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November 17, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Promise Keeper

Have you ever said, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye”? Or ever made a pinky promise before? When we were kids, that’s how we made sure the other person knew we weren’t going to break our promise. As adults, we live in a world of broken promises. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say, “My word is my bond.” It seems like people cared about their reputation and keeping their word a lot more in the past than they do today. When you find someone who makes a promise and keeps it, you think it’s a rare find. You can trust a person that keeps their promise to do what they say. You don’t have to worry about it, remind them constantly or question them when it doesn’t happen on your time table. A person like that is someone we should strive to be like.

In Genesis 22, God approaches Abraham years after He fulfilled the promise of giving him a son. God told him to take his son of promise to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there. Abraham didn’t question it. He got up the next morning and headed for the mountain. When Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham replied, “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” (NLT). Abraham had learned to trust God despite his circumstance. He made it to the top of the mountain, built the altar, tied up his son and had his knife raised when God intervened. He didn’t know how God would save his son or raise him from the dead, but he trusted God would keep his promise to give him as many descendants as the stars. God kept his promise and provided a ram.

Psalm 145:13 says, “The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.” You can always count on God to keep His promises. You may feel like Isaac where you are bound up and wondering when God is going to show up. You may feel like Abraham where you’ve trusted God, but time seems to have run out. Keep walking in obedience though. God’s timing is not like ours. He will keep His Word and His promise. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Trusting God isn’t always easy. It requires faith. We must learn to see with our spiritual eyes rather than our physical ones. God is gracious and merciful in all He does. He will always keep His promise.

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November 14, 2025 · 5:53 AM

True Prosperity

When you think of the word prosper, you probably think of wealth and success. Biblically though it is more than that. It’s about living in God’s favor and blessing. I was talking with a friend this week that is living in a season of favor. Things are going well in many areas of his life. He’s growing spiritually, he’s trusting God with more than he ever has and he’s taking steps of faith that are bold. He’s started seeing different areas of his life prosper because of it. Because his life is aligned with God’s will, he’s experiencing peace, growth and he’s flourishing in different areas of his life. That’s what biblical prosperity is. Money may be part of it, but it’s a lot more than that.

Here are some Bible verses on prospering:

1. I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11 GNT

2. The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 ESV

3. Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped.

Proverbs 11:25 GNT

4. Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].

3 John 1:2 AMP

5. Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

Proverbs 16:20 NLT

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November 13, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Leaving Stress Behind

Steven Covey taught that many of us aren’t as productive as we could be because of how we spend our time and how we manage the tasks we face. He divided up tasks into four areas. There’s urgent and non urgent, and important and not important. One of the problems many of us face is that we live in the quadrant that is urgent and important. It sounds good on the surface, but the truth is that all we’re doing is putting out fires constantly. We’re doing a lot, but we’re going nowhere. We need to be spending our time focusing on the important, but not urgent quadrant. That one will help us plan for the future and prevent many of the fire drills we face.

In Luke 10, Jesus was visiting the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was in the quadrant of urgent and important. She was busy trying to clean, cook and serve. Mary was in the quadrant of important and not urgent. She sat at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn. Martha got upset at Mary, just like people who live in that quadrant do, and told Jesus to have her help. Jesus replied, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (NLT). Jesus understood how tiring it gets living that way being distracted and constantly worrying. Martha wasn’t stressed out or distracted. She was calm because she focused on the right things.

Psalm 37:5 says, “Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust him along the way, you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!” (TPT) God knows what is best for you. Cast your cares, your schedule and whatever else is distracting you on Him. Give Him to right to guide your life. He knows what’s best for you mentally, physically and spiritually. Refocus your heart on Him, spend time daily sitting at His feet listening. You’ll find your life will be the way He intended it. Commit all your ways to Him and trust Him in every area of your life. You’ll find peace and rest for your mind, body and soul. He knows what’s best for you and will lead you beside the still waters.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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November 12, 2025 · 5:46 AM

A Meek Heart

I saw a meme that said, “Remember before the internet when we thought lack of knowledge was the problem?” The internet had provided limitless knowledge at people’s fingertips, and now add in AI. However, wisdom is different than knowledge. Wisdom tells us how to use knowledge . One of the things that the internet has done is it has stopped the practice of younger generations from going to older generations to seek wisdom. It has put the value on knowledge over wisdom. 1 Corinthians 8:1 says that knowledge puffs up, meaning it is a doorway to pride. Throughout the Bible God rejects prideful hearts because they act on knowledge instead of faith in Him.

In Genesis 11, we read the story of the Tower of Babel. The population was growing and spreading eastward until they came to a plain. Then they said, “Come, let’s begin work to build ourselves a city with a lofty tower that rises into the heavens. We’ll make a name for ourselves, a monument to us, instead of being scattered all over the earth” (TPT). This tower wasn’t just about architecture. It was a symbol of their pride to stop following the mandate to multiply and fill the earth. Instead of serving God, they served themselves to make their name great in the earth. God saw the trajectory of their hearts and put a stop to it.

In Psalm 131:1 we read an humble statement from David in a prayer. He said, “Lord, my heart is meek before you. I don’t consider myself better than others. I’m content to not pursue matters that are over my head— such as your complex mysteries and wonders— that I’m not yet ready to understand.” I believe David’s humility is why God chose him to be king. He understood there are things beyond his knowledge and ability to grasp. His humility caused him to rely on God instead of his own knowledge. Where the builders of Babel lifted their eyes high, David bowed low. Where in your life are you trusting in knowledge over trust in God’s plan? Where are you using knowledge as an excuse to serve yourself instead of God. Let your heart be meek before God. Let him handle the things beyond your ability and knowledge as your faith and trust guides you along His mandate for your life.

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November 11, 2025 · 5:55 AM

Armor Up

As a person who is on social media, I’ve noticed there’s less and less originality. People copy what others are doing and follow trends. In 2020 Nathan Apocodaca went viral for drinking cranberry juice while skating down the road. Thousand of people tried to recreate his video doing the same thing with the same music. It’s clear the world rewards imitation. Trends tell us what to wear, what to do and where to go. As people follow along, they’re slowly being lulled into culture and away from the discipline of critical thinking. The more we get pulled in, the less we also spend time in prayer, the Bible and spending time with God. We consume a diet of what’s popular rather than truth that creates a slow fade away from following God’s Kingdom principles.

Daniel experienced this in the Bible. He was taken from his own land and culture into Babylon, a city built on pride, indulgence and idolatry. The goal wasn’t just to relocate the Israelites, it was to indoctrinate them into a new culture away from God. Daniel was given a new name, a new diet, a new education and a new language. However Daniel pushed back on the culture change. He resisted with clarity, courage and conviction. Verse 8 says, “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself” (AMP). He didn’t go along with culture and increased his time of prayer to help him combat the temptation to be pulled into a culture that was trying to redefine him and his people.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, “But since we belong to the day, we must stay alert and clearheaded by placing the breastplate of faith and love over our hearts, and a helmet of the hope of salvation over our thoughts” (TPT). Paul was writing to an audience that was also in a culture that was trying to redefine their beliefs and thinking. The way we combat it is to armor up. We must protect our heart and our mind in today’s culture. Jesus taught us where our treasure is (what we value), is where our heart is. Combine that with the fact that our thoughts control our actions, we must be vigilant and make up our minds the way Daniel did to not redefine our beliefs in a culture that is trying to pull us away from God. You can start right now by asking God to cover your heart and mind with the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation.

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November 10, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Reframing Gratitude

My life group leader recently shared a story about how he reframed washing dishes as something he GETS to do versus something he HAS to do. That change in his mindset helped him approach it differently. It reminded me of the note Matthew Henry, who wrote a Bible Commentary, shared in his journal after he was robbed. He said, “Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my [possessions], they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.” He reframed a bad situation through gratefulness and his perspective changed.

I don’t know of many other people who sustained long term difficulties more than Joseph. His story is found throughout Genesis 37-50. When he was a teen, his brothers hated him, beat him and sold him as a slave while telling their father he was dead. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown in prison. There he was able to interpret the dreams for two of Pharaoh’s attendants, but the one who lived didn’t tell anyone. For 13 years he was in a foreign land and forgotten with a shattered dream. However, God raised him to power in Egypt and he fulfilled his destiny. As he was dying, his brothers were scared. His reply in Genesis 50:20 shows how he had reframed things with a grateful heart. He said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (NLT).

1Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Notice that it doesn’t say to be thankful FOR all circumstances, but rather IN all circumstances. Reframing our circumstances is about keeping our eyes on Jesus who remains faithful in them. Reframing doesn’t erase our hardship. Instead it helps us interpret them to see what God is doing. The enemy wants you to frame them as what was taken from you, but gratitude helps you see what God has preserved in you and what He can accomplish through any situation. If God can preserve a nation through Joseph’s trials, imagine what He can do through yours. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Today ask the Holy Spirit to use gratitude to reframe your testimony.

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November 7, 2025 · 5:51 AM

God Lifts Us

Do you ever feel forgotten or unseen by God? One of my favorite names given to God comes from Genesis 16. Hagar felt secluded and alone as if God had not seen her suffering. When He showed up, she called Him “El Roi”, God who sees me. It’s a great reminder that God not only sees me when I feel that way, but He also shows up at the right time. There were many people who felt that way in the Bible. Not only did He see them, He lifted them up from the pit of despair and placed them in a better position. Just as God saw them and lifted them up, He sees you and will lift you up. He will not leave you where you are forever.

Here are some Bible verses on God lifting us up:

1. Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time.

1 Peter 5:6 GNT

2. For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Psalms 27:5 AMP

3. Your rule is eternal, and you are king forever. The Lord is faithful to his promises; he is merciful in all his acts. He helps those who are in trouble; he lifts those who have fallen.

Psalm 145:13-14 GNT

4. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:10 NLT

5. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in, out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path.

Psalms 40:2 TPT

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November 6, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Be Patient And Wait

One of the hardest things for me to do is to be patient while God is at work on my behalf. I live by the motto, “Work like it depends on you. Pray like it depends on God.” But there are seasons, like the one I’m in now, where God is at work and He says, “Be still and be patient.” Everything in me wants to jump up and do something as if God needs my help. There’s a line in “Way Maker” that resonates with me right now. It says, “Even when I don’t see it, you’re working. Even when I don’t feel it, you’re working. You never stop working.” Faith is truly about trusting that God is at work when you don’t see it or feel it. It’s about being patient in the waiting knowing that God is going to bless you according to a His goodness and not your good works.

I don’t think Abraham was much different. God was at work, but he couldn’t see it. God had promised him a son when he was 75. Ten years later, there still wasn’t a son and he was getting older. He decided to help God out and married Hagar, his wife’s handmaiden. But when she got pregnant, God let him know that wasn’t what He promised. Sarah would give him a son, but Abraham had to wait another 15 years. That’s a long time to be patient and to trust God to fulfill a promise, especially when your physical condition, or things around you, are telling you the possibility is going down daily. Yet God still requires us to have faith and to be patient.

Psalm 37:7 says, “Be patient and wait for the Lord to act” (GNT). I understand that having patience and waiting on God is tough. It can feel like you’re missing the boat and that you need to do something to make it happen. Learn from Abraham though. If God has promised it, trust Him to fulfill it in His timing, not yours. Even when you see the window of opportunity closing, trust anyway. God does not need our help. He is able. If He can speak the universe into existence, surely He can say the word and turn your impossible situation around. If He can give Abraham a son at 100 years old, He can make a way where there seems to be no way. It’s in the waiting that our faith is stretched and we are prepared for greater things. Don’t give up too early or try to jump in and help. Be patient and wait on the Lord.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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November 5, 2025 · 5:53 AM

The Cost Of Discipleship

In one of my small groups we are talking about personal growth so we can become better husbands and fathers. The first question I ask is, “Are you committed to growth?” We then look for two areas to grow in over the next few weeks. Most of us want growth, but we don’t want to make changes in order to achieve it. We often have to let go of habits that are holding us back. We have to weigh what is more important to us: the things we are holding on to or the growth we want to see. It’s usually something that’s comfortable to us or makes our life comfortable that holds us back and causes us to fight change and growth.

In Luke 18, a rich, young ruler approached Jesus and asked what he needed to do to inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus recited some Old Testament commandments, and the guy said he had followed them all his life. “‘Ah,’ Jesus said, ‘there’s still one thing you’re missing in your life.’ ‘What is that?’ asked the man. ‘You must go and sell everything you own and give all the proceeds to the poor so you will have eternal treasures. Then come and follow me’” (TPT). Jesus was testing him to show him what was competing for first place in his life. He wanted what Jesus offered, but he wasn’t willing to make Jesus number one in his life. The man walked away sad because he wasn’t willing to let go of comfort for discipleship.

In Mark 8:34 Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]” (AMP). What are you holding on to that’s holding you back? Are you committed to being a disciple of Christ? Then we must make sure He is number one in our life and be willing to make whatever changes He asks us to. Discipleship is about conforming your life to His way of living. It’s not conforming His teachings to your way of life. The cost of discipleship is high and that’s why many walk away sad just like the rich young ruler.

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November 4, 2025 · 5:47 AM

Feedback And Correction

One of the things I have to remind myself and others is that feedback and correction are gifts. In one of my previous jobs, after I had completed an assignment, I had to stand in front of my peers to receive feedback and correction. They would say what I did well, what I didn’t do well and what I should do differently next time. Some who stood up there were thankful for it and incorporated the feedback and correction. There were others though who tried to defend what their intentions were or why they chose to do it a certain way. Some would even attack the person trying to help them. How we receive feedback and correction says a lot about who we are.

In 2 Samuel 12, David had sinned by having an affair and then having her husband killed. He thought he had gotten away with it, but God saw what he had done. The prophet Nathan was sent to David to confront his sin. He told him the story of a poor man who had his lamb stolen by a rich man, who killed the lamb and served it to a friend. David screamed out that anyone who could do such a thing should be put to death. Nathan looked at him and said, “You are that man!” Instead of denying, defending or attacking, David admitted his sin and sought forgiveness. He accepted the feedback and correction which allowed him to remain king. He asked God to create a clean heart in him and to renew a right spirit within him.

Proverbs 25:12 says, “When you humbly receive wise correction, it adorns your life with beauty and makes you a better person” (TPT). How well do you receive feedback and correction? God uses people to confront our sin, shortcomings and areas that need improvement. Do you reject what they say, defend your intentions or attack them? David, as king, could have easily put Nathan in jail or killed him. Instead, he received the correction and became a better person and king. By the way, the one who wrote this proverb was not only David’s son, his mother was the one whom David had the affair with. God not only redeemed David after his son, He birthed a kingly succession out of his greatest sin. When we receive Godly feedback and correction, God can redeem whatever He’s pointing out.

Photo by Víctor C.on Pexels.

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