Tag Archives: christian living

March 10, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Changing Your Destiny

I truly believe that the direction your life is going is based on the things you think about. What you choose to think about and dwell on becomes your mindset. It’s not a single thought that sets your course, but the ones you continually let rule your mind. Your mindset then becomes how you make decisions. Your decisions reveal what’s been going on inside because your decisions become your actions. Those actions then become your habits that are hard to break. Finally, your habits determine your destiny. If you want to change the trajectory of your life, you have to change what you consistently think about.

Let’s look at Psalm 23 through this lens. David reveals his thoughts in verses 1-2. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams” (NLT). He sees God as his shepherd, leader and care giver. Next he says, “He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” His mindset expects restoration from God. Verse 4 reveals his decision despite his circumstances. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” God then prepares a table for him in the presence of his enemies where his actions and habits are based on his thoughts of God and not fear. Finally his destiny is “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

Romans 8:5 says, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” Your thoughts also reveal your ruler. If your thoughts are selfish, prideful, revengeful, angry and full of worry, they’re not from the Holy Spirit. If your thoughts are true, honorable, right, pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8) your mind is controlled by the Spirit. It’s not easy to change your thought life, but it is possible through the Holy Spirit. When your thoughts don’t line up with the Bible, you must capture them and make them obedient to the Spirit (2 Corinthians 10:5). The Holy Spirit will help you make this transition so you can change to the destiny God has for you.

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March 9, 2026 · 5:10 AM

The Slow Fade

Last year I decided to change my diet. I counted the carbs, sugars and calories I was consuming every day. I kept up with what I was eating, said no to some of my favorite dishes and made tough choices. From August to December, I was vigilant about it and I lost over 20 pounds. Then when the holidays came, I gave myself room to relax and enjoy some of the foods I had skipped out on. A few days later, I went back strong, but then justified a cheat meal here and there. In my mind, I was still following the rules, but I was beginning to drift and slowly gained weight. Neglect in any area of our life, including our faith, works this way. It’s a slow process that starts with justification of a behavior. When things become optional, they become occasional. Changes start occurring in our life without us knowing until we’re far from where we want to be.

In 2 Kings 22-23, the nation of Israel had drifted from God’s Word. They had begun to allow idols in the Temple and had neglected their relationship with God until King Josiah had the Temple cleaned out. Someone found the Book of the Law and read it to him. Immediately he realized how far they had drifted from God and he tore his clothes in repentance. He called everyone to Jerusalem then verse 8 says, “The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul” (NLT). The nation had revival like never before. They tore down the shrines that caused them to drift away and neglect God. They did away with anything and anyone that stood in the way. Then they celebrated the Passover as a nation.

In Revelation 2:4-5 Jesus says, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” How far have you drifted from where you once were? What things have caused you to neglect your relationship with God? God is calling us to return from the drift. He’s calling us back to doing the daily disciplines we once were so focused on. Like King Josiah, we need to take a look at where we are versus where we should be. We must choose to make the decision to return to our first love, to return to the things that were not optional or occasional before. Revival in our life starts with a return to God’s Word. It is the cure for the slow fade of neglect.

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March 3, 2026 · 5:27 AM

From Shamed To Loved

One of the most powerful stories of giving and receiving godly love is found in John 8. The religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Her accusers pointed to the Law and said she must be stoned to death for what she did. They asked Jesus what He thought should happen to her. With stones in their hands they waited and demanded an answer as He drew in the sand. Then He said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (NLT) One by one they dropped their stones in the sand and left. Then Jesus asked her where her accusers were. She said there were none. He said that He wasn’t going to condemn her either. Then He told her to go and sin no more.

Many of us have stood where this woman stood. We hear the voices of our accuser highlighting our failures, our past and our sin as they play on repeat in our mind. We feel too ashamed to move forward because of what we’ve done. We begin to believe that we deserve the judgement and condemnation that we earned through our actions. We’re tempted to pick up the stones and condemn ourselves. However, the same act of God’s love that sent away her accusers can cut through the accusing voices in our mind and send them away too. To do that you must start giving His voice the authority to define you and your future. Remember He made you into a new creation when He forgave you. You are no longer who you were. He has cast your sin as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more so that your accuser would have no choice but to drop the stones of accusation in the sand.

God doesn’t rehearse your failures once you are forgiven. He no longer condemns you for what you’ve done. Removing the roots and voices of shame and condemnation isn’t easy. Start by receiving God’s love along with His forgiveness. His love covers a multitude of sins. Next you’ll need to start daily saying out loud who God says you are. Saturate yourself in worship, reading God’s Word and prayer each day as well. The shift from shame to love is rarely a one time decision. It’s a daily one you must make despite how shame is making you feel in the moment. You CAN break free from the voices. You DO have a future that is defined by God’s love rather than your past. You ARE who He says you are. He no longer condemns you. Leave the stones on the ground where they were dropped when Jesus forgave you. Refuse to pick them up again as you shift from shamed to loved.

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February 24, 2026 · 5:41 AM

Life Qualities

What qualities define you as a person? Have you ever thought about that? Proverbs 3:3 says, “Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart” (AMP). Mercy is listed first as a quality that should define you because it is about loving people the way God loves them. It’s showing compassion when it’s inconvenient or you don’t feel they deserve it. I believe it is the foundation for godly character in our lives. It’s something we all want given to us and we need to get better at showing it to others.

Next up is kindness in this list. Galatians 5 includes this in the Fruits of the Spirit. This type of kindness isn’t just about being nice to others. It’s about a sacrificial choice to act out of the benefit of others. Kindness seeks ways to lift burdens off of other people. It finds a way to be tender even when you have every right to be angry. Godly kindness values people and makes them feel seen. I believe it is the visible expression of mercy. Remember, Romans 2:4 even says that it’s God’s kindness that draws people to repentance. The kindness God wants to produce in our lives will point people to Him.

Finally it mentions truth. It is the consistency in your character that lives out what you say you believe. It anchors mercy and kindness to our lives. It’s the doorway to spiritual and emotional freedom. There’s a reason that the Bible wants these bound around our neck. It’s so they are visible to others in our lives. That is the outcome of writing them on our heart. Once they become part of who we are at a heart level, they will be expressed in our lives. God’s desire is that these become so ingrained in our lives that He is seen and felt by other through you. Which one of these is strongest in your life, and which do you need to be producing more of?

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February 23, 2026 · 5:44 AM

Let Go To Grow

I grew up with the mentality that if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. What a damaging way to look at things! We were not created to do everything on our own. I can tell you from personal experience that if you try to do everything yourself, you’ll burn out. Another thing is that you’ll lose clarity and start making poor decisions after a while. However, the worst thing for me is that when I try to do everything myself, I keep others from stepping into their calling. God sends us people to share the load with, but we keep denying them what God has sent them for as we wear ourselves out. Delegation is not a sin. Handing things off is not bad. When you learn to do this, you’ll start accomplishing more.

In Exodus 18, Moses’ father in law, Jethro, came to visit. Moses told him all God had done in Egypt and they celebrated. The next day from sun up to sun down Moses listened to people share their disputes with him and he made judgements for them. Jethro asked him why he was doing that by himself. Then in verse 18 he said, “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself” (NLT). He told Moses how to delegate that role. The best part is that Moses listened. He didn’t tell him that he didn’t have a right to tell him how to do things. He didn’t try to justify it, nor did he get upset. He recognized wisdom and implemented it making his life exponentially better.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” How good are you at letting things go? What has God been trying to move off of your plate? It’s been my experience when you let go of certain things, it frees you up to grow and make a greater impact. The Bible tells us to share each others burdens, to entrust work to faithful people, to pray together and to encourage and build each other up. When we try to do these things on our own, we miss so many of the blessings God has for us. Let go of the lie that you need to do everything yourself. Quit holding on to things you are supposed to let go of and open yourself up to more of what God wants to give you. It’s time to let go so you can grow.

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February 19, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Trust God Anyway

To me, one of the worst feelings in the world is the feeling of being helpless. When everything seems to be going against me and there’s nothing I can do to stop it, there’s a sense of fear and desperation. In those times, all my efforts to help myself, or to get myself out of it, are fruitless. Many times when that happens, the harder I try to get out of the situation, the worse it gets. It’s that feeling where you’re stuck in the mud and the more you push the gas, the worse you get stuck. My feelings and thoughts quickly turn negative, and if I’m not careful, those feelings and thoughts can dictate my actions. We all face times like these, even the heroes of the faith who are in the Bible.

David often found himself in desperation. You can see how his thinking affected him and his actions. In Psalm 28, he’s going through a helpless situation. In verse 1 he prays, “I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die” (NLT). At this point, he’s not even sure God is going to come help. His fear is causing him to doubt just like our fear does to us. If we trust our feelings over our faith, life can feel a roller coaster. Emotions were given to us to help us gauge a situation. They were not meant to be what we trust in. They often lie and manipulate us. We must learn to trust God over our emotions and over how they’re making us feel about our situation.

In verse 7, David moves his trust his emotions to God. He reminds himself, “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” When we switch where we place our trust, our emotions follow. We need to trust God with all of our heart instead of our emotions. He sees what you’re going through, and He will not abandon you in it. He doesn’t always remove us from the situation or give us the answer we’re hoping for. The question is, will you trust Him anyway? Will you have faith that whatever it is, He can turn it for your good? It’s not easy to do. However, where you place your trust will determine how well you come through it.

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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February 5, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Feed Your Soul

Brian Tracy, who is a leader in the field of sales, says, “Your outer world will always reflect your inner world.” He’s saying that no matter how much we try to mask what is going on inside of us, it will always find its way to the surface. It’s hard to produce positive results if you’re a mess inside. He believes you should work on your mental health first before you try to correct any outward behavior. Many people go through life trying to repair the fruit of the problem without trying to correct the root of the problem first. That’s a losing battle because the fruit will keep showing up until you deal with the root.

I believe the same thing is true of us spiritually. Many of us spend a ton of money and time addressing the physical aspect of our lives while neglecting the spiritual aspect. One of these will live forever, and one will turn back into dust. We must learn to feed our spirit by reading the Word of God, praying, going to church, having fellowship with other believers and exercising our faith. Imagine trying to run a marathon without hydrating or feeding your body. It would collapse, yet we try to do this to our soul all the time.

In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon wrote, “Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life” (TPT). How can you continue to care for the needs of others, being life for them when they need it, if you don’t take care of the well inside of you? You and I have a deep well of life giving water inside of us that God wants us to draw from so we can bless others, but we must learn to care for it and ourselves first. If you’re dry and empty inside, it’s difficult to pour out anything of substance to others. Feed your soul, then feed others.

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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February 4, 2026 · 5:49 AM

Healing And Recovery

In my men’s group, we were sharing about difficult times in our lives and how God sent someone to walk along side us through it. In one of the lowest times of my life, when I felt the most alone, God sent a couple of guys to check on me. One simply said, “I’ve never been through what you’re going through, so I don’t really know how to help. However, I know you don’t need to be alone.” The other would constantly call to check in on me. Looking back, their actions were some of the greatest gifts God could have given. They were constant reminders that God saw me, that I wasn’t fighting alone and that someone cared. Their actions made healing and recovery possible.

In Luke 10, Jesus tells the story of a man who was on his way to Jericho, when he encountered some robbers. They beat him up, stole his belongings and left him half dead. A pries was walking down the road, saw the hurting man, and chose to walk on the other side. Then a person who worked in the Temple was walking by, saw him, and also walked on the other side. It was then that a Samaritan passed by, saw him, and had compassion on him. He rendered first aid, bandaged the wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him somewhere to be cared for. He told the in. Keeper to care for him, paid him money, and said he would be back to check on him. Then Jesus told us to go and do the same.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love]” (AMP). I’m often reminded that everyone is carrying some kind of burden. You can’t always tell at first glance who are carrying the heaviest ones, but if you take the time to really look, you will see. The easy thing is to pass by on the other side of the road and simply say, “I’ll pray for you.” What they need is what they will never ask for: someone to carry the burden they’re too weak to carry. What they need is help bandaging their wounds, to be carried and cared for. They need to know you will be back and not abandon them. Being the Samaritan, who carries another’s burdens, will cost you time, effort, emotional stress, and more. When we fulfill this law of love, we bring hope, life and renewal. We restore what has been broken and give new strength and life to someone who desperately needs it, but may not know how to ask for it.

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February 3, 2026 · 5:50 AM

Paying The Cost

Years ago I was at a conference for pastors. The speakers were all famous people and well known pastors. One of the pastors spoke on the cost of the platform. He started off by recognizing how most pastors in their felt they would like to be up there or reach the tens of thousands that he and the others were reaching. He began to share hidden battles, the attacks on his family and other things he and the pastors up there all went through. It was a high price that most people aren’t willing to pay. To me it was a reminder that the bigger the dream God gives you, the bigger the problems you’re going to face. Can you hold onto your integrity through the unseen battles?

Joseph was given a dream in Genesis 37. Immediately he was attacked verbally by his family and later physically by his brothers. He was sold as a slave and was taken to Egypt. In Potophar’s house he was given authority, but didn’t have an audience. He resisted the easy temptation and was sent to prison for doing the right thing. In prison he continued to honor God despite his circumstances. Even though he had lost his position, his freedom and his reputation, he held onto his integrity. God used those hardships to prepare him for the fulfillment of the dream. It was a high cost he had to pay that others would have been unwilling to.

Proverbs 10:9 says, “The one who walks in integrity will experience a fearless confidence in life” (TPT). We’ve all heard that integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. To me, it’s also obeying when you’re not getting any visible return and can’t see the purpose behind what’s being asked of you. It’s continuing to worship while everything else seems to be falling apart. Integrity is earned in the crucible of trials. That’s where God removes things from our life that don’t belong. The greater the dream, the hotter the fire. The cost of dreams is often high, however the price always has a purpose. God used the prison to position Joseph. He’s using whatever you’re facing to get you where He needs you. Don’t give up in the hard times. I’ll leave you with Galatians 6:9 as encouragement to keep going. It says, “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in” (AMP).

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January 28, 2026 · 6:06 AM

Source Or Supplement

Is God your source or your supplement? In 1 Samuel 15 God sent King Saul to defeat the Amalekites. Instead of destroying everything the way he was supposed to, he spared the king, the best sheep, oxen and calves. When God sent Samuel to rebuke him, Saul said they spared them in order to sacrifice them to God. If you listen to Saul in this passage, he never rejects God. He believes in God, talks about God, uses the right lingo with the prophet, but only obeys selectively. It becomes clear that God is only a supplement to his life. He only does what is right in front of the prophet and only calls out to God when he needs something. Because his heart never fully committed to the Lord or His ways, he was rejected by God as king.

If you fast forward a few chapters to 23, you’ll see David, who was a man after God’s own heart. The Philistines had attacked a city and robbed them of the grain. Immediately David goes to God in prayer to find out if he should go after them. The Lord told him yes, but his men were afraid. Instead of being swayed by the opinions of others, he double checked with God. He went and fought the Philistines and rescued that city. God was not an accessory in David’s life or someone he prayed to in emergencies. David prayed, praised and sought the Lord often. He didn’t do much without inquiring of the Lord first. God was the source of his life. He wasn’t perfect and even sinned greatly. The difference in these two men was how and where they positioned God in their lives. One was rejected, the other was elevated despite his sin.

In Habakkuk 3:19 we see the prayer of another person who lived with God as their source. It says, “The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet And makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility]” (AMP). Can you see the difference between someone who God is just a supplement to their life and someone who sees Him as the source? We can’t just apply parts of the Bible and only live for the Lord when others are watching. We can’t just call on Him when we need something. He must be the most vital relationship in our life. Have you been using God as a last resort or your first? Do you speak the right words in front of the right people or live them out when no one is watching? The answer to these will tell you if He is your source or simply a supplement to your life.

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