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December 11, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Emmanuel

Around Christmas time, I remember an old song we used to sing at church by Don Moen. “Emmanuel. Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel. Emmanuel. God with us. Revealed in us. His name is Emmanuel.” Simple, yet powerful as it reminds us of God’s plan to save the world. I thought about the meaning of it the other night when we, as a family, sat down, looked at our nativity and talked through all the people in it. By doing this activity, we each gained more insight and perspective into what has become a common Christmas symbol, but is truly the greatest display of love the world has ever seen.

Since the Garden of Eden, sin had reigned on the earth. It brought death and decay with it. Man had no ability to conquer it. When God looked on our helpless estate, He didn’t condemn us to an eternity In hell. Rather, He displayed His love by sending His one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it, but that through Him the world might be saved (John 3:16-17). He became one of us in order to reach us, to break the curse of sin and to end its rule. If you remember, while He was in the tomb, He took the keys of death, hell and the grace removing its power over our lives. He ushered in a wave of grace to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.

Romans 8:3 says, “Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin” (TPT). Jesus, coming to earth as depicted in the manger scene, is God reaching out, identifying with us and ultimately sacrificing Himself so we could be together. Emmanuel is a powerful word that concisely tells the story of Christmas. You are loved immensely by your creator. He didn’t come to condemn you. He came to save you because there is no way to save yourself.

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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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December 8, 2025 · 5:30 AM

The Miracle Of Christmas

Every year as we move into the season of Christmas, I find myself thinking about the shepherds, who were in the field, and the town of Bethlehem. Shepherds didn’t command respect the way that the religious leaders did. They didn’t hold influence on others, yet God chose them to be the first ones to hear the announcement of Jesus’s birth. They were treated as significant by God even though they were lowly. They were given a front row seat to God’s greatest gift to mankind, while being overlooked by society. God chose people who felt unseen to see the newborn King. I believe God still does that today. He is drawn to those who draw near to Him regardless of position, title or social standing.

For the same reasons, I believe God chose Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf” (NLT). Bethlehem felt small and insignificant to Jerusalem, yet God chose this city whose name means “House of Bread” to give us the Bread of life. It’s the city where Ruth gleaned in the fields. It’s home to the fields where David watched his father’s sheep. It’s the place the whole world now remembers at Christmas and sings songs about. Bethlehem didn’t have a palace or even room for Mary and Joseph to give birth in. Yet God proved once again that He will miraculously encounter those who do make room for Him, even if it feels you are as insignificant as a stable.

My favorite verse in all of this is Matthew 1:23. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” God with US. God with YOU. He came into this world to be involved in your life, to reveal Himself to you and to let you know you are His greatest creation. Don’t deflect and say He’s here for others or that other people are more significant in the Kingdom than you. He will create divine encounters with anyone who makes room for Him, no matter how insignificant they feel. To me, this is the miracle of salvation that shows the heart of God who desperately wants you to know you matter to Him. That’s the miracle of Christmas.

Image by Google Gemini

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December 5, 2025 · 5:56 AM

Overflowing Joy

Joy is not just a fruit of the Spirit, it’s truly a gift from God for us. Joy is what allows us to be thankful in all circumstances. It is our strength when we’re walking through fiery trials. It isn’t dependent on our situation because it flows from our relationship with God. It’s something we must all cultivate in our lives because of how powerful it is. When we keep our eyes on Jesus and abide in Him, our joy grows. What does it look like in your life? I’ve had it sustain me in the darkest of times. In my pain, joy kept me trusting in God’s promises and helped me look past the present to God’s eternal character. It will do the same for you.

Here are some Bible verses on joy:

1. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

Psalms 4:7 NLT

2. Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!

Romans 15:13 TPT

3. I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

John 15:11 AMP

4. You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.

Psalm 16:11 GNT

5. And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

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December 3, 2025 · 5:31 AM

Combating Shame

I’ve talked with a lot of people lately who are struggling with shame and condemnation. Shame says, “You are bad because of what you’ve done.” Condemnation says, “You are guilty and should be defined by this failure.” Neither of these are from God. They are lies from the enemy to keep you from growing and guilting you into minimizing communication with God and others. These lies dig roots down into your life to make you ineffective as a Christian. Just like any lie, it must be confronted with the truth of who you are in Christ and by who God is. It’s not easy to break their power over your mind and life, but it must be done.

In Luke 15 Jesus told the story of a son who shamed his father and his family by asking for his inheritance early. When he got it, he took off to be far away from his father to waste his inheritance. About the time the money ran out, there was a famine in the land. Shame and condemnation would want to keep him there away from his father. Then it says, “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!’” (NLT) He returned with the plan to use shame and condemnation’s words, “I’m not worthy to be your son.” However when his father heard it, he called for the family ring To be put in his finger, sandals to be put on his feet and for a robe to be placed around him. The father rejected those lies and showed him that his heart is for his children.

Romans 8:1 says, “So now there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” If you are hearing the voice of those lies, know they are not from God. I love the parable of the Prodigal Son because it proves this verse. Had the son done those things? Yes, but God did not define him by those actions. Instead he reminded him and everyone else of his sonship. You are not what you have done in the past. Don’t stay in a foreign place while God is waiting for you to come home. God gives conviction to point out sin with the purpose of seeking forgiveness the way the prodigal did. He defines you as His child and is ready to restore you to where you belong. Quit listening to the lies of shame and condemnation. Speak the truth and walk in the freedom God gives.

Photo by Ali Naderi on Pexels.

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December 1, 2025 · 5:43 AM

Trust The Process

One of the lessons in life we have to learn is that everyone will go through difficult times. In Matthew 5:45 Jesus said that God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. So hard times are not just part of life, they’re part of God’s plan for you. It matters how we respond in them, how we trust in them and how we grow in them. Honestly, it’s hard to see God’s hand when we are going through a difficult time, but I’ve learned that He’s always there in them guiding me and shaping me through them. When you get further away from them and look back, it’s easier to see His hand at work during those times. That’s why how we respond in them matters.

In Genesis 37, Joseph was a young boy who did things that made his brothers hate him. Being his father’s favorite didn’t help. When God gave him dreams about his brothers bowing down to him, it set off a chain of events that saw his brothers beat him up, sell him as a slave, he was falsely accused and sent to prison where he was forgotten. He trusted God through years of difficulties knowing that somehow God would use these circumstances to fulfill the dream. It’s hard to hard to look ahead when times are hard, so Joseph simply trusted God’s plan. In one day he was freed and placed second in command of Egypt. It may have seemed like it suddenly happened, but it was years in the making as God grew and shaped Joseph. When his brothers arrived and bowed down, he didn’t gloat. Instead he forgave.

In Genesis 50:20 Joseph told them, “Even though you intended to hurt me, God intended it for good. It was his plan all along, to ensure the survival of many people” (TPT). Joseph was able to see God had caused it to rain in his life, not because he had done anything wrong, but so that others could be saved as a result of his suffering. When you look back at the hardest times of your life, what do you see God doing? I can see Him repositioning me and reshaping me. If you’re feeling forgotten right now or going through the hardest time of your life, keep trusting God’s plan. You may not get the perspective right away to see what He’s doing, but if you trust Him and the process, He will make sure that all things work together for your good and the good of others.

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November 28, 2025 · 5:40 AM

God’s Covenant With Us

One of the first things I was taught about the Bible was that the word “testament” means covenant. The Bible is divided between the old covenant and the new covenant. In the old covenant, man couldn’t keep his portion of the covenant, so God created a new one where He would do what we could not. All throughout Scripture though we read where God makes individual covenants with people as well. It’s a great reminder that God is active in our world and in our lives. Not only will He make a covenant with you, He will keep it no matter what. Even when we fail to keep our end, he will be faithful to do what He promised.

Here are some Bible verses on God’s covenants:

1. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

Ezekiel 16:60 NLT

2. When the rainbow is in the clouds and I look at it, I will [solemnly] remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

Genesis 9:16 AMP

3. Then taking the cup of wine, he gave thanks to the Father, he entered into covenant with them, saying, “This is my blood. Each of you must drink it in fulfillment of the covenant. For this is the blood that seals the new covenant. It will be poured out for many for the complete forgiveness of sins.”

Matthew 26:27-28 TPT

4. For this reason Christ is the one who arranges a new covenant, so that those who have been called by God may receive the eternal blessings that God has promised. This can be done because there has been a death which sets people free from the wrongs they did while the first covenant was in effect.

Hebrews 9:15 GNT

5. He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations.

Psalms 105:8 NKJV

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November 27, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Bible Verses On Thankfulness

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP)

We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about. (Psalm 75:1 MSG)

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! (Psalm 100:4 AMP)

At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. (Ephesians 5:20 AMP)

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG)

Sing praise to the Lord, all his faithful people! Remember what the Holy One has done, and give him thanks! (Psalms 30:4 GNB)

IT IS a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High, (Psalm 92:1 AMP)

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving.

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November 26, 2025 · 5:52 AM

Overcoming Mountains

One thing I’ve learned is that God usually calls us to things that are beyond our strength and ability. It’s not to shame us by exposing our weakness or inability, but to get us to rely on Him. What do you normally do when you face a mountain God has called you to that’s too big? Some people look at it and realize they can’t do it and quit before they ever get started. Some go at it with everything in them trying to do it in their own strength, but get burned out along the way. Others try to analyze and strategize how to accomplish it, but often get paralysis through analysis. Then there are those who trust God and get started taking it one step and one day at a time.

In Zechariah 4, the first wave of people had returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. They had started to rebuild the Temple, but it was a large task that faced opposition. The project, headed up by Zerubbabel, had stalled for about 16 years when Zechariah was given a vision of a golden lampstand that was connected to two olive trees giving it continuous oil. An angel then Zechariah “This [continuous supply of oil] is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [prince of Judah], saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit [of whom the oil is a symbol],’ says the Lord of hosts” (AMP). God was prophetically reminding Zerubbabel that it was going to be accomplished by the divine strength of the Spirit and to keep going despite the mountain of opposition.

In Zechariah 4:7 the angel continued, “What are you, O great mountain [of obstacles]? Before Zerubbabel [who will rebuild the temple] you will become a plain (insignificant)! And he will bring out the capstone [of the new temple] with loud shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”  What God calls you to will be opposed, but keep at it because God will complete what He begins. This verse shows us how people celebrated at the end of the work as an encouragement to Zerubbabel to keep at it. You and I can take courage too when we face mountains of obstacles and shortcomings. It is not by your might or power that it will be accomplished, but by the continuous flow of oil from the Lord who will empower you to complete it.

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November 25, 2025 · 5:53 AM

Pick A Side

Have you ever seen someone get called out after being caught for being deceptive or trying to play both sides? I’ve seen several videos of it and experienced it in person. Most people get quiet because they don’t know what to say once they’re exposed. Some get defensive and others try to turn it around and blame the person catching them. The truth is at some point in our life, most of us have been caught doing this. Whether we were trying to please everyone or we were just being deceptive. When I was little and my dad would question me, I would clam up knowing I’d been caught. I wasn’t sure what to say and I didn’t want to make my punishment worse.

In 1 Kings 18, Israel had been trying to play both sides. They had tried to keep the festivals of their fathers, which honored God, while also making Queen Jezebel happy by worshipping Baal. After having no rain for three years as punishment, God told Elijah to confront the king and nation. They met at the top of Mount Carmel for a showdown. Verse 21 says, “Elijah approached all the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word” (AMP). They didn’t say a word because they knew they had been caught. After the fire fell from heaven, they proclaimed, “The Lord, He is God!”

In Joshua 24:15 Joshua gave the people a choice before he passed away. He said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The same call goes out to you and me. Where have you been trying to play both sides? Have you been living one way on Sunday and then a different way the rest of the week? It’s time to quit hesitating between two opinions. If the Lord is God, serve Him every day unashamedly. Faith and culture don’t mix. It’s time to quit being silent and choose.

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November 24, 2025 · 5:49 AM

Guarding Your Birthright

Pete Rose was one of the best to ever play baseball. They nicknamed him “Charlie Hustle” because of how aggressively he played the game. Even though he retired in 1986, he still has the record for most hits of any player. He was a shoo-in for the hall of fame until 1989. He had been managing the Cincinnati Reds after he retired from baseball when he decided to not only gamble on baseball, but also on games he was managing. He was given a lifetime ban from baseball for it. He traded his place in the hall of fame for the thrill of gambling. His choices left him with a lifetime of being on the outside looking in.

In Genesis 25 we read the story of Isaac and Rebekah having twins. There was so much turmoil in the pregnancy that Rebekah asked God what was going on. He told her two nations were inside her and the older would serve the younger. That prophecy came true when Esau, the older came home from hunting one day. He was starving and his younger brother, Jacob, had made a stew. He begged his brother for a bowl, but Jacob negotiated with him. He said, “First sell me your birthright (the rights of a firstborn)” (AMP). He disregarded the blessings that came with his birthright for a moment’s satisfaction. Instead of a double portion of his inheritance he received a hard life.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].” If you and I are not careful, we can do the same thing. If we’re so focused on the temporary earthly pleasures and desires, we can forfeit eternal blessings. Just as Jacob was looking ahead, we should too. How will the decisions today affect eternity? Are we protecting the gifts that God has given us or are we trading them for convenience? What we set our mind on has a lot to do with our decisions. When you set your mind habitually on heavenly things, your decisions will be made with eternal impact in mind. Guard your birthright with every decision you make.

Photo by Ave Calvar Martinez on Pexels.

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