Tag Archives: christian living

September 1, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Trusting God’s Strategy

Several years ago I was a sales manager. There was another salesman in our district that had similar numbers to my team, but his checks were double. I set up a meeting and asked the secret, and he told me. In our weekly meeting I shared the secret. One rep jumped up, told the team I was a liar and to not listen to me. He couldn’t see how changing the mix of what he was selling could double his check without increasing the volume. Another rep said he would do it. I explained he would have to trust me for 8 weeks before he saw his commission check. He agreed to follow the formula. Eight weeks later, he brought his paycheck stub to the meeting. It was double. After that, the rest believed.

In Joshua 6, God gave Joshua a strange strategy to defeat Jericho. Instead of building a siege ramp to get past their walls, God told them to march around the city in silence for seven days and when they shouted on the seventh day, the walls would fall. Jericho residents mocked them and laughed at what they were doing. Every other successful battle against a walled city had followed the pattern of using siege ramps. They knew what needed to be done, but God was asking for obedience over understanding. The Israelites had to walk in silence each day trusting God’s strategy while nothing was changing. After seven days of obedience without a change to Jericho’s walls, they shouted anyway and God took down the walls. Their obedience had won the victory and not their own strength or strategy.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (NLT). Throughout the Bible and today, God asks us to follow His strategy over our strength. Can you continue to follow what He asked over a long period of time even when nothing has changed? Can you sustain your obedience even when it doesn’t make sense? Obedience isn’t just the path to God’s promises, it proves it was God who delivered the victory and not ourselves. Have patient endurance and continue to do God’s will even when it doesn’t make sense and nothing is changing. Then you will experience all that He promised.

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August 20, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Preparing For Blessings

Growing up in sports and then working in sales caused me to hear a lot of motivational sayings. One of them that I remember is from UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He said, “When opportunity knocks, It’s too late to prepare.” If you’re out of a job, you prepare for the next one by having a resume ready. In football, teams practice a two minute drill in case they’re down and need to score in the last two minutes. Preparation helps you be ready to capitalize on the opportunity that’s at hand. We all pray for once in a lifetime opportunities, but how many of us put in the work of preparation for such? If we haven’t prepared, we could miss out on the blessings God is trying to give us.

In 2 Kings 3, the two kings of Israel and the king of Edom were headed to teach the king of Moab a lesson. He had quit paying tribute to keep the peace. They decided to do a sneak attack so they took the long way went through the wilderness where there wasn’t any water. After seven days, the men and animals were parched and morale was down. They called for the prophet Elisha to help. He told them that the valley was going to be filled with water in the morning, and that they wouldn’t hear wind or rain. They needed to dig as many holes as possible to catch the water. Even though the army was exhausted, they dug the holes. The next morning they were filled with water as the prophet said. They had plenty for themselves and their animals to be victorious in the battle the next day.

Proverbs 24:27 says, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house” (NLT). There are things we must do first in preparation for long term blessings. The ways we prepare differ according to the blessings we’re praying for. If you’re praying for a spouse, do everything you can to prepare to be the best spouse yourself. If you’re praying for financial blessings, then prepare by learning wealth management. No matter what blessing you’re asking God for, there are steps you need to be taking now in order to receive it. Otherwise you may squander what God gives you or miss out on it completely. What holes do you need to be digging in order to contain what God is going to pour out? His blessings may fall suddenly without any warning so you need to be prepared. Even though you may be exhausted and tired, you need to step out in faith and dig. The amount of blessings you will be able to retain are directly proportionate to the amount of preparation you do.

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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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August 19, 2026 · 6:05 AM

Step Into The Water

I was recently sharing with some young adults at church about finding their purpose and living it out. When I asked about questions, one of them raised their hand. She said, “Why doesn’t God just tell me everything up front? It would be easier to live out my purpose if He did. I’ve just been waiting on Him to reveal it to me before I do anything.” She put words to what happens to so many of us. We’re sitting around waiting on God while life passes us by. I reminded her of Abraham and how God told him to go to a land that would be shown to him. It’s hard for God to direct our steps when we’re standing still.

In Joshua 3, the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan when God told them something interesting in verse 8. He 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). That’s always been interesting to me. The priests had to step into the river before the waters would part. When the arrived, the river was in flood season and overflowing its banks. I’m sure it was scary to step out into it. However, if they wanted to gain access to the Promised Land, they were going to have to get into the water before God intervened.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” How can God direct, guide and move you into the right direction if you’re standing still? You need to start walking towards something so He can direct your steps. You’re going to have to step into some flood waters that stand between you and where He’s leading you to. If you know every step, purpose and plan, that’s not faith. Faith is trusting in what isn’t seen or known and believing that God will step in and part the waters after you’re waist deep in a raging river. Faith is stepping out when you’re not sure of the outcome. God delights in the details of your life and has a plan for you, but you’re going to have to step into some water sooner or later to get to His promises.

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August 13, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Leading With Heart

I read article once where psychologists divide people into two categories. One where people lead with their brain and the other who lead with their heart. Neither side is wrong. It just shows how we process information and make decisions. Some of us take a thoughtful, logical approach to things, and other take am emotional, or gut feeling, approach. The brain people tend to be better at school, while the heart people tend to be better at being compassionate and empathetic. Again, they say that neither is wrong, but I can’t help but think of these different ways of processing through the lens of God’s Word.

In John 3, we meet a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was a very learned and respected man among the Biblical scholars of that time. Jesus tried to get him to switch his thinking from his head to his heart. He told him that unless a person is born again, he couldn’t enter God’s Kingdom. Leading with logic, Nicodemus couldn’t understand. How could an adult go back into their mother’s womb? Jesus tried to explain it was a spiritual rebirth, but the concept was too hard for him to grasp at the time. It wasn’t until years later that he finally got it I believe. He was one of the two people who went to ask for Jesus’ body so he could give Him a proper burial. He let his head lead in that moment having followed the ministry of Jesus.

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (NLT). Notice we don’t hide God’s Word in our mind. When it gets into our heart, we don’t just know it’s true. We feel it’s true, and it gets inside of who we are. We do need to logically look at God’s Word and be prepared to give an answer to those who ask about the hope within you, but we also need to let it get into our spirit. God’s Word is powerful. Sharper than any two edged sword. It rightly divides between the soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). We need to make sure we let it get into our hearts so it can transform our thinking and our lives (Romans 12:1-2).

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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 30, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Seasoning With Salt

There’s a saying that says, “Always leave them wanting more.” When teaching people this principle, I like to tell the story of something that happened a couple of years ago. I was riding with my friend in his truck on a rainy day. As we were going down the road, we saw a guy carrying a duffle bag walking on the shoulder. He was getting soaked and we thought the Christian thing to do was to pick him up. He put the duffle bag in the bed of the truck where it was still getting rained on, and climbed in the back seat. My buddy told him he could bring it inside, but he declined. As we we driving, he asked him what was in the bag. The man said sternly, “It’s none of your business!” Shocked, I said, “You don’t have to be rude about it. We just wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to get messed up.” He repeated himself with even more attitude. My buddy pulled the truck over and told him to get out. Before he could grab the bag, we sped off!

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others” (Matthew 5:13 TPT). Salt brings out incredible flavors in food, and it also makes you thirsty. If there’s too much, it makes the food inedible. If there’s too little, or you can’t taste it, what’s the point. The question my wife and I ask all the time is, “Did you leave them thirsting for more?” As people explore faith or are around us as Christians, that’s the question we have to ask. Did our conversation, and the way we acted, make them want to know more about God?

Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” (NLT). The word “attractive” means seasoned with salt. We need to make sure we’re interacting with people who don’t know Jesus so we can be salt and light. There’s little point to salt or light unless you’re around unseasoned people in the dark. Jesus didn’t spend all His time in the Temple or only with believers. He made a point to be among people who didn’t believe in God, taught them in ways they could understand and left them wanting more. We need to ask God daily for wisdom in how to live, speak and act in front of non-believers so that we make them thirsty to know more about Him. We will know it’s the right amount when they ask for more.

P.S. I know you’re dying to know what was in the bag, and it’s none of your business. 😉😂

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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 28, 2026 · 5:56 AM

Whole Hearted Commitment

I got an email at work that’s promoting a new perk. It said, “Why commit to one gym when you can have access to 20,000 gyms? Change gyms any time you like!” I started thinking about how everything has become about convenience instead of commitment. You can go month to month on so many things these days instead of having to sign an annual agreement. Other prices let you cancel any time. The ability to opt out when things become inconvenient is appealing to our nature which is why so many marketing campaigns go after it. The problem comes when we have things God created for us to commit to and we opt out for the sake of convenience.

After Moses died, Joshua led the children of Israel. He led the younger generation into the Promised Land and conquered the cities. At the end of his life, he gathered the nation together at Shechem where God had promised the land to Abraham. Before passing away, he wanted to remind the people what God had done for them and to have them recommit to following and serving the Lord. In Joshua 24:15 he said, “If it is unacceptable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve:… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (AMP). Joshua didn’t want there to be any doubt about his commitment to following the Lord. He made a bold proclamation in front of everyone and we remember it to this day.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today” (NLT). God is asking us for a whole hearted commitment that doesn’t change with the times or for convenience. Not only are we to love Him with every part of our being, we must commit ourselves to following His way of living. Like Joshua, we must stand up in this generation and choose to serve and follow the Lord. We need to look back at all God has done for us, remember the promises He’s kept and choose to daily take up our cross and commit to the life He’s called us to live in the Bible. God is asking each of us to decide if we’re going to have a whole hearted commitment to Him or not.

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July 23, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Take Time To Prepare

Years ago I had a corporate job where I stood in front of groups to train soft skills and also processes. Every once in a while, someone would come up and tell me that they wanted to be in a position like mine. They would ask if they could shadow me for a day. I would usually agree to it, and then they would ask what training they could shadow. I’d laugh and say, “I’m not going to have you shadow me on a teaching day. I want you to come up here during my preparation time.” They would look puzzled and ask why. I always responded, “Because what you see in the classroom is the result of my work. I’ve spent hours preparing to stand here and deliver this content. If you want to do this job, you need to see the amount of preparation it takes to stand here for 8 hours.” Not many people wanted the job after that.

When we read the Gospels, we’re looking at 3 years of Jesus’ ministry. It was the result of 30 years of preparation. We don’t really get a glimpse of the years He prepared. We know as a twelve year old, He was in the Temple preparing. He knew He needed to be about His father’s business even then. We know that His earthly father was a carpenter. He would have learned His father’s trade of looking at the details, measuring twice, cutting once and using tools to create masterpieces from wood that had been cut. All of His life was preparation for ministry. We even read how He took time away from the disciples and people to get alone with God as preparation for the ministry He would do the next day.

2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (AMP). God wants to use each of us somewhere in His Kingdom, but we each must take the time to prepare for it. We must be willing to be alone with God in prayer. We have to be willing to be taught skills that God can use. We must be open to learning more about who He is. We also have to make choices to be set apart, live pure lives and to be ready when God wants to use us. Most of us will touch one or two lives at a time rather than the masses. That will still require you to spend time in prayer and preparation. Every person who wants to be used by God must take the time to be prepared for every good work God wants to do through them.

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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 22, 2026 · 5:44 AM

Life’s Building Materials

One of the sites my wife and I visited on our honeymoon was Notre Dame. For it had stood there for over 800 years. We marveled at the architecture, the stained glass and the history. It was one of our favorite places to visit in Paris. I believe that’s why it was so painful to see the fire in 2019. I kept wondering how it could burn. I remembered a stone building, but its roof and spire were built of medieval timber that was dry. It hurt to see the roof collapse and the spire fall. All that work and history were gone in seconds. The parts that were flammable burned and disintegrated while the parts that weren’t remained.

It reminds me of how we as people can be. When Israel demanded a king, God chose one that was from a wealthy, influential family. 1 Samuel 9:2 says, “Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land” (NLT). He looked great on the outside, but on the inside, he was like Notre Dame’s roof. Later, when it was time to choose the next king, Samuel was still looking at the outside when Jesse brought his sons before him. God reminded him, “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” David didn’t look the part on the outside, but his heart was in the right place.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 says, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.” One day our lives will be exposed to fire. What’s done for eternity will survive it. What’s done for selfish ambition will burn like wood, hay and straw. As long as we’re still alive, there’s time to change the materials we’re building our lives with. Our lives will be exposed to show whether we are like Saul or David. Man may be impressed by what looks good on the outside, but God is looking on the inside. Make sure your heart is in the right place.

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July 21, 2026 · 6:07 AM

The Familiarity Trap

To me, Matthew 13:58 has one of the biggest warnings in the Bible. It says, “And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief” (NLT). The town that was most familiar with Jesus had a hard time accepting Him for who He was. They knew His family, His father’s trade and His siblings. They saw Him perform miracles, and heard of many more that He had done. They heard Him teach in the synagogue He grew up in. They recognized the authority He spoke with and marveled at His understanding of Scripture. However, they had placed Him in a box and couldn’t accept Him outside of it. They couldn’t see He was God because they had shrunk Him into something they could predict, understand and control.

In 1 Samuel 2:12, it says, “Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord.” Eli was the priest of Israel who lived next to the Tabernacle which carried the Ark of the Covenant. They grew up around the presence of God. They witnessed answered prayers and prophecies fulfilled, yet their hearts became hardened and far from God. They began to treat the things that were holy as common. They stole offerings before they were offered to God, they treated God’s people poorly and had contempt for God’s house. They rejected God even though they grew up around His presence and in His house. Their hearts became hardened even though they had familiarity with God.

The writer of Hebrews warned us of the same temptation that Nazareth, Eli’s sons and the nation of Israel did when they left Egypt. Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” We can go to church every Sunday, experience God’s presence and hear His voice, yet harden our hearts towards Him if we don’t honor His presence. We can become so familiar with the things of God that we reject the work He wants to do in our lives. God doesn’t always fit into the nice, neat little box we try to fit Him into. When we honor His presence and allow Him to have His way, we will find ourselves like so many others who experienced fresh revelation, greater faith and miracles. His presence should still stir awe in us, shape our lives and remain holy to us. Let us not become so familiar with Him that we harden our hearts.

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July 14, 2026 · 5:49 AM

Cultivation Is Key

My mother in law is one of those people with a green thumb. There is something in her that drives her to care for plants. She has them all over her yard and you can find her out there watering them. From time to time she will bring me plants. What thrives in her yard dies in mine. When she visits, she goes out there and waters them. Sometimes she even brings a bag of soil knowing that it will help make a difference. She is constantly doing things to cultivate growth and life in the plants. What I do is let nature take care of them or try to put water on them Every once in a while. The same plants can have very different lives depending on whether they’re at a cultivator’s house or someone’s who lets them be.

Jesus told the story of a man who planted a fig tree. He was like me and decided to let nature do its thing. Year after year he would wait for fruit, but he was always disappointed. Finally he told his gardener after a few years to chop it down because it hadn’t produced fruit and it’s just taking up space. The gardener pleaded with him not to cut it down. He offered to cultivate it and give it the care it needed to produce fruit. He said he only needed a year of cultivating it and fertilizing it to get it to bear figs. Then he said, “If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down” (NLT). He knew that the tree was capable of producing fruit, but it just needed to be fertilized and cultivated to induce it.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” In order to produce these fruits in our lives, we must cultivate the soil of our heart. Verse 16 tells us if we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives, we won’t produce the fruit of the flesh. We all have the daily choice of whether we will be led by the Spirit or the flesh. We can’t be passive and led by our flesh and expect the Fruit of the Spirit to be produced in our life. We must cultivate our lives so that He can produce these godly qualities that others can see and experience. Cultivation is key.

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