Monthly Archives: May 2025

May 30, 2025 · 5:11 AM

No More Condemnation

The voice of condemnation paralyzes so many people. It says that you are wrong, unfit, guilty and unworthy. It uses our past to keep us from our future, and it points to our failures in order to bring shame. The only way I have found to defeat it is by the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said that if we would abide in His Word, we would know the truth and the truth would set us free. The Truth says that He is our righteousness, He paid for our sins and that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. You do not have to be ruled by condemnation anymore. You have been forgiven and set free. Walk in that freedom from now on.

Here are some Bible verses on being free from condemnation:

1. This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God’s presence. If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything.

1 John 3:19-20 GNT

2. “But I promise you, no weapon meant to hurt you will succeed, and you will refute every accusing word spoken against you. This promise is the inheritance of Yahweh’s servants, and their vindication is from me,” says Yahweh.

Isaiah 54:17 TPT

3. He canceled out every legal violation we had on our record and the old arrest warrant that stood to indict us. He erased it all—our sins, our stained soul—he deleted it all and they cannot be retrieved! Everything we once were in Adam has been placed onto his cross and nailed permanently there as a public display of cancellation.

Colossians 2:14 TPT

4. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:17 NKJV

5. So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.

Romans 8:1 TPT

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May 29, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Psychological Warfare

Psychological warfare has been used for thousands of years to help win wars. If you remember the first night of Desert Storm, we used shock and awe to overwhelm the Iraqi army. It was a show of strength to win the battle of the mind. I’ve seen army’s drop pamphlets behind enemy lines to disrupt their belief of what they think the truth is. If they can get the people to believe their own government is lying, they’ll fold. I’ve also seen where they used speakers to blast messages 24 hours a day trying to get into their minds. Psychological warfare is real, and it’s intended to influence emotions, thinking, attitudes and behaviors. If those are manipulated, victory is easier.

In Isaiah 36, Jerusalem was surrounded by Assyria. They were the toughest army of the day and they were undefeated. When they showed up in full force, their psychological ware fare was to make their enemies lose heart. Not only that, they would address the people instead of just the king. They understood psychological warfare. In verse 15, their emperor was talking with Jerusalem’s leaders where all could hear. He tried to undermine King Hezekiah and their faith. He said, “And don’t let him (Hezekiah) persuade you to rely on the Lord. Don’t think that the Lord will save you and that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing your city” (GNT). He then encouraged them to surrender. Thankfully they continued to trust the Lord and God sent the Assyrian army home.

Our enemy comes against you and I the same way. He speaks lies into our minds to get us to doubt God. He’s done it since the Garden of Eden. James 4:7 says, “So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.” The key to victory against his mind games and lies that try to get you to quit relying on the Lord begin with submitting to God. Trust that He will not fail you, abandon you or leave you to fight alone. Trust His plan and know that He will work everything out for your good. Then resist the devil’s lies. Combat them with God’s Word the way Jesus did in the desert. When we do that, he has to flee. He has to stop the attack on your life and your mind. Don’t surrender or succumb to the psychological warfare of the devil. God has given you the Helmet of Salvation and the Shield of Faith to resist.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya: https://www.pexels.com/photo/back-view-of-a-boy-covering-his-ear-12449967/

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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May 28, 2025 · 5:38 AM

Godly Kindness

One of the Fruits of the Spirit that we should be cultivating in our lives is kindness. It’s more than being nice to someone. Kindness is reflecting the heart of God instead of being selfish and seeking your own advantage. Our world is impatient, self centered and prideful. Even when some people appear to be kind, they have a selfish agenda behind the action. Godly kindness is born out of a heart that does what God wants for the person. It reflects His love Hos love for them through words, time and action. God blesses that kind of kindness.

David and Saul are great examples of the difference between Godly kindness and the worldly mindset. In 1 Samuel 26, Saul was chasing David out of his selfish desire to keep the kingdom in his family knowing God had blessed David. One night, David and one of his men snuck into Saul’s camp and found everyone asleep. They walked up to Saul to find his spear and his water jug by his head. His soldier wanted to kill Saul, but in kindness, David allowed him to live putting God’s will above his own. David took the spear and the water jug then went a safe distance before yelling to wake them up. Saul experienced David’s kindness and turned back from hunting David on this occasion while offering him empty platitudes.

Proverbs 11:17 says, “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you” (NLT). Saul was being destroyed as he was consumed with selfishness. For years David had every opportunity to seize what God had promised him, but operated out of God’s kindness while waiting for God’s timing. He saw King Saul as God’s anointed even though he carried the anointing himself. He looked for the image of God in Saul and treated him as that instead of as his enemy. Kindness give others what they don’t deserve and that’s why God’s kindness leads us to repentance. Who do you know that needs to experience God’s kindness through you today?

Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash

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May 27, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Cutting Corners

I worked for a company that was big on promoting from within. At one point everyone, including the CEO, had started on the bottom level and had worked their way up. I loved that about that company. What happened over time was that some people would get promotion after promotion whether they were ready for the next level or not. If you got promoted beyond your abilities, or if you cut corners, you didn’t just go back one level to where you were last successful. You would get sent back several levels (if you were able to keep your job) and have to work back up. However, that rarely happened because that person then had the stigma that they couldn’t cut it at upper levels. Instead of giving them more training or more time to develop, it became a life sentence.

Instead 1 Samuel 24, David was on the run from Saul. As it happened David and his men were hiding in a cave when Saul came in to use the restroom. David’s men told him that God had delivered Saul and the promised kingdom to him on a platter. David cut the corner off of Saul’s robe to show he could have.immediately he felt remorse. In verse 6 he said, “May the Lord keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the Lord chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the Lord!” (GNT) David would not take by force what God had not yet given. He understood that God’s promises must be fulfilled in God’s timing.

Psalm 138:8 says, “You will do everything you have promised; Lord, your love is eternal. Complete the work that you have begun.” God always keeps His Word. You may think you’re ready for that next level or that next step, but wait on God’s timing. God knows when your character and development is ready for the weight of what’s next. He won’t promote you before it’s time. He is working behind the scenes preparing the right time, place and people to complete what He began. David didn’t listen to the people around him about his readiness. Instead He trusted God’s timing. Him cutting Saul’s robe is our reminder not to cut corners in God’s process.

Photo by Photos of Korea on Unsplash

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May 26, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Polished To Perfection

Polishing the blade is one of the most satisfying parts of knife making. It reveals the grain, finish and craftsmanship that was put into it. The polishing process starts with holding the blade against a belt grinder using a coarse grit and progressively moving to a fine grit. Each grit removes the scratches from the previous one until there is a clean reflective surface that reveals the beauty of the steel. Before this polishing, the blade may be fully formed, but there are details and beauty hidden that only polishing can bring out. The polishing process can be slow and tedious. If the artist is too quick or too aggressive, it can damage the blade. The final polish is often done by hand in order to be slower and more intentional with the outcome.

Each of us goes through a process of sanctification when we are saved. I’ve seen some people delivered immediately from a habit, addiction or sin, while most undergo the process of becoming more like Christ as they get to know Him. The Holy Spirit starts with a coarse grit in our life removing the old man and everything that he stood for. While our soul is saved, our flesh and its desires need to decrease while Jesus increases in our lives. As our roots grow down deep into Him, He begins to switch to a finer grit to continue this sanctification process. We take on the mind and attitude of Christ mentioned in Philippians 2. We undergo a change from being led by our flesh to being led by the Holy Spirit. This process continues throughout our life to help us reflect Jesus.

In Philippians 3:12 Paul continues, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Don’t fall into the comparison trap as you undergo this process. There will always be others whom God is using a finer grit with and others whom He is using a coarser grit with. Allow Him to work in your life at the pace He wants to go. You are being forged into His image for His purpose. Each step along the way, God will reveal more of who God created you to be. Don’t try to jump ahead. He will be faithful to complete what He started in you. Like Paul, you will not achieve perfection in this life, but press on anyway! 

Photo by David Ballew on Unsplash

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May 23, 2025 · 5:56 AM

Stand Strong In Faith

There’s an encouragement throughput the Bible that comes God, friends and church leaders. It’s simply for us to stand strong in our faith when things are hard. Sometimes our faith is what takes a hit when things aren’t going the way we think they should. Instead of letting it falter or questioning it, we should bolster it and stand strong on it. Look for God’s promises in Scripture and stand on them. Read stories where God did the impossible so you can be encouraged. Don’t let hard times knock you down. When they come in like a flood, the Lord will lift up a standard against them so you can stand strong.

Here are Bible verses on standing strong in the faith:

1. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 AMP

2. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Ephesians 6:13 NLT

3. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

1 Peter 5:9 NLT

4. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

I Corinthians 16:13 NKJV

5. Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.

1 Samuel 23:16 NLT

Photo credit Unsplash.

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May 22, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Wait Patiently

Have you ever prayed for patience? If you haven’t, don’t try it! I’m kidding. It turns out that when you pray for patience, God typically doesn’t just give it to you. Instead, you will earn patience through a series of events that will try your patience. I don’t really have patience when I see things that need to be done. I start doing the work to get it done whether it’s the right time or not. There are times when my wife has to make me stop and wait to do things. I’d rather do them right then and get the satisfaction of completing the task than to wait. I’m also competitive, and with that comes comparison. If someone else is doing more, working harder, completing tasks or succeeding where I think I should be, it drives me to push forward without rest. I easily lose sight of the bigger picture, and I forget that patience and steadiness bring success and blessings.

I don’t think Abraham and Sarah were very patient either. When God made the promise that he would be the father of many nations, Abram was 75 years old. When his wife didn’t immediately get pregnant, I’m sure He doubted God, or did what we do when we run out of patience, and took matters into his own hands. Because they didn’t wait for the promise, Abraham got another woman pregnant thinking that he was doing God a favor or enacting His plan for Him. It was 25 years after the promise that he had Isaac through his wife. If he thought he was too old to have kids at 75, imagine what he was thinking as he approached 100. Yet, because God told him to wait for the promise, he did.

Psalm 37:7 says, “Be patient and wait for the Lord to act; don’t be worried about those who prosper or those who succeed in their evil plans” (GNT). I love that this verse speaks to our focus. Quit looking at what other people are accomplishing, and thinking about how you wish you were farther along at this point in your life. Be patient and wait for God’s timing. There’s a greater blessing for us when we do. Put your focus back on being faithful where you are, doing the little things, and God will reward you in due season. I know how hard that is, but it is the right thing to do. Even though you may be able to act now, be patient. God is using this time to prepare you for the blessings that are coming so that when His time is right, you won’t squander what He gives you.

Photo by Serkan Göktay on Pexels.

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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May 21, 2025 · 5:37 AM

Provision And Protection

I love reading stories of George Muller. He was a German man who helped over 10,000 orphans. He lived completely by faith. One morning he knew the pantry was empty, but the kids needed to eat. He sat them all down at their tables for breakfast and prayed to thank God for their food. Not long after saying, “Amen,” there was a knock on the door. A baker said the Lord woke him up in the middle of the night to bake bread for the kids. He handed over enough bread for them to eat. Then there was another knock on the door. A milk delivery wagon got stuck and offered them all their milk. God provided for their need.

In 1 Samuel 21, Saul was trying to kill David out of jealousy. Jonathan warned him and he fled to the town of Nob, which was the spiritual center of Israel at the time. He was hungry and tired from his journey as he entered the tabernacle. The priest saw him and wanted to know why he was there. David told him he was on a mission, but needed food. The on,y thing available was the bread reserved for priests. Verse 6 says, “Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread” (NLT). This bread represented God provision and protection for Israel. Ahimelech, the priest, understood God’s compassion and provided the bread to David.

Isaiah 55:1 says, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” God’s blessings and provision are freely given to us. They can’t be earned. He’s looking for those who are spiritually hungry and thirst to come to the place of His presence. He’s waiting for those who come to the place where they realize they can’t do everything on their own and must live by faith. When we come to that place, He offers provision and protection for us. When we realize we have nothing but what He offers is when we realize we have everything. What God offers can only be bought with desire, humility and surrender. It can be scary to stand there with nothing the way George Muller and David did, but they both trusted God to provide and He did.

Photo by Skyler Ewing on Unsplash

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May 20, 2025 · 5:35 AM

God’s Training Ground

One of the things God does is shape us in unseen moments. I talk to so many people who share wisdom with me that fought battles in obscurity. One person recently shared how her mom abandoned she and her brother when she was a teen. She raised him like she was a single mom as she put herself through college and taught Sunday school. Her husband told me that he found out about that while dating her. He realized the character she had because she had and knew that was shaping her to be a great mother and wife. She had men who wouldn’t date her because she was raising her brother. Now they have grown children of their own and decades of marriage behind them.

In 1 Samuel 17, Goliath was taunting the army of Israel and defying God. All of their untested and untrained warriors fled in fear. For forty days he came out twice a day challenging them, but no one rose to the occasion until David showed up. In verses 34-36 David told Saul, “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!” (NLT) David’s confidence came from private victories in battles where he learned to trust God. He knew God would show up and defeat the giant.

1 Peter 5:6 says, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” We often want greater exposure without having through God’s training ground of obscurity. We want public victories without winning private battles. However, we must remain humble and learn to trust God in the dark before He shines the light on us. Obscurity is not abandonment. David’s years of watching sheep even after he had been anointed king, were used to grow and prepare him. He had more private battles to face before he could lead the nation’s army. God will lift you up at the right time. Until then, learn and grow as much as you can in God’s training ground.

Photo by André Eusébio on Unsplash

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May 19, 2025 · 5:55 AM

Having Self Control

When you hear “self control”, do you think if it being will power? I’ve been in trainings where we were taught to wear a rubber band around our wrist. Each time we exhibited a negative behavior, we were to pull it back and snap it. The pain was to tell our brain to associate that behavior with pain and thereby help our self control in that area. However, Biblically self control isn’t about our willpower alone. It’s about being empowered by the Spirit of God within us to deny our flesh and to say yes to what God is asking of us. Jesus warned us that the flesh is weak, but the Spirit is willing. Self control helps us live by the Spirit.

Saul, Israel’s first king, was a person who lacked self control. In 1 Samuel 13, he was waiting for Samuel to show up and sacrifice to God for victory over the Philistines. The longer Samuel took, the more the opposing army grew. His men began to get disheartened and started leaving. Finally he offered the sacrifices himself. As he finished, Samuel showed up and pronounced judgement on him. Then his lack of self control got him further in trouble when he didn’t kill all the animals, nor King Agag of the Amalekites. He was more worried about what people thought than what God said. He followed his flesh rather than having the self control to trust God. Because of that, the kingdom was torn from him and given to David.

Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city” (NLT). I’m sure King David taught this lesson to Solomon. We can’t prioritize public success over private discipline. We must learn to produce the Fruits of the Spirit in our life, including self control. In fact, self control is what enables us to produce the other fruits mentioned. Without it, we can’t consistently produce the other fruits. We must be willing to obey God’s voice over our flesh. We must be led by the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our flesh truly is weak, but it’s better to have self control and listen to Him. True success comes from that.

Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

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