Monthly Archives: June 2024

June 28, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Honesty And Integrity

One of the virtues that we should pursue is honesty. It’s not always easy to tell the truth knowing there may be consequences. Honesty is a necessity for any relationship to succeed. It’s also the foundation for a life of integrity. Jesus was said to be full of grace and truth. He even said that He was the embodiment of truth. It was a lie that brought sun into the world, and it was Truth that set men free from the bondage that sin brought. It’s no wonder that God’s Word has a lot to say about being honest and living a life of integrity. It’s something that’s close to His heart. Without honesty, we can’t build healthy relationships with each other or with Him. Take time today to evaluate how your relationships have been affected by honesty, or the lack of it. Then ask God to help you live a life of integrity and honesty.

Here are some Bible verses on honesty.

1. The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Proverbs 12:22 NLT

2. So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for we all belong to one another.

Ephesians 4:25 TPT

3. If you are good, you are guided by honesty. People who can’t be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty.

Proverbs 11:3 GNT

4. Honest people are safe and secure, but the dishonest will be caught.

Proverbs 10:9 GNT

5. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.

Psalms 51:6 NLT

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June 27, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Transformed By The Bible

Have you ever boiled water? I know it’s a silly question, but if you have, you have added things to it. Think about what happens when you put a carrot in boiling water. What happens? After a little while, the carrot gets soft. What happens when you put an egg in boiling water? It becomes hard of course. Water has two different effects on those objects. Now, what happens when you add ground up coffee beans to boiling water? You get coffee. The difference here is that the water doesn’t change the coffee beans, the beans change the water into something different. There are many things in life that you have the power to change, but there are also things that you allow into your life that change you.

One of the things that changes us is the Bible. The more you read it and put it into your mind, the more it has the ability to change you. If you want it to get into your heart and permeate your entire being, then you need to go beyond reading it. You need to meditate on it. Meditating on God’s Word is simply taking a verse or passage and thinking, “What does this really mean? What is God wanting me to learn from this? Why did He include this in the Bible? How can I apply this to my life? How would things change if I lived this out? How can I help others understand this better and help them to apply it?” Asking these questions helps you break down powerful spiritual principles into bite sized chunks. It also allows God’s Word to get into every area of your being fundamentally changing who you are from the inside out.

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (AMP). Reading the Bible should not be considered a box we need to check in order to be a better Christian. It should be part of your transformation into a new creature. It gives us wisdom in how to live our lives, love others and to build up other believers. It is the foundation for the life we’re called to live. When we let it have its home in us and in our minds, it will change us into overcomes.

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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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June 26, 2024 · 5:36 AM

Fighting Insecurity

A few years ago I was sitting at a round table discussion with several other ministers in the Houston area. As they began the introductions, a little voice in my head said, “You don’t belong here!” A few more people introduced themselves and the voice continued, “You aren’t even in the same league as these people.” I sent my wife a text telling her I shouldn’t have come. More introduced themselves and what they were doing and the voice got louder as it got closer to my turn. I’m not an insecure person, but as I sat there, I was as insecure as I’d ever been thinking of how I’m less than everyone else at the table. I began to think of all my disqualifications and my inabilities. Then the voice of the Lord spoke to me reminding me who I am in Him, and I introduced myself.

In Exodus 3-4 Moses was at the burning bush talking to God when God asked him to go back to Egypt and free His people. As the Lord spoke, Moses’ insecurities began to rise in his mind. In verse 10, he replied to God, “I’m a nobody” (GNT). God continued telling him to go, but that voice in Moses’ head got louder. In Genesis 4:1 he told God, “No one will listen to me.” God continued. In verse 10 he reminded God of his limitations and inadequacies, but God insisted. Moses finally listened to God, went to Pharaoh and got the Israelites to be set free from 400 years of slavery. I don’t think the voice ever went away in his head, but over time he learned that it was God at work in him doing the things he did. Success depended on God’s provision rather than his ability.

That voice still speaks to me, and I bet you’ve heard it too reminding you of why you’re incapable of being used by God or accomplishing anything good for Him. Hebrews 13:21 says, “May the God of peace provide you with every good thing you need in order to do his will, and may he, through Jesus Christ, do in us what pleases him. And to Christ be the glory forever and ever! Amen.” The great news is that God will provide you with everything you need to accomplish His will. You just have to let your faith and trust in Him be louder than that voice. He is the God of peace when insecurities rise. He’s the God who supplies you with resources when you have none. It’s a good thing He calls some of the most seemingly unqualified people to do His work because they will give Him the glory for accomplishing it through them despite their inabilities. The next time you feel insecure because of that voice, remember this verse and simply pray, “I’ll do whatever you ask, Lord.”

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June 25, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Seeking Shelter

Our area has been through some rough storms over the past few months. A few weeks ago, we were in the mall while it was raining. We went into a store to see a particular shirt. As we went in, the employee said she had just received a text from the mall management that we were going to need to go to a sheltered area soon if the storm worsens. Then a few days later, we were at home around noon when all of a sudden the house got dark around noon. I looked outside and street lights were coming on. We quickly made it to an interior room for shelter to ride out the storm. These series of storms reminded me of some of the things we’ve been through this year. We’ve had to shelter ourselves in God on multiple occasions this year. Where do you go for shelter when the storms of life come?

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul laid out some of the storms he had been through. He said five time he had been whipped with thirty nine lashes and three times with rods. He had been shipwrecked and spent time adrift at sea. He faced raging rivers and robbers while traveling for the Lord. He also had sleepless nights, gone without food and not had enough clothes to keep him warm. Then in chapter 4:8-9 he encouraged us by saying. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (NLT). I love that he said “we” in those verses. All of go through them, but when we shelter ourselves in God, we will not be destroyed by what life throws at us.

Psalm 32:7 says, “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” David wrote this song during one of the storms he faced. It’s a great reminder that while each of us will go through storms, when we run to the Father, He protects us. We may lose everything, but we stay protected in Him. I love that God surrounds us with songs of victory in times when we feel like we’re being defeated. Even though the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, and even though he may appear to be successful against you at times, God is there sing songs of victory over you. Psalm 91:1 reminds us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Not only do we find protection from the storm in Him, we can also find rest in our times of trouble as we shelter in Him.

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June 24, 2024 · 5:42 AM

Becoming Grateful

McDonald’s exponentially increased their sales and revenues by teaching their employees to ask one simple question. Would you like fries with that? When combo meals became a thing, they then asked, “Would you like to supersize that?” These questions were so successful that companies across industries try to replicate it. Almost everyone said yes to them. It works so well because it preys on our inability to be satisfied or content. People didn’t question the cost of fries or however much a supersize was. They considered it insignificant in exchange for getting more. Learning to be content is something we each need to work on.

In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul explained the value of knowing jesus and how important it is in comparison to the things the world values. In chapter 3, he then goes on to say that he’s a work in progress like we all are. In the next chapter he thanks them for their concern for him. Then in verse 11-12 he tells them to secret to life. He wrote, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little” (NLT). We too must learn to be content and to fight the constant need for more. When we learn to be content, gratitude begins to grow in our lives.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Paul wrote, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” When we have an attitude of gratitude in ever circumstance we’re in, our perspective changes. Finding things to be grateful for in hard times and learning to be content whether we have a little or a lot reveal our level of trust in God. Do you really believe He is all you need? Do you believe He is your provider? We learn to be content and grateful when we learn to value what God offers is worth more than anything in this world. Not only are there spiritual benefits, but there are psychological benefits as well when we learn these two things. When we’re content and grateful, we’re saying that God has given us what we need and we aren’t lacking anything. Happiness isn’t found in having more things. It’s found in having an attitude of gratitude and contentment.

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June 21, 2024 · 5:26 AM

Being Compassionate

One of the most well known parables of Jesus is The Good Samaritan in Luke 10. In the story there was a man who was beaten up badly, robbed and left for dead. The ones who were supposed to help, the priest and the Temple assistant, wouldn’t even look over at him. They even crossed the street to pass him by from the other side. Then verse 34 says, “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him” (NLT). That compassion came from an awareness of his suffering and his desire to relieve it. Jesus then finished the parable by telling us to go do the same. He wants us to have compassion on those suffering around us. He wants us to love our neighbor and to help them in their time of crisis by showing them His love.

Here are some Bible verses on God telling us to be compassionate.

1. Thus has the Lord of hosts said, “Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion, to each other; and do not oppress or exploit the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise or even imagine evil in your hearts against one another.”

Zechariah 7:9-10 AMP

2. Finally, all of you be like-minded [united in spirit], sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted [courteous and compassionate toward each other as members of one household], and humble in spirit; and never return evil for evil or insult for insult [avoid scolding, berating, and any kind of abuse], but on the contrary, give a blessing [pray for one another’s well-being, contentment, and protection]; for you have been called for this very purpose, that you might inherit a blessing [from God that brings well-being, happiness, and protection].

1 Peter 3:8-9 AMP

3. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:12-13 ESV

4. Above all, constantly echo God’s intense love for one another, for love will be a canopy over a multitude of sins. Be compassionate to foreigners without complaining.

1 Peter 4:8-9 TPT

5. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6:36 NLT

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June 20, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Faith In A Drought

The story of Joseph always intrigues me. God gave him a dream that one day his parents and his brothers would all bow down to him. His brothers became so jealous that they kidnapped him and sold him as a slave. From there he was sold to a man in Egypt. After working there for a while, he was falsely accused and sent to prison. He spent years in prison and was forgotten. Not once in this story do we hear him complaining to God, “What about the dream you gave me?” He went through a drought figuratively and literally. So how does one hold onto faith and trust in God when nothing seems to be moving or is going in the wrong direction?

Honestly, that’s a question I think about a lot because God’s plan will often lead us through a drought. We hear His voice, follow His path and then nothing happens. It can definitely get you to questioning if you’ve heard God, if you’re headed the right direction and if God is going to come through in time. I believe that great faith gets rewarded greatly, but I’ve also learned that great faith goes through droughts after you’ve acted. Just because you’ve taken the leap, it doesn’t mean that God makes everything happen right away. For your faith to be stretched, you’re going to go through some, “What have I done and where are you God” moments. So how do you hang on in those times?

Jeremiah 17:7-8 gives us the answer. It says, “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (NLT). You must stay planted in your faith with your roots down deep in God’s Word. When we do that, it doesn’t matter what our external circumstances look like. Our faith is being watered and we can hold onto our trust in God. It’s not easy by any means, but when we keep our spirit fed and watered, we will still produce no matter how long the drought is. Remember that droughts end and God’s faithfulness doesn’t.

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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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June 19, 2024 · 5:47 AM

Expressions Of Adoration

Adoration isn’t a word we commonly use anymore. While I know what it means, I still looked it up. Almost all definitions had something like having a strong love for something or someone to the point you worship it. Worship becomes an expression of our love and respect for Hod. My wife and I were both raised in homes where our parents were at church every time the doors were open. We were also both raised by parents who lived the same way at home and at church. We had no idea until we were adults that there were people who went to,church that put on a holy mask and then took it off once they left. We both know people we grew up with who said how confusing it was for them. Their parents acts of worship were a show to them and they never got to understand adoration of God until later in life whereas we got to experience it and see it demonstrated daily.

In John 12, Jesus stopped by the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus again. Martha was still serving and Lazarus was reclining at the table it says when Mary came in with a very expensive perfume. Verse 3 says, “Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (AMP). I would say the house was filled with the fragrance of adoration. That’s when Judas, who was about to betray Jesus, put on his holy mask, spoke up and condemned the act saying it should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Adoration made him feel uncomfortable because he felt it exposed his hypocrisy. That’s when Jesus pushed back on his comments and accepted her act of worship.

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.” How do you show gratitude to God through worship and adoration? Remember worship is an act of humility rather than singing a song. It’s an expression of our love for Him and what He’s done for us. Thats why Jesus said those of us who have been forgiven more tend to love more. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, our lives must become an expression of adoration rather than in words only the way Judas was. Take time today to reflect on all you’ve been forgiven of and all that God has done for you. Then express your gratitude to Him and adoration will flow from there.

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June 18, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Look Straight Ahead

I’ve always been a fast driver. When I was in my early twenties I got tickets for speeding a lot. I would always go to the judge and ask if I could take defensive driving to get it dropped from my record. I used the same instructor for my classes each time. After about my third time in, he began to recognize me. On one of my trips to his class he pulled me aside and asked if he could give me some advice. I nodded and he said, “Quit looking at the car immediately in front of you. Train your eyes to look 30-45 seconds ahead of you and you won’t have to visit me so often.” I found that when I looked straight ahead down the road I noticed more things and was less distracted by things around me. I’m pretty sure that was the last time I took his course.

In Judges 13 we’re introduced to Samson’s parents. An angel visited his mom and said, “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines” (NLT). Samson had a strict set of rules to live by and a purpose, but as he got older he began to take his eyes off of that purpose and dedication. He fell in love with a woman from the country he was supposed to liberate Israel from. He quit looking ahead, got distracted and was defeated by his enemy. However, on his last day he got his mindset right and killed more Philistines in one blow than all of them from the rest of his life combined.

Proverbs 4:25-27 says, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Where are you looking? Are you being distracted by things around you that are keeping you from your purpose? It’s never too late to refocus or to return to the path God has laid out for you. Our enemy places distractions all around us to keep us short sighted and to get us off God’s path for our life. We must retrain our eyes to look straight ahead so we can focus on God’s plan. When we do, we will find that we’re less susceptible to things that will keep us from our God given destiny.

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June 17, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Open Space

In some of the most difficult times in my life, my focus had to become very narrow. I found that thinking of the future became overwhelming. There were times I had to think a minute ahead or five minutes ahead. I had to have tunnel vision to help me survive that period of time. As I began to move forward, I began to start thinking a day ahead, then a week and later a month. It took a while though. When you’re going through a tough time, your energy has to be focused on survival. Over time, God leads you out of the valley of the shadow of death into wide open spaces filled with green pastures and beside the still waters. He doesn’t leave us in the tight spaces. We go through them, but they’re on our way to where He’s leading us.

In Genesis 26, there was a famine in the land where Isaac lived so he moved to Gerar. God never left him during that time and continued to bless him and his crops. The neighboring Philistines became jealous and filled his wells with dirt. Then the king of Gerar became afraid of him and kicked him out of that country. Verse 17 says he moved into the narrow valley of Gerar. He began to reopen the wells Abraham dug and also dug some of his own, but they were contested. The shepherds from where he was kicked out of claimed his wells so he named them “Argument” and “Hostility”. He gave up his rights to them. Verse 22 says, “Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means ‘open space’), for he said, ‘At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.’” (NLT). The Lord led him out of the valley into an open space.

Psalm 66:12 says, “We passed through fire and water, but you brought us out into a wide open place” (NET). This was referring to the Israelites leaving the bondage of Egypt into their promised land. You and I will pass through the fire and water of trials. We will experience being in tight spaces where it’s dark and where there seems to be no way out. However, God will always lead us to an open space that full of abundance. Continue to cry out to Him and rely on Him when things seem unfair, when your wells of blessing are plugged up by the enemy and when you’re falsely accused. There is freedom and healing ahead in the open spaces God has for you. Follow the leading of your shepherd for He cares for you.

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