldness that Early Church received at Pentecost. James 4:2 says that we don’t have things because we don’t ask God for them. Take time today to ask God to give you a double portion of what He has for you so you can accomplish all He created you to do and then some.

Photo by Todd Diemer on Unsplash

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July 24, 2023 · 5:39 AM

Neglecting The Altar

One of the things I’ve learned about homeownership is that you constantly have to maintain it to keep it from falling into disrepair. It’s often little things, but they pile up quickly if they’re not taken care of. I’ve even seen this in a new home. I knew someone who was going to buy a house. It was almost ten years old, but had never been lived in because the couple divorced before completion. They never could agree to sell it. When they finally did, there were so many problems, my friends walked away. On the other hand, Saltford Manor in England is considered to be the oldest continuously occupied house in the country. It was built around 1150. Because it has been maintained, it is still standing to this day.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenged the profits of Baal to a duel on top of Mount Carmel. He brought out two bulls and told the other prophets to choose one, build an altar, sacrifice the bull and pray for Baal to send fire for the sacrifice, then he would do the same thing and pray to God. He told the people to quit wavering between two opinions. Either God is God or some other deity is. The prophets of Baal prayed and chanted for hours to no avail. Then verse 30 says, “Then Elijah called to the people, ‘Come over here!’ They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down” (NLT). I couldn’t help but notice the altar had fallen into disrepair and been torn down. The rocks were there, but it needed to be rebuilt. I started thinking about how we often neglect the altar of God in our own life because of busyness and other priorities. A stone or two could be missing or the whole altar could be lying in disrepair. It’s time we rebuilt it.

Hebrews 2:1,3 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard” (ESV). We can’t afford to neglect so great a salvation from God that we have received. We need to get back to paying attention to what we have been taught, get back involved in church, renew our fellowship with other believers and return to our first love. When this altar falls into disrepair, it affects the rest of our life. We can spend a lot of time trying to find answers or even sacrificing the wrong things, but it won’t get us anywhere until we repair the altar to God in our life. Then God will answer and show up like He did for Elijah. It’s time to quit waving and put God back in His place in our life.

Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash

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July 21, 2023 · 5:26 AM

Keep Your Eyes On Jesus

When you were little, did you ever sing, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see”? There’s a lot of wisdom in that song. I’ve noticed that wherever you’re looking is often the direction you’re traveling. Also what you look at is often what you think about. Where are your eyes looking? Are they looking back like Lot’s wife? Are they looking at the size of the giant in front of you like King Saul? Are they looking at temptation like Adam and Eve? Or are they looking at Jesus? Where you look matters. God created your eyes to let light in, to give you vision and to look for Him. He is greater than any problem you’re facing. Look to Him to strengthen you, give you what you need and to guide you. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we give Him the direction for our lives.

Here are some Bible verses on keeping your eyes on Jesus.

1. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Hebrews 12:2 NLT

2. Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

Proverbs 17:24 NLT

3. The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be!

Matthew 6:22-23 GNT

4. So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.

2 Corinthians 4:18 AMP

5. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

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July 20, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Embracing Limitations

I remember first hearing about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” when I was young. There was debate on whether it was a physical handicap that happened to him or a person who heckled him everywhere he went or something else. I believe God didn’t tell us what it was because we don’t need to know. I know it’s fun to speculate, but whatever it was it humbled him and limited his effectiveness in his mind. We know that he was surprised that after asking God three times to remove whatever it was that God didn’t remove it. God allowed whatever it was to bother him or limit him to continue so that Paul would be humble and learn to rely on God’s strength and wisdom instead of his own.

Think of something in your life that is happening or has happened that bothers you or feels like it’s limiting you. It probably consumes a lot of your thinking of how to get rid of it or to escape it. Has it caused an increase in your prayer life? Has it caused you to depend on and seek God more? If it has, then what looks like a curse, may actually be a blessing in disguise. I know it’s hard to look at something annoying or painful in our life and to see that as a blessing, but anything that draws us into a closer relationship and dependence on God is a blessing though it may not seem like it at the time. We like having an easy life and smooth sailing, but those things don’t produce mature believers. They produce overconfidence in our own abilities. One of my favorite quotes is that smooth seas never produced a skilled sailor.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become” (MSG). Learning to take our limitations in stride is hard, but necessary in our maturity. Difficult things happen to everyone. How we respond matters. We can get angry and depressed or we can let them push us into greater dependence on God and His grace. When we embrace our limitations and thorns, we embrace God’s grace.

Photo by Dave McDermott 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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July 19, 2023 · 4:11 AM

The Gateway To Abundance

I believe giving is the gateway to abundance because it is an act of worship, obedience and faith. Whether it is giving your time, resources or money, it comes from something you hold dear and of value. I remember early on in my marriage when we looked at the bills and our income. It was very tight. We had both been raised to give our tithe first before anything else. There was a moment of temptation to not pay the tithe so we could have some money until the next payday. However, we know that if you’re not willing to give when you have a little, you won’t give when you have a lot. It’s a matter of where we put our trust. We’ve made it a practice to give out of what we can no matter how lean.

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had prayed that there would be no rain in Israel until they returned to God. The drought had dried up the brook he was getting water from. In verse 9, God told him, “Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you” (GNT). I don’t know when God spoke to the widow or how long it took Elijah to get to her village. What I know is that when he arrived, he asked her for some bread. She told him she was picking up sticks to make a fire to bake bread with her last bit of flour. After that, she knew she would starve to death. However, she gave that bread to him because of what was in her heart and what God had asked her to do. Because she gave, she had an abundance of bread for her flour never ran out until it rained and she could harvest again.

In Luke 6:38 Jesus promised, “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” We like to quote the first part of that, but it’s the last sentence that gets me every time. The same measure we use to give is what God uses to bless us with. When people ask me about how they should give, I always ask, “How do you want God to bless you?” We want God’s abundance and overflow, but it comes from our giving. It’s not about the amount. It’s the heart of the giver and the sacrifice that’s made. There’s a lot we can learn from this widow who had no income. God used her to bless the prophet and to show us the gateway to abundance.

Photo credit Unsplash

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July 18, 2023 · 5:42 AM

Embracing Uncomfortableness

To celebrate the Fourth of July, we went to an outdoor concert at a nearby amphitheater. Before we left, I went into my gadget drawer and got out a fan that hangs around my neck so I could keep cool. It’s got me thinking about how many crazy inventions there are that are designed to keep us comfortable. The problem is that a recent study shows that the more comfortable we’ve made ourselves, the less happy we’ve become. Did you know that being uncomfortable is actually good for you? Without being uncomfortable, chances are you’re going to remain where you are and achieve very little. Comfort is a tool the enemy uses to keep us from growth and from following God’s voice.

After Moses had murdered an Egyptian, he fled Egypt for 40 years. Moses then became comfortable being a shepherd in Midian, but God met him in a burning bush and called him back to Egypt. He gave every excuse under the sun why he couldn’t or shouldn’t go back. Egypt was uncomfortable to Moses. It meant facing the things he had run from. Why would God ask him to leave his comfort zone? Because the cries of His children there were more important than one person’s comfort. We know that even though Moses was uncomfortable in going, he did it anyway. The result was freedom for millions of slaves and one of the greatest displays of God’s power ever recorded.

I believe God is calling you and me to a place of uncomfortableness. It can feel,scary because of all the unknowns. However, I want to remind you that 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). The spirit of power, love and self-discipline are greater than the spirit of fear. Which spirit are you embracing? Doing God’s will is never going to be comfortable. You’re going to have to step out into unfamiliar territory. You’re going to have to challenge the way things are if you’re going to bring freedom to the captives. Instead of embracing our comforts, we’re going to have to start embracing uncomfortableness. Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back. You’ve been called to a life of faith and you’ve been given the power, love and self-discipline to do it. You just need to embrace it.

Photo by Anil Xavier on Unsplash

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