Tag Archives: Devotional

July 7, 2022 · 4:30 AM

Leaving The Valley Of Weeping

Every one of us will go through valleys. They’re those dark periods in our lives that are created by the loss of a loved one, the consequence of sin, being hurt by someone we love, an illness or something else. In the valley, it’s natural to want to push everyone away and face it alone, but that’s not God’s plan. That’s when you need those who love you the most to carry you, walk with you and encourage you. Having been there and tried that, I know the reasoning and the lies that get you to believe it. I’ve found that Psalm 84:5-7 give us a blueprint to endure the valley.

Verse 5 says, “Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion” (AMP). The first thing we have to realize is we shouldn’t try to walk through this time in our own strength. When our strength is weak, His is made perfect in us. We need to rely on God, and the people He’s placed in our lives, to get through this period of darkness. We also need to focus on Him rather than the issue. If we’re not careful, we can go further down into a darker place than we are.

Verse 6 says, “Passing through the Valley of Weeping ( Baca), they make it a place of springs; The early rain also covers it with blessings.” I love this because it’s up to us what we make of the valley experience. Will it be a dry, desolate place or will it be a place of refreshing springs? Are we just trying to push through it or are we learning as we go? God has blessings in the valleys of life if we’re looking for them and we’re turning those times into learning and growing experiences.

Finally, verse 7 says, “They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; Each of them appears before God in Zion.” There is light at the end of the valley because victory is ours when we do these things. You are not alone in this. God sees you, He gives you strength daily and you are on His mind. Don’t push Him or others away on this journey. They provide the strength you need to gain the victory over this period and place in life. The valley isn’t permanent. Weeping in the valley may last for a while, but joy is on the way when we do these things.

Photo by Vangelis Batsikostas 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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July 6, 2022 · 4:30 AM

Breath Of Life

I’ve been in the right place at the right time to save people’s lives. I’ve saved a friend who was drowning and couldn’t swim. I’ve done the Heimlich on someone who was chocking. I’ve even talked a couple of people off the ledge when they felt they had nothing to live for. However, I have never had to use CPR thankfully, even though I’ve been trained in it. CPR is unique in that you’re taking your breath and giving it to someone to bring life. It’s one of the greatest gifts you could ever give someone.

In Genesis, we read where God breathed into Adam and he became a living being. God’s breath brings greater life than our breath ever could. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read, “God has transmitted his very substance into every Scripture, for it is God-breathed. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness” (TPT). His Word is life to each of us who breath it in and apply it to our lives. Remember that Jesus came to give life, and that more abundantly.

Isaiah 42:5 says, “God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth” (NLT). God has given you His breath to give you life and to bring things back to life that you thought were dead. If God promised something to you that has yet to be accomplished, it will surely come to pass. Speak His Word, that He breathed into, over those areas of your life. His Word will not fail (Luke 11:37), nor will it return accomplishing what He said (Isaiah 55:11). Ask God today to breath life into those areas and have faith that He will do it.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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July 5, 2022 · 5:43 AM

Completely Surrendered

Every one of us are somewhere in our walk with Jesus. The spectrum goes from rejecting Him to being completely surrendered to Him. On this journey, we need to be constantly moving towards being surrendered. However, all of us hit plateaus, get knocked backwards at times and go through valleys. The plateaus are dangerous. We can feel like we’re doing good enough, so we don’t keep trying to get closer to Him. We’ve known Him for a long time, learned the stories in the Bible and pray often. These plateaus can lead to complacency and keep us from knowing Him more.

In Mark 10, Jesus was headed out of Jerusalem when a young man ran up to Him and asked what He needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus recited the commandments to him. The man got excited and said he had followed those since he was young. Then Jesus added, “‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ He told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me’” (NLT). The man went away sad because what Jesus was requiring was total surrender, and he wasn’t willing to do that.

Many Christians live on this plateau. We’ve served Him a long time and live the way the Bible teaches us to, but we’re missing that something more because we’re not willing to surrender all. God is calling each of us into a greater relationship with Him. The more of our life that we’re willing to surrender to Him, the greater our relationship will be. If you’ve been on a plateau for a while, and are ready to experience more of Jesus, ask Him to show you what more you need to do. Just like this man that encountered Jesus, the choice will be yours to either surrender or to stay on your plateau. My prayer is that you will have the courage to let go of what’s holding you back and live completely surrendered.

Photo by Ali Gooya on Unsplash

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July 4, 2022 · 5:32 AM

Overcoming Obstacles

Some of my favorite shows to watch are obstacle course ones. I used to watch “Wipeout” pretty regularly. My new favorite is “Floor Is Lava”. I love watching the creativity and bravery the people use to take on the obstacles. However, there are a lot of people going through these courses who never make it to the end. The obstacles prove to be too much for them to handle, and they’re knocked out of contention for the grand prize. If we’re not careful, the same thing can happen to us as we follow Jesus. There are obstacles that are constantly trying to knock us off course and to interfere with our relationship with Him.

In Mark 11, Jesus was in His final week. He was facing obstacles that were trying to throw Him off course. At one point He was hungry and approached a fig tree, but it didn’t have fruit on it, so He cursed it. The next day, as they walked by, Peter noticed it was dead and pointed it out. In verse 23, Jesus responded, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart” (NLT). Some scholars believe he was using a Hebrew colloquialism referring to obstacles that impede progress, and that we shouldn’t let any obstacles stand between us and our faith in God.

We all face obstacles that sucker punch us and try to come between us and God though at some point in our lives. For me it was the untimely death of my mother and a divorce. For you, it will be different. The important thing is to identify the obstacles standing in your way so that you can remove them. It’s going to take some faith in order to move these obstacles. You’re going to have to trust God when you can’t see Him or feel Him because of the mountain in your way. Don’t give up, and don’t believe the lie that God doesn’t care about you or your situation. Speak to your mountain in faith. Cast it into the sea and begin growing in your faith once again. You don’t have to stay where you or or succumb to the obstacle. There is more life and growth ahead for you.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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July 1, 2022 · 5:25 AM

Avoiding Spiritual Famine

Did you know that just like we experience famines throughout the globe, there can be spiritual famines as well? One such famine is found in Amos 8:11. God said there would be a famine of hearing His Word. 2 Timothy 4:3 says there will be a time when people will quit listening to wholesale teaching. In each of these cases, we can experience spiritual famine by our inability to listen or hear God’s Word. To avoid a spiritual famine, you and I must take time each day to listen to God’s Word. We must be intentional on hearing what He’s trying to say to us. So we can apply it and live by it.

Here are some Bible verses on listening to God’s Word.

1. Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.

John 8:47 NLT

2. As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 NLT

3. So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.

Romans 10:17 GNT

4. “The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is presently saying to all the churches…

Revelation 2:11 TPT

5. My soul keeps Your testimonies [hearing and accepting and obeying them]; I love them greatly.

Psalms 119:167 AMP

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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June 30, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Stuck In Your Story

My friend tells people, “Don’t get stuck in your story,” when someone is constantly living in the past. You’re stuck in your story when you allow your past pain to rob you of your present. Yes, it happened. Yes, it was and is painful, but if you allow it to consume you, it will rob you of a life that God wants to give you. I spent a lot of time living in the pain of the past instead of in the present. I couldn’t seem to get unstuck. The pain was becoming my identity, so I grew to need it. What I didn’t realize was that it had caused me to quit paying attention to my present and stopped all my progress. I didn’t get unstuck until a friend looked me in the eye and said, “You’ve given up and you’re in a rut. This isn’t who you are, and I don’t want to see you like this.” All of a sudden I saw that I was stuck and I decided to make changes to get unstuck.

In Isaiah 43:18-19, God says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present” (MSG). If we keep living in past pains, we will miss what God is trying to do now. I can tell you that the pain of your past can be used for good once you allow yourself to heal. I don’t know why we have to go through painful times that feel like they’re going to crush us. I do know that it’s part of God’s process in getting us to His promise. Just like a grape that’s crushed can never become wine unless it’s moved from the press to the vat, you and I can never fulfill our purpose until we move from the pain to the next part of the process.

Everyone has a past. Everyone. But everyone also has a present. Everyone. If you’re stuck in your story, you can’t move on to the next part of the process that God is trying to do in your life. Acknowledge your pain. It’s real. It happened, but if you live there going over it over and over, you will never heal. Change your routine. Change your habits. Stop dwelling on what happened. You can’t change that. You can change your future though if you will be present in this moment and ask God to help you move to the next part of the process. Everything that’s happened in your life can be used for your good. God wants to do a new thing in your life, but you have to get unstuck and be present for Him to do it. He will make rivers in your desert and bring new life to the dry places of your life.

Photo by Berkeli Alashov 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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June 29, 2022 · 5:55 AM

Feeling Loved

Have you ever felt unloved? It’s a tough place to be in. I believe feeling loved is one of our basic needs. When we’ve been rejected and feel unloved, we begin to shut down and withdrawal. I’ve been in that place before wondering what was wrong with me. I’ve read where there was an experiment with babies. The nurses gave love and attention to half the newborns in the experiment and only gave milk to the others. The ones who were loved thrived and were healthy. The ones who weren’t became sick and some died. There is an innate need for love in all of us. It’s important to know where to get that need filled as well.

In Daniel 10, he was given his final vision. In it he saw a man standing near a river who he describes as so powerful his strength left his body. This being lifted him up and said, “Daniel, God loves you. Stand up and listen carefully to what I am going to say. I have been sent to you” (GNT). It’s incredible that his first words were to remind Daniel that he was loved. Daniel again felt weak as the angel spoke to him. Verse 19 says the angel came over and said, “‘God loves you, so don’t let anything worry you or frighten you.’ When he had said this, I felt even stronger and said, ‘Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better.’”

Feeling loved changes everything and gives us strength. I want you to know today that God loves you. It is a deeper, more complete love than you could ever feel or receive from another person. When we’re feeling unloved, and even unlovable, we need to remind ourselves that God loves us despite how far we’ve run or even what we’ve done. His love for us isn’t based on anything we’ve done or will do. He loves you simply because He created you and you’re His child. You need to let that sink into your spirit and mind today. I’m linking a song by Jon Gibson that is catchy and will play over and over in your mind to remind you that God loves you. If you’re struggling with feeling loved today, listen to it and let it saturate your mind and spirit.

Photo by Alexei Maridashvili on Unsplash

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June 28, 2022 · 5:26 AM

Nourishing Your Soul

One of the things we’ve lost to modern life is making bread. Yes, you can go to the store and have your choice of loaves, but I’m not talking about that bread. I’m talking about real bread. The kind where the ingredients were simple and it took a while to rise. It was then put into the fire to cook. In those days, the bread was the meal. Today, we’ve made bread a side dish to the meal. We’ve added so many preservatives that people have become allergic to it. It’s no wonder that God referred to His Word as bread and even water at times.

Psalm 1:2 describes a person who,follows God by saying, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night” (AMP). If God’s Word is like bread, meditating on it is like letting it rise. It will grow within you. The rising of bread is created when microorganisms break down the grain and unlock nutrients that our bodies can’t happen unless that process takes place. The same thing happens when we meditate on God’s Word instead of just reading it. The next verse gives us more insight.

Verse 3 says, “And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].” When we approach God’s Word with the intent on meditating on it and breaking it down to understand and apply it, we are fed by the water of the Word which will firmly plant us and cause us to produce the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). So don’t just read God’s Word. Let it rise within you. Let it nourish your soul and help you produce a life that is deeply rooted in Him.

Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash

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June 27, 2022 · 5:53 AM

The Two Balconies

Several years ago my wife and I felt like God asked us to make a change. The problem was we liked where we were. It was comfortable and we didn’t want to make this change. God let us know again that we needed to make the change. We explained to God that we didn’t want to, hoping He would understand. He didn’t. Life began to be uncomfortable. We became more miserable the longer we held out. Finally we agreed, but we wanted it to be on our terms. We made the change even though we were unhappy about it. It took months for us to figure out God was trying to bless us, but our comfort and stubbornness were standing in the way.

2 Samuel 11:1 says, “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites…However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem” (NLT). The next verse says David was so comfortable there that he took a nap. He was supposed to leave Jerusalem and go to war, but he put his comfort ahead of his calling. After he took his nap, he stepped out onto his balcony and saw Bathsheba taking a bath. Because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, he committed adultery with her. Then when she got pregnant, and her husband wouldn’t sleep with her when he was called home from the war, David had him killed. He faced severe consequences for his disobedience that started on the balcony of comfort.

In Luke 24:49, Jesus told about 500 people to go to Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Acts tells us about 120 of them went to the Upper Room and waited. Then after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, Acts 2 says that Peter and the disciples went outside on the balcony to address the crowd. About 3,000 we’re saved that day because they had obeyed what Jesus had spoken to them. This balcony reminds me of the blessings of obedience. Jeremiah 7:23 says, “Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!” Your obedience is more important than your comfort. The balcony of obedience leads to God’s promises.

Photo by Tomohisa on Unsplash

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June 24, 2022 · 5:51 AM

Following God’s Direction

Water always takes the path of least resistance. It flows to the lowest point following that path being twisted and turned by whatever is in that path. There are a lot of people who live their lives that way. Their lives are out of control and filled with chaos usually. You and I were not called to live that way though. We must let God direct our lives where we choose to go where He leads. It takes more effort than the path of least resistance because it is purpose driven. If you find yourself meandering in life, ask God to direct your path, and then let it flow where He leads.

Here are some Bible verses on letting God direct your life.

1. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 AMP

2. If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.

Galatians 5:25 TPT

3. Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way [of the Lord].

Proverbs 23:19 AMP

4. The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

Psalms 37:23 AMP

5. What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.

Galatians 5:16 GNT

Thanks to Wynand Uys @wynand_uys for making this photo available freely on Unsplash 🎁

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