Monthly Archives: March 2025

I remember the first time someone told me, “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.” It was a gentle rebuke, but so impactful. I had been going through a hard time and I was whining about it. The heat had been turned up in my life and things were coming to the surface because of it. I wanted it to go away, but what they reminded me was that I needed it. God was using the situation in my life to build strength and endurance. He was making sure that how I lived was lining up with what I said I believed. Heat has a funny way of doing that. You can say what you believe all you want, but the truth is revealed in the fire of life’s issues. I had wanted to be a skilled sailor without going through some rough seas.

Peter is one of the people I think of when I think of someone who went through the fires of testing and became stronger and better. Jesus called him from being a fisherman to a fisher of men. He also called out the rock that was inside of him. Between reprimanding Jesus and denying Him, Peter went through some tests. Jesus prayed that he wouldn’t fail, and that after he was tested he would that he would strengthen his brothers. Peter went on to more than that. He stood up on the day of Pentecost to preach to thousands, he led the Early Church and even endured torturing for his faith. Each time he was beaten, he was counted it an honor to suffer for Christ. He saw his hard times as a means of growing closer to Jesus and encouraged the Christians of his day to remain steadfast.

James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]” (AMP). James understood that what’s inside is what’s strengthened through the fires of trials. This is the process God uses to build character and strength in us. You can’t have the promises of God without going through the processes of God. God sees what’s ahead in your life and knows what you need to face today in order to have the strength to face something else tomorrow. He has your best interest at heart. He wants you to reach your full potential and usefulness to His Kingdom. Instead of whining about the heat you’re facing, thank Him that He is making you as skilled and useful for His purposes as possible.

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I remember being in children’s church as a kid. The boys sat on one side and the girls on the other. One of my favorite songs to sing was “Praise Ye The Lord”. We sang it in the rounds, and they made it a competition which made me sing my heart out. The girls would sing, “Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah,” then the boy side would belt out, “Praise ye the Lord!” The girls would sing out, “Hallelujah,” only louder this time. We would respond with, “Praise ye the Lord,” trying to be louder than them. They responded, we responded and then we all were yelling at this point together, “Praise ye the Lord!” Each time the children’s church pastors would pick a winner who sang the loudest, but looking back I can see we both won as we learned to praise the Lord.

Praising the Lord is one of the recurring themes throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, I think of when Israel would go to battle they would have a group of people who would sing praises go out in front of the army knowing their praise would honor God and bring victory. I also think of King Saul who was tormented by evil spirits. He would bring young David in to play praise songs, and he would get relief. In the New Testament, Paul and Silas had been thrown in prison for preaching the Gospel. In the darkest part of that prison in the darkest time of the night, they began to sing praises to God. In a moment, the ground shook and their chains fell off. Their praise brought freedom to them and salvation to another.

Genesis 2:7 tells us that in the Garden of Eden, God breathed the breath of life into man and he came alive. Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)” (AMP) As people, we’ve been given the breath by God in order to praise Him. We aren’t just supposed to praise Him on Sunday mornings though. When we’re in the thick of a difficult time where we can’t see the way out, it’s time to praise. When we’re on the edge of a breakthrough, it’s time to praise. When we need healing, it’s time to praise. When life is going great, it’s time to praise. Psalm 34:1 tells us to bless the Lord at all times and to let His praise be continually in our mouths. So right now is a great time for you to praise the Lord.

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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.

I love the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware. He’s standing tall on the boat as they row across. You can see the determination in his face as he was about to lead his troops to victory over the Hessian forces at Trenton. He had won several battles early on in the war that gained the trust of the Continental Army. Even though they had some rough patches where they lost some battles and land, the army continued to trust in his leadership. His past successes gave them confidence in his ability to win the war. As I look at that painting, I can’t help but think of the trust those men had in him. Others had failed to cross the icy river, but his men became as determined as he was. Their continued trust through hard times ultimately helped them defeat a larger army.

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land. Before they go, Moses took time to remind them of God’s faithfulness and provision over the previous years. The people crossing the Jordan River had not seen what God did in Egypt. There were some rough moments during their wandering, but God never abandoned them. In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses told them, “Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]” (AMP). Moses understood how important it was for people to recount God’s faithfulness and to keep it fresh in their hearts and minds. There would be rough days ahead and they needed to remember what God had done to keep trusting Him.

Psalm 77:11 says, “I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will [wholeheartedly] remember Your wonders of old.” In this Psalm, Asaph was feeling unloved, forgotten and rejected by God. His trust was waning because of his current situation. So he recounted the deeds of the Lord to boost his faith. He understood if he could remember what God had done in the past, he could trust God for what He would do in the future. Too often we get so caught up in the present troubles that we forget what God has done. We begin to feel rejected and forgotten. In those moments recount the deeds of God’s faithfulness to you. It’s the Faith boost you need to trust again. It will help you climb into the boat, cross the icy waters of the present and be led to victory. God has never abandoned the righteous or had their kids begging for bread (Psalm 37:25).

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In my high school English class we read “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I remember learning that there are some sins are evident to all, and some are not. In the case of Hester Prynne, her pregnancy told everyone what she had done when she wasn’t married. They forced her to wear a red “A” on her chest to tell the world of her sun of adultery, but she wouldn’t tell anyone who the father was. His sin wasn’t evident to all. He kept it inside and it ate him up. When Reverend Dimmesdale finally confessed, he revealed a red mark on his chest. His unconfessed sin left a more lasting mark on his life than her scarlet letter.

In 2 Samuel 11, david had committed adultery with Bathsheba. When it was becoming evident she was pregnant, he sent for her husband from war, but he wouldn’t go home to be with his wife. David sinned again by having him murdered on the front lines. His sin went unconfessed until the prophet Nathan confronted him. Later in his life, he was reflecting on that time of his life in Psalm 32. In verse 3 he wrote, “Before I confessed my sins, I kept it all inside; my dishonesty devastated my inner life, causing my life to be filled with frustration, irrepressible anguish, and misery” (TPT). David’s candor here reveals what goes on inside of us when we have unconfessed sin. Like Revered Dimmesdale, it creates all kinds of internal issues. We become afraid that if people knew our sin, they wouldn’t like us, trust us or think the worst of us. We fear the thoughts of people more than God.

James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored” (AMP). When we confess to another believer, we find healing and restoration. When someone confesses to us, it’s our responsibility to gently restore them (Galatians 5:1). When we confess to God we find forgiveness. When we confess to another believer we are to find healing. That confession relieves the frustration, irrepressible anguish and misery that David described. You may not have to confess to the whole world your sin, but you do need a confidant in Christ with whom you can be accountable to. God’s method of freedom and healing comes through confession of sin.

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When my father in law cools, he will often take his knife and strike it several times against a sharpening rod. I asked a friend who forges knives about it. He told me that when you strike iron against iron like that, you are aligning the metals in the knife that have become dull through use, making it sharp again. It got my curiosity up, so I researched iron sharpening iron in a metallurgical sense. When humans realized they could sharpen metal that way, it changed human history. They created sharper weapons, but they also were able to make more efficient tools for agriculture. Nations that learned this skill had a serious advantage over those who didn’t know it. They were stronger and had more resources.

In 2 Samuel 12, David had sinned with Bathsheba and hidden it. God spoke to the prophet Nathan to confront David. He told David the story of a lamb that had been stolen. David rose up in anger over it and pronounced judgement. Nathan looked at David and said, “You are that man!” I’m sure sparks were flying in that conversation as iron hit against iron. David respected Nathan the prophet and aligned himself with Gods Word. He made the correction in his life and repented. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy conversation to be had, but they both cared about each other and God used Nathan to be the sharpening rod for David. Nathan had enough relational equity with David and he also respected Nathan as a man of God to accept correction from him.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion]” (AMP). When iron strikes iron, there is friction, but it brings improvement. Who has permission in your life to strike against you through conversation to sharpen you? We all have rough edges and the sharpening process is done through that friction. It’s important that we don’t allow just anyone to have that authority in our lives to influence us. It needs to be a person who knows God’s Word and can use it to grow us, correct us and advance us. Just like when metallurgists learned the skill of striking iron against iron, having someone you trust who can strike against you will change your future. There’s growth in discussion that challenges us and shapes us in a godly way.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.

When Jesus met Peter, James and John, they were on the shore cleaning their nets after a long night of fishing. Jesus used Peter’s boat to preach from. Afterwards He told Peter to let down his nets. Immediately his nets were full. In that moment Jesus called them to follow Him. When they arrived at the shore, the left everything behind. Peter confirmed they left everything in Mark 10:28. Following Jesus is about leaving the old life behind. It’s letting go of past beliefs and submitting to His teaching. To follow Him is embrace your new identity and new life. It’s not about trying to find a balance between who you want to be and who He wants you to be. When you follow Him, you take on His name and become a disciple, it includes commitment, imitation of Jesus, surrender and transformation. It’s time we all embraced more of what it means to follow Jesus.

Here are some Bible verses on following Jesus:

1. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John 10:27 NKJV

2. Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NKJV

3. Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Ephesians 5:1-2 AMP

4. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

John 12:26 NLT

5. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.”

Matthew 16:24 TPT

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One of the products that preys on a prevalent mentality is the Bowflex. The commercial starts out with a black screen. A bright light shines on a lone Bowflex in the middle of the room. Then some of the most muscular people you ever saw do simple workouts on it. The voiceover tells you in just minutes a day you can see these results. People call or go online and buy it because they identify with the end result of the muscular people. They want that result in their life. However, when the machine arrives and they have to work out, they don’t see immediate results. It quickly turns into an expensive clothes hanger. This mentality of wanting the results with minimal to no work plagues us all.

In John 6, Jesus had fed the 5,000 the day before. During the night, He walked on water to the boat the disciples were in. In the morning, the people realized Jesus somehow arrived in Capernaum. They were hinting at wanting Jesus to feed them again. Jesus responded by asking why they wanted food that perishes when He offered eternal food. They asked what they needed to do to get that and then asked outright for a miracle. They went on to ask for physical bread every day the way God provided for their ancestors in the wilderness. In verse 35 Jesus responded, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty” (TPT). They wanted the Bread of Life without showing up or truly trusting in Him.

In Colossians 4:2, Paul says, “Be faithful to pray as intercessors who are fully alert and giving thanks to God.” The way for us to receive our Daily Bread and power from God is through faithful prayer. We can’t afford to fall into this prevalent mentality that wants the power of God in our lives without spending time in His presence. It doesn’t work. The Christian leaders and pastors who pray for someone and they recover or have deep understanding of the Bible or operate in the gifts of the Spirit are people who spend time at God’s table in prayer. Behind the scenes, they sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. They go into their prayer closet faithfully and honor God’s presence. As with any discipline, you must keep at it even when you don’t see results right away. Be faithful in prayer and in the presence of God and He will give you fresh bread each day.

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Have you ever noticed how fear always shows up at the moment you’re about to step out in faith? When God calls you to something, fear will show up and cause you to doubt. In those moments, you have a choice as to what voice you’re going to listen to. How you respond is often the difference between victory and defeat, blessing or curse, extraordinary or ordinary. There have been many times when I pushed fear aside and took the leap of faith. There have also been times when I let fear win, and I walked away in regret. To help myself make the right choice the next time, I try to train my brain into saying a quick a quick, “Yes,” followed by immediate action. I run through scenarios in my head and also repeat to myself the plan often. I don’t want to give fear a foothold.

In Numbers 13, God told Moses to,send a leader from each tribe into the Promised Land. So Moses chose twelve men and instructed them to go throughout the land looking at the cities, the terrain and the farmland. When the men returned, they said it was exactly as God promised, but the cities were walled and there were giants. They saw the blessings God had for them, but let fear create doubt. Verse 20 says, “But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’” (NLT) He wanted to move before fear could stop them, but it was too late. The community had listened to fear and they lived in a dessert rather than the promise. They are manna instead of milk and honey. They suffered the consequences of their choice.

When fear tries to kick in the door of my mind, I remind myself of God’s promise in Isaiah 41:10. God says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” When God calls you to it, He will fight for you. He will give you the strength needed to overcome. Walls will collapse. Giants will fall. Remember He is the one who will give the victory. You simply have to take the step of faith. Fear kept an entire generation from living in the blessings God had for them. Don’t let fear hold you back to. Ask God to give you the courage and take that first step quickly. God will see you through it. Choose faith and watch God show up. You’ll still have battles, and it won’t be easy, but you will also have victory and God’s blessings.

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