Tag Archives: christian living

April 12, 2022 · 5:53 AM

A Thorough Search

When it comes to going to the doctor, I’ve got friends on two ends of the spectrum. On one end are people who don’t like to go see the doctor. They like to say, “Every time I go to the doctor, they find something wrong.” By not going, they assume the problem isn’t there and won’t go until it’s too late to be helped. On the other end, I’ve got friends who want full body scans often. They’ll say, “If there’s something going on anywhere in me, I want to know about it.” They realize that something can pop up quickly, and they want to catch it early knowing it gives them a greater chance at success in beating it.

Psalm 139 is one of those chapters many of us quote or have memorized. It starts out saying, “O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me” (AMP). God has searched each one of us and knows what’s going on in us well before we do. He is acquainted with ALL our ways. He not only knows the number of hairs on our head, but He also knows our thoughts and intents. He knows us better than we know ourselves. The psalmist understood that and began this psalm recognizing who God is, which makes it interesting that he closed the psalm by saying, “Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

The closing search is what I referred to earlier. It’s so that he would know what’s going on inside himself. He invited God to thoroughly go through the hidden places of his heart, to the dark corners of his mind and to find the skeletons in his closets so that he could be led more surely in God’s ways. It’s something each of us need to invite God to do. God already knows what He’s going to find, and He loves us anyway. It’s truly up to us to invite Him in to expose our hidden sins and intents so that we can follow Him more closely. There’s no need to fear a thorough search. He’ll forgive what gets exposed, you’ll find freedom and walk more confidently in the everlasting way.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

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April 5, 2022 · 5:53 AM

Escaping The Prison Of Shame

My friend and I were discussing shame last week and all the effects it has on believers. It’s a mental prison that incarcerates too many people. So many of us remember our past vividly, even though we’ve been forgiven of it and set free from it. Our enemy uses the shame of what we’ve done to tell us that we’re not qualified or worthy to be a Christian or to do any ministry. He tells us, “If they knew what you’ve done, they wouldn’t be so nice to you.” When those mental attacks come, many of us go running back to what we’ve been set free from or we run into the prison of shame. This is not God’s plan for you.

The book of Exodus chronicles the children of Israel leaving Egypt. God set them free from their slavery and off they went marching through the Red Sea. They were making great progress until they experienced the mental attacks in the desert. Over and over they were held captive by their past because they romanticized their prison. Numbers 14:4 says, “So they said to one another, ‘Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!’” (GNT) Even though that had been set free, they were willing to give up the promises God had given them and return to slavery. That’s exactly what shame does. It makes us turn from God, the one who can help us, and desire the thing He’s set us free from.

Galatians 5:1 says, “At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past” (TPT). You have been set free and forgiven from your past. It is your testimony, not your shame. We overcome by the word of our testimony. Don’t let the enemy keep you quiet, cause you to be ineffective or have you return to it. The truth is that if others knew what you’ve been set free from, their faith in God would grow, others who are fighting that battle would have courage to trust God and you will possess the promised land. You have been miraculously set free! Walk in your freedom and refuse to return to the prison of your past.

Photo by Denis Oliveira on Unsplash

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April 4, 2022 · 5:43 AM

Application Is Key

My son and his friend climbed up into the treehouse part of his old swing set the other day. They immediately came back down to tell me how dirty it was in there and that it was covered in leaves. Then they wanted to know if they could clean it out. A small broom was useful in clearing out the leaves and paper towels helped them wipe everything down. Then the friend came down to tell me that she was able to put her hand through one of the boards. I told my son to get out as I walked over to it. Sure enough, several boards had rotted through where the leaves had piled up. Until I can replace the boards, the treehouse is off limits.

As I laid back down in my hammock, jokingly I thought, “But I have buckets of water seal in the garage. How could it have rotted through?” That thought was met with another one that said, “It doesn’t matter how much water seal you have if you never apply it!” My mind then went to James 1:22 that tells us to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. Many of us have read the Bible and even memorized it. We’ve stored it in our minds, but if we don’t apply it into our lives, things can still fall apart and rot through. It’s not enough to know God’s Word. We must do something with it.

One of my favorite verses is Joshua 1:8 because it gives God’s secret to success in life. It says, “Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (GNT). We can read it, hear it and study it, but if we don’t obey and apply it, we miss out on the blessings it offers. If we want to guard against rot in our heart and find success in this life and the next, we must apply God’s principles to our lives and live it out. Application is the key to unlocking all that God has for you. Put it to the test and watch Him move in your life.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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April 1, 2022 · 5:37 AM

The Need For Repentance

Repentance is a word we like when it isn’t talking about us. It literally means to change direction or to make an about face. It involves us admitting we’re wrong, being sorry for it and then changing our ways. People don’t like to admit their wrong or change. They tend to change when they hurt enough they have to, learn enough they want to or they’re loved enough that they’re empowered to. We have been loved with an everlasting love by a holy God who encourages us, His people, to humble ourselves, repent and turn from our ways. Repentance isn’t just for the lost. It’s a practice we as believers must incorporate into our lives and practice as well.

Here are some Bible verses on repentance.

1. Fools mock the need for repentance, while the favor of God rests upon all his lovers.

Proverbs 14:9 TPT

2. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4 ESV

3. You must prove your repentance by a changed life.

Matthew 3:8 TPT

4. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT

5. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of rams And the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience]; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].”

Isaiah 1:11 AMP

Photo by Jim Wilson on Unsplash

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March 31, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Running To Win

I went to a pretty small high school where if you were athletic, you pretty much played every sport. If you ran track, you didn’t just run one race, you ran several which meant several heats for each race. We had to be in great shape. I remember my running coach teaching me to breathe a certain way so that I wouldn’t get that pain in my side. She also taught me aerodynamics so that my body would channel the wind. Then there was the conditioning to get my body in shape to survive so many races. I put a lot of miles on my shoes so that I could win the races I ran. After high school, I decided had ran enough miles for a lifetime, but in the course of it, I had won many races.

Running takes discipline and mental strength to push through when your body wants to quit. It’s a lot like living out your faith. It takes being dedicated, being mentally focused and being disciplined. Your flesh is always fighting against you and is trying to slow you down so you have to be prepared mentally to push back. It tries to play against your sympathies to get you to stumble and fall. You have to be disciplined enough to catch it early so you can stop that line of thinking. You also have to keep your eyes on what’s at stake in your life and in the lives of others. It’s not a 5k Fun Run. This is more like a marathon or an Iron Man. Every part of you must be disciplined so that you’re making determined progress and are be becoming more like Christ every day.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours!” (AMP) Each of us are running the race God has called us to. No one can run your race for you. It’s up to you to run your race in a manner that you’re not just providing traffic for the other runners, but that you’re running in order to win. When you’re running to win, you push yourself to stay in the front of the race. You lean on lessons you’ve learned from the past and ensure that you’re spiritually fit. You use the discipline of reading and applying God’s Word to keep you on track. You continually seek God and His presence so you can endure. You invite the Holy Spirit into your life to encourage you daily to keep going. If you’re going to live a life of faith, be 100% committed and give it your all.

Photo by Fitsum Admasu 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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March 30, 2022 · 5:57 AM

The Heart Of A Servant

God put something inside of us that makes us feel good when we’re treated as an important person. Have you ever been the guest of honor before? Or been the most important person in the room? Or treated like royalty when you’ve visited somewhere? When something like that happens, we often say, “I could get used to this!” It’s a natural response to feel that way. What isn’t natural is to be in a moment or place like that, then excuse yourself from being the center of attention to plunging toilets. Most of us would ask someone else to do it so we wouldn’t mess up our clothes or stop the doting on us. However, that’s the example Jesus gave us to follow.

On the night before the Passover, which was a foreshadowing of what Jesus was about to do, He and the disciples were having dinner. John 13:3 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God” (NLT). He had all authority in the universe in this moment. He knew He was heading back home, yet He noticed no one had washed their feet as was the custom. Instead of telling someone to call a servant or instead of asking a disciple to wash the feet, He did it. Verses 4-5 say, “So He got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around him.”

Doug Stringer, a ministry friend at Somebody Cares, says, “While men reach for thrones to build their own kingdom, Jesus reached for a towel to wash men’s feet.” When Jesus reached the moment His whole life had been pointing to, and had been given all authority, He showed us what to reach for. He denied the pride that lives within all of us and reached for the towel of humility. He served those He was about to die for, including Judas. The example Jesus gives is what He said over and over. If you want to be great in His kingdom, you must reach for a towel and serve. While it feels good to be the center of attention, and to have our ego stroked, it’s eternally better to have the heart of a servant.

Photo by Danique Tersmette on Unsplash

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March 28, 2022 · 5:40 AM

The Comparison Trap

Comparing ourselves to one another is something we all do. It’s especially dangerous when we do it as Christians though. We say, “Ifi didn’t have to go through the things I went through, I would be as close to God as they are.if I had their kind of time, I would pray more. If I had their kind of money, I would give extravagantly.” The list goes on, but the comparison trap begins with the word “if”. It’s the biggest little word out there. When we use it to compare ourselves, what we’re really doing is creating an excuse for not doing something we should be doing now.

When we find ourselves falling into this trap, it’s important to ask ourselves some questions to keep ourselves in check. We need to ask, “What’s my motivation for saying that? What’s driving this statement? What am I doing in this area right now with what I have?” In most cases, were not really doing much in that area, if anything at all. We’re delaying following a spiritual discipline we don’t care to follow, by comparing ourselves to others who only do it because they have what we don’t. The problem is that Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones” (NLT).

There’s a reason why God said in Zachariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” If you don’t do it when you have a little, you won’t do it when you have a lot. It’s when we’re faithful in the small beginnings that God will know we will be faithful in larger things. So whatever comparison trap you find yourself in, break the lie by calling it out. Then start doing whatever it is with what you have right now. You will stop the excuse making and turn on the fountain of blessings from God by following what He asks you to do.

Photo by Maine Photography on Unsplash

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March 24, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Greater Things Ahead

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “Man, they have it all. I wish I had their…”? So many times we look at what people have and identify with the end result without stopping to think about what they went through to get there. We want the reward without the work or the struggle. There’s a saying, “The greatest overnight successes were twenty years in the making.” Most of us face our battles and struggles in obscurity. Others don’t see that part of our story. They see us years later after we’ve endured and are enjoying the fruits of our labor. What we forget is that without the struggle, there is no success.

God wanted to promote David from shepherd boy to king, but he wasn’t ready. David faced years of struggles between being anointed king and taking the throne. He was chased by the current king. There were people he knew that betrayed him. He lived in a cave in an inhospitable desert. He fought several battles with very little rest. He had a lot of struggles because God uses them to prepare us for our future. We can choose to complain about the things we face or we can lay them at the feet of Jesus and push through them knowing there is something more ahead.

In Psalm 55:22 David wrote, “So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you” (TPT). Our struggles are meant to strengthen our faith in God so we are prepared for what’s next. We can either get lost in the pain, bitter in the disappointment or we can find strength to keep going by giving it to God knowing He’s with us through each battle. The greater things God has for you, the greater the struggle you will go through, The great news is you’re not alone and you don’t have to do it in your strength. Lay down your worries and trust that God is at work and in control.

Photo by Tim Bogdanov 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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March 23, 2022 · 5:41 AM

Distracted Lives

We live in the age of the distracted driver. Because I’m a nosy person, and I’ve spent a lot of time in traffic, I’ve seen a lot of distracted people. I’ve seen someone reading a book while driving on a highway. I’ve also seen a lady applying mascara while traveling at least 70 mph. It seems theres a new video or story each week of Tesla drivers who are asleep while the car drives. Most of us are guilty of eating while driving, and there’s probably just as many who are on their phones while cruising at a high rate of speed. These distractions take our eyes off the road, and often causes us to veer out of our lane, which is very dangerous.

The Bible is full of people just like that, except they weren’t driving. They were living their life with the right intentions, but got distracted from the truth. Adam and Eve kicked off the human race by turning their eyes from God to the forbidden fruit. David was supposed to be on the war path, but ended up getting distracted on his balcony. Judas followed Jesus wherever He went, but got distracted by greed. Temptation happened to all of them, just like it does for us. It’s goal is to get us to take our eyes off of where we’re headed so that we will veer. Once we start veering, the road can get pretty rough and bumpy.

Solomon, who also got distracted, gave us this advice in Proverbs 4:26. He said, “Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you” (TPT). It’s important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus each day. Temptation is lurking at every corner trying to get us to leave the path God set out for us. Like Jesus, we need to know the Word of God so we can use the truth of it to combat the lies. We can’t afford to live distracted lives. Commit each day to following the paths of truth. When you find yourself getting distracted, and notice the road is getting bumpy, refocus your attention on the One who laid out a path before you. There’s no better way to get back on that path than seeking forgiveness and repenting. Look to Jesus and live distraction free.

Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash

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March 21, 2022 · 5:44 AM

Jesus’ Gate Keepers

If you’ve ever done cold calling, you know how tough it can be. Whenever you call a business to try to get an appointment to pitch your product, the person who answers the phone is the gate keeper. They stand between you and the decision maker. Their job is to make sure only relevant people get through to the decision maker so that their time isn’t wasted. Some gate keepers are easy to bypass. You just need you to be nice to them in order to get through. Some are more difficult than others. No matter which method you use to try to get through them, they won’t let you pass.

In Matthew 19, Jesus’ ministry was in full swing. People knew who He was wherever He went. Little old ladies would try to press through the crowd to touch His garment. The sick would line up for hours in hopes that He would heal them. Religious leaders would come to see Him to try to discredit Him. In verse 13, a group of parents tried to bring their kids to Him, but the disciples denied them. They were His gate keepers and wanted to make sure only relevant people got close to Him. Kids, blind guys outside cities and other outcasts were not on their list. However, in this situation, and the others, Jesus would say, “I want little children to come to me, so never interfere with them when they want to come, for heaven’s kingdom realm is composed of beloved ones like these!” (TPT)

In today’s world, somehow you and I have taken on the responsibility of being His gate keepers. We’ve decided in our minds who’s worthy of His grace and who isn’t. We can be willing to let some people know about Jesus, but we don’t want to show His love to others because of how we feel about them. However, we need to remember 2 Peter 3:9 that reminds us, “This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.” God doesn’t want anyone to perish. That means you and I need to open the gates and let everyone through to Him. Even the people you don’t think deserve forgiveness.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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