Tag Archives: christian living

February 27, 2024 · 5:28 AM

Looking Past Distractions

Apple Vision Pro came out not long ago. If you’re unaware of what they are, they’re goggles in a sense that blend virtual reality with reality. You can watch movies, browse the internet and so much more on virtual screens. The day after they came out, videos started surfacing of people walking down the sidewalk with them on moving screens and interacting with them. A few hours after that, videos of people driving down the road in their Tesla started to emerge taking distracted driving to a whole new level. Most of us are guilty of distracted driving to some degree whether it’s with our phones or being deep in thought. Have you ever shown up somewhere and don’t remember the journey? Distracted driving takes our eyes off of what’s important: the road. We can’t afford to do that.

In Mark 5, a man named Jairus went to see Jesus about his daughter who was very sick. As Jesus was headed to his house, they were distracted by a woman who had been unable to stop her bleeding for 12 years. She was focused and wasn’t going to let anyone keep her from touching the hem of His garment to receive her healing. Once she touched Jesus, He stopped. While Jesus was talking to her, friends of Jairus came up and told him his daughter had died. Verse 36 says, “But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith’” (NLT). Jesus was telling him not to get distracted from the mission by the news from his friends. Because Jairus kept his attention and faith on Jesus, his daughter was raised to life.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you” Have you been getting distracted by reports, circumstances or people and taking your eyes off Jesus? If you don’t have peace in what you’re going through, I want to encourage you to take your eyes off your problem and give your attention to the One who can resolve any situation. Jairus’ daughter was dead and became alive by Jairus’ faith. The woman who, doctors had tried everything on was healed because of her determination and focus on Jesus. What’s impossible for man is possible with God. Trust in Him and keep your thoughts fixed on Him and you will have peace in whatever situation you find yourself in. We must learn to look past the distractions of this world.

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February 26, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Finding Wise Advisers

In the cartoons I watched as a kid, when someone started to spiral out of control emotionally, one of the other characters would dump a bucket of water on their head. If that didn’t work, sometimes they would just slap them to get them to snap out of it. However, our human nature usually wants someone to sympathize with us in those moments. Sympathy is all right, but honestly it doesn’t move us from a place of despair or helplessness. Sympathy keeps us where we are. What we need is straight talk and honesty to help us not put down roots in a place where we’re disappointed, devastated or hopeless. We need someone to be able to hypothetically throw that bucket of water on us to snap out of it sometimes.

In 2 Samuel 18, David’s son Absalom had overthrown him as king. He had been on the run, but now he decided to muster his troops and fight to regain the kingdom. He specifically told his men to let his son live. During the battle, Absalom was fleeing but got his hair caught in a tree. One of his men then killed Absalom. When David heard the news, he was devastated and mourned. Instead of returning as heroes, they came in with their heads down because David was sad. Then in chapter 19 Joab, one of his commanders, went privately to him and rebuked him. He told him that his self pity was affecting the troops around him. If he didn’t straighten up, they would desert him by morning. It was the emotional wake up call he needed and he went down to congratulate his men. David was restored as king.

Proverbs 19:20 says, “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life” (NLT). Do the people you go to for advice and instruction tell you what you want to hear? Or do you have someone like Joab who will tell you the truth and what you need to hear? Advice and instruction is good when you give your closest advisers the freedom to speak the truth to you in love. It’s often that bucket of water or slap that we need to be wise the rest of our lives. The people we choose to get advice from can make or break our future. They can set us on a path to fulfill our purpose and reach our potential or they can slow our progress and hold us back. Think about what the best option is for your life. Find someone who will feed your future and not your emotions or ego. Find someone who will give you godly advice and instruction. Those are the people who will make you better and improve your life.

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February 23, 2024 · 5:34 AM

Choosing Wisely

There are a lot of things in your day you don’t get to choose. You don’t get to choose the weather, the traffic or situations that happen to you. However,you do get to choose your attitude and how you respond to those things. The choice you make determines whether you become a victim or a victor. God loves to give us choices, and just like in life, it’s not always easy to choose the right one. I’ve found that I must predetermine what my choices will be before I’m in circumstances. If I don’t, I’m likely to choose the wrong thing. It’s better to be proactive than reactive. Think about the following choices and what you will choose in difficult circumstances.

Here are some Bible verses on choices God gives.

1. I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This will enable you to choose the most excellent way of all —becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ.

Philippians 1:9-10 TPT

2. Don’t you realize that grace frees you to choose your own master? But choose carefully, for you surrender yourself to become a servant—bound to the one you choose to obey. If you choose to love sin, it will become your master, and it will own you and reward you with death. But if you choose to love and obey God, he will lead you into perfect righteousness.

Romans 6:16 TPT

3. I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19 GNT

4. Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

Habakkuk 3:18 AMP

5. Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 22:1 NLT

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February 22, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Leaving Survival Mode

One of the activities I love doing is camping. When I was younger I was taught bushcraft and how to do a survival camping trip. They dropped us off in unfamiliar territory, only let us carry what we could fit into a bandaid box, soaked the bandaid box in water, then left us. We had to find shelter, build a fire, hunt for food and sleep on the ground. We had no help or provisions. It was a rough weekend that I’ll never forget.

Compare that to how I like to camp. I enjoy taking my tent, a queen size air mattress, a cooler full of food, lanterns, chairs, pots and pans, cooking utensils, plates and lots of comforts. It’s still outside and in the woods, but I have everything I need for a great weekend. I even have transportation and a phone if something were to happen. This form of camping is a lot more enjoyable because of what’s available to me.

Many of us live our faith as if we were on a survival camping trip. We feel like we’ve been abandoned, we don’t have anything, we are in unfamiliar territory and we’re left to fend for ourselves. I’ve spoken to so many Christians who feel this way, and think it’s normal. Let me tell you it’s not. God has not abandoned you and left you alone on this journey. He doesn’t leave us to survive on our own. Instead, He has given you everything to have the other style camping trip.

2 Peter 1:3 says, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (NLT) God has already packed the car for you. It’s a matter of us unpacking it and utilizing what He’s given us. You have special giftings, the Bible, the Holy Spirit living in you, direct communication with God and so much more. We as believers need to start utilizing the things God has made available to us, and get out of survival mode. That’s the life God has called you to.

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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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February 21, 2024 · 5:09 AM

Walking In Authority

In one of my favorite episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show”, Barney becomes a bit unhinged. He pulls over Gomer Pyle and makes a scene about him pulling a U-turn. They argue and Barney gives him a ticket. Immediately after, Barney leaves the scene a pulls a U-turn. Go,er steps into the middle of the road to block Barney and starts yelling, “Citizen’s arrest!” Andy shows up and makes Barney spend time in jail. I’ve seen citizen’s arrests in other shows and movies, but never in real life. I’ve even seen YouTube videos where unhinged people have attempted it, but the other party ignored them. Why? Because they lacked the authority without a uniform and badge. I realize there are laws that allow for citizen’s arrests, but would you let a regular person arrest you?

In Acts 29, there were these men who had seen Paul heal the sick and cast out demons. They were sons of a priest named Sceva and they began traveling from town to town casting out demons. They would cast out the demons by saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” In one incident recorded in this chapter, the demon replied, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” They got the beating of a lifetime after that. They knew there was power in the name of Jesus, but they lacked the authority to use it because they didn’t know Him. They were attempting a citizen’s arrest if you will on a demon, but they weren’t truly citizens of Heaven. The demon saw there was no authority and remained in the person. I don’t think they ever attempted that again.

In Luke 10, Jesus sent out His disciples to proclaim the Gospel. When they returned, He told them how He saw Satan fall like lightning. Then in verse 19 He said, “Now you understand that I have imparted to you my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will harm you as you walk in this authority” (TPT). As a believer, I want to remind you that you have been given the authority of Jesus. Wherever you go, whatever you face, you can walk in His authority and not be afraid. You have the power of light in a dark world. The power of healing for the sick. I believe it’s time for us to start trampling the kingdom of darkness around us by walking in the authority God had given us. When we rise up in this authority, Satan will fall like lightning again and God’s kingdom will prosper. Ask God to guide you today wherever you go as a citizen of Heaven walking in that authority setting people free.

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February 20, 2024 · 5:35 AM

Walking Through Fire

How do you react when you’re going through a difficult season? We all go through periods where we’re under attack and it feels like God has abandoned us. I’ve asked God where He was and if He really cared before. I felt isolated and began to withdraw. I started to think I was going through a period like Job. The difference was that when Job lost everything and he didn’t understand, he worshiped and his prayer life increased. When he was ,et with silence, he kept praying and trusting God. His faith was greater than the season he was in. His prayers may not have been that great, but he didn’t cut off communication with Heaven.

In Judges 6, Israel was living in the Promised Land. However, the generation that had seen God bring them through the wilderness and helped them conquer the land had passed away. They began to be overcome by enemies and God would raise up a judge to be a hero. In this occasion, the Midianites were harassing the people, taking their crops and starving them. Gideon was threshing some grain hidden away so that they wouldn’t steal it when God showed up. He called out to Gideon and said, “Mighty warrior, God is with you.” Gideon replied in verse 13, “If God is with us, why has all this happened?” God tells him to go and rescue Israel to which Gideon says he’s a nobody and not very strong. God then reminds him that He is with him and will give him victory. Gideon them sets Israel free.

In Isaiah 43:2 God says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (NLT). God didn’t say, “If you go through deep waters,” He said, “When”. Hard times are going to come for all of us. Seasons where we feel abandoned will happen, but God promises when it feel like we’re drowning or we’re being oppressed and going through the fire, He is with us. Because He is with you, He will give you victory. He will strengthen you. Neither Job nor Gideon felt strong enough for their situations, but God infused them with His grace and His strength and they were able to survive their season and be victorious in the end. If God did it for them, He’ll do it for you. He has not abandoned you. He’s calling a mighty warrior out of you and walking through the fire with you.

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February 19, 2024 · 5:36 AM

Consecrate Yourself

I once interviewed for a job where they told me about eighty other people had applied. I started thinking about what I could do to set myself apart from the other people. When you think that way, you prepare differently. I wanted them to know I was ready to take on the job so I spent some time before the interview studying the role. I thought about the type of impact I could make in that role, how my personality would fit in with the existing team and how my approach could give them better than average results. Most people going into an interview won’t prepare themselves for the job, much less the interview. They won’t stand out or show that they’re ready to take the next step and be an asset. Because I approach and prepare this way for interviews, there are very few times I haven’t gotten the job.

In Joshua 3, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years. Their parents had told them how God had rescued them from Egypt and how they didn’t trust Him to give them victory over the land. This generation had seen God provide mana every day, bring water from the rock and lead them by fire or cloud. As they camped at the Jordan, in verse 5, Joshua said “Get yourselves ready! Set yourselves apart for Yahweh! Tomorrow, Yahweh will perform for us great miracles!” (TPT) One translation says, “Consecrate yourselves.” Consecration is a preparation process. God was telling the people to set themselves apart from other nations, to prepare themselves differently than other people and to be devoted to the task at hand. He did this so they would be ready to cross the Jordan and be prepared to take the land in front of them.

2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Those who make themselves clean from all those evil things, will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good deed” (GNT). There is a preparation, or a consecration, we must go through to be used by God that prepares us for every good work. Most of us sit around and wait on God to pick us to be used by Him or we raise our hand saying, “Here am I, send me.” However, most of us won’t go through the consecration process to prepare our hearts, minds and bodies to be used by Him. We must set ourselves apart from others in how we live, talk and worship. Paul goes on to tell Timothy that a house has many different types of plates and utensils, but those who make themselves set apart and are consecrated will be used for special purposes. In what ways is God asking you to consecrate yourself for His purposes? What do you need to give up or change so you’re ready to enter the promised land He has for you?

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February 16, 2024 · 5:16 AM

Disciplining Your Flesh

I used to hate the start of basketball season at school. I loved to play, but the training for it killed me every year. I would go home and soak in the tub because my body was so sore. Over the summer, I would become undisciplined with my exercises and I would pay the price that week. Once I had conditioned my body I was good. The Bible talks about this kind of discipline in 1 Corinthians 9:27. Paul said that he had to discipline his body to keep it under control. It’s not an easy task to discipline your body or flesh, but it’s something we must do as believers. Fasting is one way to bring it under discipline. Having an accountability partner is another one. We discipline our flesh so our spirit can thrive. What parts of your flesh do you need to discipline? It won’t be easy at first, maybe even painful, but keep at it and seek God’s strength.

Here are some Bible verses on areas we need to discipline.

1. Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].

Ephesians 4:29 AMP

2. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2 ESV

3. Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right.

Proverbs 4:26 GNT

4. We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!

Hebrews 12:2 TPT

5. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].

Colossians 3:2 AMP

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February 12, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Stewarding The Seed

Seeds are fascinating to me. They can lie dormant for the longest time waiting for the right conditions in order to activate. The first thing they need is water. The water causes a seed to expand and release enzymes. Those enzymes cause the seed to ramp up metabolic energy and release food storage that’s built into it. Then a tap root breaks out of one end and starts heading down. On the other end a stem comes out heading upwards. Once it reaches the surface, two leaves form and photosynthesis begins. Depending on moisture and oxygen levels in the soil and sunlight, the seed takes on life and becomes what it was designed to be.

A seed was planted in Terah, Abraham’s father, to go to the land of Canaan. When his father died, he gather his sons and their families to head to Canaan. Genesis 11:31 says that while on their way, they stopped in Haran and settled there. In the next chapter, the word of the Lord co,es to Abraham and tells him to leave where his father stopped and continue the journey to Canaan. God then planted another seed in Abraham. He told him in the new land he would become the father of many nations and would bless him. The seeds in him began to sprout so he packed up everything and left his father. When he arrived, the Lord planted another seed in him telling him that He would give him all that land to his descendants.

In Isaiah 30:21, the Lord tells Israel that he will respond and guide us telling us which way we should go. Verse 23 says, “Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock” (NLT). I know that God has already planted seeds in you. They may be lying dormant right now waiting for the watering of the Lord. It will come when the time is right. The seed will grow, send down roots and sending a shoot up. Though it’s been dormant for a while, it is not dead. God will bring it to pass. You may have to get into a place, like Abraham did, where it can grow. You may have to get in the right environment so it can thrive. Seek God on what you need to be doing in the meantime to steward that seed and prepare it for growth. God will bring about a harvest to every seed He’s planted in you.

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February 8, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Calming Anxious Thoughts

Have you ever seen a giant Sequoia tree? They are some of the tallest trees in the world. They’re also some of the fastest growing trees, especially when they’re young. They can grow up to six feet per year. Not only do they grow tall, they also grow wide. These are the trees that you’ve seen pictures of cars driving through them. Their root system is shallow though. It grows out instead of down. They don’t have a tap root. Instead they have thousands of tiny roots that multiply, grow out and around the tree and can cover up to an acre of land.

If you think about it, they’re a lot like our anxious thoughts. Those type of thoughts grow quickly in our mind, they take up a lot of space and infect almost every part of our life. The more we entertain those thoughts, the more they grow. Before you know it, you’ve given up a huge portion of your mind and your life to worrying about things that may or may not happen. Because these thoughts take up so much space, they require a lot to feed them. That’s why they infect every area of your mind as they multiply and grow. The good news is that their root systems are shallow and they can be uprooted.

Psalm 94:19 says, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comforts delight me” (AMP). Spending time in God’s Word, resting in His presence and worshiping Him are all ways you can uproot those anxious thoughts. Colossians 2:7 tell us to let our roots grow down deeply into God. When we do that, our lives won’t be uprooted by anxious thoughts because there is no room for them. When I start to get anxious about things, I have to remember to quit comparing things against my abilities and letting them feed on fear. Instead, I feed myself on God’s Word and compare those same problems to God. I then realize He is greater than whatever I’m facing. When we focus our thoughts on the truth (Philippians 4:8), we cut off the food supply to our anxious thoughts.

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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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