Tag Archives: christian living

August 8, 2023 · 5:49 AM

Remove Your Mask

When I teach the DISC personality assessment to a team, I help them understand how they are wired, how they communicate and why they behave certain ways in certain circumstances. One of the things we discuss in team dynamics is how over 70% of people feel they have to be someone they’re not at work. That same statistic holds true for being around other groups as well. The people in that category put on a mask in order to become that personality either because they feel the dynamics require it, because it’s expected of them or because they’re afraid of what people would think if they knew how they really are. We then discuss how tiring it is to try to be someone you aren’t. Sooner or later it gets exposed somewhere in your life, often in a blind spot.

On the night Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter followed behind the soldiers to see what would happen. As he stood in the courtyard of the High Priest watching them beat Jesus, a young girl walked up said she had seen him with Jesus. Peter immediately denied it and said he didn’t know what she was talking about. He moved to another part of the courtyard and another girl said the same thing. Peter denied it again swearing by an oath. Then the crowd noticed and also said his accent gave him away. He began to curse and swear to prove he didn’t know Jesus. That’s when the rooster crowed and Jesus looked at him. He mask had been exposed so he ran away and wept bitterly.

The first part of Romans 12;2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes]” (AMP). You and I no longer need to wear a mask that makes us look like the world. We have been transformed into a new creation. Our minds must be renewed by God’s Word that shows us how we are to live. This new life is who we truly are and it is not the way the world lives. There is a constant pressure to fit into a world where we don’t belong, and that pressure is not from God. As believers we can’t succumb to it or we will suffer the way Peter did that night. The good news is that also like Peter, we can become who God had created us to be and live with boldness the way he did after the resurrection. It’s time we took off the superficial mask and lived a transformed life.

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August 7, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Casting Your Burdens

Unfortunately one of the things that is part of our human nature is a desire to do things on your own. Don’t believe me? Try helping a two year old. They’ll snap back, “I can do it on my own!” They often refuse your help, sometimes to their detriment. That nature doesn’t really change. It lives in all of us. People offer us help all the time, but we refuse it under the guise of not wanting to be a burden to them. The truth is that we all need help from others, but we carry these burdens by ourselves and refuse help or to give them up. Some people like the pity and attention they receive. Some don’t know how to accept help. Some have too much pride to let anyone help. No matter why, you weren’t created to carry burdens by yourself.

The Pharisees in the New Testament were some of the most self righteous people you would meet, and Jesus called them out on it. He wasn’t mad at them for trying to follow the Law. He got upset at them for putting extra burdens on the people. He got upset when they added to His Law. He knew people had enough things they were carrying around and didn’t like people putting unnecessary burdens on people in His name. The Pharisees wore carrying burdens it as a badge of honor and holiness. They flaunted how big of burdens they carried and did it to get respect from people. Jesus constantly called them out for this because that’s not His plan for us.

1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]” (AMP). God has called us to humility, not self righteousness. Carrying our own burdens is not a sign of strength. We need to set aside our self righteous pride and cast our cares and burdens on Him. Yes, you can do it on your own, but why live like that when you don’t have to? Be humble enough to give them to Him. Be humble enough to ask others for help. Freedom begins with humbling yourself and casting them at the feet of Jesus.

Photo by Mukuko Studio on Unsplash

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August 3, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Spiritual Metamorphosis

When I was a kid, my favorite record was “Bullfrogs and Butterflies” sung by Barry McGuire. We played that record so many times that I’m sure we wore it out. The theme song lyrics said, “Bullfrogs and butterflies we’ve both been born again.” It’s a catchy tune that sticks in your head the rest of your life, but when I was a kid, I didn’t realize how profound that lyric was. When you think of a tadpole or a caterpillar, they undergo a complete change. Tadpoles not only go through a physical change, they go from only being able to breath under water to amphibians. Caterpillars change from having to inch everywhere they go to being able to fly. While their outside changes, their insides remain. I wonder how long it takes to mentally convince themselves they can leave the pond or fly away from the branch.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT) When we give our life to Jesus, just like bullfrogs and butterflies, we undergo a change. It’s not physical like theirs, but rather it’s spiritual. This new creation is housed in the old body which creates some problems, but with this new life comes a change in how we think, live and act. We don’t do the things we used to do because they are no conducive to a healthy spiritual life. We were set free from having to remain in the pond of sin and selfishness and are free to breathe in God’s breath of life doing the things His Spirit leads us to do. We become free to live the life we were created to live, but many of us struggle to adapt to our new life.

It can be difficult to reconcile our faith with our public self that everyone knows. The metamorphosis that God does in our life starts on the inside and works it’s way to the outside by how we live. For some people they get an instant change, while most of us spend our lives growing and maturing in our faith step by step. As Jesus moves closer to the center of our life, we will become more like Him in how we think, live and act. Don’t compare your growth and spiritual metamorphosis to someone else’s. Let God do His work in your life as you continue to pray, read the Bible and live in your freedom. Remember that Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Your new life will continue to be at odds with your old one. Don’t beat yourself up when the old life rears its head. Seek God’s forgiveness and ask Him to continue to help you to become more like Jesus.

Photo by Tina Nord:

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 2, 2023 · 5:43 AM

The Difference In A Day

My wife and I were just talking about the difference a day can make. I try to teach people the importance of doing a few things each day to help them attain their lifelong goals. The plan for that is that by doing them each day, in ten or twenty years you achieve something huge. However, God doesn’t need ten or twenty years to change your situation. He can do it in a day. When life gets hard or you need God to intervene, He can do in a day what would take you years. The Bible is full of these kinds of stories. Joseph went from being forgotten in prison to being second in command of Egypt in a day. David went from being homeless and running for his life to being king in a day.

In 2 Kings 6 and 7, Samaria was in a desperate situation. The king of Aram had besieged Samaria and their supplies had run out. People were resorting to cannibalism to survive. The king was mad at God and decided to take it out on Elisha. When he and his army officer arrived, he told Elisha that God had brought this misery on them. Then Elisha told them the next day flour and barely would be cheap. In verse 2 the officer said, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” (NLT). That night the Aramean army heard chariots, became afraid and ran away leaving all of their supplies behind. The prophets words came true. God opened the windows of heaven and supplied their need with more than enough.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Whatever your need is, no matter how great or how desperate, God can supply it in an instant. Don’t look at Him with a limited view the way this army officer did. God can step into the darkest night and light it up. He can move in the most hopeless situation and bring restoration. Elisha looked to God in a desperate situation as the solution and not the problem. How do you view God in impossible circumstances? Do you see Him as the cause or the answer? Have faith and trust Him to turn it around in a day while you do what’s necessary to move in the right direction. He has the entire universe available to give you in order to meet your need. He can do it in a day. Only have faith.

Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash

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August 1, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Unmet Expectations

I’ve found that a lot of interpersonal problems are caused by unmet expectations. One person thought the other person should have done something. When they didn’t do it, they’re mad at them. The real issue though is hat they never told the other person that they had this expectation of them. In their mind it should be understood. Think about a time when you were upset or disappointed in someone. If you really look into it, chances are they didn’t meet your expectation. However, did you tell them you expected that? Relationships are hard because both people involved have a ton of expectations that they never express.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of a military leader named Naaman. When he got a dreaded disease called leprosy, one of his servant girls told him about a prophet in Israel that could heal him. His king sent him to Israel with a large tribute to pay the prophet for healing him. When he made it to Elisha’s house, Elisha sent out his servant to tell him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Verse 11 says, “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!’ he said. ‘I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!’” (NLT). There’s that unmet expectation. Since Elisha didn’t do what he expected, he wasn’t going to follow the order for healing. He almost missed out on his healing because of an unmet expectation. How many have we missed out on because God didn’t do what we expected and we pouted?

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” We like to quote this verse, but honestly it’s telling us to trust God even when His requests aren’t what we expect. We’re not to lean on our own understanding or expectations. It’s easy for us to get mad at God for not doing what we expected, but the truth is that we must still trust Him even when He doesn’t meet our expectations. We must still love Him when He doesn’t answer the way we think He should. We have to keep following Him when we don’t understand. Faith trusts that God’s plan is greater than my expectations. If you’re mad at God or disappointed in Him because He didn’t do what you wanted, are you really trusting Him with your whole heart? Don’t let an unmet expectation stunt your spiritual growth or hinder your relationship with God.

Photo by Daniel Diemer on Unsplash

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July 31, 2023 · 5:45 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.

Photo by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash

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July 26, 2023 · 5:23 AM

An Extraordinary Day

I’ve noticed that God tends to show up in the most extraordinary ways on seemingly ordinary days. I wonder how often I miss Him. I was on a mission trip to Haiti about ten years ago when we decided to challenge each other to look for Jesus. Each night we would sing worship songs, pray and share. It was during those share times that we would tell stories of extraordinary things that happened where Jesus showed up. When we started looking for Him in our daily interactions, we began to see Him working through people and in people. We saw prayers answered, people healed and needs met in unexpected ways. I found that the more I look for Jesus in my ordinary life, the more extraordinary things He tends to do through me.

In Exodus 3, Moses was in the middle of an ordinary day. It started like any other one for the previous forty years. He took the sheep out to graze on the mountain side. That’s when he saw an amazing sight. There was a bush on fire, but it wasn’t being consumed. “‘This is amazing,’ Moses said to himself. ‘Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it’” (verse 3 NLT). When he went to see what God was doing, he had a holy moment with God. His future changed in an instant. No longer would he be tending sheep in the wilderness. Now he would lead God’s people out of bondage. That life change happened in an instant on the most ordinary of days because he didn’t stay still when he encountered God.

Psalm 14:2 says, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.” God is looking for those who are looking for Him. Will you keep your eyes open today to try to find Him? Today may have started like any other day, but it has the potential to be extraordinary if you will seek God today in the mundane. You may not be called to lead a nation out of slavery, but you may be used to help someone out of a bondage they’ve been in for years. You may not raise the dead, but you can make someone glad to be alive. I don’t know where you’ll see God or how He will use you. I just know if you seek Him and look for Him, you will find Him and He will use you. Don’t let this extraordinary thing pass you by.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

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July 25, 2023 · 5:57 AM

A Double Portion

Do you ever hear a common phrase and actually stop to think about what it’s saying? There’s a phrase my wife and I hear often that has become a bit of a pet peeve. It’s usually said at funerals by a person who comes up to speak about the deceased. They’ll usually say something like, “If I ever become half the person they were…” Another way they’ll say it is, “I hope to accomplish half of what they did.” Think about that. If you were half or only did half, then the next generation only wanted to be half of you, they would only do a quarter of the first person. Why do we insist on going backwards? Why do we only aspire to be half of someone else’s legacy? It’s not Biblical, nor is it God’s intention for you to only do a portion of the previous generation.

In 2 Kings 2, we read the story of Elijah being taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire. All day long he’s going from place to place while his assistant Elisha follows him. At each city, he tells Elisha to stay there, but he refuses. Also at each city there are prophets who tell Elisha that Elijah is about to be taken to Heaven. In verse 9, Elijah asks Elisha, “‘Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.’ And Elisha replied, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor’” (NLT). Elisha didn’t aspire to be half of who elijah had been. He wanted to be twice the person. He didn’t want to do half of what elijah had done, he wanted to do twice as much. Guess what? He did! God honored what he spoke and gave him a double portion so he could accomplish twice as much.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” Why would you on,y want to run at half the speed as someone else in a race? God is calling you and me to more. He wants to give us greater amounts of His Spirit and blessing, but if we only ask for half we’re missing out on all He has for us. It’s time you and I asked God for a double portion instead of a half portion. We live in a world that desperately needs what we have. We need the mantle of Elijah on us with a double portion of what God gave him. We need a double portion of the boldness that Early Church received at Pentecost. James 4:2 says that we don’t have things because we don’t ask God for them. Take time today to ask God to give you a double portion of what He has for you so you can accomplish all He created you to do and then some.

Photo by Todd Diemer on Unsplash

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July 24, 2023 · 5:39 AM

Neglecting The Altar

One of the things I’ve learned about homeownership is that you constantly have to maintain it to keep it from falling into disrepair. It’s often little things, but they pile up quickly if they’re not taken care of. I’ve even seen this in a new home. I knew someone who was going to buy a house. It was almost ten years old, but had never been lived in because the couple divorced before completion. They never could agree to sell it. When they finally did, there were so many problems, my friends walked away. On the other hand, Saltford Manor in England is considered to be the oldest continuously occupied house in the country. It was built around 1150. Because it has been maintained, it is still standing to this day.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenged the profits of Baal to a duel on top of Mount Carmel. He brought out two bulls and told the other prophets to choose one, build an altar, sacrifice the bull and pray for Baal to send fire for the sacrifice, then he would do the same thing and pray to God. He told the people to quit wavering between two opinions. Either God is God or some other deity is. The prophets of Baal prayed and chanted for hours to no avail. Then verse 30 says, “Then Elijah called to the people, ‘Come over here!’ They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down” (NLT). I couldn’t help but notice the altar had fallen into disrepair and been torn down. The rocks were there, but it needed to be rebuilt. I started thinking about how we often neglect the altar of God in our own life because of busyness and other priorities. A stone or two could be missing or the whole altar could be lying in disrepair. It’s time we rebuilt it.

Hebrews 2:1,3 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard” (ESV). We can’t afford to neglect so great a salvation from God that we have received. We need to get back to paying attention to what we have been taught, get back involved in church, renew our fellowship with other believers and return to our first love. When this altar falls into disrepair, it affects the rest of our life. We can spend a lot of time trying to find answers or even sacrificing the wrong things, but it won’t get us anywhere until we repair the altar to God in our life. Then God will answer and show up like He did for Elijah. It’s time to quit waving and put God back in His place in our life.

Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash

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July 20, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Embracing Limitations

I remember first hearing about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” when I was young. There was debate on whether it was a physical handicap that happened to him or a person who heckled him everywhere he went or something else. I believe God didn’t tell us what it was because we don’t need to know. I know it’s fun to speculate, but whatever it was it humbled him and limited his effectiveness in his mind. We know that he was surprised that after asking God three times to remove whatever it was that God didn’t remove it. God allowed whatever it was to bother him or limit him to continue so that Paul would be humble and learn to rely on God’s strength and wisdom instead of his own.

Think of something in your life that is happening or has happened that bothers you or feels like it’s limiting you. It probably consumes a lot of your thinking of how to get rid of it or to escape it. Has it caused an increase in your prayer life? Has it caused you to depend on and seek God more? If it has, then what looks like a curse, may actually be a blessing in disguise. I know it’s hard to look at something annoying or painful in our life and to see that as a blessing, but anything that draws us into a closer relationship and dependence on God is a blessing though it may not seem like it at the time. We like having an easy life and smooth sailing, but those things don’t produce mature believers. They produce overconfidence in our own abilities. One of my favorite quotes is that smooth seas never produced a skilled sailor.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become” (MSG). Learning to take our limitations in stride is hard, but necessary in our maturity. Difficult things happen to everyone. How we respond matters. We can get angry and depressed or we can let them push us into greater dependence on God and His grace. When we embrace our limitations and thorns, we embrace God’s grace.

Photo by Dave McDermott 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.

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