Tag Archives: christian living

January 7, 2025 · 5:31 AM

Half Built Towers

I like to make plans and then to execute those plans. When things aren’t going according to plan, I can be irritable and short tempered. My wife is usually quick to remind me that God may have other plans. In those moments I usually will seek God to see if it’s Him redirecting me or if it’s the enemy trying to stop me. There have also been times I’ve made plans without seeking His guidance. I knew what I wanted to do and decided to move forward with them with or without His blessing. On rare occasions, I’ve known what has God asked me to do, and made other plans. I don’t recommend this at all because one way or another, God’s plan will prevail. The sooner I submit to His plan, the better things are.

In Genesis 6-9 we read the account of the flood, Noah building the Ark and the year that he spent inside it. In Genesis 9:1 God told Noah and his family to repopulate the earth and to scatter abroad. Things were going well until Genesis 11 when a group of people decided to build a tower to the sky. In verse 4 they said, “Come, let’s begin work to build ourselves a city with a lofty tower that rises into the heavens. We’ll make a name for ourselves, a monument to us, instead of being scattered all over the earth” (TPT). They knew what God’s plan was and decided to enact their own. They decided the glory for their achievement was greater than obedience. In the middle of building the tower, God confused their languages, they separated and scattered abroad. The unfinished tower became a reminder to follow God’s plan.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (NLT). Take a moment to reflect on the goals and plans you’ve made for this year. Did you seek God to see what He wanted you to accomplish? He has a personalized plan for your life and wants to work with you in accomplishing it. Don’t allow selfish ambition to sidetrack you. Follow God’s plan and do it with all your might. You will still face struggles and the enemy will try to thwart your efforts, but God will be right there with you through it. I’m sure you have some half finished towers in your life that you can look at to help you remember that God’s plan is the best plan and His will always prevail.

Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 6, 2025 · 5:28 AM

Learning To Meditate

For many years, my son and I planted a small garden behind our house. We read each packet of seeds to see how far apart each seed needed to be planted as well as their depth. We planted different types of vegetables and marked the rows to help us remember. I wanted to teach him a few things by doing this. One is the law of sowing and reaping so he would know that he will only get what he plants. Another is the importance of planting seeds in the different gardens of his life. One of the most important gardens all of us need to tend is our mind. The seeds we plant there not only determine our thoughts, but also the direction of our life.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (NLT). I love these verses because they directly show the correlation between those who plant seeds of God’s Word in their mind and those who don’t. We plant the seeds by meditating on it. Meditating is simply working it into the soil of your mind, thinking about it, how to apply it, and growing it. When we do that, the psalmist reminds us later that it will keep us from sinning. More than that, it will produce harvest in our lives throughout life’s seasons.

Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” If you’re struggling to defeat the enemy in certain areas of your life, meditate on God’s Word. If you’re looking to grow closer to the Lord, meditate on His Word. The difference between success and failure in so many areas of your life depends on you taking the time to go deeper into the Bible. Don’t just read it, think about it. Let words jump off the page and look them up. Look at the historical and cultural implications of what God says. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and to show you how to apply it. When you’re reading, give yourself time to pause and reflect throughout each passage. That’s how you plant it in your mind and find success.

Photo by Worshae on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 26, 2024 · 5:30 AM

God With Us

There’s a story of how the Cherokee would perform a right of passage for all boys before they were considered men. To become a man, the boy would be led into the woods at night. His father would sit him on a stump, blindfold Him and then leave him. He was told that he had to sit there all night, but he couldn’t make a sound. When he saw the sun rays through the blindfold, he could take it off and find his way back to camp.

It was tough to sit there silently. With their eyes covered, their sense of hearing was enhanced. They heard ever twig break as an animal stepped on it. They could hear the sounds of all the animals in the forest that were out at night. I’m sure they could hear the sound of their own heartbeat as they wondered whether they would be attacked. In the morning when he removed his blindfold, he would see that his father was sitting beside him the whole night watching over him.

I love that story because it’s so much like what our Heavenly Father does for us. We often feel blind and alone as we go through this world. Our fears can get the better of us if we aren’t careful, but God is right there with us through it all even though we can’t see Him. Isaiah 7:14 says, “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)” (NLT).

Immanuel is one of my favorite names for God. It gives me hope when I feel blindfolded as I go through this life. When I’m unsure of how things are going to turn out, and I feel vulnerable and open to attack, I remind myself that God is right there with me. He’s watching over me, protecting me and caring for me. He has never left my side no matter how dark the night has been. He remains true to His name Immanuel. He is God with us.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 17, 2024 · 5:32 AM

Manna For The Moment

I’m in a men’s group that focuses on personal growth. At the first meeting, the leader asked each person to introduce themselves and then share one of their highest moments in life and also one of their lowest points. As each man shared, I began to see a common thread of seasons of pain these men had been through. One man said it was a lot easier to think of the hardest times in his life than the good ones. Jokingly he asked if he could share two low points rather than one of each. We tend to remember the times in our life when we’ve hot rock bottom or when we struggled to make progress. In the moment we weren’t sure we could make it through. However, looking back, we can see God’s grace was sufficient for the moment we were in.

In Exodus 16, the Israelites had been set free from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. God had promised them a land of their own and they were on their way. They had seen the mighty hand of God moving on their behalf to set them free. They had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, yet they found themselves in a wilderness that made them want to return to their pain and suffering. They began to complain to God asking for food. In verse 12 God told Moses, “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God’ ” (AMP). God gave them manna for the moment they were in. It was sufficient for the day. They were to take what they needed and nothing more. God did this until they reached the land He had promised.

In Matthew 6, the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray. He began reciting what we call the Lord’s Prayer. You’ve probably prayed it thousands of times, but there’s something right in the middle of it that reminds us of that manna. In verse 11 He prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” God has always given us what we need for the moment. Jesus taught us to pray for it without complaining. If you’re standing in one of the low points of your life right now, I want you to know there is grace to sustain you in this moment. Like the Israelites, you’ll need to go to God to get it daily. Use this time to lean on Him and to learn to trust in Him. If you’re in one of the higher points or have come through a low point, don’t stop going to Him for your daily bread. The manna He gives is fresh every day and is provided for you to keep trusting Him as you go through this life.

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 11, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Quieting The Noise

There was a time in my life when every time I got in the car, I would call someone. As soon as I got home, I would turn on the TV. I wouldn’t necessarily watch it most of the time though. Then one day my wife asked me why I did that every time. I didn’t have an answer for her, but it got me to thinking about it. I was addicted to living my life with background noise. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts. I then decided to make a conscious choice not to call someone every time I turned on the car. I even started turning off the radio so I could ride in silence. What I discovered was the noise wasn’t just keeping me from being alone with my thoughts, it was also blocking me from hearing the voice of God.

As you read through the Gospels, you’ll find that Jesus was surrounded by noise. The disciples always had questions about what He taught. People would follow Him everywhere wanting to hear His message or needing His healing touch. Luke 5:16 mentions that Jesus would often go away from everything into the lonely places. In Mark 6:31, Jesus invited the disciples to go with Him into a quiet place. Jesus even practiced solitude as shown in Mark 1:35. Why did He make quieting the noise a discipline? He knew He needed to hear His Father’s voice and to we needed a model to show us how to be alone, to be quiet and to be stop and wait on God.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (NLT). When is the last time you quieted the noise around you, found solitude and got still? Our breakthrough is often found in those moments. It’s why Jesus told us to go into our prayer closet. Our lives are filled with noise, and that noise is available everywhere we go. I believe God is asking us to find a lonely place, to seek solitude and to be still so we can hear His voice and honor Him. Take time today to think about where your noise is coming from. What do you need to do to quiet it? Where do you need to go to be still? God is waiting for you if only you would be intentional about quieting the noise.

Photo by lee Scott on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 4, 2024 · 5:43 AM

God’s Gift Of Joy

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a group of angels appeared to shepherds nearby. At first the shepherds were afraid. Luke 2:10-11 says, “But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (NLT) God was gifting the world a savior and with Him joy. Biblical joy is more than the emotion of happiness. It is a contentment in any situation that comes from faith and trust in God. His joy also gives us strength to endure whatever we’re going through. God wasn’t just giving us a Savior from our sins. He was giving us Immanuel, His Son who would be with us in whatever we face.

In John 15, Jesus was telling us that He is the vine, our source, and we are the branches. He reminded us of God’s love for us and that we are to remain in Him. Life’s pressures will try to separate you from Him, but we must remain because there is nothing that can separate us from His love. In verse 11, He goes onto say, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” Our joy comes from remaining in Him and resting in His love when fear, hunger, worry, death or all the powers of hell come against us. Our choice to remain will produce the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. One of the fruits that He wants to cultivate is joy because it is not contingent on our circumstances. Our faith sees beyond the moment we’re standing in and trusts in His plan.

When Paul wrote the letter to the Church at Rome, he had been in prison and been beaten for His faith. His words to them were born out of faith and trust in God rather than his temporary pain. In Romans 15:13 he wrote, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Those words should encourage us today. God will not only give you hope that this too shall pass, but He will also give you joy in the midst of your pain. He will give you strength to endure and come out on the other side producing fruit in a barren season because you trust in and remain in Him. His gift of joy to you this season is a gift worth cherishing and holding onto.

Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 25, 2024 · 5:48 AM

The Weapon Of Thanksgiving

There are many times in our life when we’re thrust into a spiritual battle. Things can be going well, and then all of a sudden m we find ourselves being shell shocked by a bombardment of attacks. It can sometimes take me some time before I realize what’s truly going on. I then start reaching for my weapons of praise music, prayer and fasting to start fighting back. I’ve found that there’s another weapon we hard,y use. It’s the weapon of thanksgiving. When we start giving thanks to God, we create an atmosphere where faith can grow. We shift our perspective from shock and awe of what’s happening to us to our Father in Heaven who can give us the victory. When we use the weapons of thanksgiving, we stop our complaining, which invites fear and worry. Thanksgiving begins to shift the outcome of the war.

In 2 Chronicles 20, word came to King Jehoshaphat that vast army had entered their land and was headed for them. He immediately was afraid and turned his attention toward Heaven and began to pray. He asked the rest of the people to join him in prayer too. In verse 12 he prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (AMP). Then the Spirit of the Lord came on someone and God began speaking to them to go into battle. When the marched towards the enemy, Jehoshaphat sent singers out in front of them and they began to sing, “Praise and give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.” When they sang this song of thanksgiving, God moved and destroyed their enemy.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.” Too often our prayers are formed from words of anxiousness, fear and worry. Here Paul reminds us to remove those things and to replace them with thanksgiving. He understood that we must Include thanksgiving in our prayers when we are under attack. A grateful heart activates the power of God on our behalf and He begins to fight our battle for us. Thanksgiving shifts our speech, our prayers and perspective. When you’re overwhelmed, begin to thank God for what He has done and is doing. The battle will shift and God will give you the victory.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 21, 2024 · 5:30 AM

The Secret Of Satisfaction

Growing up, my parents would let me have any shoe I wanted as long as it was less than $25. That was fine for a while, but then I arrived in junior high and Nike introduced the Air Jordan line up. My friends and neighbors got them, but I couldn’t. They were $100, which was considerably more than my $25 limit. I wanted them so badly that I began to put pictures of them in my binders, drew them in my books and had posters on my wall. I thought they were the coolest shoe ever. My parents were teaching me a couple of lessons. The first was to be thankful for what you have even if it’s not what you want. The second was that if you want something more than what you have, save up your money to get it. That created more value in those shoes than if they had been given to me.

In Philippians 4:11, Paul wrote, “For I have learned to be satisfied with what I have” (GNT). That’s a lesson we could all learn. He’s not saying that we shouldn’t ever want more than we have. It’s that we need to learn to be satisfied with what we do have. If we’re constantly looking for something else or wanting more, we will miss the lesson of contentment and fail to be appreciative of what God has given us. When we don’t appreciate something, we don’t value it. If we don’t value it, we take it for granted. God blesses us daily with good things that we look right past because we already want more than the daily bread He’s given us. Paul’s next verse said that whether he had a little or a lot, the secret to life was learning to be content and satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 put it this way, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.” What blessings have you been overlooking? What are some things you get, but are never enough? A lack of satisfaction or contentment can be an outward expression of an inward brokenness. Once you’ve identified the outward expression, trace it to its roots. Ask God to bring healing to that area and to help you learn to be content with the things you have, whether a little or a lot. Once that change happens in you, the lens that you look at life through will change, and your prayers will too. Start changing them today by thanking Him for the many things He’s already blessed you with instead of asking Him for all the things you don’t have.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 19, 2024 · 5:31 AM

No Shortcuts

Several years ago there was a college admissions scandal. Several rich, prominent families were paying people off in order to give their kids an unfair advantage in getting into colleges. A lot of famous people committed fraud doing this while paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money. What they didn’t understand was how they were setting their kids up for failure in life. By contrast, people like Kevin O’Leary and Warren Buffet have given their kids very little to help them in life. They have said that they don’t necessarily want their kids to inherit their wealth because they won’t have struggled to gain it. The struggle is where they learn to appreciate it and value it. They believe that taking financial struggles away from their kids will cripple them in the long run and destroy their character.

In the Bible, God used struggle and hardship as part of His process to strengthen people, develop character and to get people ready to lead. Joseph stands chief among them. When he was a teenager, God gave him dreams of what his future would hold. He shared them with his family and was a punk to his brothers. They resented him for his behavior and dreams, so they grabbed him, stripped him, and sold him as a slave. His favored status was gone and years of struggling ensued as he worked in Potiphar’s house and went to prison. While he was in prison and forgotten, God worked on his character. When he was ready, God redeemed him from the pit and placed him second in command to Pharaoh. When his brothers came seeking help, he didn’t take revenge. He recognized God’s hand in the struggle.

James 1:3-4 says, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). God has a process to grow you and place you. It isn’t an easy one. Don’t have the mindset of the people above who tried to shortcut the process. That ultimately affects your development and character. Trials and tests are part of the growth process. If you want to be complete, lacking nothing, you must submit to the process. It won’t be easy, but the strength you will gain will maximize your ability to reach the potential God placed in you. Instead of trying to use a shortcut, ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to endure. You can become the person God sees in you and be used for greater things.

Photo by Jason Hogan on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 14, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Momentary Prayers

I’ve always had a heart for missions and missionaries. I love when they visit our church and share their stories. The church organization I grew up in would have missionaries return to The States every few years to share what they were doing with the sending churches and to raise more funds. They would pass out these business cards that usually had their picture on it and the words, “Pray for us.” I remember hearing several tell stories of when they were in certain situations and they could feel the prayers of someone on the other side of the world. I knew then how important it was to pray for missionaries and others whom God put on my heart. I decided at a young age to make it a point to pray for someone at the moment they asked or in the moment God brought them to mind.

Paul started off in 2 Corinthians 1 reminding Christians that when we go through painful times, God is right there with us giving us comfort. He does that so that we can come alongside others who are going through difficult times to bring comfort to them. He reminds us that he experienced a lot of suffering for Christ and therefore had lots of comfort to offer others. When we go through a season of difficult times, it’s often an opportunity for God to fill us up with empathy that others will need. It also shapes how we pray for someone. When we’ve gone through something painful or traumatic, it shapes how we pray and what we pray for. Those prayers are felt by those whom we pray for because they’re born out of the comfort we’ve received from God in our time of need.

In verse 11, Paul writes, “Because there are so many interceding for us, our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks to God. What a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers!” (TPT) Your prayers surround others with gifts of mercy. Who has God laid on your heart to pray for? Don’t pass up the moment to pray for them or try to dismiss what God is asking you to do. Your prayers matter and have a powerful effect (James 5:16). Whether it’s a missionary in another country, a friend or family member, when God asks you to pray, do it. Just like there are moments when you need someone to be praying for you, others need you to pray for them. Sometimes it’s the difference between life and death. Don’t discount your prayers and the effect they can have.

Photo by Alireza Bp on Unsplash

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,