May 27, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Every Day Gifts

One day as I was walking back to my car from dropping off my son at school, I heard someone calling my name. I looked over to see a friend of mine who was standing with a man I didn’t know. As I walked over, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “He needs to be encouraged.” After introductions, I began to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit to bring up certain things. I began saying everything I was hearing to him, and he began to cry. I kept sharing these words of encouragement as long as the Holy Spirit led me. He then said, “I know we don’t know each other, but can we hug? You have no idea how much I needed to hear all that today.” After a bear hug, I told him that God sees his struggles and brought me over to tell him all those things. We’ve been friends since that moment.

When we think of spiritual gifts, we tend to think of the “big” ones listed in 1 Corinthians 12 like prophesy, words of wisdom, healing, performing miracles, discernment and interpreting tongues. Those can seem like wonderful gifts to have, but can also feel overwhelming to think about using. These gifts can be used anywhere, but are primarily seen in the church. However, there’s another set of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-9 that I see as every day gifts you can use at work, home, sporting events or anywhere you go. These gifts are serving, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership and kindness. The gifts are for the people you come in contact with. If you look around, you’ve been perfectly situated to use these every day gifts God has given you. Which of them has God given you?

1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (NLT). It may not feel like it, but you have spiritual gifts given to you by God. It’s time to unwrap them, hone them and use them. If you’re unfamiliar with what your gifts are, you can take a spiritual gifts assessment and it will show you. The transformation of the Church going from a cruise ship to a battleship begins with the believers using their gifts outside the church building. We have been equipped to change lives, to make a difference in our communities and to restore people to God. He is ready to use the gifts you’ve been given so we must stir them up, listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit and use them in love wherever we go each day. Take some time today to read all of 1 Corinthians 12 and let it challenge you to mobilize and use your spiritual gifts to grow the Kingdom of God.

Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

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

May 24, 2024 · 5:37 AM

Confidence On

Have you ever walked over to a light switch during a power outage and flipped the light switch on? Did you do it again a few moments later too? When the power is restored, you still flip that switch because your confidence isn’t shaken in it. There are several things that God promises that we can have confidence in. Even if they don’t activate right away, you have to keep flipping the switch on knowing that it will happen. We’re used to things proving us instant results to our actions. When they aren’t instant, we keep flipping the switch until we get the results we’re looking for. We need to have a greater confidence in God and in His Word. He never fails and He will always be true to it.

Here are some Bible verses on things we can have confidence in.

1. I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God.

Psalm 59:9 GNT

2. I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].

Philippians 1:6 AMP

3. Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 GNT

4. So we can say with great confidence: “I know the Lord is for me and I will never be afraid of what people may do to me!”

Hebrews 13:6 TPT

5. This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.

1 John 5:14 AMP

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 23, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Fresh Faith

This life can get to be repetitive, and to be honest, so can our Christian life. It’s easy to settle into a groove and put ourselves on autopilot. The trouble with that is we can then fall into danger by allowing our faith the be about rituals more than relationship. Even the disciples were susceptible to this, and they physically walked with Jesus daily. Can you imagine what that must have been like? They heard the greatest teaching daily and were witnesses to countless miracles, yet they were susceptible to letting even that become old hat and ordinary. That’s when someone came up to Jesus and told Him Lazarus was gravely ill and needed healing immediately.

When Jesus didn’t go right then, I’m sure the disciples started to get shook out of their routine. They must have thought it was odd that He didn’t pack up and head to Bethany. Instead, He waited two days before beginning the 2 day journey to Him. When he decided to go, the disciples objected to Him going there because the religious leaders were ready to kill Him. Then, in John 11:14-15 Jesus said, “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him” (MSG).

Jesus knew the disciples needed new grounds for believing. If they needed it, how much more do we? I believe when there are things in our lives that don’t make sense to us, it could be God trying to give us new grounds for believing. Notice how urgently we start seeking Him when things happen out of the ordinary. Notice how much more we rely on Him. I believe God allows things to happen to us so we will break out of our rut and find fresh faith. Relationships on autopilot usually struggle. It’s the ones that keep things fresh and new that survive. God wants to have a fresh relationship with us. Don’t let whatever is going on in your life push you away from God. Let it give you fresh grounds for believing.

Image created using CoPilot

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 , , , , , , , , ,

May 22, 2024 · 5:00 AM

A Fountain Of Wisdom

One of the Bible verses my wife and I pray often is James 1:5. We are constantly asking God to give us wisdom liberally. When someone needs counseling, we pray that prayer before, and during the meeting. When we’re trying to make ends meet, we ask for wisdom. When have decisions to make, you guessed it, we pray for wisdom. We often gain knowledge about things, but we understand we don’t know all the facts and that wisdom is knowing what to do with information. We never want to do things out of our own wisdom or knowledge, so we seek God to give us His knowing that He will supply it.

Proverbs 2:6 says, “Wisdom is a gift from a generous God, and every word he speaks is full of revelation and becomes a fountain of understanding within you” (TPT). God wants to give us wisdom, but we must seek it, then listen to what He says. There’s a period a quiet after asking so that the Holy Spirit can call to remembrance verses in the Bible that may apply (John 14:26). How can we hear the Holy Spirit if we’re still talking or praying? He gives the right words at the right time. People need a word from God more than they need words from us. Listening for scriptures or Bible verses is a way to do that.

Also Proverbs 20:45 says, “A man of deep understanding will give good advice, drawing it out from the well within.” We have to dig deep for wisdom. God has put His kingdom within each of us, but it is up to us to seek it and draw it out. When we read the Bible, meditate on it and put it in our heart, we are feeding that well deep with us. The story’s and words we read become a fountain of understanding that God will use in our own lives and in the lives of others. I pray each day for God to give me a deep understanding of His Word and for Him to help me read it with fresh eyes so I can see things I’ve never seen and make connections within it that I’ve missed. I know that when God reveals His Word to me, it isn’t just for me. It’s for anyone I come across who needs a word from Him. By putting it inside of me, I can draw on it through the Holy Spirit when needed.

Photo by Thomas Haas on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2024 · 5:36 AM

Hurricane Harbor

Have you ever wondered where a cargo ship goes when a hurricane approaches it? I read an article where they interviewed a cargo ship captain and they asked him. He said they don’t always head for the nearest port because different ports offer different levels of protection. If he had the choice and the ability, he would look for a port known as a hurricane hole. They have good holding areas where the waves rocking the boat wont damage the ship. They also have high cliffs or mountains around the port that can protect the ship from high winds. Once the storm passes they can then get the ship and it’s cargo back on course. It got me to thinking how we respond to storms in our lives. Where do we port when circumstances threaten everything we hold dear.

In Acts 16, Paul had a vision from God where a person from Macedonia called out to him to come there. He and Silas boarded a ship for there at once and began preaching the Gospel. A young slave girl,who was possessed, followed them and mocked them until Paul cast out the spirit from her. The masters of the girl realized they lost their income and turned the town against Paul and Silas. They were beaten up, whipped and thrown into a dungeon of a cell. They could have complained to God because they were following His will when it happened. They could have sought sympathy from local believers because of their treatment. They could have found any number of these harbors to hide in, but instead they decided to sing praises to God in their pain in the darkest hour. They knew the Lord was their hurricane harbor.

Psalm 32:7 says, “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory” (NLT). Where do you go when your problems overtake you? Do you look for sympathy from friends? Do you complain about how hard things are? Instead of crying out to others in your pain, try praising the one who can hide you in the storm. In turn He will surround you with songs of victory and deliverance. You will still have to ride out the storm, but His walls of protection will hold you together. Your hope in Him will be the anchor your life needs when everything is trying to pull you away from Him. When we learn to praise in the pain and in the dark, God will deliver us. We may lose some cargo He needs us to offload. We may be sent in a different direction afterwards, but when the winds are strongest, our faith in Him will hold true as we hide ourselves in Him.

Photo by Domino Studio on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

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

May 20, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Faith Beyond The Moment

I’m a pretty big sports fan. Most of the time my radio is tuned to a sports station discussing my teams. I have to say though that we sports fans can be the worst when it comes to our teams. When they’re winning, everyone thinks this is their year. When they start losing, it’s the end of the world and they need to fire everyone. That’s pretty different for a coach or leader. They don’t judge the team or the players by the results. They know the players and believe in them beyond the scoreboard of a game. They know what they’re capable of, keep them in position and continue to trust them beyond the win loss column. Faith trusts the person more than the result.

In Genesis we read the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised them a child. They were beyond child bearing years when the promise was made. However, they decided to trust God. Then a year went by, and nothing. Two. Three. Five. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty years and still no answer. They continue to believe God beyond the time gap and the barrenness. Twenty five years after the promise, God answered by giving them a son. Hebrews 11:11 reflects on the faith of Sarah by saying, “Sarah’s faith embraced God’s miracle power to conceive even though she was barren and was past the age of childbearing, for the authority of her faith rested in the One who made the promise, and she tapped into his faithfulness” (TPT). Her faith rested in God and not in the results of her present situation.

Jeremiah 17:7 says, “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (NLT). Is your faith in God or in His answers to your prayers? There’s a difference. One is placed in the One who is able to do exceedingly above and beyond our expectations and one is based on the results we see today. Will you continue to trust Him even if the outcome isn’t what you were praying for? Or are you like a sports fan whose faith is on,y as deep and the results? Blessed are those whose faith, hope and confidence rests in the One who is able to even when He doesn’t answer our way or is slow to make good on His promises. Faith is still trusting even when nothing is lining up the way you expect or want it to. Let your trust go beyond the moment you’re standing in and embrace God’s miracle power so you can judge Him faithful no matter what.

Photo by Wu Jianxiong on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

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

May 17, 2024 · 5:35 AM

Being Sheep

One of the things that bothers me is how the world has made the word sheep a negative thing to call someone. What’s worse is that we as believers have adopted this thinking. Throughout the Bible, we are referred to as sheep, yet many are now trying to run from this identity. Lions and wolves don’t need a shepherd, so we like to identify with them. “Lions, not sheep,” is what I hear people say. When we try to be anything other than sheep, we are trying to replace the Lord as the shepherd of our life. We are incapable of being a good shepherd for ourselves and our enemy will use anything or anyone else to try to trick us into following their voice. That’s why Jesus told us His sheep know His voice and will follow Him. Whose voice is leading your life right now? Is it yours, someone else’s or God’s? We’re all following a shepherd. Make sure the Lord is your shepherd.

Here are some Bible verses on being sheep.

1. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalms 100:3 NLT

2. “You, my sheep, the flock that I feed, are my people, and I am your God,” says the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 34:31 GNT

3. Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].

Matthew 10:16 AMP

4. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness.
‭‭

Psalm 95:7-8 ESV

5. And when he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them and they will follow him, for they are familiar with his voice. But they will run away from strangers and never follow them because they know it’s the voice of a stranger.

John 10:4-5 TPT

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 16, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Leaving The Doldrums

Not long after Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, other ships began to make the voyage across the pond. Several ships noticed a strange phenomenon as they sailed near the equator. There was very little wind and ships would drift there for weeks or months. In time, this area of the ocean became known as the doldrums. Sailors avoided it because they didn’t take the provisions to survive a trip that got stuck there for a long period. The doldrums became known as a place of stagnation, depression and death.

If you read the first part of Acts, the disciples had been in the doldrums since the crucifixion of Jesus. They had moments where Jesus would appear to them, but when He left, they would feel just as stuck as before. On one of those occasions Jesus spoke to them and said, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised as I told you before. (Acts 1:4 NLT).” Wait? For how long? How could Jesus leave them adrift in the doldrums? It was a dangerous time to be in Jerusalem. Just 40 days before, Jesus had been killed and they feared they were next.

They met in the Upper Room and prayed for the next ten days as they waited. Then Acts 2:2 says, “Suddenly there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. (NLT)” God sent the wind of the Holy Spirit to fill their sails and push them out of the doldrums. That wind pushed them and the message of Jesus all over the world. They were no longer stuck in their depression and doubt. They were revived and renewed because they waited on the Lord in prayer.

If you’re stuck in the doldrums, let me encourage you not to give up. Wait on the Lord in prayer and ask for Him to send the Wind of the Holy Spirit into your life. I’m talking about spending some serious time in prayer. The disciples prayed and waited in one place until God answered. We need to do the same thing. We need to commit to praying not just a one or two sentence prayer, but an active, waiting on God all day kind of prayer if we truly want out of the doldrums. We need to wait on the Lord until He answers. Be prepared though. When that rushing, mighty wind blows into your life, God will take you farther than you ever dreamed possible.

One final thought: The doldrums are where hurricanes originate from. What seems like a windless, stagnant place is where God launches His most powerful forces.

Photo by Jamie Morrison 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.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

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

May 15, 2024 · 5:48 AM

The Test Of Waiting

Waiting on God’s timing isn’t easy. It exercises muscles that we rarely use. I have my own timeline and my own will that sometimes are not on the same page as God. I’m ready for things to happen my way right now. God wants us to wait for things to happen His way when He has everything lined up. I’ve learned that waiting on His will and timing builds strength, reliance and stability. We grow stronger when we stretch our patience muscle. I forget that patience is a Fruit of the Spirit. Though it feels like it’s wearing thin, it gets stronger each time we wait on God. While that muscle stretches, it also is building our reliance on Him. When we wait on His timing, our resources may run out. Also when we do things His way, our lives and future are more stable.

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. In 1 Kings 17, he was running from Jezebel after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. God sent him to a brook to wait and told him to drink from the brook and that ravens would bring him food. While waiting, the brook dried up. Then the Lord sent him to a village where a widow would feed him. In each instance he waited for God’s timing and on God’s provision. Even though he was where he was supposed to be near the brook, that provision dried up. He didn’t panic. He sought the Lord who directed him to his next place of provision. When he showed up to the village, the widow was making her last meal. I’m sure she was wondering where the next one was going to come from. Because she obeyed, she, her son and Elijah were provided for.

Psalm 33:20 says, “We wait [expectantly] for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (AMP). When we wait on the Lord’s will and timing, we can feel exposed, yet He is our shield in the waiting. He is also our help in our time of need. We can either try things our way in our timing , which can affect so many parts of our life, or we can wait for His provision and timing. I have to remind myself in those moments that God is my provider and not myself. When we take timing and provision away from Him because of fear, we place ourselves on the throne of our life. There are always consequences to that, while there are blessings He gives us for our obedience. Can you obey and keep Him on the throne of your life when things aren’t easy or happening according to your schedule? That’s the test of waiting.

Photo by Luke Ellis-Craven on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

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

May 14, 2024 · 5:40 AM

Church Hurt

I saw a post on X yesterday from an author I met years ago. She posted something to the effect of, “There’s no hurt like church hurt.” I started reading through the replies as people shared their church hurt stories. I started thinking about my own story, but that’s when it hit me that I had forgiven and let go of mine. There are people who hold onto that hurt for the rest of their lives. The people we love have the ability to hurt us the most. We forget that the people in the church are people, and people are imperfect. They are also brothers and sisters in Christ making them our spiritual family. While we sit in our pain waiting for them to come to us, we forget that Jesus said if someone offends us, we are to go to them. We also forget that we must forgive in order to be forgiven. These are two very difficult things, but not impossible.

In Genesis, we read the story of a young man named Joseph who had eleven brothers. Out of All the kids, he was the favorite and treated as such. After his dreams of being in charge of the family, his brothers hatched a plan to pay him back. They threw him in a pit, stole his coat and sold him into slavery. After nearly 25 years of slavery and prison, he was released and made second in command of one of the greatest civilizations in history. He was distributing food during the famine when he saw his brothers come in needing food. After he revealed himself, his brothers were scared of payback. Sensing their fear in Genesis 45:5 he said, “But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives” (NLT). He had chosen forgiveness and had seen God used his hurt to place him where he could fulfill God’s ultimate plan.

Colossians 3:13 says, “Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them” (TPT). Paul knew what it was like to be church hurt and he had seen it happen to others. He gave us this reminder that we must remember they’re human too and that we to must put on the robe of forgiveness and release it. Holding on to past pain holds us in a prison like Joseph was in. It’s when we release it that he can restore us to positions where we can make a difference. Remember that forgiveness doesn’t always require reconciliation. It means you choose to let go and trust God who will use our situation to bring healing to others.

Photo by John Cafazza on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

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