Tag Archives: faith

August 2, 2023 · 5:43 AM

The Difference In A Day

My wife and I were just talking about the difference a day can make. I try to teach people the importance of doing a few things each day to help them attain their lifelong goals. The plan for that is that by doing them each day, in ten or twenty years you achieve something huge. However, God doesn’t need ten or twenty years to change your situation. He can do it in a day. When life gets hard or you need God to intervene, He can do in a day what would take you years. The Bible is full of these kinds of stories. Joseph went from being forgotten in prison to being second in command of Egypt in a day. David went from being homeless and running for his life to being king in a day.

In 2 Kings 6 and 7, Samaria was in a desperate situation. The king of Aram had besieged Samaria and their supplies had run out. People were resorting to cannibalism to survive. The king was mad at God and decided to take it out on Elisha. When he and his army officer arrived, he told Elisha that God had brought this misery on them. Then Elisha told them the next day flour and barely would be cheap. In verse 2 the officer said, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” (NLT). That night the Aramean army heard chariots, became afraid and ran away leaving all of their supplies behind. The prophets words came true. God opened the windows of heaven and supplied their need with more than enough.

Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Whatever your need is, no matter how great or how desperate, God can supply it in an instant. Don’t look at Him with a limited view the way this army officer did. God can step into the darkest night and light it up. He can move in the most hopeless situation and bring restoration. Elisha looked to God in a desperate situation as the solution and not the problem. How do you view God in impossible circumstances? Do you see Him as the cause or the answer? Have faith and trust Him to turn it around in a day while you do what’s necessary to move in the right direction. He has the entire universe available to give you in order to meet your need. He can do it in a day. Only have faith.

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August 1, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Unmet Expectations

I’ve found that a lot of interpersonal problems are caused by unmet expectations. One person thought the other person should have done something. When they didn’t do it, they’re mad at them. The real issue though is hat they never told the other person that they had this expectation of them. In their mind it should be understood. Think about a time when you were upset or disappointed in someone. If you really look into it, chances are they didn’t meet your expectation. However, did you tell them you expected that? Relationships are hard because both people involved have a ton of expectations that they never express.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of a military leader named Naaman. When he got a dreaded disease called leprosy, one of his servant girls told him about a prophet in Israel that could heal him. His king sent him to Israel with a large tribute to pay the prophet for healing him. When he made it to Elisha’s house, Elisha sent out his servant to tell him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Verse 11 says, “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!’ he said. ‘I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!’” (NLT). There’s that unmet expectation. Since Elisha didn’t do what he expected, he wasn’t going to follow the order for healing. He almost missed out on his healing because of an unmet expectation. How many have we missed out on because God didn’t do what we expected and we pouted?

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” We like to quote this verse, but honestly it’s telling us to trust God even when His requests aren’t what we expect. We’re not to lean on our own understanding or expectations. It’s easy for us to get mad at God for not doing what we expected, but the truth is that we must still trust Him even when He doesn’t meet our expectations. We must still love Him when He doesn’t answer the way we think He should. We have to keep following Him when we don’t understand. Faith trusts that God’s plan is greater than my expectations. If you’re mad at God or disappointed in Him because He didn’t do what you wanted, are you really trusting Him with your whole heart? Don’t let an unmet expectation stunt your spiritual growth or hinder your relationship with God.

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July 31, 2023 · 5:45 AM

Preparing For Blessings

Growing up in sports and then working in sales caused me to hear a lot of motivational sayings. One of them that I remember is from UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He said, “When opportunity knocks, It’s too late to prepare.” If you’re out of a job, you prepare for the next one by having a resume ready. In football, teams practice a two minute drill in case they’re down and need to score in the last two minutes. Preparation helps you be ready to capitalize on the opportunity that’s at hand. We all pray for once in a lifetime opportunities, but how many of us put in the work of preparation for such? If we haven’t prepared, we could miss out on the blessings God is trying to give us.

In 2 Kings 3, the two kings of Israel and the king of Edom were headed to teach the king of Moab a lesson. He had quit paying tribute to keep the peace. They decided to do a sneak attack so they took the long way went through the wilderness where there wasn’t any water. After seven days, the men and animals were parched and morale was down. They called for the prophet Elisha to help. He told them that the valley was going to be filled with water in the morning, and that they wouldn’t hear wind or rain. They needed to dig as many holes as possible to catch the water. Even though the army was exhausted, they dug the holes. The next morning they were filled with water as the prophet said. They had plenty for themselves and their animals to be victorious in the battle the next day.

Proverbs 24:27 says, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house” (NLT). There are things we must do first in preparation for long term blessings. The ways we prepare differ according to the blessings we’re praying for. If you’re praying for a spouse, do everything you can to prepare to be the best spouse yourself. If you’re praying for financial blessings, then prepare by learning wealth management. No matter what blessing you’re asking God for, there are steps you need to be taking now in order to receive it. Otherwise you may squander what God gives you or miss out on it completely. What holes do you need to be digging in order to contain what God is going to pour out? His blessings may fall suddenly without any warning so you need to be prepared. Even though you may be exhausted and tired, you need to step out in faith and dig. The amount of blessings you will be able to retain are directly proportionate to the amount of preparation you do.

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July 18, 2023 · 5:42 AM

Embracing Uncomfortableness

To celebrate the Fourth of July, we went to an outdoor concert at a nearby amphitheater. Before we left, I went into my gadget drawer and got out a fan that hangs around my neck so I could keep cool. It’s got me thinking about how many crazy inventions there are that are designed to keep us comfortable. The problem is that a recent study shows that the more comfortable we’ve made ourselves, the less happy we’ve become. Did you know that being uncomfortable is actually good for you? Without being uncomfortable, chances are you’re going to remain where you are and achieve very little. Comfort is a tool the enemy uses to keep us from growth and from following God’s voice.

After Moses had murdered an Egyptian, he fled Egypt for 40 years. Moses then became comfortable being a shepherd in Midian, but God met him in a burning bush and called him back to Egypt. He gave every excuse under the sun why he couldn’t or shouldn’t go back. Egypt was uncomfortable to Moses. It meant facing the things he had run from. Why would God ask him to leave his comfort zone? Because the cries of His children there were more important than one person’s comfort. We know that even though Moses was uncomfortable in going, he did it anyway. The result was freedom for millions of slaves and one of the greatest displays of God’s power ever recorded.

I believe God is calling you and me to a place of uncomfortableness. It can feel,scary because of all the unknowns. However, I want to remind you that 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). The spirit of power, love and self-discipline are greater than the spirit of fear. Which spirit are you embracing? Doing God’s will is never going to be comfortable. You’re going to have to step out into unfamiliar territory. You’re going to have to challenge the way things are if you’re going to bring freedom to the captives. Instead of embracing our comforts, we’re going to have to start embracing uncomfortableness. Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back. You’ve been called to a life of faith and you’ve been given the power, love and self-discipline to do it. You just need to embrace it.

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July 11, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Water In The Wilderness

When I was young, I loved the poem “Footprints In The Sand”. It tells of a person looking back on their life and seeing two sets of footprints. In the hardest times, there was only one set in the sand. They questioned why the Lord would leave them during the hardest times, but He replied that there was one because He carried them. Having been through some difficult times, I’ve learned that God doesn’t carry us in those times. I’ve also learned that it is normal to feel alone and even abandoned by God when we’re in the wilderness. What I do like in the poem is the idea of reflecting on the past. When we look back at the hardest times, we can see we were never abandoned by God, nor were we alone. He often uses those times to draw us close and even shows up in unexpected ways to meet our needs. The wilderness is often the path to growth.

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah had literally had a mountain top experience. God had met him on Mount Carmel and sent fire from Heaven to burn his sacrifice. Israel began to turn from their false gods to serve the Lord. However, Jezebel wasn’t happy and wanted to kill him for it. His fear led him into the wilderness where depression took over. He wanted to die and felt alone. While he was sleeping an angel brought him food and water. He rested and the angel brought more. From there, he continued deeper into the wilderness and stayed in a cave where it was dark. Again God called to him and asked him what he was doing. He gave God a sob story about how bad his life was. God then called him out of the cave in the wilderness where he saw an mighty wind, an earthquake and a fire. All great signs, but God wasn’t in them. Then there was a still, small voice that God was in. Elijah found God in the smallest of moments in the wilderness rather than in big ones.

Isaiah 35:4-6 says, “Tell everyone who is discouraged, ‘Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies.’ The blind will be able to see, and the deaf will hear. The lame will leap and dance, and those who cannot speak will shout for joy. Streams of water will flow through the desert” (GNT). If you’re in the wilderness right now wondering where God is, He is on the way to rescue you! He will cause stress to flow in your difficult time and make it a place of growth. You may be struggling to see Him now or even feel Him, but He is there caring for you and leading you through this time. When you look back at this period you will see how the still, small voice led you to a place of abundance. You are not forgotten. You are not forsaken. You are not alone. There is water in your wilderness.

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June 22, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Sudden Storms

I love the story of Jesus in Mark 4. He had been teaching all day sharing spiritual insights through parables with crowds of people. When He was finished, He told the disciples to get in a boat and head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. After they had been going a ways, a sudden storm blew in and threatened to sink the boat. In the midst of the chaos and fear, someone realized they needed Jesus and He wasn’t on deck. Verse 38 says, “But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion” (TPT). In the middle of the storm, Jesus was able to rest because He trusted God.

Most of us aren’t that way. When things are going downhill quickly and everything we hold dear is being threatened to sink, we struggle to rest. Sleep eludes us as our minds think of everything bad that can happen and what we will do if everything heads south. Yet, in this story, we find that Jesus is able to rest. I believe that the rest He was given is a rest that belongs to us. We have to learn that our perception of things is not His reality. Where we look up at the storm in fear, He speaks to it in faith. When we let fear dictate our emotions and steal our rest, we lack the faith to trust His providence for our lives.

Psalm 116:7 says, “Now I can say to myself and to all, ‘Relax and rest, be confident and serene, for the Lord rewards fully those who simply trust in him.’” If you’re uncomfortable speaking to your storms, then speak to yourself. Worry robs us of the strength and rest that God wants us to have. Just because you’re surrounded by turmoil, it doesn’t mean you have to live in it. God gives His children rest and peace, but many times, we have to take hold of it and tell ourselves to take it. Sudden storms that pop up are not a surprise to God. If you will simply trust in Him, He will guide you safely to shore.

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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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June 19, 2023 · 5:38 AM

Trusting God’s Will

I’m asked to pray with people often. There are times when they’re looking for direction or even permission from God for something. After praying for permission, I’ll usually say, “I know we’re believing and praying for a ‘yes’ from God, but you need to understand that His ‘no’ is just as good as His ‘yes’.” It can be a hard concept to think about or even accept. Growing up I used to ask my parents for things. Sometimes their answers were “yes”, sometimes they said, “No” and sometimes they said, “Later.” God, who is a good father,” may give us those same answers. It’s important that we understand that His will is best, even if it is a “no” or “later”. He sees the bigger picture and we do not. Submitting to it is for our greater good, even when we don’t feel like it.

In 1 Samuel 20, King Saul had shown David his intent to kill him. When David fled, he met up with Saul’s son Jonathan, the next in line to the throne. They were best friends, even though David had been anointed as they next king. Jonathan didn’t believe his dad was really going to kill David, so they devised a plan where David wouldn’t show up for a traditional meal. If Saul was angry, it meant he wanted to kill David. If not, David was safe. When David didn’t show, Saul was furious. In verses 30-31, Saul acknowledged he knew David was to be king. He said, “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!” (NLT) Saul opposed God’s plan of making David king, while Jonathan embraced it even though it meant he wouldn’t be.

In Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray in what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer”. In verse 10, after honoring God’s name, Jesus said, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” How many times have we repeated that prayer, but never really thought about that part of it? We’re asking for God’s will to be done, not ours. That’s the way Jesus taught us to pray. When He tells us His will, we have a choice in how we respond. We can be like Jonathan and embrace it, or we can be like Saul where we’re angry and try to fight it. Understanding that God’s “no” is just as good as His “yes” will help us respond correctly. It may not be what we want to hear, but we know that when His will is done, our lives are better for it in the long run. He often has something better for us, once we submit to His plan instead of ours.

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June 15, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Expect Great Things

A few years ago, a video went viral of a man who was terrified to touch a teddy bear. They had blindfolded him and made him think he was on a show like Fear Factor. When he got the courage to put his hand in the plexiglass box, his fingers brushed up against the teddy bear. He squealed and yanked his hand out. For about two minutes he kept trying to reach in, but his fear was overwhelming. When he finally takes the blindfold off, he realizes it’s just a teddy bear, laughed, then grabbed it and spiked it on the ground. Everyone around him was laughing because he was too afraid to pick up a teddy bear.

It was easy for us to laugh at that because we weren’t the one blindfolded. Everyone else could see and knew he wasn’t in any danger. That’s kind of how Faith works. We’re blindfolded and can’t see. God is asking us to trust Him, but too often we are terrified. Our minds psych us out and we start freaking out. When we take a tiny step of faith and we experience something we aren’t anticipating, we squeal and pull back. All the while, God is saying, “Would you just trust me?”

In Matthew 9, two blind men were following Jesus calling out to Him for healing. Jesus asked if they believed He could heal blind eyes, and they said yes. Verse 29 says, “Then Jesus put His hands over their eyes and said, ‘You will have what your faith expects!’” (TPT) I believe He is still saying that to us today. Don’t let your mind expect the worse and create fear of what God is going to do. Expect God, who is good, to give you what you need. You don’t have to be terrified of what He has for you. Expect great things from Him because He gives good gifts.

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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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June 6, 2023 · 5:36 AM

Consider God’s Benefits

In recent years, there’s been a rise of subscription apps. They got them for TV, groceries and a host of other things. The market place is getting crowded, so they’ve started to add incentives. I didn’t even consider getting the grocery app I have now until they started adding benefits to owning it. I get ten cents off a gallon of gas, which adds up to offset the cost. I also get free deliver of online items or even in store groceries. They also added a year’s subscription to a TV app to the benefits package. All of a sudden it had enough value for me to go ahead and pay. To me, the benefits now outweigh what it costs me to make it worth it. We do this same analysis in many areas of our lives.

If you’re familiar with the Bible, you’ve probably heard that Hebrews 11 has been called the Hall of Faith. It’s full of people in the Bible who had to trust God through difficult circumstances. They held onto their faith in God when all seemed lost. Verse 37 says, “Some of these faith champions were brutally killed by stoning, being sawn in two or slaughtered by the sword. These lived in faith as they went about wearing goatskins and sheepskins for clothing. They lost everything they possessed, they endured great afflictions, and they were cruelly mistreated” (TPT). Each of the heroes of the faith paid a high price, but they keep the benefits of following God in mind to help them endure. Many never saw the fulfillment of their promise from God, but because they held onto their faith, their future generations did.

Romans 6:22 says, “But now, as God’s loving servants, you live in joyous freedom from the power of sin. So consider the benefits you now enjoy—you are brought deeper into the experience of true holiness that ends with eternal life!” You and I must also keep in mind the benefits that God offers us as we continue down the path of Christianity. You may not be faced with the same hardships these heroes of the faith had to, but you will still face difficulty times and be forced to trust in God instead of your circumstances. Our faith comes at a cost to us. It is freely given to us, but living in the world while being separate from it can be difficult at times. Trusting God over what we see can exact a price in our lives. Always keep in mind that God has more in store for us than we can even comprehend now. Remember all His benefits and hold fast to your faith. He will always do what He promised.

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April 19, 2023 · 5:36 AM

Step Into The River

I live in a neighborhood that flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Thankfully our house was fine. After the hurricane passed, started seeing people post videos of their homes under water. One person rode a jet ski through the neighborhood and into their home. With no power to the house, we decided to walk through the area. The River at the front of the neighborhood had flooded several hundred yards. The waters were moving quickly and they were very dirty. We stood back at a distance just looking at it rush by. A River that is flooded is a dangerous thing.

I share that with you because in Joshua 3, Israel was preparing to leave the desert after 50 years. Just like the Red Sea once stood in their way, now the Jordan River blocked them. The Bible says that the river was flooded at the time and we’ll out of its banks. God told the people to consecrate themselves inside and out before heading across it. He then told them that twelve priests would accompany the Ark of the Covenant ahead of them. The instructions continued in verse 13. It says, “When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, [come to] rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing down from above will be cut off, and they will stand in one mass [of water]” (AMP). Before God would part these waters, the priests had to get in it. Before God would tear down walls, these men had to step into the mud.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way” (GNT). A humans understanding would have stayed away from those flood waters, but they trusted what God said anyway. Before you and I can receive our victory, we’re going to have to step into the waters. Before we see walls fall, we’re going to have to trust what God says over what we think we know. So many times we stay locked in the desert because we’re afraid to step into the waters that God has called us to. Don’t let fear hold you from the Promised Land. When we follow the paths God leads us down, we’re going to get a little muddy. However, it’s through our obedience, especially through things that don’t make sense to us, that God does great and mighty things. Quit standing there looking at your river. Obey what God has told you and step into it.

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