Tag Archives: faith

March 7, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Inadequate And Insecure

I’ve been on a few mission trips where we’ve done construction work. On day one, they like to go around the circle and have each person talk about their skills. One guy says he can build shelving. Another says he’s good at framing. One always says he can do it all. Inevitably it always comes around to me. I like to say, “I’m the best gopher around. If you need nails, I’ll go for them. If you need a certain tool, I’ll go for it.” My skill set makes me feel very inadequate on a construction site.

Even when it comes to ministry and my calling, I often feel inadequate. I was at a conference of ministers earlier this year. They started off with introductions and sharing all they’re doing. As they went around the table, I began to compare what I do to what they were doing. I sent my wife a text and said, “What am I doing here? I don’t belong. They’re sharing all they’re doing in ministry, and I’ve got nothing.” I was feeling very insecure.

If you look at where God has you or think of what God has called you too, you’re going to feel inadequate. It’s easy to say, “God, I’m not qualified to do this,” or “God, there are other people who are better at this.” I’m sure David, being a shepherd, felt inadequate in front of all those soldiers when Goliath came out. I’ve learned that God doesn’t always take our skill set and put us where it should fit. He looks at our heart, and puts us where He needs that most.

When I feel inadequate, I take comfort in knowing the apostle Paul felt that way too. In 1 Timothy 1:12, he wrote, “I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work” (MSG). He understood what we need to learn. It’s God who makes us adequate to do what He’s called us to do. It’s not our skills or anything else. Our inadequacies cause our faith to grow and helps keep pride out. It is not we who do the work. It is Christ through us, and that makes us more than adequate to do anything God asks us 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 4, 2024 · 5:24 AM

Blown Off Course

Have you ever tried to accomplish something, but keep running into roadblocks? No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t keep things going in the right direction. If it could go wrong, it went wrong. In the end, you either gave up or finished nowhere near where you wanted to. You can either cry, complain or make the best of it. Things like this happen to me, especially when I’m trying to do what God has asked me to do. I’ll ask God why I’m going through so much trying to accomplish His will. I’ll even wonder if I heard Him correctly. In the end, I’ve learned to accept that God can make something good out of all my struggles. Even when it feels like I’ve failed or missed the objective, when I hand Him the reigns, He accomplishes more than I thought even in my perceived failures.

In Mark 6 Jesus had just fed the 5,000 families with the five loaves and two fish. Before He sent the crowd away, He sent the disciples across the lake and told them to go to Bethsaida on the northwest side. As they were on their way, they were hit with a sudden storm. The winds picked up and tossed the boat like it was going to be flipped over. The waves crashed against the boat threatening their lives. Verse 48 says they were straining with the oars trying to keep moving. Around three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came walking on the water to them in the middle of their struggle. When they choose to let Him in the boat, the winds stopped and they continued their journey landing at Gennesarat on the north east side. They missed their destination even with Jesus in the boat. However, the chapter ends with them ministering there and making a difference in the lives of the people in the wrong destination.

Psalm 37 is packed with wisdom, especially if your life feels like it’s been blown off course. Verse 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) There are two hard things for anyone to do in this verse to receive this promise. We must give God the right to direct our life accepting His desires over our own. We must also trust Him along the way in the middle of the storms when everything feels like it is against us. We just have to keep straining at the oars to keep it moving. Let Him worry about the destination. He can accomplish great things through us even at the wrong destination. He can make something good out of the times in our life when everything seems to be working against us trying to blow us off course. He is the one who causes everything to work together for good no matter when you feel like you didn’t reach your destination.

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February 27, 2024 · 5:28 AM

Looking Past Distractions

Apple Vision Pro came out not long ago. If you’re unaware of what they are, they’re goggles in a sense that blend virtual reality with reality. You can watch movies, browse the internet and so much more on virtual screens. The day after they came out, videos started surfacing of people walking down the sidewalk with them on moving screens and interacting with them. A few hours after that, videos of people driving down the road in their Tesla started to emerge taking distracted driving to a whole new level. Most of us are guilty of distracted driving to some degree whether it’s with our phones or being deep in thought. Have you ever shown up somewhere and don’t remember the journey? Distracted driving takes our eyes off of what’s important: the road. We can’t afford to do that.

In Mark 5, a man named Jairus went to see Jesus about his daughter who was very sick. As Jesus was headed to his house, they were distracted by a woman who had been unable to stop her bleeding for 12 years. She was focused and wasn’t going to let anyone keep her from touching the hem of His garment to receive her healing. Once she touched Jesus, He stopped. While Jesus was talking to her, friends of Jairus came up and told him his daughter had died. Verse 36 says, “But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith’” (NLT). Jesus was telling him not to get distracted from the mission by the news from his friends. Because Jairus kept his attention and faith on Jesus, his daughter was raised to life.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you” Have you been getting distracted by reports, circumstances or people and taking your eyes off Jesus? If you don’t have peace in what you’re going through, I want to encourage you to take your eyes off your problem and give your attention to the One who can resolve any situation. Jairus’ daughter was dead and became alive by Jairus’ faith. The woman who, doctors had tried everything on was healed because of her determination and focus on Jesus. What’s impossible for man is possible with God. Trust in Him and keep your thoughts fixed on Him and you will have peace in whatever situation you find yourself in. We must learn to look past the distractions of this world.

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash

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February 12, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Stewarding The Seed

Seeds are fascinating to me. They can lie dormant for the longest time waiting for the right conditions in order to activate. The first thing they need is water. The water causes a seed to expand and release enzymes. Those enzymes cause the seed to ramp up metabolic energy and release food storage that’s built into it. Then a tap root breaks out of one end and starts heading down. On the other end a stem comes out heading upwards. Once it reaches the surface, two leaves form and photosynthesis begins. Depending on moisture and oxygen levels in the soil and sunlight, the seed takes on life and becomes what it was designed to be.

A seed was planted in Terah, Abraham’s father, to go to the land of Canaan. When his father died, he gather his sons and their families to head to Canaan. Genesis 11:31 says that while on their way, they stopped in Haran and settled there. In the next chapter, the word of the Lord co,es to Abraham and tells him to leave where his father stopped and continue the journey to Canaan. God then planted another seed in Abraham. He told him in the new land he would become the father of many nations and would bless him. The seeds in him began to sprout so he packed up everything and left his father. When he arrived, the Lord planted another seed in him telling him that He would give him all that land to his descendants.

In Isaiah 30:21, the Lord tells Israel that he will respond and guide us telling us which way we should go. Verse 23 says, “Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock” (NLT). I know that God has already planted seeds in you. They may be lying dormant right now waiting for the watering of the Lord. It will come when the time is right. The seed will grow, send down roots and sending a shoot up. Though it’s been dormant for a while, it is not dead. God will bring it to pass. You may have to get into a place, like Abraham did, where it can grow. You may have to get in the right environment so it can thrive. Seek God on what you need to be doing in the meantime to steward that seed and prepare it for growth. God will bring about a harvest to every seed He’s planted in you.

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February 9, 2024 · 5:35 AM

Giving God Your Little

There are times when God asks us to do something but we look at our resources and tell Him we can’t. Instead of taking a step of faith, I say, “But God, I only have this.” What I forget in those moments is that God is a multiplier. He can multiply what little I have if I’m willing to offer it up instead of an excuse. He doesn’t require much in order to accomplish what He asks of us. He wants to see if we’re willing to give Him our little and to allow Him to do with it what He wants. The Bible is full of stories where people were willing to give what little they had and saw God do incredible things with it. A little is enough in God’s hands.

Here are some Bible verses on giving God a little.

1. He told them, “It was because of your lack of faith. I promise you, if you have faith inside of you no bigger than the size of a small mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move away from here and go over there,’ and you will see it move! There is nothing you couldn’t do!

Matthew 17:20 TPT

2. But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. “Bring them here,” he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

Matthew 14:17-20 NLT

3. But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

1 Kings 17:12-16 NLT

4. A destitute widow walked up and dropped in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. Jesus called his disciples to gather around and then said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given a larger offering than any of the wealthy.”

Mark 12:42-43 TPT

5. It is much better to have little combined with much of God than to have the fabulous wealth of the wicked and nothing else.

Psalms 37:16 TPT

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February 1, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Barren Seasons

Have you been through a barren season? It’s those seasons where you have planted seeds and watered them, but nothing is growing or producing. It’s a little frustrating and a lot scary. To have followed God’s principles in the Bible and to not see Him move on your behalf can be worrisome. In those times, I’ve prayed, “God, where are you? Why haven’t you responded yet? I thought by now you would have shown up,” only to be answered by silence. Barren seasons show up out of no where and can last a while. They put your faith to the test, but what you can’t see, and what you have to remind yourself, is what God is doing with those planted seeds underground.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 gives us the prescription for these times. It says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (NLT) We must continue to praise God anyway and choose to honor Him. Our hope is not in the fruits of our labor, but in the Lord. We cannot allow what we see in our circumstances to dictate our relationship with God. Circumstances are fickle, but God remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

In those barren seasons, I recount the character of God. I look back on who He has always been, not on how I perceive Him in my current situation. Relationships dictated by emotions fail because emotions can be manipulated. They must be built on something deeper. You must choose to love, to rejoice in the Lord and to be joyful even in the dry seasons. God has not changed who He is, nor has He stopped working on your behalf. Choose to rejoice no matter what the fields of your life look like right now. Trust in Him to be who He always has been. He is Jehovah Jireh, your provider and source even in the barren seasons. Your trust needs to be in Him rather than in the fruit of your labor.

Photo by Felipe Labate 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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January 29, 2024 · 5:36 AM

The Rough Road

One of the things I hear a lot of people say when they go through a tough time is that they must not be in God’s will. God’s path for our lives isn’t always the easy one. Tough times doesn’t mean you have angered God or turned His wrath toward you. There are times He takes us through the sunless valley of the shadow of death. There are times when the road He takes you down is in the wilderness where you feel like you can’t feel Him or through waters that are too deep and it feels like you’re drowning. If He always took you through green pastures, your faith would never grow. The rough roads are where we learn to trust Him even when we can’t feel Him.

In the book of Exodus, God displays His mighty power for both the Egyptians and Israelites to see. He then set them free from their captor and immediately led them into the desert. Not long after, they felt cornered at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army pinning them down. Were they out of God’s will? No. God protected them from the army and then parted the water. The road then

led them through the wilderness where they experienced hunger and thirst. Even though they experienced hardship, they were still in His will and on His path. Remember, He provided manna there, brought water from the rock, led them with a cloud by day and a fire by night. Their clothes and shoes also never wore out. In the wilderness, God was still providing for them as He led them to the Promised Land.

Psalm 77:19 says, ”Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen“ (ESV). God’s way is always the best way, but it’s not always the easy way or the quickest. He cares more about your growth than your comfort. When we go through deep waters where we can’t see His footprints to lead us, it causes our roots to grow deeper in Him. It causes us to spend more time in prayer and our faith finds a new level. The times in our lives when we draw closest to God are usually times where we feel like we’re going under and can’t breathe. You are not necessarily off His path or out of His will when you experience these things. Don’t look for blame in these moments. Instead, look for His presence. He is there leading you, guarding you and providing for you when the road gets rough. Your Promised Land is just ahead.

Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash

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January 8, 2024 · 5:39 AM

Melting Ice

When God’s promises seem slow or feel like they’re never going to come to pass, how do you respond? Do you keep doing what you’re doing to prepare for them or do you give up hope thinking they’re dead? I heard John Maxwell talk about something similar regarding melting ice. Imagine it’s 27 degrees out and you’re working on raising the temperature and it goes up to 28. The ice is still frozen, but you keep going and it gets to 29. Still nothing. You keep going and it grid to 30, then 31. It can feel like nothing is happening because the ice hasn’t changed at all and you’ve done everything you can. However, don’t give up because once it hits 32, all that has taken place begins to work suddenly.

In Ezekiel 37, God took Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones where God asked if they could live again. Instead of stating the obvious that the situation was hopeless, he replied that only God knew. God told him to prophesy to them to come together because God was going to make them live again. There was a great rattling in the valley as they came together into individual skeletons. Then muscles, joints and skin covered them. A great army stood there lifeless until God told him to prophesy to the four winds to breathe on them. Suddenly they came alive. God then said that Israel had given up on his promise to return them home from captivity saying all hope was lost. However, God wasn’t done. He was going to breathe life into His promise when all hope seemed lost.

I Corinthians 1:9 says, ”God is faithful [He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on]“ (AMP). The Bible is full of stories of people whom God’s promises seemed like they would never come. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for a son. Joseph was away from his family for over a decade before his dream came true. David remained a shepherd then ran for his life for over 15 years while being promised the kingdom before he became king. If it seems like everything is still or moving in the wrong direction, keep believing, keep working towards it and trust God. He is faithful to His promises even when it seems all hope is lost. 32 degrees is just around the corner.

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December 18, 2023 · 5:46 AM

The Right Time

One thing I’ve learned is that God operates on His own time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached out in desperation praying to get an answer on my time. There have been times when He’s come through right at the deadline. There have been other times when my deadline has come and gone while I was waiting for Him to answer. I think of Lazarus who was sick when his sisters sent word for Jesus to come and heal him. While Jesus was waiting, Lazarus died. Four days after that, Jesus showed up and raised him from the dead. No matter what our deadline is, His answer will come at the right time. He sees a bigger picture than what we see.

For 400 years before Jesus was born, God was silent. Famine had struck the land a generation before Jesus that threatened to wipe out the country. The Romans took over the world, including Israel. Yet God didn’t answer their cries. However, it was the Roman’s who called for a census that would send Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem in order to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born there. It was because of the Romans that the known world had a unified language which allowed the Gospel to spread quickly. While people cried out for deliverance, God waited for the right moment to bring salvation to us.

Galatians 4:4 says, ”But when the right time came, God sent his Son“ (NLT). Looking back, you can always see that God answers when the right time came. I don’t know what you’re praying for, but don’t stop. Your deadline May have come and gone, but keep praying. There is nothing impossible for God. He can do what seems impossible to us. He won’t be early with His answer, but when the right time comes, He will bring you the answer that is in accordance with His plan. Don’t give up if you’re still waiting or if God seems silent. Keep asking. Keep knocking. Keep seeking. Keep believing too because God is at work and setting things in motion. He will send His son to answer at the right time.

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December 14, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Getting In The Wheelbarrow

I like to tell people that you will always act on what you truly believe, especially when you’re under pressure. It’s easy to say you believe something, but the proof comes when stress is applied. There’s a story of a man named Charles Blonden who famously put out a tightrope across Niagara Falls. He crossed it several times using different methods like stilts, backwards, blindfolded, carrying a stove and cooking on it. One time he pushed a wheelbarrow across it. When he arrived on the other side, the crowd applauded. He then asked who believed he could push someone in that wheelbarrow across the tightrope. Everyone cheered agreeing that he could. He then asked for a volunteer from the cheering crowd. The crowd fell silent and no one volunteered. Later his manager Harry Colcord did ride across on his back.

It’s easy to say we believe something until we have to get I to the wheelbarrow. In the Old Testament, God asked Abraham to take his only son to the land of Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). This was a faith testing moment. God had already told him that through Isaac he would have many descendants. He took Isaac to the mountain anyway because He truly believed God. David’s faith was tested too. He had been anointed king, but God delayed in that promise. He had several opportunities to kill Saul, the current king, but he trusted God’s timing instead. Many opportunities presented themselves, but he passed on them all as he waited for God’s perfect timing.

Testing is part of God’s means of proving our faith just like He did for those in the Bible. If He tested them, He’ll test us. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed” (GNT). Testing purifies and solidifies our faith. Don’t back down from what you believe when hard times come or when you’re called out on it. Get in the wheelbarrow and trust God to carry you across Niagara’s Falls. He’s proven time and time again He’s able to, but it’s up to us to trust Him enough to get in.

Photo by Sergey Pesterev 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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