Tag Archives: christian living

April 21, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Seasons Of Life

Did you know that there are four seasons to farming? In the Spring, it’s the time of planting. The soil is tilled and seeds are placed at the right depth and spacing. In the Summer, it’s critical to make sure the crops are getting the right amount of water, fertilizer and sunlight. With the Fall comes the harvest. It’s about gathering in the produce at the peak of ripeness and then ripping out the old stalks so the ground can be infused with organic matter. Then, when the winter comes, the land has an opportunity to rest. You also spend this time repairing your tools and getting ready for the next Spring.

As I read that, I can’t help but think of the seasons of our life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there is a time and a season for everything. That includes our lives. Some of us are in a season of planting and preparing for what’s coming. Some of us are in a season of working on growing what we’ve planted. Some of us are in a season of harvest where we are reaping the benefits of what we’ve done. Others are in a season of rest where things in your life have been ripped up and it’s time to make repairs so you can plant again. Have you ever considered what season you’re in and the responsibilities God has given you for that season?

Proverbs 10:5 says, “Know the importance of the season you’re in and a wise son you will be. But what a waste when an incompetent son sleeps through his day of opportunity!” (TPT) God has you in this season for a purpose. In every season you find yourself in, there are things you should be doing for that season as well as things to prepare for the next season. Ask God to give you wisdom to know the things you should be doing in your season. Every season comes and goes. You will not be in this season forever, so make the most of it. Don’t let the opportunity of what God is trying to do in your life during this season pass by.

Photo by Nikoline Arns 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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April 20, 2022 · 5:44 AM

A Conditional Mindset

Have you ever told God, “I’ll go wherever you want me to go, except…”? Or you might have said, “I’ll do anything you want me to, except…” it’s crazy how we sometimes put conditions on our obedience. The truth is that we’ve got a mindset that we’ve adopted on earth that makes us think we can do that. For some reason we’ve bought the lie that we get to pick and choose what we want to obey. You can’t say, “God, I’ll honor you, but I’m not going to honor my spouse or my parents.” To dishonor them is to dishonor God and the commandment He’s given. The mindset that tells God what we are and are not going to do is wrong.

Take Jonah for example. God told him where to go and what to say. He didn’t say anything back to God. He went down to the shore, bought a ticket like he was going and boarded a ship in the opposite direction. His mindset was the kind that said, “I’ll go wherever you want except Nineveh.” God wasn’t pleased with Jonah, nor is He pleased with us when we adopt the same mindset. He might not send a great fish to swallow you so you’ll get an attitude adjustment and a mindset change, but He will try to get your attention so you’ll follow and say what the Spirit leads you to do and say. We can’t forget that He is the potter and we are the clay.

Romans 8:7 puts it plainly what’s happening when we do this to God. It says, “In fact, the mind-set focused on the flesh fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to his direction, because it cannot!” (TPT) When we refuse to submit to God’s direction for our lives, we’ve adopted a flesh driven mindset rather than a Spirit led one. It’s a visible sign of rebellion because of a lack of submission to God. To live by the Spirit is to live in obedience and without conditions to what God says on how to live, where to go and what to say. It’s the way God has asked you and I to live. The next time you find yourself putting conditions on obeying, stop the sentence, repent and say, “I’m your servant. I’ll do whatever you want.” It may not be easy, but that’s what a Spirit led life looks like.

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April 19, 2022 · 5:44 AM

An Act Of Faith

Growing up, I loved watching the Indiana Jones movies. They were action packed, funny and took place all over the world. One of my favorite scenes came from “The Last Crusade”. Indiana Jones was standing at the edge of a cliff and needed to cross it. The instructions he had told him to do an act of faith and step off the cliff. You could see him contemplating what would happen if he just stepped off the cliff. I held my breath as he lifted one leg, lifted it over the edge and took the step. To his surprise, and the audience too, there was a hidden bridge there he couldn’t see from his perspective. His act of faith paid off.

In Joshua 3, it was time for Israel to cross the Jordan. After purifying themselves, they set out for the river. The priests who were carrying the Ark we’re out front leading the way. Their instructions were to walk into the river and then it would dry up for everyone to cross. Verse 15 tells us that when they crossed, it was the time of harvest and that the river was in flood stage and had overrun its banks. I can see the priests standing near the edge of the water as it flowed rapidly by. There might have been a moment of fear, but they took their step of faith and waded into the water. When they did, verse 16 says the waters stopped upstream and the people were able to cross on dry ground.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (GNT). God is calling you and I to step into greater acts of faith. He’s calling us to take steps into places we can’t see with our physical eyes. We’re going to have to trust His instructions even when they don’t make sense. You might get a little wet from the waters that look a little too deep, but that’s the life we’re called to. We can be sure of what He tells us because it is more certain than what’s physical in this world. There will always be that voice that wants you to question what God said, but you need to take the step anyway as am act of faith. God will do the rest.

Photo by Steve Carter on Unsplash

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April 14, 2022 · 5:30 AM

The Importance Of Excellence

It was a sculptor named Frederic Bartholdi who designed and built the Statue of Liberty. It was built and then dedicated in New York City In 1886. It would be nearly 20 years later when the Wright brothers first took flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Yet, when building the Statue of Liberty, Bartholdi refused to cut corners, especially on the head of Lady Liberty. To think that someone would ever be able to see the top of her head never crossed his mind, but he took the time to put the same amount of work and detail up there. When you’re driven by excellence, you focus even on the details you don’t think that others will see. You understand that when you get the small details right, the big problems rarely show up.

My personal motto is, “If it has my name on it, it needs to be done with excellence.” If I’m going to spend my time working on something, I want to make sure I don’t cut any corners or do a job that will reflect poorly on me. In my mind, I think about how the things I do don’t just reflect myself, but God. As a person who bears the name Christian, I should also be concerned about the reputation of the One whose name I bear. According to 1 Corinthians 12:7, each one of us are given gifts by God in order to help each other. If we’re going to maximize our gifts and their effects in the lives of others, it’s important that we understand how to use them and that we focus on using them well. We should never take these gifts lightly.

Galatians 6:4 says, “Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what’s right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others” (TPT). You have work that God has called you to do through the unique gifts He has equipped you with. If you don’t use them, or do your work half heartedly, you diminish the ripple affect into the lives of others. To have the greatest impact on this world, we each need to know our giftings and operate in them with the excellence they deserve. Put time into perfecting the details, even the ones you think no one will ever see. You never know what God will do or how He May bless your commitment to doing all things with excellence.

Photo by Linus Mimietz 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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April 13, 2022 · 5:44 AM

What Matters Most

When I was in the Eighth grade, Nike had come out with the Air Jordan 3’s. There wasn’t anything else in the world I wanted more. I went to my parents, but they couldn’t afford an unheard of cost of $100 for a pair of shoes. Their price was $25 for a pair. Anything over that was my responsibility. So I grabbed the lawnmower and started knocking on doors. It took a while at $10 a yard, but I saved up enough to buy them. I was so proud of them and took them to my first out of town basketball tournament. That night someone pulled the fire alarm at 2:00 AM. The only thing I cared about was the shoes. I grabbed them and ran out. They were my prize possession for about three months until I grew out of them.

Job was a man who worked hard and became wealthy. As you probably know, he lost everything he owned in a day, including his children. Then he got a terrible skin disease. His wife told him to curse God and die. Then his friends came along accusing him of sinning against God bringing all this on himself. When he wasn’t defending himself, he became very reflective and introspective. He also got a little defiant. He learned what really mattered in life through his experience. When he got the proper perspective, God set things right in his life and protected him from the attack he was under.

Psalm 39:6 says, “All our activities and energies are spent for things that pass away. We gather, we hoard, we cling to our things, only to leave them all behind for who knows who” (TPT). What’s important to you in this life? Will it last for eternity? We spend so much time and effort trying to acquire this world’s wealth or items that give us status here, yet it’s what’s done for eternity is what matters. We need to take time to reflect as Job did. What changes do we need to make so that we’re not walking up to God’s throne empty handed? There’s nothing wrong with having things and acquiring wealth. Just make sure you’re laying up treasures in Heaven as well.

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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.

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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

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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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