February 5, 2024 · 5:37 AM

Quit Looking Back

When driving, how often do you use the rear view mirror? It’s used for the occasional looking back, but if you looked in it for most of your driving, it would be dangerous to move forward. Our lives should be lived the same way. I’ve known people who live in their past. They feel like their best years are behind them. I’ve known other people who are prisoners of their past. They can’t move forward because of something that happened back there. When our past is disrupting our present and keeping us from our future, we’re spending too much time looking backwards. I’ve spent a lot of time in my life looking in my rear view mirror reliving the pain, but God reminded me that He can use the past to bring healing to others if I’ll look ahead.

When Israel was set free from their captivity in Egypt, they were thrilled. They were given gold and silver on their way out to let them know God was taking care of their future. He also was out front with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. However, every time they encountered some kind of hardship or difficulty, they immediately began to look in the rear view mirror. They saw their slavery as a form of security. When God showed them the Promised Land and He had prepared for them, they rebelled. Numbers 14:4 says, “Then they plotted among themselves, ‘Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!’” (NLT). They were so bound up by their past, they wouldn’t fight for their future. They were willing to sacrifice the blessings and provision of God to return to their bondage.

Proverbs 4:25 says, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” You will always travel in the direction you’re looking. God has prepared a future for you full of hope and blessings. Don’t miss it because you’re looking backwards. You will encounter hard times. You will be expected to go through some battles. Don’t let those push you back into your past. Instead let them strengthen you and give you confidence in what God is doing in you. A piece of clay can on,y become pottery after it’s been through the fire. Your best days are ahead of you. Your healing is ahead of you. Your victory is ahead of you. Quit using the rear view mirror of your life to look backwards when what God had for you is ahead.

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February 2, 2024 · 5:35 AM

God’s Discipline

When I was a child and I broke the rules, my parents disciplined me. When I went to school and my behavior was not in line with the school’s expectations, I was disciplined. When I got a job, my employer let me know that if I didn’t uphold their standards or do my job well, I would be disciplined. One HR manager told me that discipline isn’t to punish us, but to instruct and correct us. My whole life I had seen it as a punishment, but it’s actually a tool God created to help us. Over and over it tells us that God disciplines those He loves. He won’t just let us continue down the wrong path. He will correct us and instruct us so we make choices that bring blessings. As believers, discipline should be expected from God and received with joy because of His love for us. It may not feel good in the moment, but long term it’s the best thing for our lives.

Here are some Bible verses on God’s discipline.

1. Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].

Revelation 3:19 AMP

2. Therefore, know in your heart (be fully cognizant) that the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you just as a man disciplines and instructs his son.

Deuteronomy 8:5 AMP

3. My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

Proverbs 3:11 NLT

4. For the Father’s discipline comes only from his passionate love and pleasure for you. Even when it seems like his correction is harsh, it’s still better than any father on earth gives to his child.

Proverbs 3:12 TPT

5. Now all discipline seems to be painful at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it.

Hebrews 12:11 TPT

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February 1, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Barren Seasons

Have you been through a barren season? It’s those seasons where you have planted seeds and watered them, but nothing is growing or producing. It’s a little frustrating and a lot scary. To have followed God’s principles in the Bible and to not see Him move on your behalf can be worrisome. In those times, I’ve prayed, “God, where are you? Why haven’t you responded yet? I thought by now you would have shown up,” only to be answered by silence. Barren seasons show up out of no where and can last a while. They put your faith to the test, but what you can’t see, and what you have to remind yourself, is what God is doing with those planted seeds underground.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 gives us the prescription for these times. It says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (NLT) We must continue to praise God anyway and choose to honor Him. Our hope is not in the fruits of our labor, but in the Lord. We cannot allow what we see in our circumstances to dictate our relationship with God. Circumstances are fickle, but God remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

In those barren seasons, I recount the character of God. I look back on who He has always been, not on how I perceive Him in my current situation. Relationships dictated by emotions fail because emotions can be manipulated. They must be built on something deeper. You must choose to love, to rejoice in the Lord and to be joyful even in the dry seasons. God has not changed who He is, nor has He stopped working on your behalf. Choose to rejoice no matter what the fields of your life look like right now. Trust in Him to be who He always has been. He is Jehovah Jireh, your provider and source even in the barren seasons. Your trust needs to be in Him rather than in the fruit of your labor.

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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.

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January 31, 2024 · 5:36 AM

Leaving Crisis Mode

Stephen Covey says we typically spend our time in one of four quadrants, and the amount of time we spend in each matters to our growth and productivity. Quadrant 1 is where most people live. It’s urgent and important things. The problem with quadrant one is that we’re on a treadmill not going anywhere really. We’re just constantly putting out fires. Quadrant two is not urgent but important. Here is where we focus on the future, relationships and planning. Being in this quadrant brings growth, control and balance. The other two quadrants are urgent and not important (quadrant three) and not urgent and not important. These aren’t connected to your big picture goals and prevent you from doing what really matters. The more time we spend in quadrant two, the more fulfilled our life will be is his point.

David was a man living in crisis before he became king. Saul was constantly hunting him to kill him. He spent a lot of his time in the wilderness of the Negev. It’s a very dry climate there where there isn’t much water and the biggest body of water is undrinkable (Dead Sea). David could have spent all his time during this season in quadrant one handling all the urgent and important work of trying to find water, food, shelter and safety. He had to do those things, but David took time to live in quadrant two in the middle of all that. He focused on the future and on the One who could rescue him. He grew his relationship with God in the difficult times. He knew he didn’t just need a series of temporary solutions. He needed to know the One who could solve his problems and fulfill the anointing on his life. During this time, he wrote Psalm 63.

Psalm 63:1 says, ”O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water“ (NLT). Where do you spend your time when things aren’t going according to plan in your life? Do you jump on the treadmill in quadrant one or do you build your relationship with God who is more than able to help? Do you search for Him in your wilderness or for the solutions by yourself? If you find yourself spending all your time in response and survival mode, it will be hard to break free from the cycle. While you still have to spend time on those things because they’re urgent and important, make time to search for God, to seek His face and to study His Word. He is the One who gives peace, deliverance and wisdom. When we draw close to Him, He draws close to us.

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January 30, 2024 · 5:37 AM

An Agent Of Peace

I had a boss once who about five minutes before I opened my store walked onto my showroom floor and got mad about something. He was saying one word at a time rhythmically as he threw each item. Meanwhile my staff froze and a line of customers watched through the glass doors. As I began to quickly pick up the items, he asked what I was doing. I had to clean up before I opened. When he apologized a couple of hours later, I told him he was like a nuclear bomb. He comes in, explodes and leaves a huge mess that I’m forced to clean up while simultaneously trying to repair relationships he’s actively destroying. I learned how to bring peace as a boss while working for him rather than chaos.

In 1 Samuel 25 there was a very rich man named Nabal. David had heard that he was shearing his sheep and knew he’d be giving a feast soon. He sent ten men to greet Nabal in his name and to remind him how David’s small army protected his shepherds and livestock. The men were then to request some food. Nabal quickly got angry at the men. He said, “Who is David? Why should I give men I don’t know my food?” David got angry and got together a group to go to Nabal to kill him. When Nabal’s wife heard what happened, she quickly loaded animals with food and went to meet David. She apologized for her husband’s behavior and her peaceful approach convinced David not to kill everyone in their camp. David thanked God and her for keeping him from killing everyone.

Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes” (AMP). What affect do you have on people when you walk in the room? Do your actions cause strife and tension or do they calm others? Nabal and David were quick to anger and caused strife in the story above. Thankfully Abigail was patient and used wisdom to bring peace and calm. Your voice, your demeanor and tone all have an affect on those around you, especially when things are stressful and tense. A calm word of wisdom in the midst of chaos can bring people back to their senses and diffuse even the most stressful and tense situations. Be mindful of your words and actions today. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be an agent of peace who calms disputes.

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January 29, 2024 · 5:36 AM

The Rough Road

One of the things I hear a lot of people say when they go through a tough time is that they must not be in God’s will. God’s path for our lives isn’t always the easy one. Tough times doesn’t mean you have angered God or turned His wrath toward you. There are times He takes us through the sunless valley of the shadow of death. There are times when the road He takes you down is in the wilderness where you feel like you can’t feel Him or through waters that are too deep and it feels like you’re drowning. If He always took you through green pastures, your faith would never grow. The rough roads are where we learn to trust Him even when we can’t feel Him.

In the book of Exodus, God displays His mighty power for both the Egyptians and Israelites to see. He then set them free from their captor and immediately led them into the desert. Not long after, they felt cornered at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army pinning them down. Were they out of God’s will? No. God protected them from the army and then parted the water. The road then

led them through the wilderness where they experienced hunger and thirst. Even though they experienced hardship, they were still in His will and on His path. Remember, He provided manna there, brought water from the rock, led them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. Their clothes and shoes also never wore out. In the wilderness, God was still providing for them as He led them to the Promised Land.

Psalm 77:19 says, ”Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen“ (ESV). God’s way is always the best way, but it’s not always the easy way or the quickest. He cares more about your growth than your comfort. When we go through deep waters where we can’t see His footprints to lead us, it causes our roots to grow deeper in Him. It causes us to spend more time in prayer and our faith finds a new level. The times in our lives when we draw closest to God are usually times where we feel like we’re going under and can’t breathe. You are not necessarily off His path or out of His will when you experience these things. Don’t look for blame in these moments. Instead, look for His presence. He is there leading you, guarding you and providing for you when the road gets rough. Your Promised Land is just ahead.

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January 26, 2024 · 4:52 AM

Biblical Advice

I’ve received a lot of great advice in my life, but I’ve also received a lot of bad advice (and followed it). Over time I’ve learned who to trust and who not to. I’ve learned to tell what is godly, Biblical advice and what is someone’s opinion. Proverbs 19:20 says, “If you listen to advice and are willing to learn, one day you will be wise” (GNT). I don’t count myself as “wise” yet, but I’m willing to listen to people and to learn. I’ve also learned that it’s important to seek out advice from people I trust when I’m not sure what to do. I then prayerfully consider it and weigh it against Scripture. Once I go through it and apply the advice, I become more wise to handle it in the future so I can help others.

Here are some examples of Biblical advice I love.

1. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Colossians 3:23 NLT

2. Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 AMP

3. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23 GNT

4. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 12:12-13 ESV

5. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3 NLT

What a piece of godly or Biblical advice you’ve received that helped you?

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January 25, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Holy, Flawless And Restored

We are own worst critics. Like me, you can probably point to everything that’s wrong with you.we know our own faults and failures. We know why God should never use us. To demonstrate this, I used to do a lesson with a group of teenagers I taught at church. I would take a piece of plain white paper, scribble in the middle of it and ask what they saw. Like clockwork, they treated it like a blob test. They called out everything under the sun of what they thought they saw. I then asked why no one said, “A paper,” or “A lot of unused space.” We tend to focus on the mess ups instead of the whole, then we disqualify ourselves. In fact, you probably just thought, “But you don’t know how bad I’ve messed up.” You’re right, I don’t, but then again, it doesn’t matter when it’s been forgiven.

When I read the Bible, I love to look at the heroes of faith. There are many people I’ve idolized in the Bible and wished I was more like them. I wish I had the same heart as David, and his courage too. I wish I had the boldness of Paul along with his tenacity. I look at Peter and wonder if I would have had the faith to get out of the boat. On and on it goes, but when I really examine their lives, I find that the heroes of the faith have messed up more than I ever have so far. David committed adultery and killed his lover’s husband to cover it up, yet God still kept him on the throne and used him. Paul spent a lifetime killing Christians before he became one. Jesus once called Peter, “Satan” because of his attitude. We can point to major flaws as we look at all these great leaders. If they weren’t disqualified, then neither are we.

The reason is that when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our past sins like we do. Instead, He sees His Son. Colossians 1:22 says, “And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored” (TPT). When God has forgiven you, He restores you. He makes you holy even though you don’t feel holy. In His eyes, you are flawless because you are covered by the righteousness of His Son. There is no sin you’ve ever committed that is stronger than His blood, so there is nothing you have done that will ever make Him see you as holy, flawless and restored. It’s time we began to change the focus of how we see ourselves so that we begin to see what God sees when we look in the mirror. Look at yourself and say, “Through Jesus, I am holy, flawless and restored.” Say it over and over until you believe it because God already does.

Photo by ShotPot.

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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January 24, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Receiving Strength

How do you react to stress? Are you the type who breaks down and bites everyone’s head off? Does it make you quiet or cause you to break down? We all react to stressful situations differently. What do you do when you look at everything and the odds are against you? Some people shut down while others rise to the challenge. Some look at the situation and feel fearful while others experience peace. When we’re in those situations, especially ones where we’re doing what God called us to, we can face them with courage and the strength that God gives. Fear comes from thinking we have to do it all in our own strength.

In Joshua 1, Moses had died and the mantle of his leadership over these millions of people fell to him. He was tasked with leading them into the Promised Land and fighting the people who lived there. It must have felt overwhelming to him to think of all he had to do and what he was responsible for. He had seen the giants and the walled cities, but he also saw the goodness the land would provide. He was one of two who trusted God to give them the land under the leadership of Moses. Now it was his responsibility to lead. That’s when God met him and reassured him that He would be with him just as He was with Moses. Then in verse 9 He said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (AMP).

In John 14, Jesus was passing the mantle of leadership to the disciples just before His crucifixion. He could sense their stress, fear and hesitation. In verse 27 He told them, “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]” Whatever you’re facing, you don’t have to do it in your own strength or courage. God gives peace as we face insurmountable odds. He also gives us grace, strength and courage to stand in those moments. He will give you what you need in those moments, but you have to be willing to cross the river, walk up to the walled cities in front of you and face the giants. Receive His peace, strength and courage today.

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January 23, 2024 · 5:51 AM

Desperately Seeking

A few years ago my wife and I were visiting San Antonio. One night we were walking down the River Walk looking at shops when we spotted a young girl around 5 years old. She was standing there crying as people walked by. We approached her and asked if she was lost. She said she was as we tried to calm her down. My wife told me to stand on something so I could watch the crowd. She knew there would be some desperate parents soon. Sure enough I saw them frantically looking through the crowd. I motioned at them and the fear turned into relief as they got to us and found their daughter. They were desperately seeking her once they realized she had gotten separated from them.

There’s a Greek word used in the New Testament for the kind of seeking those parents were doing. It’s Zeteo. This word was used when Jesus’ parents lost Him at 12 years old and had to travel back to Jerusalem to find Him (Luke 2:45). When Jesus told the story of the lost sheep and the shepherd left the 99, He used this word to describe the shepherd looking for his sheep ((Matthew 18:12). This word was used for Judas as he sought an opportunity to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:16). He was looking for the right opportunity to have Jesus handed over to be crucified. The word we have in English just says to seek, but the word used means you stop everything and make it your number one priority because you’re desperate.

Jesus used this same word in Matthew 7:7-8 when He said, “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened” (AMP). I don’t know what you’re seeking today, a healing, a job, a touch from God. Whatever it might be, desperately keep on asking God for it. Desperately seek Him for your answer like nothing else matters, and desperately knock on Heaven’s door until you receive your answer, find what you’re asking God for and the door of Heaven opens up to grant your request. Desperately seek God for it the way a parent would for their lost child. Don’t stop until you have what you need.

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