Monthly Archives: October 2024

October 17, 2024 · 5:30 AM

The Feast Of Shelters

I was reading recently in II Chronicles 7 where Solomon was dedicating the temple. During the celebration, they celebrated the Feast of Shelters. I wasn’t as familiar with that feast as Pentecost, Jubilee, Rosh Hashanah or others. I looked it up to find out more about it and found something interesting. To help Israel remember how their ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years as nomads, they would live in temporary shelters for seven days. Some would sleep on the porch of their homes, others would camp out, some would build lean to shelters and some would build temporary booths.

The shelter they stayed in needed to make sure they were exposed to the elements. If it got cold, they shivered. If it rained, they got wet. If it was hot, they sweat. All of this to remember that their ancestors didn’t have permanent dwellings like they did. It was meant as a link to their past, but for me, it’s a link to our future. These bodies we live in are our temporary shelters. We live like nomads in them moving around all over the world. We think they’re our permanent home, but like the Israelites, we look forward to going to the Promised Land and getting our permanent homes.

II Corinthians 5:1 says, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in Heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself” (NLT). Paul referred to our bodies as tents which is what the people of Israel lived in while they wandered the desert. It’s a temporary home. The problem is that we have lived this way for so long that we’ve forgotten it’s temporary and have made ourselves comfortable in them. We are only wandering here making our way to our permanent home.

These tents we live in have us exposed to the elements of life. They don’t really protect us from tragedy, problems, storms or outside forces. We feel the full force of things and hurt deeply. When we get our new bodies, our permanent ones, we will have shelter from those things. Knowing that a day is coming when we’ll have protection against such things should give us strength and courage to move forward instead of being stick in the past. God wants each one of us to move forward and to think about the future He has for us. He told us about such a time because He knew it would give us hope, and hope is a powerful thing in a temporary storm.

Photo by Rahul Bhosale 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 16, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Obedience Matters

I heard the story of a man who had just e tied a plane at the airport when he felt he heard God tell him to do a headstand. He thought it was crazy and kept walking when he heard it again. It got to be so loud in his mind that he couldn’t concentrate. So finally he stopped next to a wall and did the headstand. When he looked forward, a man came out of the men’s room shouting at him asking him why he was doing that. He felt weird saying it, but he told the man God had told him to. The other man broke down in tears saying, lI was just in the restroom and told God, “If you’re real, prove it. Have someone do something crazy, like a headstand, and I’ll give my life to you.” Right then and there, he gave his heart to the Lord.

In John 2, Jesus and the disciples attended a wedding in a village near where He grew up. Weddings typically lasted several days. At some point, His mother Mary came up to Him to tell Him that their friends had run out of wine and we’re going to be shamed. After pushing back, verse 5 says, “But his mother told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you’” (NLT). Jesus then told them to get water and fill six stone water jars. It didn’t make sense to them at the moment, but they obeyed. Then He told them to draw water and take it to the master of ceremonies. Again, it didn’t make any sense, but they did it anyway. When he lifted the cup of water to his lips, it changed into wine and the friend’s reputation was saved. Jesus Himself was obeying the Law because a stone jar is the only type of jar that could have two different liquids in it, one after the other, without being ritually purified.

1 Samuel 15:22 says, “But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.’” I don’t know what God is asking you to do, or will ask you to do, but obedience is necessary above all else. He has the information you’re missing. He knows what you don’t know. In the moment, and even after, it may not make sense, but follow Mary’s advice and do whatever He tells you to. Hopefully it’s not to do a headstand in an airport, but if it is, follow His voice. When we obey whatever He tells us to, He opens doors that have never been opened before.

Thanks to Gabriel Encev on Unsplash for the photo.

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October 15, 2024 · 5:37 AM

Experiencing God’s Presence

One of the questions I like to ask is, “How do you connect with God?” I also like to find out, “When do you feel closets to Him?” What I’ve found is varying answers to these questions because we are wired differently. Some feel closest to Him when there’s worship playing. Others would say they feel closest when they are in nature experiencing His creation. Some will connect to God in solitude away from all distractions. I’ve had someone say they feel closest to God when they are serving other people. There are those who feel His presence as they study God’s Word or something in the world because they can see His handiwork.I’ve also seen someone connect to God through church rituals. The answers vary by our upbringing, our personality and by what we’ve been through.

Jesus is a great example of someone who connects with God in solitude. He was always going away to a quiet place to reconnect with God. Solomon was one who found God’s handiwork in everything he studied. We give her a hard time, but Martha connected with God through serving, while Mary did it through the quietness of sitting at His feet. I love reading Psalm 19 because it was written by someone as they were connecting with God through nature. People in the Early Church experienced God’s presence in the context of community and sharing meals. David expressed many different ways he connected with God, but we associate his with worship. Ultimately that is what connecting with God produces. It should grow our love for Him and create an attitude of worship.

In Mark 12:30 Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT) I’ve found at various times in my life I’m good at loving Him in some of these areas, but not all of them. I like to stop and evaluate how I’m doing in them every so often. When I’m lacking love for Him in certain areas, it’s usually because I’ve not been being intentional about taking the time to experience His presence and connecting with Him. Our lives can get so busy that we know we love God in our mind, but we fail to feel that love in our heart or express it with all of our soul and strength. How are you doing in all four of these areas? If you’re lacking, think about the first two questions I asked and take time to connect with God in your way. Loving and connecting with Him should be the priority in your life because that’s what will matter for eternity.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

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October 14, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Songs Of Failure

When I was a kid, I remember going to Houston Oiler games. To get the crowd excited they would play the famous song that said, “‘Cause we’re the Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers number one!” That song was played all the time around here. I’ve been to other professional teams of various sports and the crowd will break out singing songs of victory for the team. If you support a favorite college in football, I bet you can name their fight song. Even in church we sing songs of victory over the enemy in our battle with him, but have you ever heard of or sang a song of failure? Could you imagine writing a song that exposed your greatest failure in life so that everyone could hear about it?

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan walked into the king’s palace and told the king a story about two men. One was rich and the other was poor. The rich man had many sheep in his flock and the poor man just one, which he treated as his own child. A guest showed up at the rich man’s home and instead of killing one of his own sheep, he took the one from the poor man, slaughtered it and served it. David got angry and said that the rich man needed to be put to death. The prophet told him, “You are that man!” He exposed David’s hidden sin of murder and adultery. Instead of denying it or explaining it, he humbled himself. He then wrote Psalm 51, a beautiful song about his failure and need for repentance. Instead of keeping his sin from everyone but God, he exposed it to everyone.

Verse 1 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins” (NLT). It goes on and in verse 10 it says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Every one of us fail and sin at times, but do we take the time to expose those failures and confess them to God and others? James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins one to another, not just to God. Why? So we can find healing, restoration, and warn others of where temptations lay. Our song of failure can keep other people from wandering down the same path and keep them from making the same mistake. The enemy wants us to be so embarrassed about our failures that we keep quiet. God’s remedy is for us to sing it from the rooftops to help others on their way not to make the same mistakes. Confess your sins to each other and to God, then ask for a clean heart and a right spirit.

Photo by Riley Bartel on Unsplash

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October 11, 2024 · 5:24 AM

Seeking Insight

In 1 Kings 4:29, Solomon didn’t just ask for wisdom. It says he also asked for insight. I searched up the definition of insight on biblegateway.com and it said that it is a spiritual quality that helps a person to appreciate God’s mind, His will, truth and providence where right perception isn’t obvious. So many of us are seeking God’s will in situations or wisdom in how to handle things. I’ve prayed for wisdom thousands of times, but insight is also available to us. God is willing to help us understand His mind in situations when it isn’t easy to determine it. Insight will help us to understand His Word and this world better. Try asking God to give you insight into situations, His plan for you and when reading the Bible. God will answer and open your mind up to reveal new and exciting things to you.

Here are some Bible verses on insight.

1. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.

Proverbs 2:3 NLT

2. Leave [behind] your foolishness [and the foolish] and live, And walk in the way of insight and understanding.

Proverbs 9:6 AMP

3. I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Ephesians 1:16-17 NLT

4. Break open your Word within me until revelation-light shines out! Those with open hearts are given insight into your plans.

Psalms 119:130 TPT

5. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.

Proverbs 4:7 ESV

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

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October 10, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Life In The Desert

In the mid 1990’s, I moved to Cairo, Egypt. As the plane landed, I looked out the window. I was shocked to see that there wasn’t any grass on the medians between the runway. On the drive to my new home, I was overwhelmed by the sea of monochromatic tan all around me. The Sahara Desert was my first culture shock having lived in a lush green area of East Texas my whole life. However, over time, I grew used to living in the desert and the lack of green vegetation. Then, early the year after I moved there, I decided to take a bus to Israel. We drove for hours through the desert until we came to the border. As I got out to walk across, I saw the strangest thing ever. All along the border there was a line of grass and flowers in the middle of this desert and it extended into Israel. It was an incredible sight to see life growing in the middle of a barren land.

The reason deserts lack life is because they lack water. Over 90% of Egyptians live along the Nile river because that’s the on,y way they can sustain life. Sure, there are people who live in the desert, but life is better and more easily sustained where there is water. Even along the Nile, I hadn’t seen what I saw at the border that day. Things were thriving at the border. It reminded me that God is able to do the impossible. He can grow life in the middle of nowhere and in the harshest environments. He is able to take our roughest, driest patches in life and spring up new life. He is able to take what looks like an end and create a new beginning. The desert we’re temporarily living in has the potential for life.

In Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, “Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert” (AMP). I believe God is still speaking to us through these verses. The desert you’ve been in is about to burst forth with life. It starts with us forgetting the things of the past that led us into the desert. We need to focus our attention on what God is doing right now in this dry season. He’s creating a pathway forward for you and bringing a river of life to your situation. What has been a barren time for you is about to be teeming with life. God does not abandon us in the desert and He’s able to make a way where there seems to be no way. Trust in Him, don’t lean on your own understanding, acknowledge what He’s doing and He will direct your path through this time (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Photo by Dylan Shaw 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 9, 2024 · 5:29 AM

Go To The King

The Bible says that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. Jesus told us that in this world we w have trouble. There’s no escaping it. So what do you do when trouble comes? I’ve seen people circle the wagons and close themselves off from everyone else while they go through it. I’ve seen people get bitter towards God and leave the church. I’ve seen people crumble under the pressure. I’ve also seen people who reach out to get a prayer chain going. I’ve also seen people whose faith deepened during the hardest times. Pressure does different things to different people. One thing for sure is that it exposes the depth of what a person believes. When hard times come, our actions outweigh anything we’ve ever said.

In Esther 5, Haman had convinced the king to send out a decree to destroy the Jews who were living among his people. He was mad that Mordecai didn’t bow every time he went by. When the decree went out, Mordecai read it and tore his clothes in grief. He then took ashes and smeared them on his body to show he was in morning. He put on sackcloth, which was uncomfortable, to show he was in distress. Then, the most important thing he did was go to the king’s gate. He knew that only the king could reverse the order so he went there. When word got to Esther, she sent new clothes, but he refused and sent word of what was going on. He asked her to risk her life by going to the king to intercede for her people. She called for a fast and went to the king to save her people.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). We need to be like Mordecai and Esther when we are hit with hard times. We must go to the King. We don’t have to be afraid like Esther. We can approach Him boldly and lay down our cares and burdens at His feet. We will receive mercy as He sees what we’re going through. We will also receive grace that is sufficient for the hardship we’re going through. It’s in our weakness that His strength is made perfect in us. Instead of running from God, we must run to the king who will give us everything we need when we need it most.

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

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October 8, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Fighting Back

One of the things Jesus told us is that our enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your joy, your time, your children, your spouse, your money and more. He wants to kill your momentum, your hope, your relationships, the seeds you’ve planted and anything life giving. He wants to destroy your confidence, your testimony, your harvest, your work, your hope and your connection to God. He’s always at work trying to do these things in your life. How do you respond when he succeeds? Do you wallow in self pity? Do you cry out to God for help? Do you take back what the enemy stole? You have unused authority that has been given to you from Jesus to fight back and take back what God has given you.

In 1 Samuel 30, we read the story of David and his men returning home from the battlefield. They were running from Saul and had agreed to fight along side Israel’s enemies against Saul, but the king’s didn’t trust David. After several days of traveling to return home, they saw smoke rising. Their homes had been burned down by an enemy. Their wives, kids and all their possessions were stolen. Verse 6 says, the men began to turn on David and were planning on stoning him, but David found strength in God. Then David called for the priest and communicated with God. He asked if he should go after the enemy and fight. The Lord said yes. They saddled up, even though they were exhausted, fought the enemy and reclaimed their wives, kids and possessions. Meanwhile, Saul was killed in the other battle and David was asked to be king.

Psalm 18 was written around this time. Verse 2 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety” (NLT). While the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus came to give life. He is our rock in times of trouble, our fortress when the enemy attacks and our savior who gives us the victory. We must trust in Him as our protection. He is our shield, power and peace. Don’t just stand there when the enemy comes in. Run to Him, regather yourself and go fight the enemy. Take back what has been stolen. All is not lost. Chase him down, fight back and take back what God has given you. Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to rise up, face the enemy fully equipped with the armor of God and take it all back.

Picture courtesy of Unsplash.

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October 7, 2024 · 5:51 AM

One Small Decision

I’ve seen commercials and even YouTube videos demonstrating the Domino Effect combined with the geometric growth principles. In one video, the gentleman has around 13 dominos growing at a rate of 1.5%. The smallest one he had to use tweezers to set down because it was on,y 5 mm tall. The last one was over 3’ tall and weighed over 100 pounds. Once set, he barely touches the 5mm domino. That’s when the Domino Effect came into play. One by one they pushed each other down until the giant one fell. It’s a great demonstration of how little decisions or habits can create a massive shift in our future and change our lives. In the moment they see. Inconsequential, but when you look back you can point to a single decision or habit that changed everything.

I love how the story of Ruth demonstrates these principles. With all three women’s husbands dead, Naomi tells her two daughters in law to return home to their families. One makes the decision to return, while Ruth decides to male Naomi’s people her people and worship her God. That decision led her to live in Bethlehem. She then decided to glean from a nearby field to get grain. That decision caused her to walk into the field of Boaz who actually had the power to redeem her. That decision led to marriage and a son who would continue the family name. That son had a son whose name was Jesse, and he had a son named David who became king. The family tree kept going through generations there until one day down the line a couple gave birth to a son and named Him Jesus. It all started with the decision to stay with Naomi.

Proverbs 3:6 says,“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT). When I train classes, I’ll often end with a critical thinking exercise. I have people look at the results they’re getting in their lives and ask, “What do you need to continue doing that is giving you these results?” I follow that with, “What’s one thing you need to start doing to change your future results?” Then I wrap up with, “What’s something you need to stop doing?” Applying these three questions to your life, and implementing them, will create a domino effect of geometric proportions in your life. Make prayerful plans and decisions so that you create movement in your future and the Lord will work out His purpose in your life. If you don’t like where things are now, you’re one small decision away from a different future.

Photo by Astrid Schaffner on Unsplash

Here’s a video demonstrating these principles.

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October 4, 2024 · 5:28 AM

Encourage One Another

Are you a natural encourager? Chances are, you aren’t. Most of us don’t naturally walk around encouraging people, yet it’s something we all need and want. When you encourage someone, you infuse courage into their situation. You add confidence into their equation. When you do those two things, it inspires people to action and action is what changes outcomes. Acts 11 talks about a man named Barnabas, known os the son of encouragement, in the Early Church. They sent him to Antioch where the believers were needing encouragement. He then went to find Paul (Saul) and they ministered there. It was at that place that people were first called “Christians.” Barnabas brought courage and confidence to believers, they changed the city and people called them “like Christ.” Whose life and outcome will you change by being Christ like through encouragement?

Here are some Bible verses reminding us to encourage one another:

1. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

Romans 1:12 NLT

2. And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.

Ephesians 4:29 TPT

3. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

4. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

5. Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.

Proverbs 12:25 AMP

Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash

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