Monthly Archives: August 2025

August 29, 2025 · 5:44 AM

Unsown Seeds

I’ve got a couple of packets with seeds in them that have sat in a drawer for years. The seeds are still good. They have the potential to produce vegetables, but that’s all it is as they sit in the drawer. Potential. Seeds only work when they’re sown. They can’t take root until they’re placed in the soil. It makes me wonder how much potential each of us have in unsown seeds. The Bible is full of examples telling us to sow the seeds God has given us. Many times it tells us what we will reap if we do, yet we all have bags of unsown seeds. What seeds are you holding onto that God has asked you to sow? Don’t delay anymore. Go out and sow them.

Here are some Bible verses on sowing:

1. The wicked man earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].

Proverbs 11:18 AMP

2. Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate]; Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek and search diligently for the Lord [and to long for His blessing] Until He comes to rain righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.

Hosea 10:12 AMP

3. This generous God who supplies abundant seed for the farmer, which becomes bread for our meals, is even more extravagant toward you. First he supplies every need, plus more. Then he multiplies the seed as you sow it, so that the harvest of your generosity will grow.

2 Corinthians 9:10 TPT

4. Here’s my point. A stingy sower will reap a meager harvest, but the one who sows from a generous spirit will reap an abundant harvest.

2 Corinthians 9:6 TPT

5. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:8 AMP

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August 28, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Fresh Manna

When I first started writing for this site, I made a list of topics in my phone. I would try to brainstorm every couple of days to add to the list. I wrote on things I knew, but each day I was writing out of fear. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t have anything to say or that I’d run out of topics. As I shared my fear with an author, he told me I was approaching it all wrong. He said, “You need to go to God each day with an empty bucket and say, ‘Here i am, Lord. I need a fresh word. Will you fill up my bucket with enough for today?’” That conversation changed how I write and how I approach writing. It’s forced me to quit trying to use my knowledge, and to go to God each day seeking to hear Him.

In Exodus 16, the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea and were on their way to Mount Sinai. They were hungry and began to glamorize their slavery. They complained that at least they had food in Egypt. God heard them and decided to supply them with what they needed. Each night, quail would fly into the camp and rest on the ground to provide them with meat. In the morning, the dew would turn to a thin bread like substance called manna. They were to take their buckets out in the morning to collect about half a gallon of it per person as food rations. They did this every day while they were in the desert.

In Exodus 16:15-16 Moses said, “This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat. The Lord has commanded that each of you is to gather as much of it as he needs, two quarts for each member of his household” (GNT). I believe the same is true for us. To move from a head knowledge of God to a heart relationship, we must go to Him each day seeking Him. Sunday’s sermon wasn’t meant to feed you all week. God is looking for you to meet with Him daily to feed your spirit. It’s time we started getting fresh manna from above each day. If you’re not sure how, pray, “Lord, I need fresh manna from you. I open my heart to hear from you today. Show me what you want to hear from you today.” Then open your Bible and read until you hear from Him. It’s not about the quantity as it is the quality. God will speak to you through His Word and fill your bucket daily.

Photo by Monika Grabkowska 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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August 27, 2025 · 5:46 AM

Presence Over Performance

We live in a culture that celebrates hustle, visibility and results. I worked for a company that placed a high value on those things as well. It became ingrained in me to say the right things, be seen by the right people and to produce the right results. It became a problem when those values seeped into my spiritual life. It can be easy to get into the habit of being performance driven instead of presence driven. What God values is different than the world. He’s not wowed by us going to the right church, doing the right ”Christian” things or going through the motions of performance if we aren’t truly honoring Him.

Isaiah 58 is a warning to Israel over doing just that. Verse 2 starts out, “They act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me” (NLT). He goes on to say that they fast, but they fight among themselves. They go through the motions of performance but lack humility. In verses 6-8 God says He’s looking for action over performance. He prefers justice, lightening the burdens of others, removing chains, helping the oppresed and helping the needy. When we do that we will receive His blessings.

Micah 6:6 says, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Have you fallen into the trap of performance over presence? God wants us to do more than go through the motions of church. He’s wanting us to make a difference in the lives of others for His name’s sake. He wants us to spend time walking with Him, talking with Him and hearing His heart for a world that doesn’t value what He does. It’s not about acting like Christians, it’s being Christians. God doesn’t look on our outward performance the way man does. He looks at our heart instead. If you’re struggling with this, take time to be in His presence and ask Him to change your heart.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.

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August 26, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Eyes Of Vision

I was watching a video of an update on our new church building that is under construction. Our pastor was walking through the unfinished building saying, “Over here is going to be the sanctuary. Over here is the lobby. Out here we’re going to have plenty of parking with landscaping.” As I watched the video, I could see construction debris, metal studs laying on the ground, equipment and dirt. That’s when he said, lI need you to look at this with eyes of vision. Look beyond the current state to what will be.” That phrase reminded me of Hebrews 11:1 that says, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (NLT).

The same chapter is full of people who saw with eyes of vision. Abraham looked up and counted the stars as the number of descendants he would have. He did this as an old man who was married to a woman who was barren. It also mentions Noah, who had never seen rain or a boat, but that didn’t stop him from building. Then there was Joseph, whom God had given a dream, endured betrayal by his brothers, slavery in Egypt and being forgotten in jail. He didn’t look at his current situation as the end. Instead he looked through eyes of vision to the time God would fulfill His promise.

In the middle of these stories, the writer reminds us in verse 6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Faith is being able to look beyond our current situation into God’s reality. It’s eyes of vision that sees beyond the moment and into the promise. It is impossible to please God without these eyes of vision that sees the reality of what we hope for and the evidence of things we can’t see in the moment. God rewards us when we trust His plans and purposes when we can’t make sense of the present because eyes of vision diligently seek Him. If you’re life is under construction, use eyes of vision to see what God is building instead of the mess right now.

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August 25, 2025 · 5:43 AM

Choosing Selflessness

I was really into basketball as I was growing up. I played it every day, watched movies about it and watched a lot of games. While everyone was trying to be like Michael Jordan, I gravitated to Magic Johnson and John Stockton. I loved how Magic saw the whole court and could pass without looking. With John Stockton, I loved how selfless he was in passing the ball to Karl Malone. To this day, John Stockton is the all time assist leader in giving up the ball so Malone could score. Stockton gave up the ball so much that Malone is third all time in scoring. In a world where ball hogs exist, these two showed what being selfless created greatness.

In John 3, while Jesus is gaining in popularity and having people follow Him, John the Baptist was losing followers. Some of those who remained with him were upset that people were leaving their ministry to follow Jesus. John explained that he was very clear about not being the Messiah. He then said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (ESV). The words used to say “I must decrease,” weren’t passive as a response to Jesus increasing. They conveyed active and intentional humbling of self so that Christ could increase. John was actively being selfless while his disciples were being driven by pride.

James 4:7 says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (NLT). Again we see the Bible telling us to be intentional about being humble. If you want more of Christ in your life, you’re going to have to be more selfless. You’re going to have to build up His name rather than your own. He will increase in our life as we submit to Him and actively decrease as John the Baptist said. We live in an age of self promotion, yet God’s call to us as believers has been just the opposite. Resisting the devil begins with resisting pride. When you learn to lose yourself for the sake of Christ, you will find life. Instead of being driven by pride, determine to be humble and selfless. As you decrease, Christ will increase and the devil will flee.

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August 22, 2025 · 5:46 AM

The Cycle Of Empathy

Being a comforter is part of who God is. It’s not just His words that comfort us, it’s His presence too. When we’re sad and upset or fearful His presence in our life makes all the difference. When you couple that with the promises from His Word, we know we aren’t alone in our situation. Beyond that, God comforts us to create a cycle of empathy where we are to be present in the lives of others who are going through a tough time. We are called to carry His presence where it’s needed most by others so they too can be reminded their not alone. God’s kind of comfort binds up our wounds and builds bridges as we participate in this cycle of empathy.

Here are some Bible verses on how God comforts us and we are to comfort others:

1. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

Isaiah 61:1 NLT

2. In all of my affliction I find great comfort in your promises, for they have kept me alive!

Psalms 119:50 TPT

3. Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 AMP

4. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Psalms 94:19 NLT

5. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.

2 Corinthians 1:4 TPT

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August 21, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Being Quiet

I’ve noticed that when people are nervous, there are those who get real quiet and those who ramble on. I find myself in the later group a lot of times. For me, talking helps me to figure out what I’m thinking and how I’m feeling. It helps me to sort out the problem, but it also keeps me from listening to good advice and can make others around me more nervous. I was once told, “You have two ears and one mouth. You need to listen twice as much as you speak.” That’s something I have to remind myself of quite often.

When it comes to prayer, I can find myself in the same boat. From the time we are young, we learn that prayer is talking to God. What we’re not taught is that it’s listening to God as well. I think God talks as much or more than we do, but we can’t hear Him over our own talking. Being quiet in the presence of the Lord requires discipline. You have to learn to shut down your mouth and your mind. The silence can be deafening at times, but it’s in those moments where we hear God the loudest.

Psalm 37:7 says, “Quiet your heart in his presence and pray; keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you” (TPT). Many times there is a nervousness that God may not answer our greatest need. If you’re a talker, quiet your mouth. If you’re the quiet type, silence your mind. God doesn’t answer our prayers on our timetable. If we’re listening to what He says, and trust that what He does is always right and for our good, we can have hope in any situation. God is good all the time, and He sees beyond our most pressing need at the moment. Get quiet and still in His presence today, listen for His voice and give Him freedom to answer His way instead of yours.

Photo by Franco David 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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August 20, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Spiritual Grit

Since I was a kid I have loved the story of David Wilkerson. He was a young pastor that God called to the gangs of New York City. They continuously rejected him and his message. He knew if he could convert the gang leader, Nicky Cruz, the rest would follow. At one point Nicky pulled out a switchblade knife and threatened to kill David and chop him up. Instead of backing down, David told him that every drop of blood would cry out that Jesus loved him. David’s spiritual grit kept doing what God called him to no matter what. Eventually Nicky gave his heart to the Lord and so did several gang members.

Nehemiah was another person who had spiritual grit. He was living in captivity and got a burden to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He returned and started rebuilding them with the Jews who remained in the land. In chapter 4 their enemies were upset that they were rebuilding and threatened to attack. Instead of backing down, Nehemiah had the people build with one hand and carry a sword in the other. In verse 17 he encouraged the workers by saying, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” (NLT) They completed the work in record time.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” God didn’t promise that you wouldn’t have trouble or opposition. Instead He told us to buckle down and keep going despite it. The easy thing is to hide until hard times pass, but if we want to see God’s will and plan for our life come to fruition, we must pick up our sword in one hand and continue working with the other. We need to have spiritual grit to receive all God has promised to us. We need the kind that continues doing Gods will even in the hard times and endures whatever comes our way.

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August 19, 2025 · 5:30 AM

The Process Of Growth

The Chinese Bamboo tree is one of the most incredible trees on the planet. When a farmer plants the seeds in the ground, waters and fertilizes them every day, nothing happens. He can keep tending to the soil for a year and nothing will happen. If he keeps going, years two, three and four will pass to with nothing shooting up from the ground. Then in the fifth year, suddenly the stalks rise up to 90’ in the air in just six weeks time. For five years, the farmer must trust that roots are forming underground while he does the preparation above ground. His faithfulness is rewarded in “sudden growth” that actually has been going on for five years where he couldn’t see.

This the same growth process God uses in our lives. We see it many times in Scripture. Take David for example. He was a young shepherd boy around 16 years old when he was anointed King. It wasn’t until he was 30 that he actually became king. During those 14 years or so he faced giants, served in Saul’s court, fled for his life, lived in caves and in foreign lands as well as became the leader of a group of outcasts. David wasn’t ready for the coronation at 16 so God sent him through a growth process that was masked in intense trials. One day his men were about to turn on him, and the next he became king suddenly. What seemed like a dark period of his life was actually roots of faith growing in the unseen to prepare him for what was next.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in” (AMP). If you’ve been in an intense season of trials or you have been praying over a situation for what seems like an eternity, don’t give up. God is working in the unseen. At the right time, those seeds will sprout and come shooting out of the ground. If you’re waiting on God to fulfill his promise, don’t stop being faithful in your preparation. It can often feel like nothing is happening or that God is slow concerning His promises, but nothing could be further from the truth. God’s promises are on the other side of His processes.

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August 18, 2025 · 5:37 AM

Undistracted

Every era in recent memory has had their share of distractions. With the invention of the radio, the television and more, our lives have become increasingly filled with things that keep us occupied. Today’s distractions go with us everywhere in our pockets and on our wrists. We have access to everything at the touch of a screen. If we get board we can play a game, endlessly scroll through videos or reach out and contact someone. We have become accessible 24/7. However, we have lost the art to sit down, be silent and simply reflect or be alone with our thoughts.

Being distracted is nothing new though. When Peter was walking on the water, he got distracted by the waves and took his eyes off Jesus. Lot’s wife got distracted by the life she was leaving behind. In Luke 10 Martha was distracted by all of her duties of cleaning, cooking and preparing for the people in her home. Yet when she complained to Jesus about her undistracted sister, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the right thing. Even though there were things to do, she sat uninterrupted at the feet of Jesus to listen and to learn.

Psalm 46:10 is more important for us now than it ever had been I believe. It says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (NLT) When is the last time you turned your phone off, took off your watch, turned off the TV and just sat alone and undistracted in the presence of God? Something happens when we go into our prayer closet and get alone with Him. Suddenly our problems that overwhelm us get put in their proper perspective. We get to sense how incredible God truly is. We can also hear His voice more clearly. I do love the era God has placed us in, but let’s be careful not to sacrifice being undistracted in His presence for all of our modern conveniences. Just like every generation before us, we must learn to be undistracted.

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