Devotions by Chris Hendrix

I’m a firm believer that your attitude is a difference maker in life. It determines your actions and the words that come out of your mouth. The Bible has a lot to say about your attitude because it is so powerful. The psalmist said, “This is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” He made a determination to rejoice no matter what his day brought. We can’t allow negative thoughts to rule our hearts and minds. They will affect our words and our actions, both of which should be a reflection of Jesus in our lives. We must take dominion over our mind and our attitude because so much of what God offers is tied to them.

Here are some Bible verses on attitudes we need to have:

1. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

James 1:19-20 NLT

2. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Philippians 2:14-15 ESV

3. So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

Matthew 6:33-34 TPT

4. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:4-5 NLT

5. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].

Ephesians 4:31 AMP

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I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to laugh. Years ago, I lived near the local YMCA. I had a membership and would use it to exercise. They had their treadmills right up front facing the window towards the parking lot. I went in and started jogging on one working my way up to running looking outside. There was a TV in the room, but it was four machines over to the right and up in the corner. As I was running, something came on that made me look. I started watching TV while running. My right foot missed the treadmill and landed on the side, which is stationary. I went forward, hit the front of the machine, fell backwards on my rear onto the now sprinting speed treadmill. It shot me off backwards. I did a backflip when I hit the floor. I jumped up, like nothing happened, because people were in there jogging next to me. I got on the treadmill, ran for about 10 seconds, turned off the machine, walked out and never went back.

I’ve never been able to get on a treadmill without thinking about that moment since. Falling shook my confidence in those machines even though it was my fault. As a former runner, I should have known better than to look anywhere but straight ahead while running. Looking anywhere else distracts you from the goal and causes you to drift, losing precious time. In this case, I lost my pride too. The same feelings happen when we take our eyes off of Jesus and fall. Sometimes our fall is public and we feel like we can’t face those people again. Sometimes there’s a constant reminder of it that causes us to hang our head in shame even though we’ve been forgiven. And almost all the time, you have feelings of being a second rate Christian because of it. I’m here to tell you those feelings of shame and condemnation are not from God.

Proverbs 4:25 says, “Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don’t hang your head in shame” (GNT). It’s time to pick up your head and start running again. Your sin and your past is no longer remembered by God. It has been cast as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). There is a robe of Christ’s righteousness around you and your relationship with God is based on that and not your past failures. It’s time to get back on track and to start moving ahead with confidence. You’ve stayed in the swamp of despondency long enough. God still has a plan and a purpose. Nothing you do could ever remove that from you. It is irrevocable according to Romans 11:29. So fix your eyes straight ahead on Jesus and start running once again.

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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 wonder if other cities, states and provinces joke about road construction the way we all joke about the weather where we live. There are roads here that feel like they’ve been Under construction for 20 years. We joke that even the detours are under construction. There are two routes I can use to take my son to school. Recently my wife took him and complained it took 30 minutes to get him there. I asked which route she took and it was the construction one. I asked why did she take that one and she said the GPS routed her through it. I told her I never take that route anymore because I want to avoid the construction and the delays it causes. I started thinking about how much we try to avoid construction on the roads because it’s an inconvenience and slows us down, then I wondered if we try to avoid it in our lives too.

Paul was a person on a mission. He as always on the move with places to go, people to see and a heart to share the Gospel. When he was arrested or imprisoned for causing a stir, he didn’t stop. He went to the next town or kept doing it in prison. Towards the end of his life, he knew he needed to get to Jerusalem. In Acts 21 Paul was on his way to Jerusalem. At almost ever stop along the way, people prophesied about what awaited in Jerusalem for him. They described his imprisonment and what would happen, but it did not deter or detour him. Paul told them that he was willing to die or go to jail for the sake of Jesus. He wasn’t going to let any inconvenience stop him. In fact, it was during these detours and inconveniences in his life that God wrote most of the New Testament through him. He didn’t try to avoid opportunities for construction in his life or in the lives of others.

In Philippians 3:12-14 he wrote, “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. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on” (NLT). He understood that a life of spiritual growth is a life full of construction. He understood that the direction he was traveling was more important than the speed at which he traveled. He knew he would never not be under construction by the Holy Spirit as long as he was pressing forward. Have you been trying to avoid areas of construction in your life? God is wanting to open up greater avenues in our lives, but we must submit to the construction process. It may slow us down for a bit, but it’s the path to abundant life.

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Happy New Year!

I met with someone recently who is going through a tough season. As they were sharing what all they were going through, I had flashbacks of going through that season before. I told them about how I had felt and thoughts that had run through my head during that time in my life. They told me they were feeling the same and were experiencing the same thoughts. I reminded them that when we’re going through different seasons, our enemy lies to us in the form of thoughts. Some of the lies he uses are that we are failures because we’re going through this. He blames it on us to the point we feel shame. He’ll tell you that you’re all alone and that no one cares. He’ll also tell you that no one else can understand what you’re going through. Every one of these are lies intended to isolate you.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (NLT). Our enemy, who is unseen, is the father of lies. He is also our accuser. It’s important to remember that when you’re going through different seasons. Paul reminds us here that we’re in a spiritual war that takes place in the spiritual realm, but also affects the physical realm. He used the same tactics and lies to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. How did Jesus respond and overcome? By using the truth of God’s Word to combat the lies.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” We need to know what God says and use it as a weapon to fight the lies of the enemy. It is sharper than any sword and exposes the lies the enemy plants in our heads as thoughts. It helps us to take every thought captive and to bring it into obedience to what God says. This season does not define you, nor will it last forever. Put on the whole armor of God each day, pick up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and fight back against the lies of the enemy. When you fight the lies and expose them to the truth, you will be set free.

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In the book of Exodus, Moses asked God who should he say sent him to deliver them. God responded with, “I am that I am.” Prior to that, the people had referred to God by title. Now He was giving them a name that conveyed who He is and showed His power. In the New Testament, there were several times when Jesus confirmed His identity as fully God as well as fully man. He used the same phrase of “I am” to let them know. Just as God did with Moses, Jesus used “I am” to convey that He is who you need Him to be in the moment you’re standing in. He is a shepherd who cares for us, a light in our darkest times, our path to Heaven and so much more. As you read through these, think about which facet of who He is to show up for you today.

Here are some Bible verses on Jesus being the Great I Am:

1. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12 NLT

2. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 ESV

3. Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26 AMP

4. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

John 10:11 NLT

5. Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 NLT

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