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October 15, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Praying Continually

Do you know what the least attended event at churches is? The prayer meeting. Almost every church I know of provides a day and time to meet to pray. There’s hardly ever more than a handful of people who attend it. I grew up with a pastor who would say that prayer is the wheels of any church. If the people aren’t praying for the church, it isn’t going anywhere. Pastors also need you to pray for them. They come under attack more than just about anyone because they are the shepherd of the flock. If the shepherd is hurt or destroyed, it will affect the whole flock. So whether you attend a prayer meeting or not, be praying for your church, its ministries and its ministers.

The Early Church was built on prayer. When Jesus told the disciples to go to Jerusalem to wait on the promise, the disciples and others didn’t just sit around and wait. They began a prayer meeting that lasted ten days. It was on the day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit fell on them and for the first time, people had the Spirit of God living in them. Immediately around 3,000 people were saved and the Church grew. Even with the rapid growth, the disciples continued to give themselves to constant prayer. In Acts 6:4 they said they needed to devote themselves to prayer and teaching the Word. They understood the need for prayer in the Church and all throughout the New Testament, believers were encouraged to pray for their needs and the needs of the Church.

In Ephesians 6:18, right after Paul gives us the Armor of God, he said, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (NLT). Part of the armor is prayer. It is a covering for you and other believers. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. How often do you pray for yourself, your family, your church or your leaders? If you haven’t gotten in the habit of it yet, start today. Take time to call out their names before God and ask Him to cover them with His protection, to guide them with His Spirit and to bless the work of their hands. We all need prayer, and we need to be in prayer. Whether you have the gift of intercession or not, you are still called to pray at all times and on all occasions for all believers.

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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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October 14, 2026 · 5:46 AM

The Shield Of Faith

Shields are one of the oldest defensive tools ever created. Historically they’ve come in different shapes and sizes to help protect the person under attack. The most impressive shield I’ve seen is the Iron Dome. It covers the entire country of Israel. When a rocket is fired towards Israel, it activates and sends interceptor missiles at the incoming ones with over a 90% success rate. In 2024, one of Israel’s enemies tried to overwhelm the Iron Dome by sending more than 150 missiles at one time. The shield protected Israel from 99% of them. Like most shields, it protected against casualty and infrastructure attacks. It’s no wonder that Paul wrote that we should take up the Shield of Faith.

In 1 Samuel 30, David and his men were sent away from the battle they had agreed to fight in. He had been living in Philistine while running from King Saul and was prepared to fight with them. Upon returning home to the city of Ziklag, David found that they had been attacked while they were at the battle front. They city had been burned down, their families had been taken and the men were about to stone David. Instead of crumbling under the pressure from the attack on all sides, verse 6 says, “But David found strength in the LORD his God” (NLT). David raised up his Shield of Faith in defense to an attack from all sides and put his trust in God rather than his own ability to stand. He chose to trust God’s character over what he felt in the crisis.

Ephesians 6:16 says, “In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Like David, there are times when we are being attacked on all sides and it catches us off guard. In those moments, we need to lift up the Shield of Faith and find our strength in the Lord. We don’t just have to absorb the hits though. Like the Iron Dome, our shield can intercept attacks before they hit us. We can’t afford to walk through life unprotected. A good habit to get into is to physically go through the motions of putting on each piece of God’s armor. After that, pray that God would lift up the Shield of Faith over you so the fiery attacks of the enemy won’t land or cause damage in your life. We can trust God’s character, promises and faithfulness no matter what comes our way.

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October 13, 2026 · 6:05 AM

The Shoes Of The Gospel

We used to play tug of war in school pretty often. Sometimes the PE teacher would pit us against each other one on one and others group vs group. I learned early on that tug of war was as much or more about footing as it was strength. In one of my one on one battles the other kid taught me that lesson. While we were pulling against each other and there was tension in the rope, he let go for a split second. The immediate release of tension caused me to lose my footing. He then grabbed the rope and easily pulled me to his side. He had dug in with his feet and only released the rope. Without sure footing, I didn’t stand a chance of winning.

In Daniel 3, the Hebrews had been taken to Babylon in captivity. The culture of Babylon was very pagan and immediately created tension for the Israelites. One of the tug of war battles that ensued was King Nebuchadnezzar set up a gold statue and told everyone that they had to bow down to it when they heard music. Anyone who refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. There were three Hebrew men who refused to bow to any other god, but God. When they were confronted, they dug their feet in and stood their ground. The king was so angry that he increased the heat of the fire seven times hotter to put them in it. However, we he looked, they were walking around unbound with a fourth. The king called them out and made a new declaration to protect their ability worship God.

Ephesians 6:14-15 says, “So stand firm and hold your ground,… HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart), and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]” (AMP). We are living in a similar tension today in how the culture around us is trying to pull us away from our beliefs, values and how God said we should live. In order to stand, we must get firm footing by knowing what God says and standing firm on it. Our enemy has been twisting it since the Garden of Eden in order to get us to lose our footing. We need to be ready and able to stand for God in a world that bows to convenience over conviction. We dig our feet in through trusting God and His Word no matter the consequences. We must be wearing the shoes of the Gospel of Peace as we walk through this world.

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October 8, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Being Permeated By God’s Word

One of the artisan things that has been mostly lost is the art of making bread. It’s so easy to go to the store to buy a loaf that few of us have time to make it unless we have specific dietary needs. My father in law though still makes tortillas. While it’s not a loaf of bread, the process is similar. He always heats water on the stovetop while he mixes the dry ingredients. He then adds a little water at a time until the mixture is just right. He then separates it out into smaller balls of dough, then he takes a wet paper towel, covers them and waits. He gives the yeast time to activate and interact with the dough. Once it has permeated the whole ball of dough, it’s time to roll them out and cook them. It’s a process that can’t be rushed or you change the end result.

Meditating on God’s Word is a lot like that process. We have to take the water of God’s Word and add it to the dry mixture of our lives. It then has to be kneaded into every area so that the dryness is gone. This means that we can’t just read the Bible for the sake of reading it. We must look at it and consider how we apply it and live it out. After that, it’s time to stop and think about it on a deeper level. What is the context? Why did God put this in the Bible? What all is He trying to say? You then look at it from the angle of every person in that passage thinking about its implications to them. By asking these questions and really chewing on the verse or passage before applying it, you allow it to permeate your entire being and gain deeper understanding of it. Then, when you’re crushed or walk through fiery trials and the heat of life is applied, you will produce the life you’re called to live.

In Matthew 13:33 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and worked into three measures of flour until all of it was leavened” (AMP). Each of our lives must allow the Word of God to be worked into our lives through meditating on it. There are promises of being successful if we do (Joshua 1:8) as well as having a life that produces fruit in every season of life (Psalm 1:2-3). We are also told in James 1:22 not just to be hearers of God’s Word, but to also be doers of it. To do that, we must pray for insight and direction as we read, then spend time asking the question and meditating on it. God’s Word, like yeast, is alive and active and is wanting to permeate every area of our life if we will slow down the process and allow it to do its work. Don’t read it to check off a Christian box. Read it to transform your life, to guide you and to lead you into His promises.

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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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October 7, 2026 · 6:07 AM

Identity Under Pressure

When a country, corporation or group wants to change what people believe, they don’t start by attacking what they believe. They start by chipping away at a person’s identity. They challenge their habits, assumptions and patterns that a person finds their identity in. People then begin to internalize the new system, culture or belief system without feeling like they’ve made a conscious choice to leave their belief system behind. The education system, news, entertainment, pop culture, medical systems and local governments create a pipeline that slow,y erode the beliefs someone held tightly and flip them to the point that others who hold beliefs that they once held are seen as archaic and less enlightened. A person rarely gives up their long held beliefs on a moment. They fall prey to a system that has been used for thousands of years to get them to make small compromises.

In Daniel 1, King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonia empire besieged Jerusalem and defeated the Israelites. They captured people, especially people of influence and of the noble family, and took them back to Babylon. Verse 4 says, “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men, Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon” (NLT). The king was taking people that not only were physically attractive, but also educated in order to indoctrinate them in order to get the Israelites to assimilate into the Babylonian way of life, leave their faith and adopt the king as their authority rather than God. It’s the same practice used today to get Christians to change what they believe, question the Bible and adopt the culture of the world.

However, Daniel understood what was happening and we can learn from how he stood firm in a culture and system that was designed to get him to abandon his beliefs. Verse 8 says, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.” Daniel defeated Babylon’s system by first determining who had the real authority over his life, who he trusted with decisions and who he found his identity in. He guarded his daily habits, limited what the new system could change, stayed grounded in his daily spiritual disciplines and drew lines in the sand that he wouldn’t cross. Like Daniel, we must regard what God says above all else and not allow a culture that does not know Him to tell us who He is. We must stay in communication with Him through prayer, read His Word to us daily and renew our mind through the Spirit. Daily obedience is how you stand firm when your identity is under pressure.

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October 6, 2026 · 5:41 AM

Vertical Value

When I was a kid I heard the parable of the rich rancher. He had started with nothing, but worked hard, bought land and became the richest person around. He had so many acres and livestock that there wasn’t very much that he didn’t own in the county. One day a childhood friend came to visit the rancher. He was excited to show off how much he had acquired and built through the years. They drove all through the land, past fences and through gates stopping along the way. When they got back to the ranch house, the rancher bragged to his friend, “Look around. I own everything you see!” Just then the setting sun caught the friend’s eye. He said, “Do you own that too?” In that moment, the rancher gazed upward and realized that he had built a life on basing his value horizontally comparing himself with others rather than vertically finding his worth in God.

In 1 Samuel 17 David faced Goliath. All the descriptions of Goliath show that Israel measured his worth by his height, his armor and his fighting record. When they compared theirselves to him, they ran in fear. However, when David arrived, he knew who he was in God’s eyes. He didn’t measure his worth in being a shepherd or the youngest in his family, so he was t afraid of Goliath. In fact, he got a righteous anger in him at Goliath for defying God and his fellow countrymen for being afraid and doing nothing. His own brothers taunted him because of his age, his occupation and his inexperience, but David wasn’t phased. He spoke to Goliath, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (NLT). He didn’t compare himself to Goliath, but rather he compared Goliath to God and understood victory was coming.

In Galatians 6:4 Paul reminds us to not fall into the same trap of comparison that so many have fallen into. He wrote, “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” When God created you, He had very specific things in. Ind for you to do. You don’t need to compare your calling and work with others. Are you being faithful where God has planted you and doing what He’s asked of you? If so, you are being successful in God’s eyes. Quit trying to prove yourself to others, gain their approval and comparing what God asked you to do with what He’s called them to do. When you’ve shown faithfulness in the little things, He will give you more. The next time the sun catches your eye, let it remind you to look upwards rather than at others.

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October 2, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Strength To Stand

When things start to go wrong, what do you do? I usually start bracing myself and start taking a defensive posture. When I do that, my plan is to face the situation in my own strength even though I’ve found out several times that I’m not strong enough. What I need to do is to seek God’s strength. His strength is made perfect when our weakness is exposed and proves not to be enough. His strength will help us in the battle to stand our ground after we’ve been through it all. Physical strength isn’t enough when you’re fighting spiritual battles. You need God to strengthen you. So if you’re facing something right now and your strength is failing, ask God to give you His strength to still be standing when you’ve made it through.

Here are some Bible verses on receiving God’s strength:

1. We pray that you may be] strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy.

Colossians 1:11 AMP

2. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

3. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be].

1 Peter 5:10 AMP

4. Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

5. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and encouragement and the good [well-founded] hope [of salvation] by His grace, comfort and encourage and strengthen your hearts [keeping them steadfast and on course] in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 AMP

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October 1, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Complete Faith

I grew up hearing the stories of George Mueller. He was a man of faith who lived in the early 1800’s and cared for over 10,000 orphans in his lifetime. One morning the head mistress of the 300 children in the orphanage told him that the kids were dressed for school, but they didn’t have anything for breakfast or any money to purchase it. George told the kids to sit at the tables and they put out their place settings. He then thanked the Lord for providing food. Just then the local baker knocked on the door. He said he couldn’t sleep and thought the kids could use some bread. He baked all night and brought it to them. As soon as he left, there was another knock at the door. A milkman said his cart broke down just outside and he needed to get rid of the milk before it went bad. George kept a prayer journal and in it had over 50,000 times when God answered his prayers.

In Joshua 3, the Israelites had left the desert and were ready to enter the Promised Land. After a three day fast, the people consecrated themselves before entering. While Joshua was praying, God said, “Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there’” (NLT). In order for them to be able cross the Jordan, they had to step into the mud and the water. When the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, stepped into the water, God then stopped the river so they could pass through on dry ground. When everyone had crossed, the priests stepped out of the middle of the river and it began to flow again.

James 2 tells us how our faith and actions are interlinked. He used Abraham putting Isaac on the altar trusting God to provide as an example. In verse 22 it says, “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” In almost every example I can find, people acted in faith before God answered their prayer. Not only did they ask God to provide or to help, they sat the kids down to eat, they stepped into a raging river and they tied up their son and raised the knife. Faith and action are interlinked. What is the step of faith God wants for from you for the prayers you’re asking Him for to be answered? Don’t just pray and believe. Act! Let your actions make your faith complete.

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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.g

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September 30, 2026 · 5:57 AM

Speaking With Salt

Have you ever ordered food at a restaurant, tasted it, and found it was too salty? What about a plate of food that lacked salt? Which did you send back? The one that had too much salt. Why? Because you can add salt to unflavored food, but when there’s too much salt, you can’t take it out and the food is inedible. It’s the same way when we’re speaking with one another, especially those we disagree with. I’ve seen some ugly words in posts from people who disagree politically, religiously and even with sports teams. When there’s too much salt, the other side sends it back. They don’t listen, but instead reject it. There’s no problem with disagreeing, but the amount of seasoning you use in your words determines if it makes them thirsty for more or if they return it.

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. Verse 2 says, “So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed” (NIV). They couldn’t, so they kept asking him to tell them his dream and they would interpret it. Their exchange went on and got so heated that he decided to have all of them in his kingdom put to death. When they came for Daniel, he asked why there was such a harsh decree. Verse 14 says Daniel spoke with wisdom and tact, and he was taken to the king to ask for some time to interpret the dream. He went to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to ask for prayer that God would reveal the dream to him. When God did, he went back to the king to tell him the dream and interpret it. How he spoke to the king made all the difference and he saved the lives of many people.

Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Outsiders here refers to people outside of the faith in Jesus. It also says we should make the most of these opportunities when we talk to them. We should use wisdom and tact in our words the way Daniel did. While the other people attacked the king for what he was asking, Daniel used grace and speech that was seasoned with just enough salt to reach the king and to get him to listen. Let the Holy Spirit guide your conversations with people of different faiths or of no faith at all. He will help you to speak with salt so that others will be drawn to what you say instead of rejecting it.

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September 28, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Guarding The Truth

If a stranger walked up to you, showed you a briefcase with $100,000 in it, asked you to watch it for a few minutes and walked away, how would you guard it? In 2012 Ally Bank set up hidden cameras and did just that. People were nervous holding that big of a deposit. Some double checked the money was real. One guy set the briefcase down beside him, but was so nervous, he put his leg over it to protect it. Ally Bank said that of all the people they handed the briefcase to, none of them took the money. Every one of them guarded it. No one really challenged them and they thought no one was watching them so it wasn’t hard to guard. We would probably do the same, yet do we guard the truth and gifts God has deposited in our lives?

In 1 Kings 22 kings Jehoshaphat of Judah and Ahab of Israel were about to go to war with Aram to take back one of their cities. King Ahab summoned a bunch of prophets to ask if he should go to war. They all told him yes and that they would be victorious. Then King Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of the Lord. Ahab told him of one, but said he never prophesied anything good. They requested him and he mocked the other prophets and said the same thing, but the king demanded the truth. The prophet told him he was going to die in battle and that he was being deceived to go into battle. The king and other prophets got mad at him for speaking the truth. The king even put him in jail over it until he returned. The prophet didn’t change the truth because of the circumstances. Instead, he doubled down on the truth God had spoken to him. King Ahab died in battle just as the prophet said.

2 Timothy 1:14 says, “Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you” (NLT). God has entrusted each one of us with the truth of His Word and with spiritual gifts. Are you just sitting on them or burying them in the ground? Do you compromise them when it conflicts with culture or the expectations of others? Or do you stand firm on them the way the prophet did no matter what the outcome? We have the ability through the Holy Spirit to guard the precious deposits God makes in our lives. The more we value it the more intensely we will guard it. Don’t neglect God’s gifts, His promises or the Truth that He has entrusted to you.

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