Monthly Archives: October 2024

October 31, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Your Inner Circle

When I was a kid, I began to hear my parents tell me, “You become like those you run with. Choose wisely.” Those were wise words to a child, but they’re also wise words to you as an adult. We like to think that people don’t change us, but the truth of the matter is that each of us are being sharpened and shaped by the people closest to us. They’re the ones whom we let down our facade the most with to show who we really are. Because of that vulnerability, they become the people who shape our decisions, our interests and even direction of our life. Your innermost circle of friends even determine the level of success you’ll have in life. You can’t soar with eagles if you’re scratching around with turkeys all the time.

The Bible has a lot to say about friendships. It gives examples of people like David and Jonathon who were willing to sacrifice everything for each other. There’s also Paul and Timothy whose friendship was one where Paul was a mentor as he shaped this young pastor. However, Job had some friends that gave him bad advice and weren’t able to endure the suffering with their friend. They used their influence in his life to try to misrepresent God and affect his relationship with Him. The people we let in our innermost circle of friends shape even our relationship with God, so it’s eternally important to choose wisely.

In Psalm 101:6 David says, “My innermost circle will only be those whom I know are pure and godly. They will be the only ones I allow to minister to me” (TPT). He understood the importance of that group on his relationship with God and wanted to protect it most. Who are you allowing to minister to you and to shape your relationship with God? Are they pushing you closer to Him or are they misrepresenting God to you? If they’re not making you sharper, challenging you to grow more or improving your relationship with God, they’re holding you back. David was selective about who he let into that group, and we should be too. God is calling us to greater maturity, faith and relationship with Him. Are the people closest to you influencing you in that direction?

Photo by Kingsley Osei-Abrah 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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October 30, 2024 · 5:40 AM

Wilderness Seasons

Some of the toughest seasons in life to get through are wilderness seasons. They’re brought on by different things that happen in our life. Sometimes we enter them shell shocked after our world has been rocked. You can’t really feel Godwin the wilderness, but you know He’s there. I’ve found myself simply going through the motions. I stand during worship, but words won’t come out. I hear the message, but nothing seems to resonate. I smile and shake hands, but feel disconnected. I try to pray, but my words fall flat. There’s no telling how long the season will last, but I’ve found that wilderness seasons are usually followed up by victory seasons.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just called fire from heaven and proved God’s existence to the nation when Jezebel threatened his life. Verse 4 says, “Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die” (NLT). He fell asleep there from his depression, but was awakened by an angel who fed him. He laid back down and slept again until the angel did the same thing again. He then traveled forty days and nights deeper into the wilderness where he found a cave on Mount Sinai. God spoke and asked him what he was doing there. He needed to hear from God and know His power. He experienced an earthquake, a fire and a still, small voice. God sent him back into the wilderness with instructions to anoint a new king and to appoint a successor. In that moment, God took care of the future and his present. Some of his greatest miracles are in the chapters that follow.

Deuteronomy 2:7 says, “For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.” God never leaves us in wilderness seasons, and He provides for us while we’re there. I’ve learned that these seasons, while tough, have produced deeper roots in my faith. They caused me to dig down deep into God’s Word, to seek His presence and to depend on Him. I couldn’t always see Him in my wanderings in the wilderness, but when I look back, I see He never left my side. If you’re there now, keep being desperate for God to answer. It may not be big and grandiose like you want. It’s often in the still, small voice and in subtle ways. God has a purpose for wilderness seasons. Don’t rush through them. A victorious season is just ahead.

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October 29, 2024 · 6:53 AM

Playing Your Part

Have you ever stubbed your toe or hurt a finger? Several years ago I had a hatchback on my car. I was getting something out of it when someone honked at me. I turned around to see who it was. Just then, it closed on my hand and my thumb got trapped. I had to get the keys out of my pocket with my other hand, unlock it and lift it up to get it out. For the next couple of weeks, I thought about my thumb a lot. I had never paid much attention to how much I used it until I couldn’t anymore. The same holds true for your toe and really any body part. They all have purpose and functions that you use without thinking about it until you can’t use them.

In Romans 12:4-5, Paul wrote, “In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others” (TPT). This verse first became real to me when I worked at a church in Egypt that had over 20 denominations and people from over 50 countries present all operating under one pastor. We functioned the way the Body of Christ was supposed to. We didn’t allow our doctrinal differences to separate us. Instead, we saw the beauty in those differences, recognized how each one is used and worked under the banner of what unites us. We used to say that church was a microcosm of Heaven.

The Body of Christ is more than denominations. It’s made up of people like you and me. When we look at that verse above and think of it on an individual level, it becomes even more real. You have a unique function in the Body of Christ and are vital to its success. There are no insignificant members of His body. The rest of us need you to contribute your part for us to function the way we are supposed to. The part you play may not get you famous or even noticed by your pastor, but don’t let that stop you. The calling you have is between you and God. It’s His voice that you want to hear one day saying, “Well done.” You are vital to the Church and the part you play is important to the overall functionality of the Body.

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October 28, 2024 · 5:40 AM

Disconnected From God

Almost every grocery store has a florist in it. They almost always right up front when you walk in so you’ll notice them. My wife and I were admiring some of the bouquets the other day. The vase was a beautiful sculpted glass. The roses were a soft pink and were just beginning to open. The baby’s breath was dotted throughout making it look fuller than it was. We remarked about who would love to receive such a beautiful display. However, I’m not one who likes to purchase flowers because they cost a lot for something that’s about to wilt. They’ve been cut off from their source. They may look good and alive right now, no matter how much water and white powder I put in there, they’re going to start showing signs of deterioration soon.

All throughout the Old Testament, God warns His people to stay connected to Him. He tells them not to intermarry with other cultures who worship other gods because they will begin to be like a flower in a vase getting their water from another source. He tells them that they will deteriorate and that He will cut them off. Because people are so easily enticed away, He tells them to bind His Word to their body and to hide it in their heart. Yet we read the cycle of them serving Him, being led astray, God warning them, the people ignoring Him, enemies conquering them, the leaders repent and the cycle starting over. That’s the story of each of us honestly, once we are disconnected from our start to deteriorate spirituality.

In John 15:4 Jesus said, “Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me” (AMP). It’s impossible for us to produce fruit when we are disconnected from Jesus. This world and its culture are constantly trying to disconnect us from our source. It wants us to get our water from it than from Him. Like in the Old Testament, we are easily drawn away and get disconnected. We can dress it up and fake it for a while to look good, but over time, our disconnectedness from God will show up in our life. We must remain in Him to produce the fruit He wants us to produce. How is your connection to God right now? Have you been allowing yourself to get separated or tempted to drink water from another source? Repentance grafts us back into the vine to remain in Him. We can’t afford to live disconnected from our source.

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October 25, 2024 · 5:29 AM

Relying On God

In Isaiah 36-37 the Assyrian army had invaded Israel and set up a blockade around Jerusalem. They were the most powerful army in the world at that time and they were undefeated. They called out to the people and told them to surrender. They also told them not to let their leaders convince them God was going to help them. The king sent word to Isaiah to inquire of God, and God spoke back to rely on Him and to pray, then the army would leave. The king humbled himself, prayed and reaffirmed his reliance on God. Because he didn’t rely on his brains, his strategy or anything but God, the Lord answered and sent them away. What or whom do you rely on when the odds are stacked against you?

Here are some Bible verses to remind us to rely on God::

1. But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness; My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.

Psalms 13:5 AMP

2. O my God, in You I [have unwavering] trust [and I rely on You with steadfast confidence], Do not let me be ashamed or my hope in You be disappointed; Do not let my enemies triumph over me.

Psalms 25:2 AMP

3. Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

Proverbs 3:5 AMP

4. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Isaiah 50:10 ESV

5. I rely on your constant love; I will be glad, because you will rescue me. I will sing to you, O Lord, because you have been good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6 GNT

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October 24, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Valuable Advice

What’s the best advice you never took? People are always giving us advice, but most of it we don’t listen to or follow through with it. Remember when someone told you to buy Bitcoin when it was $.17? I do. Another person told me to purchase some real estate that was cheap. It’s now worth hundreds of thousands. I didn’t buy it back then. One person told me to be careful about who I choose to hang around because I’ll become like them. I thought I could change them. I couldn’t and spent several years in unproductive relationships. I could go on and on about advice I never took from people and the consequences of not listening or following through. I’m sure you could too.

In 1 Kings 12, Solomon had just died and Israel had crowned his son Rehoboam as king. The people told him that if he would lighten the load that his father had on them, they would serve him and follow him forever. He went to his father’s advisors who were older and they concurred with the people. Then verse 8 says, “But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers” (NLT). They told him to be harder on the people than his father to prove he was better than his father. When he told the people his answer, they revolted and Israel was split into two. Rehoboam was the king of the smaller territory and missed out on being a prosperous king.

Who is speaking into your life? Who’s opinions do you value? The quality of their advice will dictate the quality of the rest of your life. Proverbs 13:13-14 says, “If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe. The teachings of the wise are a fountain of life” (GNT). So many of us miss out on the fountains of life that God places in our life because we refuse their advice or don’t value it. Take time to think about who you’re listening to. Do they give you Godly, Biblical counsel or do they tell you what you want to hear and do? It’s not too late to start refusing the bad advice that you’ve been receiving. Invite someone who is wise and knows God’s Word to begin giving you advice. Follow it and you won’t look back years from now with the regrets of what could have been.

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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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October 23, 2024 · 5:36 AM

Seeking Creativity

One of the questions I get asked often is, “How can you write devotions consistently for over a decade?” My answer is always the same. I used to panic about it each day until I realized I wasn’t looking at God the right way. I’ve learned that God is an endless river of fresh flowing creativity. He is the most creative being in the universe. We get to see His creativity in creation daily. I don’t rely on my creativity. I rely on His. Each day I go to the river and ask God for His creativity. I hold out my bucket and ask Him to fill it with fresh water. I sit at His feet and don’t move until His creativity flows into me. I would run out of insight and things to say, but He never will.

When I think of people who tap into God’s creativity, David comes to mind first. He was a warrior that people feared. He had slain giants and armies, yet here was a man who sat at that same river and crafted psalm after psalm. In the New Testament, Paul wrote letters to all the churches. He wrote several of them while in prison. His circumstances didn’t keep him from that river. The New Testament also mentions people like Tabitha, who sewed clothes and jackets for the poor. Pricilla and Aquila were tent makers who used their creativity to make a living and further the Gospel. God is able to empower anyone with any creativity to use for His Kingdom.

1 Peter 4:10 says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (NLT). The Amplified version calls this gift a talent or ability graciously given by God. You don’t have to be creative to use the gifts, talents and abilities He has given you. Simply take time each day to ask Him how He wants you to use your unique giftings for His purposes. Be determined to sit at His river of creativity until He fill us your bucket. You will find that He will meet you there and fill you with fresh ideas, new inspiration and dynamic ways to do things that you would never come up with on your own. You have been given gifts, now seek Him for creativity in using them to make the greatest impact for the Kingdom that you can.

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October 22, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Responding To Adversity

When I lived in Egypt, one of my favorite things to do was to rent a sailboat and it’s captain to cruise up and down the Nile. These captains were very skilled. They would use the wind to take us up or down the river for the first part of the journey. They would then use that same wind and crisscross back and forth to return us back to port. Ion,y had one captain who wasn’t good at it. The wind pushed us up into the reeds where we got stuck. He couldn’t get us out and we started getting eaten up by mosquitoes. We were finally able to flag down another boat who pulled us out. Each captain learned to use the wind to their advantage. They could let it push them down the river and then take them back up it. For some, the wind put them in a bad position because they didn’t know how to navigate it or respond to it. There’s the same correlation to us with difficult times.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. He later said that in this world we would have trouble. Different people throughout the Bible responded differently. In Exodus when the Israelites were trapped against the Red Sea with pharaohs army chasing them, fear took over. When Job lost everything, he fell down and worshipped. When David’s son staged a coup, he didn’t take it out on people. When Paul and Silas were bound in chains in prison, they sang praises. When Naomi lost her husband and sons, she wanted to be called “Bitter.” When the three Hebrew boys wouldn’t bow, they trusted God as they were taken to a fiery furnace. What made the difference was how the responded to adversity. Some ended up crashing in the reeds, while others persevered.

James 1:2-3 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (NLT). Adversity will come to all of us. James said to respond to it with joy. He understood that joy isn’t based on our circumstances, but on the outcome because of who we trust in. God causes all things to work together for our good. Hard times can stretch us, grow us and increase our faith if we let them. It’s when we lose our trust that they begin to crush us. We’ve just read the differences of people in the Bible. The level of their faith and trust in God determined their reaction. How do you respond when adversity comes? Do you use it for your advantage to navigate upstream or let it push you into the reeds of doubt?

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October 21, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Living Selflessly

If I were to ask you what the opposite of love is, you would probably say, “Hate.” However, when we look at the characteristics of love, we begin to see a different picture. No doubt you can think of the attributes found in 1 Corinthians 13. Keep those in mind as we remember the story of the religious teacher who asked what the greatest commandment was. In Mark 12:31-32, Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these” (NLT). Thinking of these attributes and requirements from God, I would contend that selfishness could be the opposite of love. When you think of relational breakdowns, you will likely find selfishness as the root cause.

In Philippians 2, Paul is addressing the church there on how to behave. In verses 3-4 he wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” This is the recipe for loving your neighbor as yourself. We must learn to look out for the needs of others starting in the Body of Christ. It’s easy to love and be unselfish with the people we like, but what about those we don’t get along with? I remember Jesus telling us in the Sermon on the Mount to even love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute you so you can show you are truly Gods children. How good are you at living an unselfish life? How good are you at taking an interest in the lives of others that you come in contact with?

Paul went on in Philippians 2:5 to say, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Jesus demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, He died for us. Unselfish love is what drove Him to give up His divine privileges, to be born a human, to humble Himself in obedience and to die on the cross. What a challenge Paul gave us in asking us to have the same attitude Jesus had. He understood that if the world is going to know us by our love, it is going to have to show up one selfless act at a time. It’s going to take each of us to committing to living selflessly in a selfish world. When we get good at living out Philippians 2, I believe we will make an impact on culture and see revival in our time. Who is God putting on your heart today to show love to? Don’t hesitate. Reach out today.

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October 18, 2024 · 5:41 AM

God Given Experiences

There are things many of us do for the experience, not to gain it but to feel it. Some experiences are incredible and create core memories for us. I’m sure you can think of some experiences you’ve had. When we become Christians there are things we get to experience such as God’s peace or heavenly joy. I love hearing stories from people who give their life to the Lord and what they experienced at the altar. When we used to have testimony night at church, people would share these stories. Mature Christians would also share stories of how they experienced God’s goodness or blessing in their life. We can each testify to things we’ve experienced as believers. What are some of your God given experiences?

Here are some Bible verses on things we can experience as believers:

1. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

2. And it’s true: “Everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will experience new life.”

Romans 10:13 TPT

3. Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified],he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 AMP

4. And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did].

Philippians 3:10 AMP

5. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.

1 Peter 2:2 NLT

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