Tag Archives: Devotional

April 7, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Obedience Brings Blessings

I’ve always tried to explain that rules are simply boundaries meant to keep you safe. My wife introduced a better concept to me. She said that rules are like a house. When you operate within them, you have protection from the elements outside. You have food and water with its walls to keep you fed. There’s also an air conditioner that keeps the climate controlled. The problem is that we like to go over to the window and imagine life is better outside the walls of the rules. When we go outside the rules, we open ourselves up to the weather, we have to search for food and water and we’re no longer protected.

God gave us a set of rules that are designed to operate like that. He offers us the choice between blessing and cursing, life and death. One is found in following the rules He’s asked us to live with in, and the other awaits us when we break them. In Jeremiah’s day, Israel had been living outside of God’s protection and the Babylonians had taken them hostage. In the book of Lamentations, he describes how hard their life is because they had broken God’s laws and had been living outside of the walls of His protection. In Lamentations 3:38-40 he wrote, “Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord” (NLT). He realized they were suffering the consequences of their behavior, but also knew God is full of mercy and grace.

Deuteronomy 28 tells of all the blessings and benefits of obedience. Verse 2 says, “You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:” since the Garden of Eden, our enemy has tried to get us to see God’s rules as restrictive and played to our pride. He’s tried to get us to step out of the protection God’s laws give so he can devour us. The truth is God’s laws are life and blessing to us. When we choose to operate within them, and live the life He has called us to live, He provides all we need. If you’ve gone outside of His laws, it’s only one step to be back within them. Repentance gives us God’s grace. Obedience brings His blessings. In Him, there is true freedom. The choice is always ours.

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April 3, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Faithful To The Fundamentals

Watching the March Madness college basketball tournament reminds me of the days when I played basketball. There was always excitement on game day, and a bit of nervousness too. When we would play in the opponent’s gym, sometimes they would have a rowdy crowd. When you’re shooting free throws, and the crowd is doing everything they can to disrupt you to make you miss, you rely on muscle memory to make the shot. Muscle memory is developed in practice when the fundamentals are poured into you and repeated over and over. You do the same routine over and over so your brain isn’t distracted by the craziness on game day. So, when you’re standing there on that line, you remember what you’ve been taught and practiced and make the shot.

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul let’s Timothy know that crazy, difficult days are ahead. He said, “People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people” (2 Timothy 3:2-5 GNT). That sounds an awful lot like world we are living in now. There are so many distractions around us, and so many things trying to divide the Church. There’s pressure to leave the fundamentals of Christianity because it is opposed to all these things listed, which have been normalized. With all of this going on, it would be easy for us to miss the shot right in front of us. That’s why Paul told us what to do during these times.

In verse 14, he wrote, “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you” (NLT). We must hold onto the eternal truth of God’s Word. While the world is trying to move the boundary markers of truth, we must hold fast to what is real truth. The fundamentals of faith are what we must hold tightly too and implement into our lives. Romans 12:2 reminds us not to conform to the culture of the world, but to continuously renew our minds. How do we renew our mind? By putting the truth of God’s Word into it daily so we can combat what the world is throwing at us. We are not to change God’s Word to fit into our culture. Instead, we are to be changed by God’s Word so that we stand out in this culture in order to lead people to Christ. We have a great opportunity to remain faith to God’s fundamentals.

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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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March 28, 2025 · 5:54 AM

Controlling Your Mind

Growing up I learned that we have three parts: body, mind and spirit. I learned that they all have different functions and interact to make us who we are. The mind handles our thoughts, understanding and intentions. How and what we think determine who we are and what our behavior is. That’s why it’s such a battleground, and we must fight our flesh over it so we can be led by the Spirit. Our lives have different outcomes, experiences and impact based on who we give control of our mind to. When my mind starts to race or tries to send me into a spiral, I put on the Helmet of Salvation and ask God to help my mind see what is true. That truth sets me free. Take time today to pray over your mind. It will change your day and ultimately your life.

Here are some Bible verses talking about your mind:

1. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30 AMP

3. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

II Timothy 1:7 NKJV

4. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2 NKJV

5. Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever].

Romans 8:6 AMP

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March 20, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Taking Your Promised Land

My son, who is in elementary school, is having to read Pilgrim’s Progress. I remember having to read it at a young age too. Quite honestly I think it should be required reading for every Christian adult because there is so much depth to it. In it, Christian Pilgrim reads about Heaven and begins his journey to find Christ. On the way he meets people like Evangelist and Helper who guide him toward the Celestial City. He also encounters people like Worldly Wiseman, Despair and Formalist who try to persuade him to get off the straight and narrow path. Each person warms him not to listen to the others and he has to decide who is right and suffer the consequences when he listens to the wrong voices.

In Numbers 13, God told Moses to send out one person from each tribe to go throughout the Promised Land to scout it. They saw how fertile the land was, checked out the terrain and saw the cities. They noticed that there were several nations living in the land as well. They all agreed that it was a good land as God promised, but they also saw that there were giants and fortified cities that would be difficult to go to war with. The people began to murmur and to doubt God’s promise to give them the land. Then in verse 30 it says, “Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, ‘Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it’” (MSG). You know the story. The people listened to the 10 spies with a negative report and faced the consequences.

What has God promises you? What voices are causing you to doubt Him? We often forget that there is a process to receiving His promises. There are battles that must be won, faith steps to be taken and moments where you push past what your eyes see. If God has promised something to you, there will be giants and people who try to persuade you away from going after it. There comes a point where you either trust God or you don’t. Receiving His promises is never easy. It takes faith and it takes courage to move towards it because others can’t see it or feel the passion God placed in you. Who’s voice will you listen to? There are consequences for listening to the wrong ones, but there’s also forgiveness. Ask God to give you wisdom in who you listen to and courage to proceed. Go take your land. You can do it!

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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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March 14, 2025 · 4:54 AM

Being Strong

Can you imagine what was going through the Israelites minds as they walked around Jericho? They had been bedouins for forty years. They didn’t have the weaponry, the skill or the tools to attack a walled city. Yet God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. The directive wasn’t for him to do it in his own strength. It was to rely on God’s strength. All throughout the Bible we are told to be strong. That directive is the same to us as it was to Joshua. You may be facing insurmountable odds, fighting a spiritual battle or needing walls to fall that you’re not equipped to fight. It’s in these moments that you walk by faith and in God’s strength. It’s in your weakness and inabilities that His strength is made perfect. So be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might today.

Here are some Bible verses on being strong.

1. May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith.

Ephesians 3:16-17 AMP

2. So you, my son, be strong [constantly strengthened] and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1 AMP

3. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

4. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV

5. Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13 AMP

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March 13, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Saying Yes

I was just talking with some friends about Bob Goff’s book “Love Does”. If you haven’t heard of him or this book, I’d encourage you to check it out. To me, Bob is a Christian “Yes Man”. He views each interaction and request from someone as an opportunity for Jesus to show up. The book is a collection of stories from his life where he simply said yes in certain situations and incredible things happened. It challenged me to want to do more for others and God’s Kingdom. It’s prompted me to say yes to more things giving the Holy Spirit more opportunities to do things through me.

I love reading Paul’s letters to the Early Church. Not only are they great instructions for us on how to live, they also include a list of people who were examples of Christian character. He mentions how they opened their homes to him, made clothes for the poor, welcomed him in, some visited him in prison and encouraged him. These people he mentioned were just ordinary people who did what they were promoted to do because of their faith. They could have easily found an excuse to not do those things, but because they did, they’re mentioned in the Bible.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (NLT). You are called by God to do the things He’s prepared you to do. Your faith is constantly prompting you to do things. Have you been listening to it and obeying or have you been making excuses? The more we say yes to those promptings, the more we allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish things through us. You don’t have to be a Bob Goff, but you do need to live the life God is calling you to. It starts by saying yes to things He is prompting you to do.

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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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March 12, 2025 · 5:13 AM

Having Confidence

Several years ago, we were in London, and decided to tour the Tower Bridge. They took us to the top and there was a glass floor high above the street. We had confidence in it and walked across it. On another trip, we were in New York City. We found a place called the Edge. It is the highest outdoor observation deck in the western hemisphere. When we walked outside, they had a glass floor as well. Again, we had confidence in the builders and walked on it. Then just this week, we were driving through Memphis and my son wanted to the observation deck of the Bass Pro Shop pyramid. When we got outside there was a glass floor. He asked, Lohengrin thick is this glass?” I answered, “Hopefully thick enough!” We then stepped onto it. In each case, your brain fights you from walking on it, but you have to override it by having confidence despite what it thinks.

In Psalm 27, David expressed his trust in the Lord as his salvation. He put so much trust in Him that he said he wouldn’t be afraid of anyone. Verse 3 says, “Though an army encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, Even in this I am confident” (AMP). Overtime he had learned to trust the Lord in whatever situation he found himself in. If he was outnumbered and his brain told him he should be afraid, he continued to have confidence in God. That’s a pretty bold statement and makes me reflect on how much I trust God. Do I allow fear to control my decisions or faith? Do I allow my circumstances to override my trust in God? David determined that even if he was surrounded by his enemies, he would still have confidence in God.

Hebrews 10:35 says, “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” (NLT) When you’re surrounded with no way out, don you still trust God? Can you step out onto that glass floor and trust that He will be faithful to His Word? In the next chapter, the author reminds us, “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” There is a decision we must make to trust in God no matter what before we’re in the situation. If you’re surrounded right now, you can still put your confidence in Him o see you through. He will not fail you nor abandon you in those moments. Hold on tight and remain confident in Him.

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March 7, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Self Examination

I don’t remember many people who liked taking exams in school. Why don’t we like them? I believe it’s because it is a tool that shows where you are a academically and how much you’ve learned. Imagine if churches gave out tests to determine where you are spiritually seeing where your relationship with God really is. The good news is that they don’t do that. However, the Bible does mention several times that we should examine ourselves to do just that. It’s easy to quickly say that everything is fine. It’s much more difficult to truly scrutinize where you really are. When we’re willing to do that, we’re willing to grow and move closer to God.

Here are some Bible verses that ask you to examine yourself:

1. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

II Corinthians 13:5 NKJV

2. But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another.

Galatians 6:4 AMP

3. Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father.

Matthew 6:1 TPT

4. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.

1 Corinthians 11:31 NLT

5. Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

Lamentations 3:40-41 NKJV

Here’s an exam I use to give me a snapshot of where I am in the different areas of my spiritual growth. Click here.

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March 6, 2025 · 5:30 AM

A Change Of Heart

My pastor said something that really resonated with me. He said, “In the history of the world, church has never been done better than it is today, yet never have we had such little impact on our culture.” It has me thinking, “Are we focused on the right things corporately and individually?” What are we concerned with? Is the music too loud? Is there too much fog in the sanctuary? Is it too cold? Are we concerned more with our entertainment than reaching the lost? Are we too focused on our comfort and not enough on the lost? Do we spend our time talking about God rather than to Him? I don’t know, but I know that if our ability to impact the culture around us is going to improve, it has to start with us as individuals.

After Jonah preached to the city of Nineveh, he went outside of the city, sat down and waited to see what would happen. Even though he had obeyed God, in his heart, he still wished that God would destroy the city. To expose his heart, God caused a plant to grow up and provide him with shade. The next day, the Lord sent a worm to eat the plant. Jonah was mad enough to want to die over it. God responded in Jonah 4:10-11, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it! How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!” (GNT)

God is concerned with people and their salvation. Scripture says that it’s His kindness that draws us to repentance (Romans 2:4). We need to pray what Bob Pierce prayed, “God, break our heart for the things that break yours.” Jonah was more concerned for his comfort than 120,000 people dying. That’s a recipe for not having an impact on culture. God was able to move then, and He’s able to move now despite our heart. It’s much better though when our heart is aligned with His. I wonder if the story of Jonah ends abruptly right there so we don’t miss that point. As Jonah pointed out in verse 2, God is loving and merciful, always patient and kind, ready to change His mind and not punish people. Shouldn’t we be the same way?

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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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March 4, 2025 · 5:31 AM

Connecting People To God

We live in a world full of people who are disconnected from God. Some have never known Him and don’t know to connect with Him. Some have been through traumatic events in their life that have them disconnected. Some refuse to acknowledge Him and are purposefully disconnected. No matter their reason for being or remaining disconnected, you and I as believers are to be connectors that keep one hand holding onto God and one reaching out to them. Before I step on a stage as a minister, I’ll pray and ask God to use me to help people reconnect or to connect with Him. However, it’s not just ministers, or people on stage in ministry, whose job it is to connect people. It belongs to each of us as believers because every day we walk through crowds of people disconnected or are in meetings with them.

In John 3 we read the story of John the Baptist. He was at the Jordan river baptizing people and calling out to them to reconnect with God through repentance. When Jesus walked by one day, God revealed to Him that He was the Messiah. As he called it out, two of his followers left to follow Jesus. After he baptized Jesus people began leaving his ministry to follow Jesus. Others came to him to try to stir up jealousy, but he remained humble. He told them that he said all along he wasn’t the Messiah and that his job was to go before Him to prepare the way and connect people to God. Then in verse 30 he said, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease” (AMP). As a connector, John kept everything in perspective and remained humble.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.” Never forget that you are an ambassador for Christ wherever you go. Your job as Christ’s representative is to reconcile, or reconnect, people with God. You must remain connected to Him though as you reach out to others. Pray each day that God would open your eyes to see people who need help connecting with Him. Ask Him to give you boldness and courage to reach out and to know what to say. It’s also good to ask Him to help you stay humble as John the Baptist was. When we have this mindset and are grounded in prayer, God will use us as His ambassadors to help a disconnected world reconcile and connect with Him.

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