April 7, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Buy A Ticket

I used to live next door to one of the oldest members of our church. She was quite the character. One evening I was outside when she pulled into her driveway with a car full of groceries. After I helped her take them in, she told me a joke I’ll never forget. She said, “One day, the lottery was really large and a man wanted to win it. He prayed, ‘God, if you let me win the lottery, I’ll give 25% to the church.’ God replied back, ‘Buy a ticket!'” She then told me, “So many times we ask God for something, but don’t do anything about it.”

I think about that joke often in my prayer time. How many times have I asked God for something when I wasn’t willing to “buy a ticket”? God couldn’t help that man win the lottery if he wasn’t the owner of a ticket, and He can’t answer a lot of our prayers if we aren’t willing to put ourselves in position for Him to either. Remember, faith without works (action), is useless. He could have believed all he wanted that God would let him win the lottery, but without action on his part, it was useless.

In John 4:46-54, there is the story of a nobleman whose some was on his deathbed. He heard that Jesus was about 18 miles away, so he walked over a day to get to him. When he arrived, he begged Jesus to come to his home and heal his son. Jesus blew him off. He wouldn’t let up though. He pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my son dies” (NLT). Then in verse 50, it says, “Then Jesus told him, ‘Go back home. Your son will live!‘ And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.”

In order for his faith to activate his son’s healing, he had to start home. He had to act without seeing the result. It wasn’t until the next day, on his journey home, that his servants met him on the road, that he found out his son was healed. What if he had stayed and continued to beg Jesus? What if he had never started home? Often Jesus would say, “Go. Your faith has made you whole.” Their healing, their answer to prayer, was always activated by something they did. God has the power to answer your largest prayer, but it usually requires some kind of action on your part first.

What action do you need to take as an act of faith to activate God’s answer? Mark Batterson often writes, “Pray like it depends on God. Work like it depends on you.“

Photo by Jad Limcaco 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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 6, 2022 · 5:45 AM

Heartfelt Prayers

There are some incredible prayers recorded in the Bible that I’m sure you’ve read and or prayed. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-12) is one that nearly everyone has memorized and prayed at one time or another. The prayer of Jabez (1Chronicles 4:10) is a great prayer to increase the things you have in order to be a blessing. I’ve prayed David’s prayer (Psalm 51:10-12) for forgiveness before in order to have a changed heart. The last one I’ll mention is Mary’s prayer of submission (Luke 1:38) right after she was told she would carry the Savior of the world. She simply asked God to have His will and to do what He said.

All these prayers have something in common. They’re pretty short. They are some of the most powerful prayers in the Bible, yet they’re not long or complicated. Sometimes I think we overly complicate prayer thinking that we have to say the right words, speak to God in King James or impress Him with the length of our prayers. While there’s nothing wrong with praying that way, God is simply looking at our heart. All these prayers I’ve mentioned are heartfelt prayers that touched God and resonate with us. You can pray them, but if you do, make sure they’re coming from your heart and not your memory.

Just before Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6:7 He reminded us, “And when you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (AMP). Heartfelt prayer isn’t about repetition. It’s crying out to God in your moment of need. It’s being vulnerable about your insecurities. It’s conversing with God on a personal level. While these memorized prayers have their place, they cannot replace your conversations with God entirely. You must be real with God, and He will be real with you. Open up to Him today, speaking from your heart. He doesn’t measure our prayers for their length or flowery words. He honors heartfelt prayers no matter how long or uncomplicated they are.

Photo by West Kenya Union Conference Adventist Media on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 5, 2022 · 5:53 AM

Escaping The Prison Of Shame

My friend and I were discussing shame last week and all the effects it has on believers. It’s a mental prison that incarcerates too many people. So many of us remember our past vividly, even though we’ve been forgiven of it and set free from it. Our enemy uses the shame of what we’ve done to tell us that we’re not qualified or worthy to be a Christian or to do any ministry. He tells us, “If they knew what you’ve done, they wouldn’t be so nice to you.” When those mental attacks come, many of us go running back to what we’ve been set free from or we run into the prison of shame. This is not God’s plan for you.

The book of Exodus chronicles the children of Israel leaving Egypt. God set them free from their slavery and off they went marching through the Red Sea. They were making great progress until they experienced the mental attacks in the desert. Over and over they were held captive by their past because they romanticized their prison. Numbers 14:4 says, “So they said to one another, ‘Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!’” (GNT) Even though that had been set free, they were willing to give up the promises God had given them and return to slavery. That’s exactly what shame does. It makes us turn from God, the one who can help us, and desire the thing He’s set us free from.

Galatians 5:1 says, “At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past” (TPT). You have been set free and forgiven from your past. It is your testimony, not your shame. We overcome by the word of our testimony. Don’t let the enemy keep you quiet, cause you to be ineffective or have you return to it. The truth is that if others knew what you’ve been set free from, their faith in God would grow, others who are fighting that battle would have courage to trust God and you will possess the promised land. You have been miraculously set free! Walk in your freedom and refuse to return to the prison of your past.

Photo by Denis Oliveira on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 4, 2022 · 5:43 AM

Application Is Key

My son and his friend climbed up into the treehouse part of his old swing set the other day. They immediately came back down to tell me how dirty it was in there and that it was covered in leaves. Then they wanted to know if they could clean it out. A small broom was useful in clearing out the leaves and paper towels helped them wipe everything down. Then the friend came down to tell me that she was able to put her hand through one of the boards. I told my son to get out as I walked over to it. Sure enough, several boards had rotted through where the leaves had piled up. Until I can replace the boards, the treehouse is off limits.

As I laid back down in my hammock, jokingly I thought, “But I have buckets of water seal in the garage. How could it have rotted through?” That thought was met with another one that said, “It doesn’t matter how much water seal you have if you never apply it!” My mind then went to James 1:22 that tells us to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. Many of us have read the Bible and even memorized it. We’ve stored it in our minds, but if we don’t apply it into our lives, things can still fall apart and rot through. It’s not enough to know God’s Word. We must do something with it.

One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:8 because it gives God’s secret to success in life. It says, “Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (GNT). We can read it, hear it and study it, but if we don’t obey and apply it, we miss out on the blessings it offers. If we want to guard against rot in our heart and find success in this life and the next, we must apply God’s principles to our lives and live it out. Application is the key to unlocking all that God has for you. Put it to the test and watch Him move in your life.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 1, 2022 · 5:37 AM

The Need For Repentance

Repentance is a word we like when it isn’t talking about us. It literally means to change direction or to make an about face. It involves us admitting we’re wrong, being sorry for it and then changing our ways. People don’t like to admit their wrong or change. They tend to change when they hurt enough they have to, learn enough they want to or they’re loved enough that they’re empowered to. We have been loved with an everlasting love by a holy God who encourages us, His people, to humble ourselves, repent and turn from our ways. Repentance isn’t just for the lost. It’s a practice we as believers must incorporate into our lives and practice as well.

Here are some Bible verses on repentance.

1. Fools mock the need for repentance, while the favor of God rests upon all his lovers.

Proverbs 14:9 TPT

2. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4 ESV

3. You must prove your repentance by a changed life.

Matthew 3:8 TPT

4. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT

5. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of rams And the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience]; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].”

Isaiah 1:11 AMP

Photo by Jim Wilson on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 31, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Running To Win

I went to a pretty small high school where if you were athletic, you pretty much played every sport. If you ran track, you didn’t just run one race, you ran several which meant several heats for each race. We had to be in great shape. I remember my running coach teaching me to breathe a certain way so that I wouldn’t get that pain in my side. She also taught me aerodynamics so that my body would channel the wind. Then there was the conditioning to get my body in shape to survive so many races. I put a lot of miles on my shoes so that I could win the races I ran. After high school, I decided had ran enough miles for a lifetime, but in the course of it, I had won many races.

Running takes discipline and mental strength to push through when your body wants to quit. It’s a lot like living out your faith. It takes being dedicated, being mentally focused and being disciplined. Your flesh is always fighting against you and is trying to slow you down so you have to be prepared mentally to push back. It tries to play against your sympathies to get you to stumble and fall. You have to be disciplined enough to catch it early so you can stop that line of thinking. You also have to keep your eyes on what’s at stake in your life and in the lives of others. It’s not a 5k Fun Run. This is more like a marathon or an Iron Man. Every part of you must be disciplined so that you’re making determined progress and are be becoming more like Christ every day.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!” (AMP) Each of us are running the race God has called us to. No one can run your race for you. It’s up to you to run your race in a manner that you’re not just providing traffic for the other runners, but that you’re running in order to win. When you’re running to win, you push yourself to stay in the front of the race. You lean on lessons you’ve learned from the past and ensure that you’re spiritually fit. You use the discipline of reading and applying God’s Word to keep you on track. You continually seek God and His presence so you can endure. You invite the Holy Spirit into your life to encourage you daily to keep going. If you’re going to live a life of faith, be 100% committed and give it your all.

Photo by Fitsum Admasu 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.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

March 30, 2022 · 5:57 AM

The Heart Of A Servant

God put something inside of us that makes us feel good when we’re treated as an important person. Have you ever been the guest of honor before? Or been the most important person in the room? Or treated like royalty when you’ve visited somewhere? When something like that happens, we often say, “I could get used to this!” It’s a natural response to feel that way. What isn’t natural is to be in a moment or place like that, then excuse yourself from being the center of attention to plunging toilets. Most of us would ask someone else to do it so we wouldn’t mess up our clothes or stop the doting on us. However, that’s the example Jesus gave us to follow.

On the night before the Passover, which was a foreshadowing of what Jesus was about to do, He and the disciples were having dinner. John 13:3 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God” (NLT). He had all authority in the universe in this moment. He knew He was heading back home, yet He noticed no one had washed their feet as was the custom. Instead of telling someone to call a servant or instead of asking a disciple to wash the feet, He did it. Verses 4-5 say, “So He got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around him.”

Doug Stringer, a ministry friend at Somebody Cares, says, “While men reach for thrones to build their own kingdom, Jesus reached for a towel to wash men’s feet.” When Jesus reached the moment His whole life had been pointing to, and had been given all authority, He showed us what to reach for. He denied the pride that lives within all of us and reached for the towel of humility. He served those He was about to die for, including Judas. The example Jesus gives is what He said over and over. If you want to be great in His kingdom, you must reach for a towel and serve. While it feels good to be the center of attention, and to have our ego stroked, it’s eternally better to have the heart of a servant.

Photo by Danique Tersmette on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 29, 2022 · 5:50 AM

Disagreeing Believers

As I was walking into a store the other day, I heard a man in the parking lot talking on the phone by his car. I don’t know who he was talking to, but I heard him say, “I’ve got the Holy Ghost. He’s got the Holy Ghost, but we just can’t get along.” I almost stopped, but it was none of my business. As I walked through the store, I kept thinking about what he said. There are people all of us come into contact with that we’re not going to get along with. That’s ok. However, how you handle it is very important when you’re a Christian, and especially when you’re both Christians.

In Acts 15, two of the greatest missionaries of the Early Church had a disagreement. Mark went on the first trip, but shortly thereafter decided he wanted to go home. When it came time for the second trip, Mark wanted to go again. Paul opposed it, but Barnabas felt he deserved a second chance. Their difference of opinion was very strong and irreconcilable. Instead of destroying each other in the process, the decided to split up and go separate ways. Because they handled it the right way, both were able to do incredible ministry and even more people came to know Jesus. Years later, Paul asked for Mark to be brought to him because he was useful in the ministry.

Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (NLT). As Paul, Barnabas and Mark worked together trying to stay united in the Spirit, so should we. It’s not ok to devalue another believer when we have a disagreement. We are united in the Spirit and are a part of the same body. The Bible included this disagreement to show us that we can part ways without destroying each other in the process and to be able to lead effective ministries. Do your part in these circumstances to keep the harmony and to not allow your flesh to get in the way or take over. Instead, let God’s love seek the best for each other and the situation understanding that both sides are valued by God and are useful to Him.

Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash

6 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 28, 2022 · 5:40 AM

The Comparison Trap

Comparing ourselves to one another is something we all do. It’s especially dangerous when we do it as Christians though. We say, “Ifi didn’t have to go through the things I went through, I would be as close to God as they are.if I had their kind of time, I would pray more. If I had their kind of money, I would give extravagantly.” The list goes on, but the comparison trap begins with the word “if”. It’s the biggest little word out there. When we use it to compare ourselves, what we’re really doing is creating an excuse for not doing something we should be doing now.

When we find ourselves falling into this trap, it’s important to ask ourselves some questions to keep ourselves in check. We need to ask, “What’s my motivation for saying that? What’s driving this statement? What am I doing in this area right now with what I have?” In most cases, were not really doing much in that area, if anything at all. We’re delaying following a spiritual discipline we don’t care to follow, by comparing ourselves to others who only do it because they have what we don’t. The problem is that Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones” (NLT).

There’s a reason why God said in Zachariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” If you don’t do it when you have a little, you won’t do it when you have a lot. It’s when we’re faithful in the small beginnings that God will know we will be faithful in larger things. So whatever comparison trap you find yourself in, break the lie by calling it out. Then start doing whatever it is with what you have right now. You will stop the excuse making and turn on the fountain of blessings from God by following what He asks you to do.

Photo by Maine Photography on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 25, 2022 · 5:41 AM

Heart Choices

Some phrases you might have said are, “Put your heart into it. They were heartbroken. Invite Jesus into your heart.” We’re not referring to your physical heart that pumps blood. We’re talking about the seat of your spiritual life. That heart is just as important as your physical one. It’s what controls our actions and guides our decisions. That’s why the Bible refers to this heart so much. God gave us this seat of power and the free will to choose who sits there and controls it. Whats decided in our heart is reflected in our life. The Bible tells us several things we need to make sure we choose to do with our heart so that we will serve God with our whole life.

Here are some Bible verses on the heart.

1. Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous.

Romans 12:9 TPT

2. You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God.

Colossians 3:1 GNT

3. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

Matthew 12:35 NLT

4. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 AMP

5. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting.

James (Jacob) 4:8 TPT

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,