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October 7, 2025 · 6:04 AM

Praying Friends

I believe one of the greatest relationships you can have is where you can count on them to pray for you. When we pray for one another as we believe for an answer, our faith is strengthened. I can think of times in my life where I’ve prayed for an answer from God for so long that my prayers became rote instead of being filled with faith. When I invited a friend to pray with me for that answer, they brought fresh faith and strengthen me where I felt helpless. All of a sudden where my faith had begun to wain, it began to rise up again. Where I had given up, I had hope. If you don’t have friends like this, find them at your church. There are people who faith to move mountains and they don’t mind taking your needs to God.

In Luke 5 Jesus was gaining notoriety because of His teaching and for healing the sick. People were coming from everywhere to see Him. As He was teaching in a house, some people carried their paralyzed friend on a stretcher to Jesus to be healed. There were so many people in and around the house that they couldn’t get to Jesus. Instead of being discouraged or even waiting until He left the house, the carried their friend up to the roof of the house. They began to pull back the tiles and other roofing materials until they had enough room to lower their friend to Jesus. Then verse 20 says, “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven’” (NLT). Did you catch that? Jesus saw the faith of the friends and was moved. He then healed the man after that.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” We need friends we can be vulnerable enough with to confess our sins to and who will pray for us for healing. We tend to pray the most earnestly for those we care about. Just before this verse, it says you can go to the elders of your church to be prayed over for healing to. In both of these instances and in Luke 5, it’s the prayers of others who help bring healing. Quit trying to fight alone or pray alone for your needs. Share them with someone you trust. Your faith will rise because of it, and who knows, they may be the ones who pray the roof off and set your needs right in front of Jesus.

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October 6, 2025 · 5:52 AM

Pivot Points

Have you ever done all you knew to do and still came up short? It wasn’t a lack of effort that put you in the position. We were trying to raise money once for a mission trip. We decided to sell BBQ plates. After all the plates had sold and people quit coming by, I started calling car dealerships to sell more because we had several briskets left over. We couldn’t sell them no matter what we did. While in church the next day, I had the idea to cut them in 1-3 pound chunks, wrap them up and sell for donations after church. As we were wrapping, we realized how much we truly had leftover. As people left church, they grabbed chunks and dropped off checks. We made more on those chunks than from the plates we had sold.

In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching a crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There were fishermen nearby cleaning their nets from fishing all night. Jesus asked if they could take the boat out a bit so He could teach from it. When He finished teaching, He told Peter, the boat owner, to go out to deeper water. Then He told him to let his nets down. Peter explained how he was an expert fisherman, how they had fished all night long and caught nothing. I’m sure he was a bit frustrated with the request because he was the expert and had done all he knew to do, but still came up empty. What he was about to find out is when you combine obedience with God’s timing, provision follows.

Luke 5:5 says, “‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again’” (NLT). Even though it didn’t make sense, and he was exhausted, he still obeyed. His empty nets weren’t the failure he thought they were. They were an invitation for a divine appointment of God’s intervention. I want to encourage you today if you pushed through the night and still come up empty, ask God what you need to do to fill your net. Peter obeyed because it was Jesus who said to do if. God then turned the supernatural provision into a pivot point in Peter’s life. That act of obedience positioned him for the life he was created to live.

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October 3, 2025 · 5:51 AM

Your Next Step

One of the things I talk to people about is their next step. It’s hard to know what that is sometimes. Imagine Abraham when God told him to go to a place He would show him. God didn’t tell him which direction. He was asking Abraham to take his first step and then He would guide him. We miss out on so much God has for us because we’re afraid of that first step. What if it’s in the wrong direction? What if I mess up? God will direct your steps, but you have to start walking towards something. He can’t take you to where He’s leading you without that first step. It’s time to trust God and step out in faith.

Here are some Bible verses on God directing your steps:

1. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

2 Samuel 22:36-37 ESV

2. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Psalms 37:23 NLT

3. Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

Psalms 119:133 NKJV

4. Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.

Proverbs 16:9 TPT

5. You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure, So that my feet will not slip.

Psalms 18:36 AMP

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October 2, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Gaining Wisdom

I was discussing the importance of mentorship with a group. While I was debriefing, a gentleman raised his hand. He said, “So I need to find someone who has been here in my position for a long time so I can get knowledge from them?” I told him that was almost it. I explained that it wasn’t really knowledge he should be seeking from the mentor. What he needs to be seeking is wisdom. You can get knowledge from just about anywhere, and knowledge is good to have. However, knowledge doesn’t really help you if you don’t know what to do with it. Wisdom gives you insight on how to make the best decisions with the knowledge you gain.

In 1 Kings 10, Solomon was visited by the Queen of Sheba. She had heard how wise he was and wanted to see for herself. She observed how his servants and palace were organized and run. She also came prepared with lots of questions hoping Solomon would mentor her a bit. After he answered her questions, she said he was even more wise than what she had heard. Then, in verse 8 she said, “How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!” (NLT). A Queen was a bit jealous of the commoners who had the opportunity to listen and learn from his wisdom each day.

In Proverbs 3:15 Solomon wrote, “For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.” Our world has given this kind of value to knowledge instead of wisdom. More and more people are seeking knowledge over wisdom, but you and I can’t do that. We must place a high value on godly wisdom rooted in His Word. We must seek out people who are more wise than we are and learn from them. Solomon also said that if you want to be wise, you must walk with the wise (Proverbs 13:10). Look around at the people God had placed in your life. Who can you ask to mentor you and give you wisdom? Be prepared with situations and questions when you meet with them. God desires that we gain wisdom. It’s time we were proactive in getting it.

Photo by Abdul Matloob 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 1, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Wholehearted Commitment

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor in Germany during Hitler’s rule. He recognized the atrocities that were going on and began to speak out against the Nazis. He believed that our faith demands action against evil and we must stand up against it. He knew there were risks associated with speaking out, and he still did it. He was arrested and placed in a concentration camp. He never let fear dictate his faith. The camp doctor, who saw him just before he died, said that he saw Pastor Bonhoeffer kneeling in prayer just before his execution. His devotion and conviction moved the doctor deeply.

In Daniel 3, the Israelites had been captured and taken to Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, though captives, had proven themselves worthy of serving the king in his court. When the king built a giant statue to be worshiped, they refused knowing the consequences. When they were brought before the king, he offered them the choice to bow or to be thrown into a fiery furnace. They told him they would not and that God was able to deliver them. Then in verse 18 they said, “But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (NLT). They were thrown into the furnace, and God did show up in a mighty way.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.” God doesn’t just want our heart or just our mind. If we’re going to be able to fully commit our life to Him despite the consequences, then we’re going to have to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength to Him. How are you doing in each of those areas? Have you committed wholeheartedly to follow what He said and willing to stand up in a culture that is opposed to His way of living? Ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light in your life to show where your commitment may be lacking. Also ask Him for courage to stand up for Him despite the consequences even if He doesn’t show up to deliver you from them.

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September 30, 2025 · 5:52 AM

Receiving God’s Delight

I had a friend who could make a sailor blush with the colorful language that came out of her mouth. She seemed angry all the time and cursed out people who made mistakes. Over time I had witnessed to her and one time I invited her to church. She said, “If I ever walked into a church, the walls would fall in on me because of all the things I’ve said and done.” I didn’t give up because I know about grace. Eventually, as she was in the hospital about to pass away, she finally gave her heart to the Lord. I believe God took delight in her that moment because she recognized who she was and who He is.

In Luke 7, Jesus was eating with a Pharisee, who lived a life of strict devotion to the Law of Moses and let everyone know it by their public actions. While they were eating, an immoral woman came into the room. She sat at Jesus’s feet weeping. As her tears fell on His feet, she wiped them off with her hair. The Pharisee was indignant that Jesus let her touch Him. Both were in the presence of Jesus, but only one had a proper understanding of who He was and it brought her to repentance. The Pharisee relied on his right living to get him to heaven, while she recognized her need for a savior. When she saw Jesus for who He was, she saw who she really was. Jesus delighted in her and forgave her.

Psalm 147:10-11 says, “He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love” (NLT). Where do you see yourself in that story? Have you tried to do everything right in your own strength? Or have you put God in His proper place and trusted in Him rather than yourself? We often think of how we can please God with how we live, but He’s looking at our posture over our performance. Fearing Him isn’t about being afraid of Him. It’s about understanding who He is and showing proper respect for that. When that happens in our life, we can’t help but be like the woman and humble ourselves. When we do that, not only will we receive His grace, we’ll also receive His favor and delight.

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September 29, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Next Level Growth

I’ve the last couple of weeks I’ve heard different people say that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. Another phrase I’ve heard quite a bit is that God will never give you more than you can bear. At first they sound great, but the more I think about them, neither are biblical. God does give battles to people to prove their strength. He allows us to go through tough times to create endurance and to build strength. Also, if He only gave us what we could handle, there would be no need for dependence on Him. He knows what is ahead and what preparations we need now for it. Tough times increase our strength, endurance, character, faith and more. That’s why James says we should count it all joy.

In Genesis we read the story of Joseph. He was a teenager when God gave him a dream of the future. He was not one of God’s toughest soldiers when his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. He wasn’t the strongest when he was wrongfully accused and thrown into prison. Being forgotten there for years might have been more than he could bear. What we do know is that God used that period of time as a training ground to produce the person he needed to be in order to handle the mantle of leadership. He went from spoiled brat to understanding God’s plan in that period. He learned his lesson and grew so much that he didn’t seek revenge on his brothers. Instead He saw God’s providence.

Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “He made you go hungry, and then he gave you manna to eat, food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did this to teach you that you must not depend on bread alone to sustain you, but on everything that the Lord says” (GNT). God’s desire for us is that we would learn to trust Him instead of ourselves in every situation. He is our source and our sustainer. It is His strength that is perfect in our weakness. It is His grace that is sufficient for what we are going through. If you’re going through a hard time, it’s not because you’re His toughest soldier. It’s because there is more that He’s leading you to, more that He’s going to accomplish through you and another level for you to get to. Trust in His strength and not yours for that next level growth.

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September 26, 2025 · 5:54 AM

The Power Of Testimony

One of the things that has been a theme over the last couple of weeks to me is the power of your testimony. If you follow Jesus, you have one. If you grew up in church, you may not feel like you have a “good” one. The truth is your testimony is a testimony of the generational faithfulness of God. You may have one from the other end of the spectrum where God set you free from your past. Either way, the Holy Spirit will empower you to share your testimony, to tell of the goodness of God and to be a witness for Him wherever you go. Look for opportunities to share your faith this week. Theres power in your testimony.

Here are some Bible verses on sharing your faith:

1. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8 NKJV

2. But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15 AMP

3. Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.

Psalms 66:16 NLT

4. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Revelation 12:11 NLT

5. So never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor be embarrassed over my imprisonment, but overcome every evil by the revelation of the power of God!

2 Timothy 1:8 TPT

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September 25, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Redeemed From The Pit

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the lowest point in my life. I had been through six months of having the bottom fall out from under me. I went through the death of a friend, a divorce, a repossession, loss of friendships and a lot more. One thing after another seemed to crumble. Everything I held dear was being taken from my life as a result of decisions I had made. Then, on September 25, 2003, my business failed and I was out of a job. It felt like my life was over as I laid down on my living room floor that night. I cried out to God in surrender as the life I built was destroyed by this storm. However, I still had my foundation in Him. I told God I was ready to end my life because I couldn’t do it anymore.

I felt the voice of God remind me that I had built my life on a foundation of my desires instead of His. I vowed that if He helped me out of that hole, I would build my life His way. I marked my calendar with the words, “The Bottom”. Getting back to where I felt I was at ground level took over a decade. Now it’s over a decade past that and I can look back and see how far God brought me. It wasn’t easy and the progress has felt slow and minimal. Yet, when I look back, I can see where I’ve been, and now look forward to where He is taking me. It’s not an easy thing to look back, but it’s necessary for all of us. When it feels like we’re on a treadmill going nowhere fast, God is actually working in our life and helping us along the way.

Psalm 103:2-5 says, “Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle” (AMP). God is in the process of redeeming your life from the pit. No matter how deep a hole you feel like you’re in, He can get you out. Remember all the things He has done, knowing He will continue to work out all things for your good. He will satisfy your life with good things once again. Trust in Him no matter how dark it seems. Your pit may be deep, but His grace is deeper still.

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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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September 24, 2025 · 5:42 AM

Rekindling Your Fire

When I go camping, I love having a fire at night. I use it for light and for cooking. One of my favorite routines is to start the fire back up again in the morning without a match. How I do that is I blow on the ground where the fire was. The dust and ash get moved out of the way, and I look for pieces of coal or embers under all the ash. Once I find them, I take some kindling, which is pine needles and small sticks, and set them on top of the coals. I then blow again. With the fresh wind, the coals start to glow orange. They seek out the kindling and ignite it. In a few seconds I have a fresh fire that’s ready to keep burning all day.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah’s fire was quickly extinguished by Jezebel. He had just called down fire from Heaven, but her threat to kill him caused his to extinguish. Instead of letting it stay out, he went to Mount Sinai to seek out God. When he arrived, God asked him why he was there. The process of rekindling his fire began with being honest with God. It was the still, small voice that uncovered the embers and coals. To rekindle the fire, he was given a new assignment and he went back into ministry. His fresh fire came from intimacy with God and a renewed purpose. He wasn’t content to live in the ashes of a fire that once burned bright.

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul began his last letter encouraging Timothy and us to remember the flame that once burned bright in us. In verse 6 he says, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (NLT). Like Elijah, if we’re going to rekindle our fire, we must be intentional about it. We need to seek out alone time with God. We need to be honest about why the flames in our heart have died down. We must listen to His still, small voice that will breathe on the coals underneath the ash. Then we must be ready for our assignment and ready to use the gifts and callings He’s given us. What once burned bright is able to be rekindled. There are still coals underneath the ashes of what has been. Ask God to fan into flame the gifts and rekindle your fire.

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