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July 22, 2024 · 5:37 AM

Acts Of Bravery

On May 5, 1945, Desmond Doss acted with courage and bravery atop Hacksaw Ridge. He was a US medic at the Battle of Okinawa. The US military were trying to take the top of Hacksaw Ridge from the Japanese. After some fierce fighting, the Japanese laid in wait until all of the American climbed a high cliff before they ambushed them. Many soldiers were wounded and killed in the onslaught. The US military leaders called retreat, but Desmond couldn’t leave the wounded up there alone. In an act of bravery and heroism, he stayed atop the ridge and rescued men, one by one. He treated them and then lowered them down the cliff all night long while under the threat of being attacked and killed. He saved 75 men that day because through an incredible act of bravery and determination to not leave them in the hands of the enemy.

In 1 Samuel 17, we read that the Philistines had encamped on Israel’s land. Their champion was a giant who came out and defied the armies of Israel, challenging them to fight him. Each man, including the king, was afraid of him. For forty days this giant terrorized the army causing them to panic and run away from the battle. That’s when young David arrived at the battlefield. He saw the same giant and heard the same threats, but instead of being afraid, something rose within him. In an act of bravery, he went out to face the giant alone without a sword or armor. His faith was his courage, his trust in God gave him bravery to stand up to the threats and taunts of the enemy. On that day, the enemy was defeated by a boy who had trusted in God and was brave enough to stand up to the giant of an enemy.

Philippians 1:28 says, “Don’t be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory” (GNT). I don’t know what enemy you’re facing today or where it’s standing in your way, but God has called you to possess the land and advance. There are souls to be won. Just like God told Joshua, He’s telling you to be brave and courageous. God gives us the victory when we stand up to the enemy who roams around like a roaring lion. It’s not an easy thing to do, and often it feels like you’re alone, but God is with you. It’s time to quit being afraid of the enemy’s taunts and lies. It’s time to challenge him the way David did Goliath. Be brave and courageous. Let today be the end of the giant standing on your territory.

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July 19, 2024 · 5:32 AM

Learning To Submit

We’ve relegated the word “submit” to a seldom used word and have lost its true meaning over time. It actually means to yield in surrender to something. We don’t really like to yield or surrender our position. Just watch the next time a lane closes on a road. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah follows what God told him to do and finds Elisha. He puts his cloak around him asking him to be his student. Elisha then takes the yoke from his oxen, burns it and butchers the oxen to cook on the fire. He then followed Elijah and served him. By burning the yoke and eating the oxen, he was submitting to God’s plan and burning the bridge to his old life. By accepting the cloak, he was submitting to Elijah. Submitting is hard, but a necessary discipline in Christianity. It’s something God requires of each of us as we become disciples.

Here are some Bible verses on submitting.

1. In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5 GNT

2. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

3. And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT

4. You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Hebrews 12:7 AMP

5. So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you.

James 4:7 GNT

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July 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

We Need To Worship

In Job 1. we read one of the most devastating stories a person could ever go through. In one day, Job lost all his possessions, his servants, his shepherds, his livestock and his children. One bad report came right after the other. In under a minute, he had lost everything. His knees buckled and he fell under the weight of everything. Verse 20 says. “Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship” (NLT). I imagine him face down with his hands raised up in surrender. He didn’t understand why everything was happening, but he did understand that God would care for him. The final verse in the first chapter says he didn’t sin by blaming God.

Every one of us are going to experience hardship that we don’t understand. Every one of us are going to unexpectedly lose things and people that we love with no answer as to why. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 that God causes the sun to shine on the just and the unjust just like He causes it to rain on both. We are not exempt from pain, disappointment or loss. Instead, we have an anchor to hold on to when all seems lost. We have hope that others do not have. We can still worship in the middle of a storm we don’t understand. We can still trust God’s plan when our plans are torn from us. We can still look ahead when we’re too weak to move.

Hebrews 12:12-13 says, “So be made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your tired hands in prayer and worship. And strengthen your weak knees, for as you keep walking forward on God’s paths all your stumbling ways will be healed!” (TPT) When we are at our lowest, we need to worship. When we are out of options, we need to worship. When all seems lost, we need to worship. When we are too tired and feel like giving up, we need to worship. Worship regains our perspective. Worship renews our strength. Worship gives us hope. Worship keeps us moving forward when we can’t see the path. We don’t have to understand what God is doing, or even why. Like Job, we have to trust that He sees the bigger picture and knows what He’s doing. When nothing makes sense and you can’t do anything else, worship. He inhabits the praises of His people. He will not abandon you in your greatest time of need.

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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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July 12, 2024 · 5:30 AM

God’s Promises

When I graduated high school, someone gifted me a book of God’s promises. That boom helped me to fall in love with the Bible. I began to dig through God’s Word looking for treasure rather than just reading it as a chore. I’ve found that God has given us precious promises to hold onto when we need hope, strength or courage. When everything else fades away, God’s Word will remain. That means His promises to you and me are good for eternity. Take time to read through these today. They are a list of some of my favorite promises that I hold onto. Which promise in God’s Word is your favorite? It doesn’t have to be in this list.

Here are some of God’s promises.

1. But those who wait for the Lord who expect, look for, and hope in Him shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Isaiah 40:31 AMP

2. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. GOD ’s Decree. I’ll turn things around for you… You can count on it.

Jeremiah 29:12-14 MSG

3. Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 GNT

4. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT

5. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 NLT

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July 11, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Seeking God’s Face

One of the things I enjoy doing is going to sports shows to get autographs. There are tables set up all over the place with autographs from just about any athlete on just about anything. It’s cool to look at those and remember those players, but I rarely buy anything on that side of the building. On the other side is a series of tables with athletes sitting at them signing autographs. You have to get tickets months in advance if you’re going to meet the person and get their autograph. For me, that’s the way to go. I love being able to say, “I met Clyde Drexler,” or “I met Craig Biggio and got him to sign this right after he got into the Hall of Fame.” I want to be present and meet the people who’s autographs I have.

The same thing goes when it comes to God’s presence. I love hearing stories of revivals in the past and the miraculous things that happened. I love conversing with people about what God showed them in prayer, but to me, it’s like window shopping at the sports show. I don’t just want to hear about someone else’s experience, I want to meet with God and be in His presence too. There’s a fear many people have of being in God’s presence I think. It’s like the Israelites when they left Egypt. God invited them into His presence, but they sent Moses instead. You and I can’t live or fully grow off of someone else’s experiences. We must learn to get into God’s presence ourselves.

Psalm 27:8 says, “When You said, ‘Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O LORD, I will seek [on the authority of Your word]’” (AMP). God is asking us to seek His presence individually. There’s a cost associated with that. It’s going to cost you time that you could be doing something else. God wants to be first in our lives and to be our greatest need. Until each of us are willing to make Him our greatest need and are willing to pay the price, we’ll be window shopping off of other people’s experiences. Find time today to seek God. Put on some worship music, read your Bible, pray and listen. He’ll meet you there because if you seek, you will find.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko.

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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July 10, 2024 · 5:34 AM

Revealing Everything

Is there anyone who knows everything about you? I mean EVERYTHING. I’m talking about your deepest, darkest secrets. These are the things you don’t let anyone know. Almost everyone has a face they put forward of what they want everyone else to see while hiding something from their past, a personality flaw or fear. We think that if they knew this about us they wouldn’t love us or like us so we keep it hidden. We all have a varying degree of how much of an open book we are. Some of it is based on who we are and some of it is controlled by fear. I once sat down with my wife to share things that were hidden even from her. The fear kept telling me if I tell her these things I’ve hidden she would divorce me. Yet afterwards, she loved me anyway and our love deepened because the barrier I had placed was removed.

In John 4, the disciples left Jesus sitting by a well while they went to buy food. A Samaritan woman came out to draw water from the well during that time. Jesus asked her for a drink. She was shocked that a Jew asked her for water and they began talking. Jesus began drawing her in with His questions and answers. He then revealed to her that He knew about her previous husbands, divorces and that she was living with a man whom she wasn’t married to. He then revealed that He was the Messiah. Verse 29 says she ran back into her village saying, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” (NLY) Even though He knew her deepest, darkest secrets, He still loved her and her whole village came out to meet Him.

Psalm 139:1 says, “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.” Think about that. He knows everything there is to know about you. Even the things you’ve hidden from everyone else, and He still loves you. He still died for you. He still desires to have a growing relationship with you. Romans 8:15 says, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’” You don’t have to be afraid to confess everything to Him. He knows already and still offers you the living waters. He has adopted you as His child. Just like in my case, the more you confess, the more of the barriers in your relationship with Him, that you have placed there, get removed. Take some private time today to tell Him everything and draw closer to Him.

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July 9, 2024 · 5:45 AM

Following Through

I’ve seen people go to social media to seek advice. They get a ton of comments and very few are the same. It’s one thing to go there for advice on what color to paint something and another thing to ask for life advice. I have a couple of people I’ll go to for that. These are people I trust to speak the truth and whose advice will line up with Scripture. Getting advice is only half of the solution. Following the advice and putting it into action is the other half. Sometimes it’s not easy to follow the advice of a trusted advisor. They can only advise. It’s up to me to enact. This is where a lot of people struggle. They’re good at getting advice, but putting it into action and following through when faced with consequences of change keep them where they are.

In the book of Esther, we find out that her parents died when she was young and she was raised by her cousin Mordecai. As she was going through the king’s beautification process, she kept seeking the advice of Mordecai who advised her not to reveal she was a Jew. Esther 2:20 says, “Esther had not revealed her family or her people [that is, her Jewish background], just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did what Mordecai told her just as when she was under his care” (AMP) Later on she sought the advice of her handler on what she should take before the king when he selected her. Then when Haman threatened to kill the Jews, Esther took the advice of Mordecai again in order to save her people even though it could mean she would be put to death. She followed through with the advice of her trusted advisor and saved a nation.

Proverbs 20:18 says, “Get good advice and you will succeed; don’t go charging into battle without a plan” (GNT). Who are your trusted advisors? Who gives you godly advise that will help you succeed? Don’t fall in the trap of paralysis through analysis where you either get too much advice or you over analyze the advice you’ve been given. It wasn’t easy for Esther to take Mordecai’s advice to go before the king, but victory was won because she did. Your victory is on the other side of following God’s instructions for your life. It’s not always easy following His plan or even knowing it. That’s why you need someone who knows Him and His Word to be a trusted advisor in your life that will also hold you accountable to following through with the plan.

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July 5, 2024 · 5:35 AM

Where You Belong

During the story of creation, after God created each thing, it says that He looked at it and it was good. However, when He looked at man, He said it wasn’t good that he was alone. That’s when He created Eve. From the get go you and I were created for community. We were created to belong. Our enemy likes to separate us and make us feel like we’re alone and that we don’t belong anywhere or with anyone. He wants us to feel abandoned even by God, but that’s a lie. You belong to Him and with Him. You are His! It’s no wonder the Bible tells us this truth and that God has adopted us as His children (Romans 8:15). You have a place and you have a family where you belong. Quiet listening to and believing the lie that you are alone and that God doesn’t see you. You are His.

Here are some Bible verses that show you belong to God.

1. But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.

1 John 4:4 GNT

2. But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.

1 Peter 2:9 TPT

3. Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock.

Psalm 100:3 GNT

4. See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

1 John 3:1 NLT

5. He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

2 Timothy 1:9 GNT

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July 4, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Living In Freedom

I once heard the story that some scientists did an experiment with some fish. They took a predator fish and its prey and put them in the same tank. The predator ate the prey. The scientist then placed a piece of glass in the middle dividing the aquarium. They placed the prey on the other side of the glass. They predator repeatedly attacked, but kept hitting the glass. Each day it tried fewer and fewer times to go after the prey. When it quit trying, they removed the glass. They prey fish swam all over, but the predator never went after them. Whether the study is true or not, I don’t know, but the conditions of the mind is true.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (NLT). You and I are raised and live in a society that lives in opposition to God’s way of living. Our minds are like the predator fish. We’ve been conditioned with the mindset of this world and its values. We are in need of transformation and renewal of our minds so that we can live the way God called us to live, which starts by changing how we think. Our thoughts direct our behavior, as referenced by the predator. God wants to continually transform us through our mindset.

1 Corinthians 7:23 says, “Since a great price was paid for your redemption, stop having the mind-set of a slave” (TPT). Once we receive Christ, we are set free from being slaves to sin and our fallen way of thinking and living. Even though we are free, we will have to continually fight against the glass in the tank mentality. That’s why we need God to renew our minds and our way of thinking. We often fall short of who He created us to be because we live with our old mindset. Pray today that God would transform your mind and way of thinking so that you can live the life you were created to live. Remember Galatians 5:1: “Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again” (GNT).

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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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July 3, 2024 · 5:36 AM

The Qualities Of Salt

Most of us only use salt for a couple of things like seasoning our food. Did you know it has over 14,000 uses? It’s used in the manufacturing of computers, shoes and clothes. In the time of Christ, it was used as currency for the Roman soldiers. The word soldier comes from the Latin “sal dare” which means “to give salt to”. Your salary is derived from it to. When Jesus talked about sitting at the head of the table, he was referring to your position at the table in relation to the salt. It’s important that we understand the importance of salt, because it’s referred to in many ways in Scripture, and we typically only apply one or two uses to it. We can miss a lot of context that way.

In Matthew 5, Jesus was giving what we refer to as the “Sermon on the Mount”. In verse 13 He said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless” (NLT). You are the salt of the earth. You are valuable and should add value to the conversations you’re having. You bring the flavors of God to the people around you. If you’re not, your salt doesn’t have flavor and loses its value. Salt was mined in those days instead of being manufactured. It could have other minerals or impurities that caused it to lose its flavor or not have any. The same can be true of sin and how we live out our faith. Does your life make people want to know Jesus?

In Mark 9:50 Jesus used salt in reference to us again. He said, “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” You must have the qualities of salt in your life and in the right balance. When you do, there are thousands of ways God can use you. He wants this world to know Him, and we are the main conduit for that. He wants us to preserve the peace between ourselves. He wants to create things through us too, but we have to make sure the impurities in our lives aren’t preventing us from those uses. Let us lay aside those impurities that hold us back, as Hebrews 12 tell us, and live out the qualities God lays out for us in His Word.

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