Tag Archives: Christianity

October 17, 2024 · 5:30 AM

The Feast Of Shelters

I was reading recently in II Chronicles 7 where Solomon was dedicating the temple. During the celebration, they celebrated the Feast of Shelters. I wasn’t as familiar with that feast as Pentecost, Jubilee, Rosh Hashanah or others. I looked it up to find out more about it and found something interesting. To help Israel remember how their ancestors wandered the desert for 40 years as nomads, they would live in temporary shelters for seven days. Some would sleep on the porch of their homes, others would camp out, some would build lean to shelters and some would build temporary booths.

The shelter they stayed in needed to make sure they were exposed to the elements. If it got cold, they shivered. If it rained, they got wet. If it was hot, they sweat. All of this to remember that their ancestors didn’t have permanent dwellings like they did. It was meant as a link to their past, but for me, it’s a link to our future. These bodies we live in are our temporary shelters. We live like nomads in them moving around all over the world. We think they’re our permanent home, but like the Israelites, we look forward to going to the Promised Land and getting our permanent homes.

II Corinthians 5:1 says, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in Heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself” (NLT). Paul referred to our bodies as tents which is what the people of Israel lived in while they wandered the desert. It’s a temporary home. The problem is that we have lived this way for so long that we’ve forgotten it’s temporary and have made ourselves comfortable in them. We are only wandering here making our way to our permanent home.

These tents we live in have us exposed to the elements of life. They don’t really protect us from tragedy, problems, storms or outside forces. We feel the full force of things and hurt deeply. When we get our new bodies, our permanent ones, we will have shelter from those things. Knowing that a day is coming when we’ll have protection against such things should give us strength and courage to move forward instead of being stick in the past. God wants each one of us to move forward and to think about the future He has for us. He told us about such a time because He knew it would give us hope, and hope is a powerful thing in a temporary storm.

Photo by Rahul Bhosale 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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October 16, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Obedience Matters

I heard the story of a man who had just e tied a plane at the airport when he felt he heard God tell him to do a headstand. He thought it was crazy and kept walking when he heard it again. It got to be so loud in his mind that he couldn’t concentrate. So finally he stopped next to a wall and did the headstand. When he looked forward, a man came out of the men’s room shouting at him asking him why he was doing that. He felt weird saying it, but he told the man God had told him to. The other man broke down in tears saying, lI was just in the restroom and told God, “If you’re real, prove it. Have someone do something crazy, like a headstand, and I’ll give my life to you.” Right then and there, he gave his heart to the Lord.

In John 2, Jesus and the disciples attended a wedding in a village near where He grew up. Weddings typically lasted several days. At some point, His mother Mary came up to Him to tell Him that their friends had run out of wine and we’re going to be shamed. After pushing back, verse 5 says, “But his mother told the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you’” (NLT). Jesus then told them to get water and fill six stone water jars. It didn’t make sense to them at the moment, but they obeyed. Then He told them to draw water and take it to the master of ceremonies. Again, it didn’t make any sense, but they did it anyway. When he lifted the cup of water to his lips, it changed into wine and the friend’s reputation was saved. Jesus Himself was obeying the Law because a stone jar is the only type of jar that could have two different liquids in it, one after the other, without being ritually purified.

1 Samuel 15:22 says, “But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.’” I don’t know what God is asking you to do, or will ask you to do, but obedience is necessary above all else. He has the information you’re missing. He knows what you don’t know. In the moment, and even after, it may not make sense, but follow Mary’s advice and do whatever He tells you to. Hopefully it’s not to do a headstand in an airport, but if it is, follow His voice. When we obey whatever He tells us to, He opens doors that have never been opened before.

Thanks to Gabriel Encev on Unsplash for the photo.

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October 14, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Songs Of Failure

When I was a kid, I remember going to Houston Oiler games. To get the crowd excited they would play the famous song that said, “‘Cause we’re the Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers. Houston Oilers number one!” That song was played all the time around here. I’ve been to other professional teams of various sports and the crowd will break out singing songs of victory for the team. If you support a favorite college in football, I bet you can name their fight song. Even in church we sing songs of victory over the enemy in our battle with him, but have you ever heard of or sang a song of failure? Could you imagine writing a song that exposed your greatest failure in life so that everyone could hear about it?

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan walked into the king’s palace and told the king a story about two men. One was rich and the other was poor. The rich man had many sheep in his flock and the poor man just one, which he treated as his own child. A guest showed up at the rich man’s home and instead of killing one of his own sheep, he took the one from the poor man, slaughtered it and served it. David got angry and said that the rich man needed to be put to death. The prophet told him, “You are that man!” He exposed David’s hidden sin of murder and adultery. Instead of denying it or explaining it, he humbled himself. He then wrote Psalm 51, a beautiful song about his failure and need for repentance. Instead of keeping his sin from everyone but God, he exposed it to everyone.

Verse 1 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins” (NLT). It goes on and in verse 10 it says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Every one of us fail and sin at times, but do we take the time to expose those failures and confess them to God and others? James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins one to another, not just to God. Why? So we can find healing, restoration, and warn others of where temptations lay. Our song of failure can keep other people from wandering down the same path and keep them from making the same mistake. The enemy wants us to be so embarrassed about our failures that we keep quiet. God’s remedy is for us to sing it from the rooftops to help others on their way not to make the same mistakes. Confess your sins to each other and to God, then ask for a clean heart and a right spirit.

Photo by Riley Bartel on Unsplash

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October 10, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Life In The Desert

In the mid 1990’s, I moved to Cairo, Egypt. As the plane landed, I looked out the window. I was shocked to see that there wasn’t any grass on the medians between the runway. On the drive to my new home, I was overwhelmed by the sea of monochromatic tan all around me. The Sahara Desert was my first culture shock having lived in a lush green area of East Texas my whole life. However, over time, I grew used to living in the desert and the lack of green vegetation. Then, early the year after I moved there, I decided to take a bus to Israel. We drove for hours through the desert until we came to the border. As I got out to walk across, I saw the strangest thing ever. All along the border there was a line of grass and flowers in the middle of this desert and it extended into Israel. It was an incredible sight to see life growing in the middle of a barren land.

The reason deserts lack life is because they lack water. Over 90% of Egyptians live along the Nile river because that’s the on,y way they can sustain life. Sure, there are people who live in the desert, but life is better and more easily sustained where there is water. Even along the Nile, I hadn’t seen what I saw at the border that day. Things were thriving at the border. It reminded me that God is able to do the impossible. He can grow life in the middle of nowhere and in the harshest environments. He is able to take our roughest, driest patches in life and spring up new life. He is able to take what looks like an end and create a new beginning. The desert we’re temporarily living in has the potential for life.

In Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, “Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert” (AMP). I believe God is still speaking to us through these verses. The desert you’ve been in is about to burst forth with life. It starts with us forgetting the things of the past that led us into the desert. We need to focus our attention on what God is doing right now in this dry season. He’s creating a pathway forward for you and bringing a river of life to your situation. What has been a barren time for you is about to be teeming with life. God does not abandon us in the desert and He’s able to make a way where there seems to be no way. Trust in Him, don’t lean on your own understanding, acknowledge what He’s doing and He will direct your path through this time (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Photo by Dylan Shaw 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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October 9, 2024 · 5:29 AM

Go To The King

The Bible says that it rains on the just and the unjust alike. Jesus told us that in this world we w have trouble. There’s no escaping it. So what do you do when trouble comes? I’ve seen people circle the wagons and close themselves off from everyone else while they go through it. I’ve seen people get bitter towards God and leave the church. I’ve seen people crumble under the pressure. I’ve also seen people who reach out to get a prayer chain going. I’ve also seen people whose faith deepened during the hardest times. Pressure does different things to different people. One thing for sure is that it exposes the depth of what a person believes. When hard times come, our actions outweigh anything we’ve ever said.

In Esther 5, Haman had convinced the king to send out a decree to destroy the Jews who were living among his people. He was mad that Mordecai didn’t bow every time he went by. When the decree went out, Mordecai read it and tore his clothes in grief. He then took ashes and smeared them on his body to show he was in morning. He put on sackcloth, which was uncomfortable, to show he was in distress. Then, the most important thing he did was go to the king’s gate. He knew that only the king could reverse the order so he went there. When word got to Esther, she sent new clothes, but he refused and sent word of what was going on. He asked her to risk her life by going to the king to intercede for her people. She called for a fast and went to the king to save her people.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). We need to be like Mordecai and Esther when we are hit with hard times. We must go to the King. We don’t have to be afraid like Esther. We can approach Him boldly and lay down our cares and burdens at His feet. We will receive mercy as He sees what we’re going through. We will also receive grace that is sufficient for the hardship we’re going through. It’s in our weakness that His strength is made perfect in us. Instead of running from God, we must run to the king who will give us everything we need when we need it most.

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

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October 8, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Fighting Back

One of the things Jesus told us is that our enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your joy, your time, your children, your spouse, your money and more. He wants to kill your momentum, your hope, your relationships, the seeds you’ve planted and anything life giving. He wants to destroy your confidence, your testimony, your harvest, your work, your hope and your connection to God. He’s always at work trying to do these things in your life. How do you respond when he succeeds? Do you wallow in self pity? Do you cry out to God for help? Do you take back what the enemy stole? You have unused authority that has been given to you from Jesus to fight back and take back what God has given you.

In 1 Samuel 30, we read the story of David and his men returning home from the battlefield. They were running from Saul and had agreed to fight along side Israel’s enemies against Saul, but the king’s didn’t trust David. After several days of traveling to return home, they saw smoke rising. Their homes had been burned down by an enemy. Their wives, kids and all their possessions were stolen. Verse 6 says, the men began to turn on David and were planning on stoning him, but David found strength in God. Then David called for the priest and communicated with God. He asked if he should go after the enemy and fight. The Lord said yes. They saddled up, even though they were exhausted, fought the enemy and reclaimed their wives, kids and possessions. Meanwhile, Saul was killed in the other battle and David was asked to be king.

Psalm 18 was written around this time. Verse 2 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety” (NLT). While the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus came to give life. He is our rock in times of trouble, our fortress when the enemy attacks and our savior who gives us the victory. We must trust in Him as our protection. He is our shield, power and peace. Don’t just stand there when the enemy comes in. Run to Him, regather yourself and go fight the enemy. Take back what has been stolen. All is not lost. Chase him down, fight back and take back what God has given you. Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to rise up, face the enemy fully equipped with the armor of God and take it all back.

Picture courtesy of Unsplash.

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October 7, 2024 · 5:51 AM

One Small Decision

I’ve seen commercials and even YouTube videos demonstrating the Domino Effect combined with the geometric growth principles. In one video, the gentleman has around 13 dominos growing at a rate of 1.5%. The smallest one he had to use tweezers to set down because it was on,y 5 mm tall. The last one was over 3’ tall and weighed over 100 pounds. Once set, he barely touches the 5mm domino. That’s when the Domino Effect came into play. One by one they pushed each other down until the giant one fell. It’s a great demonstration of how little decisions or habits can create a massive shift in our future and change our lives. In the moment they see. Inconsequential, but when you look back you can point to a single decision or habit that changed everything.

I love how the story of Ruth demonstrates these principles. With all three women’s husbands dead, Naomi tells her two daughters in law to return home to their families. One makes the decision to return, while Ruth decides to male Naomi’s people her people and worship her God. That decision led her to live in Bethlehem. She then decided to glean from a nearby field to get grain. That decision caused her to walk into the field of Boaz who actually had the power to redeem her. That decision led to marriage and a son who would continue the family name. That son had a son whose name was Jesse, and he had a son named David who became king. The family tree kept going through generations there until one day down the line a couple gave birth to a son and named Him Jesus. It all started with the decision to stay with Naomi.

Proverbs 3:6 says,“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT). When I train classes, I’ll often end with a critical thinking exercise. I have people look at the results they’re getting in their lives and ask, “What do you need to continue doing that is giving you these results?” I follow that with, “What’s one thing you need to start doing to change your future results?” Then I wrap up with, “What’s something you need to stop doing?” Applying these three questions to your life, and implementing them, will create a domino effect of geometric proportions in your life. Make prayerful plans and decisions so that you create movement in your future and the Lord will work out His purpose in your life. If you don’t like where things are now, you’re one small decision away from a different future.

Photo by Astrid Schaffner on Unsplash

Here’s a video demonstrating these principles.

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October 3, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Goodness In Action

I was just telling my son, that Romans is my favorite book in the Bible. It’s full of so many treasures and some outright blunt speaking from Paul. One of which is Romans 2:4. It says, “Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?” (AMP) Through this verse, Paul revealed the part of our process of the change in our heart and mind that led us to seeking forgiveness for our sin. When you think back to when you received Jesus as your savior, there was kindness or goodness in action from God towards you that led you towards trusting in Him. That kindness created a change of heart in you. That same kindness that God demonstrated to you is the same kindness listed in the Fruits of the Spirit that we are to display to others.

In Genesis 43, Joseph’s brothers returned to Egypt for more grain. Joseph showed them kindness by feeding them at his own home. They knew they didn’t deserve this kindness as their consciences reminded them of what they had done to their brother. After having lunch with them, he planted a cup in Benjamin’s bag that was found later after they left. When he said Benjamin had to go to jail, Judah stood up and offered an act of kindness by saying he would take the punishment for Benjamin. When Joseph saw this, he knew their hearts had changed and he revealed himself to them. Forgiveness and restoration took place because kindness (goodness in action) was demonstrated when they didn’t deserve it.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you” (AMP). It’s not just God’s kindness that leads to repentance, it’s our goodness in action and forgiveness that points them to Jesus too. Who in your life least deserves kindness from you? We are to readily and freely forgive others as Jesus readily and freely forgave us. We need to show kindness to those who have wronged us rather than seeking revenge. Pray for wisdom and help from God to help you forgive and show you ways to express His kindness to them and to others you meet. We know that when others see our good works and goodness in action, they’ll glorify God and turn to Him.

Photo by ROCKETMANN TEAM on Pexels.

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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October 2, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Holding On Tightly

If you could go back in time and watch anything in the Bible happen, what would it be? Watching the walls of Jericho fall would be high on the list for me. I wonder what the people on both sides thought as they marched around the walls. To hear the trumpets blast and the people shout because God had given them the city would be incredible I think. Then to stand there in awe as the walls collapsed and feel the earth shake from it would be the experience of a lifetime. I have read that story many times since I was a kid. I have even marched and driven around situations praying for spiritual walls to fall and for breakthrough. I’ve experienced the miracle of God moving in the moment like He did that day, but I’ve also experienced standing there waiting for the walls to fall. How do you respond when you’ve done everything you can and the walls remain while breakthrough eludes you?

In Mark 5:25-34, we read about a lady who had done everything she could, but her breakthrough never came. For 12 years, she had suffered with an issue of blood that made her unclean according to the Law. For 12 years she had gone to every doctor she could find only to get worse. For 12 years she faced disappointments and set backs. Think about where you were and what was going on in your life 12 years ago to put that into perspective. Somehow this woman kept marching around the walls praying for them to fall, when one day she heard about Jesus. She thought if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed, so she snuck up behind Him in the crowd. When she touched it, her breakthrough came and she was healed.

Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT). It’s hard to keep holding on when your breakthrough doesn’t happen or is delayed, but like that woman, we can’t let go. Our hope is not based on the moment we’re standing in, but in the promise of the Great I Am, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our faith must be greater than our feelings if we’re not going to waiver in those times when we’re staring down walls we’ve prayed would fall. Like the Israelites we need to keep marching and thanking God for the victory that’s coming. Like the woman we must seek out the hem of His garment when everything else has failed. We can trust in God’s promises and who He is because He’s been faithful. I don’t know when your breakthrough will happen, but I know you must keep holding on tightly to your faith in Him no matter what.

Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash

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September 30, 2024 · 5:45 AM

Controlling Everything

How do you handle it when everything is going wrong? There are times and seasons of disappointment that we all go through. For some of us, we start trying to control everything when things start spinning out of control. The truth is that we can’t really control anything except our response and our attitude. I’m not a person that is constantly worried about things, but in these seasons, worry tries to creep in. My sleep gets disrupted, my appetite goes away and I get quiet because I’m trying to handle it and solve it on my own. Doing all those things is still simply masking the fact that I’m trying to control the situation rather than my response. Ultimately I have to realize that only God can control my circumstances.

In Esther 3, Haman had been promoted to second in command. The king ordered that he be given the same treatment and respect as if he were king. People were told to bow when he went by them. Everyone obeyed the edict except Mordecai. Haman was infuriated and decided not to simply attack Mordecai. His response was to eradicate all Jews. He convinced the king to sign a law that gave people in every province of the kingdom to kill Jews and take their possessions. In chapter four, Mordecai read the decree and began crying and wailing. He put on mourning clothes, fasted and prayed for a resolution. He may have felt the blame for the situation and knew he didn’t have the answer, but he knew God did. He sent word to Esther about what was going on and God used her to save His people.

Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (NLT) When things are out of control, God is still in control. We must look to Him because He is the only one who can help in these seasons. He is the one who had the plan and people in position to protect you and bring the season to a close. Like Mordecai, we should turn our hearts toward heaven in fasting and prayer. Like Esther, we should be ready to do whatever God asks no matter how difficult. Things may look bleak, and times may get rough, but in those moments we must look to God and seek Him more than ever. He is still in control of everything and nothing happens without Him knowing. Control your response and let Him take the burden of controlling everything else.

Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

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