May 5, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Surrendering Anxiety

Did you know that just being afraid of something is not considered a phobia? The fear must altar your behavior in some way to be considered a phobia. The same is true of anxiety. Many times we may be anxious, but when it causes us to change what we’re doing, we are considered to have anxiety. It shows up in different ways. Many times, we try to altar the situation ourselves, but that can make things worse. We don’t make the best decision when we are worried. I know that for me, it causes me to run through scenarios trying to find the right way to fix it. I lose sleep and can’t concentrate on things throughout my day. In turn, it affects every area of my life until I’m so desperate that I force the issue.

You’ve no doubt heard the Psalm that tells us to be still and know that He is God. What you may not know is that the Hebrew words for be still mean to let hang down; to be relaxed, especially the hands. It can also mean to not make an effort or exertion. Meaning take your hands off the situation and let God handle it. The Passion Translation takes that into account and writes that verse this way, “Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). So many times anxiety has altered our minds to the point that we lose sight of God in our situation. God wants to remind us that He sees us, and knows what we’re going through.

It’s tough to take our hands off the situation. It’s better to ask God for wisdom in how to handle it though. Ask God to give you peace in your mind and clarity of thought as well. Surrender your anxiety to Him, recognize He is in control and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Our behavior change in a situation should not be out of anxiety, but rather out of thoughtful prayer after we’ve handed it over to God. If you want to see God in what’s going on, be still, put your hands down and relax. Breathe. Pray. Listen. Begin to thank God for all He’s done, and all He’s going to do. Your life is in His hands and He is in charge of the outcome. Trust that He will do what’s best and grow you through it. God is at work and it’s for your good.

Photo by Road Trip with Raj 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.

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May 4, 2022 · 5:52 AM

A Confident Warrior

One of the misconceptions many of us believe is that when God is with us and for us, we won’t experience bad things. It can be quite a shock when we go through a very long season of difficulties. We question our faith, we question what’s going on and we question God. Almost every time, there are no answers. I remember crying out, “God, where are you? If you’re with me, why is this happening?” I didn’t get any answers, but I did find out that God’s Grace is deeper than any trouble I went through. It was sufficient to carry me through the darkest times.

In Judges 6, Israel was constantly being attacked by the Midianites for seven years. When Israel’s crops would start to grow, the Midianites would come destroy them. They stole their livestock as well so that Israel was without food and became impoverished. Israelites lived in constant fear because of it. That’s when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and called him a mighty warrior saying God was with him. In verse 13 he replied, “‘Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites’” (NLT). He didn’t get answer, but he did get a mission to deliver Israel.

Even when we face the longest, darkest struggles, we have God’s promise to never leave us. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you” (GNT). It’s hard to be confident in those times. Gideon wasn’t, but God called out the confident warrior in him. There’s a confident warrior in you too. You are able to face any struggle, fight every battle and survive any difficult season because God is with you. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Don’t back down or lose hope now. Be determined and confident in Him. He will not fail you or go back on His promises.

Photo by Aaron Thomas on Unsplash

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May 3, 2022 · 5:48 AM

Blessing God No Matter What

Have you ever had to make a volcano for school? It’s a pretty simple project to do. I like to use a small jar and then build the volcano around it. Once you’re done with that, it’s time to create the lava. The simplest thing to do is put baking soda in the jar, add a few drops of red food coloring and then pour in some vinegar. It’s not a crazy explosion, but what’s in the jar will come out. The same is true when we go through a difficult time. What on the inside of you will come out. How do you react to difficult situations? What do you say when you’re hurting mentally, physically or emotionally?

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas cast a demon out of a girl who had taunted them for days. When the demon came out, so did her ability to tell fortunes and her ability to make money for her owners. They became angry, got some soldiers and a crowd and made accusations against Paul and Silas. Without a court hearing their case, the guards stripped them, beat them and put them in a dungeon. Their shackles were placed around their arms and legs, holding them in a painful position that prevented them from sleeping. Instead of cursing or demanding that they were innocent, they began to pray and sing praises to God. Verse 25 says the prisoners were listening intently to them when God sent an earthquake that unlocked every prisoner’s shackles.

Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (AMP). Like Paul and Silas, we have a choice to seek sympathy, to demand we were wronged, or we can bless God knowing He’s in control. Other people around us are intently listening to us and our reaction when bad things happen. How you react could set them free or keep them bound up. It’s not easy to bless and praise God in the midnight hour when you’re bound up and in pain, but it is the appropriate response as a believer. He has the power to heal you, to restore you and to vindicate you. It may not happen immediately like it did for Paul and Silas, but it will happen.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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May 2, 2022 · 5:53 AM

Having A Limp

I spend a lot of time learning about leadership because that’s one of the areas I focus on training and helping people grow in. A book I’m reading right now isn’t about leadership, but it had a quote from a minister named John Wimber. He said, “Never trust a leader without a limp.” He wasn’t referring to a physical one. There’s a place of brokenness that we must reach in wrestling with God that shows us our limitations, exposes our weakness and causes us to be humble. The opposite type leader is arrogant, sure of themselves and doesn’t rely on God to accomplish things. While they’re confident and charging forward, they may not lead you where you need to go.

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham. He had a serious sibling rivalry with his twin brother Esau, who was the first born of the two. The first born received a double portion of their father’s inheritance because they were to lead the family and care for its affairs. When Jacob stole the first born’s blessing, he ran away in fear of his life for twenty years. The night before seeing his brother for the first time since he left, he was sleeping when a heavenly being came. They wrestled until dawn and Jacob refused to let go until he had been blessed. The being touched his hip and put it out of socket. Genesis 32:31 says, “The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip” (NLT).

I want you to know it’s ok to wrestle with God over things in your life. Be like Jacob and don’t let go until you’re changed. Those wrestling matches often reveal our weaknesses and teach us to depend on God more. They can leave us humbled and broken, but not fragmented and lame. It’s a good thing to have your walk changed by God. Never be ashamed of your limp created by your brokenness through an encounter with God. People can be I pressed with your confidence and strength, but it’s through your brokenness and limp that they will connect with you. Remember that it’s in our weakness and brokenness that His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Photo by أخٌ‌في‌الله on Unsplash

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April 29, 2022 · 5:34 AM

Provision In The Desert

In the Bible the desert was used as a place for refinement, testing and growth. Matthew 4:1 tells us that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. In Exodus the glory of God led the Israelites into the desert. If you find yourself wandering through a dry season in your life, take heart. God is doing something in your life to make you more like Him or to have you learn to depend on Him more. He hasn’t abandoned you or left you there forever. Instead, just like He did for others in the desert, He makes it a place where He provides and does the miraculous.

Here are some Bible verses on God’s provision in the desert.

1. I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.

Isaiah 41:18 NLT

2. They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert. He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink.

Isaiah 48:21 NLT

3. God reveals himself when he makes the fault lines quake, shaking deserts, speaking his voice.

Psalms 29:8 TPT

4. He found him in a desert land, In the howling wasteland of a wilderness; He kept circling him, He took care of him, He protected him as the apple of His eye.

Deuteronomy 32:10 AMP

5. I took care of you in a dry, desert land.

Hosea 13:5 GNT

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April 28, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Critic’s Math

Several years ago I attended a conference for ministers. One of the speakers was Jon Acuff, and he spoke on critic’s math. The way critics math works is 1 insult + 1,000 complements = 1 insult. We can be praised by everyone for our work, but if one person didn’t like it, we allow that one negative comment to erase all the positive feedback we’ve received. It can be like we never even heard the compliments because our mind spends all its time focusing on the one negative comment rather than our feedback as a whole. Critic’s math is a dangerous thing for us to fall into.

An example is in the Book of Esther. Haman was the King’s prime minister. He had been put in such a high position, that the king declared everyone should bow to him as he passed by. Everyone bowed down except one. Mordecai refused. In the fifth chapter, Esther had prepared a banquet for he and the king. When he left, everyone bowed except Mordecai. In verses 12-13, he told his wife and friends, “What is more, Queen Esther gave a banquet for no one but the king and me, and we are invited back tomorrow. But none of this means a thing to me as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the entrance of the palace” (GNT). He allowed critic’s math to cloud his thinking, and it ultimately cost him everything.

You and I need to accept that we can’t please everyone, and that pleasing people is not our goal. Pleasing God is. Ecclesiastes 7:21 warns, “Don’t pay attention to everything people say…” When you receive negative feedback, take it constructively, but don’t give it so much weight that it distracts you from what God has called you to. What He has to say is far more important than what any person has to say. Keep focusing on what God wants to do in your life and through you, and don’t let one person’s negativity keep you from reaching your potential or from finishing your race.

Photo by Nijwam Swargiary 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.

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April 27, 2022 · 5:43 AM

Paying The Price

Several years ago my friend invited me to a dinner and auction to support a local ministry. After the dinner the auction started. I was excited because there were some great items in it. When a 9 mm Smith and Wesson came up for auction, I raised my hand at the $250 mark. I kept bidding against the other person until it got to $500. My friend asked why I quit bidding as the auctioneer said, “Going once!” I explained that i had seen that gun in the store for $500. I tnought, “Why pay more?” He gave me a disappointed look as the auctioneer said, “Going twice.” Still looking at me, he raised his hand and said, “$700!” The auctioneer said, “Sold!” I realized in that moment that i wanted the benefit of the gun without paying the cost. I had missed the point of the auction,

In 2 Samuel 24, God was mad at David and caused a plague on the land. As the angel stood over Jerusalem to destroy its people, God sent the prophet Gad to tell David to build Him an offer and to make a sacrifice on it where the angel stood. David rushed to the threshing floor of Araunah and asked to buy the property. Araunah told him to take it for free since he was the king. David refused. In verse 24 he said, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing” (NLT). David understood that in order to get the benefit of God’s blessing and a reversal of the curse, he needed to pay something.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways” (TPT). There are a lot of people who want to follow Jesus, but aren’t willing to pay the cost. They want the benefit of what He offers, but don’t want to give up their life. There’s no other way to be a true disciple and follower of Christ without taking up your cross daily, sacrificing your old way of living and surrendering to His way of life. To follow Jesus is to give up your life and way of living the same way He did.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

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April 26, 2022 · 5:40 AM

Seeking God’s Advice

Several years ago W.W.J.D. took over pop culture. If you didn’t have a bracelet, shirt or hat with it on it, you were not with it. Everyone was asking what would Jesus do to help guide them. That was great, but how often do we ask Him what we should do? I’m pretty good at asking him for direction on big decisions, but not so good at asking Him about smaller ones. Also, I tend to make my own decisions when the answer looks obvious to me, but truthfully, we should be seeking His advice and direction in all aspects of our life, even the ones that seem obvious.

In Joshua 9, the word about Israel defeating Jericho was spreading. Some kings who lived nearby knew that Israel was going to take over the whole land, so they devised a plan to trick them. They sent a group of people with dry, moldy bread, wine skins that had burst and worn out clothes to seek a peace agreement. Verse 14 says, “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord” (NLT). The answer seemed obvious so they didn’t seek God for direction. They agreed to the treaty only to find out a few days later that they lived in the Promised Land. They entered a peace treaty with someone they were told to destroy all because they relied on their own understanding instead of God’s.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make” (TPT). When we rely on our own understanding, we’re not seeing the whole picture. It may seem obvious to us, but we need to rely on God to guide us, especially in seemingly small decisions. When you make the right decisions in small things, you prevent big problems down the road. God is available to guide us in every area of our life and in every decision we make. It’s up to us to take the time to seek His advice on what we should do.

Thanks to Soroush Karimi @soroushkarimi for making this photo available freely on Unsplash

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April 25, 2022 · 6:04 AM

Too Much To Handle

I saw a lady this weekend wearing a shirt that said something to the effect of, “If God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, He must think I’m Wonder Woman.” She’s being a bit facetious, but also a bit snarky. When we’re facing circumstances that we can’t handle and it seems to be a constant barrage of things, it’s normal to wonder what God’s doing and if He even cares. It can lead us to wonder if He’s even aware of what we’re facing, what we did to make Him mad at us and what do we gotta do to get His attention to make it stop. I believe this is what this woman’s shirt was conveying and what many of us feel in similar circumstances.

Job felt this way. Yes, when he lost everything, he bowed in worship. However, the rest of the book is him trying to get God’s attention. Here’s a sample of Job speaking of his anguish in Job 30, “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look. You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me. You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm” (NLT). He didn’t understand what was going on behind the scenes. He didn’t know that God was allowing him to be tested to prove his faithfulness. Yet he spoke out wondering if God even knew what was going on. It’s the same feelings we feel in difficult times, but we must trust God’s Word over our feelings.

Psalm 31:7 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.” David made a choice to be glad and to rejoice in God’s unfailing love despite his circumstances or feelings. He understood that God is aware and active in his circumstances. He was also aware that there are things he can’t see or know, but trusted in God’s plan despite what he was facing. It’s a lesson each of us need to remember when we’re facing more than we can handle. The Bible never says that God won’t give you more than you can handle, but it does say that He sees what you’re going through, He cares about the anguish you’re feeling and that His grace will be sufficient. Trust His Word instead of your feelings and circumstances.

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

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April 22, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Honoring Everyone

The word “honor” in the Bible means respect, but also something more. It means to give weight to something or someone. We each have people in our lives whose advice carries more weight than others. That’s an example of how honor is used in Scriptures. When we honor our parents or God, we give them the kind of weight in our lives. The thing is that the Bible doesn’t just tell us to honor them only. There are lots of areas where we are to honor others. I heard someone once say, “When you show me respect (honor), I’ll show you respect (honor).” That is an unbiblical statement. We start with honoring people because we honor God who put His fingerprint on them and made them in His image.

Here are some Bible verses on honor.

1. Show respect for old people and honor them. Reverently obey me; I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:32 (GNT)

2. Show respect for all men [treat them honorably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:17 (AMP)

3. Render to all men their dues. [Pay] taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.

Romans 13:7 (AMP)

4. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Romans 12:10 (NLT)

5. And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (MSG)

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