June 27, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Heart Soil

Micro-farming has become a thing in recent years. People are buying a lot in a neighborhood and turning it into a small farm. Whether you’re building a huge farm or a micro farm, you success depends on prepping the soil. Depending on the crop you want to grow, you’re going to have to start with fertilizing it. Your soil needs the proper nutrients if you’re going to have abundant crops. Next, you’ll need to till up the ground. This will soften the dirt so seeds can grow and help you get out any rocks or items that would prevent seeds from taking root. Finally, you’ll need a fence to keep out people and animals that would try to rob you of your fruit.

In Mark 4, Jesus told a parable about a farmer. This person scattered seed all over his lot. Some fell on the footpath, some fell on soil with rocks underneath, some fell where there were weeds and some fell on good soil. Birds came and ate the seeds on the footpath which prevented a harvest there. The ones that fell on the soil with rocks underneath couldn’t take root and dried up in the heat. The ones that fell among the weeds fought for nutrients with them, but were soon chocked out. Only the ones that fell on fertile soil produced good crops. As Jesus told this, He was illustrating how our hearts receive the Word of God. We can go to church all we want, but the condition of the soil of our heart will determine our growth, not how good the preacher is.

Hosea 10:12 says, “Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you” (NLT). Notice how the responsibility of plowing the soil of our own heart belongs to us. It’s not someone else’s responsibility. We must fertilize the soil of our heart to make sure it has the right nutrients. Think about what you’re putting in your heart and mind daily. Then we must break up the hardness we’ve allowed to accumulate under our soil by letting God heal our past. Then we need to build a fence to guard our heart and mind from the enemy who wants to prevent the seeds from taking root. We do this by building relationships with godly people whom we’re able to confess our sins to. Don’t let another day go by without taking responsibility for the soil of your heart. If you’re not producing the Fruits of the Spirit like you want, work on your soil.

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June 26, 2023 · 5:40 AM

The Character Of Faith

In March of 1998, we were sitting in the ICU waiting room of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The doctor pulled us into the side room to talk to us about my mom. They said there was nothing more they could do so they were going to send her home and have hospice take over. Up to that point, my faith had not been shaken. I was certain God could and would heal her. After the doctor left, we sat in the room shell shocked by his news. My dad spoke up to share some things. The one line I remember most was, “Determine in your hearts now that you will not get bitter against God if He chooses not to heal her.” I thought it was a strange thing to say, but I stopped and made the determination anyway. A few weeks later, she passed on to eternity.

In Daniel 3, Israel had been invaded by Babylon and lost. The people were taken captive and sent to Babylon. The best and brightest were put into a training and then placed in the kings service. Three of these men were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Even though they served the king, they refused to worship the Babylonian gods and follow their customs. When the king found out they wouldn’t bow down to the god he made, he brought them before him for questioning. He didn’t like their answer and threatened to burn them alive in a furnace. In verse 17-18 they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (NLT ). They had made a determination to not turn their back on God no matter what happened.

Have you made that kind of determination? If God, who is able to meet your most pressing prayer request, doesn’t answer the way you want Him to, will you still love and serve Him? Habakkuk 3:17-18 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!” If everything falls apart and nothing goes your way, how will you respond? These tough moments reveal the character of our faith. Do we implicitly trust God or do we treat Him like a 9-1-1 call? Having stood in that moment myself, I can say that the statement my dad made that day changed how I responded. I found out that my faith was deeper than the surface and stronger than I knew. Understanding where my faith truly is has helped me through even the toughest times.

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June 23, 2023 · 5:19 AM

Harmony With Believers

Did you know there Greek word for harmony is “sumphóneó”? As you can guess, it’s where we get the words symphony from. If you’ve ever been to a symphony, you’ve seen the wind instruments, the string instruments, the brass, the percussion and others all playing their parts while working together under one conductor. The result is beautiful. Yes, there are some standouts like the first violinist, but as a whole, they work together without trying to overpower each other to accomplish the goal of what’s written on the paper. It’s no wonder the Bible told us as believers to be in harmony with each other. We are to work together, playing our part, following the Bible. When we work together, it’s beautiful.

Here are some Bible verses on harmony with believers.

1. Now, this is the goal: to live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness toward other believers. Let humility describe who you are as you dearly love one another.

1 Peter 3:8 TPT

2. How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God’s people to live together in harmony!

Psalm 133:1 GNT

3. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself.

Romans 12:16 AMP

4. I urge you, my brothers and sisters, for the sake of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart. Be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, having a common perspective with shared values.

1 Corinthians 1:10 TPT

5. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Romans 14:19 NLT

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June 22, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Sudden Storms

I love the story of Jesus in Mark 4. He had been teaching all day sharing spiritual insights through parables with crowds of people. When He was finished, He told the disciples to get in a boat and head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. After they had been going a ways, a sudden storm blew in and threatened to sink the boat. In the midst of the chaos and fear, someone realized they needed Jesus and He wasn’t on deck. Verse 38 says, “But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion” (TPT). In the middle of the storm, Jesus was able to rest because He trusted God.

Most of us aren’t that way. When things are going downhill quickly and everything we hold dear is being threatened to sink, we struggle to rest. Sleep eludes us as our minds think of everything bad that can happen and what we will do if everything heads south. Yet, in this story, we find that Jesus is able to rest. I believe that the rest He was given is a rest that belongs to us. We have to learn that our perception of things is not His reality. Where we look up at the storm in fear, He speaks to it in faith. When we let fear dictate our emotions and steal our rest, we lack the faith to trust His providence for our lives.

Psalm 116:7 says, “Now I can say to myself and to all, ‘Relax and rest, be confident and serene, for the Lord rewards fully those who simply trust in him.’” If you’re uncomfortable speaking to your storms, then speak to yourself. Worry robs us of the strength and rest that God wants us to have. Just because you’re surrounded by turmoil, it doesn’t mean you have to live in it. God gives His children rest and peace, but many times, we have to take hold of it and tell ourselves to take it. Sudden storms that pop up are not a surprise to God. If you will simply trust in Him, He will guide you safely to shore.

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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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June 21, 2023 · 5:25 AM

Conditioning

When I was in high school I played basketball. I loved being on the team, but I always hated the start of the season. I’m not talking about the first few games though. When we were allowed to start practicing, coach would spend the first few weeks conditioning our bodies and getting us back into shape. We ran sprints, horses, long distances, did calisthenics, jumped over benches and more exercises. I don’t remember touching a basketball those first few weeks. It was painful and my body was sore. I spent a lot of time soaking in epsom salt trying to recover. However, once the season started, we were better conditioned than any team and could out run them and wear them out giving us lots of victories. It turns out coach had a plan the whole time.

We read the story of Joseph in the late chapters of Genesis. When he was just a teenager, God gave him dreams that his family would now down to him. Foolishly, he told his brothers all about them. Being the younger brother, he probably rubbed it in while wearing the special coat his dad made for him. It’s clear that he wasn’t ready to lead at that time. His brothers then decided to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. He was then falsely accused of trying to rape his master’s wife and thrown in prison where he was forgotten. He went through this period of conditioning for 13 years before God exalted him to be second in command of Egypt. When he ruled Egypt, we see a very different person because of what he went through.

Psalm 66:12 says, “You’ve allowed our enemies to prevail against us. We’ve passed through fire and flood, yet in the end you always bring us out better than we were before, saturated with your goodness” (TPT). God allows us to go through storms and difficult times in order to condition us for the plans He has for us. His plans are good, but we are often not ready to fulfill them yet. In His processes, we are changed for the better and made ready to receive His promises. If you’re going through a tough time right now, hang in there. God is building your endurance and your character so that you’re able to handle what’s coming and help others. Conditioning doesn’t last forever. Victory is on the way.

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June 20, 2023 · 5:35 AM

Small Beginnings

In the early 2000’s, Starbucks was growing at a rapid pace. There were Starbucks popping up everywhere. Sometimes they were right across the street from each other. Their rapid growth became unsustainable and they had to close 20% of the new stores they had opened. As the CEO looked at the list of stores he was going to have to close, he learned a lesson: success isn’t sustainable if it’s defined by how big you become. It’s a lesson I’ve tried to teach many people. I like to say, “You have to start with Timex before you get to Rolex.” We all want to be experts immediately. We want maturity now. We want success before we’ve been through the fire. We also want others to think we’re doing better than we are.

Before David became king, he was on the run from King Saul. He fled to the cave of Adullam and holed up there. 1 Samuel 22:2 says, “Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him” (NLT). David had dreams of leading the nation and the army, but the first group of people he became captain over was a bunch of outcasts. He could have turned them away because they weren’t what he imagined leading, but he didn’t. He trained these 400 men to become warriors. The nation saw what he did with these men and began wanting him to be king.

Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings.” It’s easy to want to jump to the good part, but when we skip over the small beginnings, we miss vital lessons we need for sustainable growth. The small beginnings are where the foundation is laid that will uphold you later. We still need to keep our eyes on where we’re going, but don’t miss what God is trying to do right now. The people, resources or success God has given you right now may not look like much, but He made us a promise. If we will be faithful in the little things, He will trust us with bigger things. Sometimes we must step backwards to get to a place where we can grow again the right way. God’s desire for each of us is to grow in Him. Where you are now is on,y temporary and it’s also necessary to learn what you can so He can take you further than you’ve dreamed.

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June 19, 2023 · 5:38 AM

Trusting God’s Will

I’m asked to pray with people often. There are times when they’re looking for direction or even permission from God for something. After praying for permission, I’ll usually say, “I know we’re believing and praying for a ‘yes’ from God, but you need to understand that His ‘no’ is just as good as His ‘yes’.” It can be a hard concept to think about or even accept. Growing up I used to ask my parents for things. Sometimes their answers were “yes”, sometimes they said, “No” and sometimes they said, “Later.” God, who is a good father,” may give us those same answers. It’s important that we understand that His will is best, even if it is a “no” or “later”. He sees the bigger picture and we do not. Submitting to it is for our greater good, even when we don’t feel like it.

In 1 Samuel 20, King Saul had shown David his intent to kill him. When David fled, he met up with Saul’s son Jonathan, the next in line to the throne. They were best friends, even though David had been anointed as they next king. Jonathan didn’t believe his dad was really going to kill David, so they devised a plan where David wouldn’t show up for a traditional meal. If Saul was angry, it meant he wanted to kill David. If not, David was safe. When David didn’t show, Saul was furious. In verses 30-31, Saul acknowledged he knew David was to be king. He said, “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!” (NLT) Saul opposed God’s plan of making David king, while Jonathan embraced it even though it meant he wouldn’t be.

In Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray in what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer”. In verse 10, after honoring God’s name, Jesus said, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” How many times have we repeated that prayer, but never really thought about that part of it? We’re asking for God’s will to be done, not ours. That’s the way Jesus taught us to pray. When He tells us His will, we have a choice in how we respond. We can be like Jonathan and embrace it, or we can be like Saul where we’re angry and try to fight it. Understanding that God’s “no” is just as good as His “yes” will help us respond correctly. It may not be what we want to hear, but we know that when His will is done, our lives are better for it in the long run. He often has something better for us, once we submit to His plan instead of ours.

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June 16, 2023 · 5:03 AM

Working Hard

We live in an age where we tell people to work smarter, not harder. However, there is no substitute for hard work. If you want results at anything in life or ministry, you’re going to have to put in some hard work. You’re going to have to make some sacrifices as well as put in some time an effort. God has never been ok with trying to skip the work that was necessary to accomplish something. Since the beginning, we’ve tried to cut corners and find the easiest path. What I’ve learned is, the easier the path, the less sweet the reward is. I remember hearing people quote quote Ecclesiastes 9:10 to me saying, Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” They were reminding me, and others, to give my best at whatever I’m called to do. It’s something we still need to be doing.

Here are some Bible verses on working hard.

1. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT

2. Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.

Colossians 3:23 AMP

3. If you work hard at what you do, great abundance will come to you. But merely talking about getting rich while living to only pursue your pleasures brings you face-to-face with poverty.

Proverbs 14:23 TPT

4. Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.

Proverbs 13:11 NLT

5. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Romans 12:11 NLT

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June 15, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Expect Great Things

A few years ago, a video went viral of a man who was terrified to touch a teddy bear. They had blindfolded him and made him think he was on a show like Fear Factor. When he got the courage to put his hand in the plexiglass box, his fingers brushed up against the teddy bear. He squealed and yanked his hand out. For about two minutes he kept trying to reach in, but his fear was overwhelming. When he finally takes the blindfold off, he realizes it’s just a teddy bear, laughed, then grabbed it and spiked it on the ground. Everyone around him was laughing because he was too afraid to pick up a teddy bear.

It was easy for us to laugh at that because we weren’t the one blindfolded. Everyone else could see and knew he wasn’t in any danger. That’s kind of how Faith works. We’re blindfolded and can’t see. God is asking us to trust Him, but too often we are terrified. Our minds psych us out and we start freaking out. When we take a tiny step of faith and we experience something we aren’t anticipating, we squeal and pull back. All the while, God is saying, “Would you just trust me?”

In Matthew 9, two blind men were following Jesus calling out to Him for healing. Jesus asked if they believed He could heal blind eyes, and they said yes. Verse 29 says, “Then Jesus put His hands over their eyes and said, ‘You will have what your faith expects!’” (TPT) I believe He is still saying that to us today. Don’t let your mind expect the worse and create fear of what God is going to do. Expect God, who is good, to give you what you need. You don’t have to be terrified of what He has for you. Expect great things from Him because He gives good gifts.

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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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June 14, 2023 · 5:36 AM

Memorizing Scripture

One of the things I learned about myself early on was that I could memorize pretty easily. I could watch a movie once and pretty much be able to quote it. When my parents would send me to vacation Bible school, I found out they give prizes to kids for memorizing Scriptures. That was all the motivation I needed. Then when I got into junior high and high school, I was required to memorize entire chapters in the Bible. Since it was for a grade, it didn’t have the same motivating power, but I did it. One of my friends there didn’t just memorize chapters in the Bible, he memorized entire books in the Bible. I never got that far, but memorizing Scriptures all those years helped me to know God’s Word and to be able to recall it whenever I need it.

Right after Jesus was baptized, He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to fast for forty days. At the end of the fast, Satan came to tempt Him. Jesus responded to the first temptation by telling him that man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by the Word of God. The third one was always interesting to me because Satan used God’s Word against Jesus to try to get Him to sin. Jesus recognized it being out of context so He wasn’t able to fall for the temptation. He often pointed to the Scriptures throughout His ministry while teaching to help us understand it more and to show us that it needs to be foundational in our lives. He built His life on God’s Word and so must we.

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (NLT). Just like Jesus used God’s Word to defeat the enemy, we can too, but we have to have it in our heart. It’s good to read God’s Word every day, but when we memorize it, something different happens. We plant it in our mind to stay. Our brain sees it as important. Studies show that we typically can only recall about 10% of what we read. That’s why reading alone isn’t enough. Memorizing Scripture isn’t just for kids. We as adults need to be doing it as well. It will take discipline and effort on your part, but the rewards outweigh that. Not only will it help you fight temptation and keep you from sinning, it will help your brain and change how you think.

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