Tag Archives: trusting God

November 17, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Promise Keeper

Have you ever said, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye”? Or ever made a pinky promise before? When we were kids, that’s how we made sure the other person knew we weren’t going to break our promise. As adults, we live in a world of broken promises. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say, “My word is my bond.” It seems like people cared about their reputation and keeping their word a lot more in the past than they do today. When you find someone who makes a promise and keeps it, you think it’s a rare find. You can trust a person that keeps their promise to do what they say. You don’t have to worry about it, remind them constantly or question them when it doesn’t happen on your time table. A person like that is someone we should strive to be like.

In Genesis 22, God approaches Abraham years after He fulfilled the promise of giving him a son. God told him to take his son of promise to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there. Abraham didn’t question it. He got up the next morning and headed for the mountain. When Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham replied, “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son” (NLT). Abraham had learned to trust God despite his circumstance. He made it to the top of the mountain, built the altar, tied up his son and had his knife raised when God intervened. He didn’t know how God would save his son or raise him from the dead, but he trusted God would keep his promise to give him as many descendants as the stars. God kept his promise and provided a ram.

Psalm 145:13 says, “The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.” You can always count on God to keep His promises. You may feel like Isaac where you are bound up and wondering when God is going to show up. You may feel like Abraham where you’ve trusted God, but time seems to have run out. Keep walking in obedience though. God’s timing is not like ours. He will keep His Word and His promise. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Trusting God isn’t always easy. It requires faith. We must learn to see with our spiritual eyes rather than our physical ones. God is gracious and merciful in all He does. He will always keep His promise.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 13, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Leaving Stress Behind

Steven Covey taught that many of us aren’t as productive as we could be because of how we spend our time and how we manage the tasks we face. He divided up tasks into four areas. There’s urgent and non urgent, and important and not important. One of the problems many of us face is that we live in the quadrant that is urgent and important. It sounds good on the surface, but the truth is that all we’re doing is putting out fires constantly. We’re doing a lot, but we’re going nowhere. We need to be spending our time focusing on the important, but not urgent quadrant. That one will help us plan for the future and prevent many of the fire drills we face.

In Luke 10, Jesus was visiting the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was in the quadrant of urgent and important. She was busy trying to clean, cook and serve. Mary was in the quadrant of important and not urgent. She sat at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn. Martha got upset at Mary, just like people who live in that quadrant do, and told Jesus to have her help. Jesus replied, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (NLT). Jesus understood how tiring it gets living that way being distracted and constantly worrying. Martha wasn’t stressed out or distracted. She was calm because she focused on the right things.

Psalm 37:5 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) God knows what is best for you. Cast your cares, your schedule and whatever else is distracting you on Him. Give Him to right to guide your life. He knows what’s best for you mentally, physically and spiritually. Refocus your heart on Him, spend time daily sitting at His feet listening. You’ll find your life will be the way He intended it. Commit all your ways to Him and trust Him in every area of your life. You’ll find peace and rest for your mind, body and soul. He knows what’s best for you and will lead you beside the still waters.

Photo by Reed Naliboff 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.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 6, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Be Patient And Wait

One of the hardest things for me to do is to be patient while God is at work on my behalf. I live by the motto, “Work like it depends on you. Pray like it depends on God.” But there are seasons, like the one I’m in now, where God is at work and He says, “Be still and be patient.” Everything in me wants to jump up and do something as if God needs my help. There’s a line in “Way Maker” that resonates with me right now. It says, “Even when I don’t see it, you’re working. Even when I don’t feel it, you’re working. You never stop working.” Faith is truly about trusting that God is at work when you don’t see it or feel it. It’s about being patient in the waiting knowing that God is going to bless you according to a His goodness and not your good works.

I don’t think Abraham was much different. God was at work, but he couldn’t see it. God had promised him a son when he was 75. Ten years later, there still wasn’t a son and he was getting older. He decided to help God out and married Hagar, his wife’s handmaiden. But when she got pregnant, God let him know that wasn’t what He promised. Sarah would give him a son, but Abraham had to wait another 15 years. That’s a long time to be patient and to trust God to fulfill a promise, especially when your physical condition, or things around you, are telling you the possibility is going down daily. Yet God still requires us to have faith and to be patient.

Psalm 37:7 says, “Be patient and wait for the Lord to act” (GNT). I understand that having patience and waiting on God is tough. It can feel like you’re missing the boat and that you need to do something to make it happen. Learn from Abraham though. If God has promised it, trust Him to fulfill it in His timing, not yours. Even when you see the window of opportunity closing, trust anyway. God does not need our help. He is able. If He can speak the universe into existence, surely He can say the word and turn your impossible situation around. If He can give Abraham a son at 100 years old, He can make a way where there seems to be no way. It’s in the waiting that our faith is stretched and we are prepared for greater things. Don’t give up too early or try to jump in and help. Be patient and wait on the Lord.

Photo by Ante Hamersmit 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.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 28, 2025 · 5:57 AM

Staying In Sync

Have you ever had the chance to watch a military marching band? It’s one of the most incredible things to watch as a hundred band members play instruments and march in beat while creating formations. No one does it better than the Fighting Texas A&M Aggie Band. Sometimes they are spread out over the space of an entire football field. Between the echoes of the music coming off the bleachers and the distance apart from each other, if they relied on sound, they would be off. Instead, the band members keep their eyes on the drum majors to keep in step and in time. The drum majors set the tempo, the direction and ensures that the members stay in sync.

In Acts 10, Peter was on a rooftop praying when God gave him a vision of a picnic cloth coming down out of heaven. In it there were all kinds of animals that were considered unclean to eat. He heard God say, “Kill and eat.” However, he pushed back thinking it was a test. The lord said, “Don’t call unclean what I have called clean.” It repeated three times and then was drawn back up into heaven. Just then some Gentiles, who were sent by an angel, knocked on the door looking for him. The Holy Spirit told him to go with them. Peter obeyed and salvation reached the Gentile world. Peter had to adjust his thinking and beliefs in order to stay in step and sync with the Holy Spirit. He followed the Spirit’s lead rather than his flesh.

Galatians 5:25 says, “If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives” (TPT). The Greek word Paul used for “to direct every aspect of our lives,” invokes images of soldiers marching in sync with disciplined movements. He was reminding us that the Spirit is our drum major and we must listen to Him and allow Him to direct every aspect of our life. We can’t rely on preconceived notions or what the culture around us tells us. We must trust the Word of God to give us direction in our life and to guide our decisions. When we keep our eyes on Him, He will direct us so that we march with His tempo and direction, as well as to stay in sync with His plans for our life.

Photo by Pramod Tiwari on Unsplash

Here’s a video of the Texas A&M band marching in sync.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 23, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Insurmountable Odds

2 Kings 18 tells the story of King Hezekiah. He was a good king who was compared to David in his zeal for the Lord. Verse 5 says he trusted in the Lord like no other king in Judah. In his fourteenth year as king, the Assyrian army came to attack. They were the world’s most dominant army at the time. No one could stand against them. They were undefeated, and Jerusalem had a small army at the time. The king of Assyria took control of the city’s aqueduct and then sent people to try to get Israel to surrender. They started off in verse 19, “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?” (NLT) Hezekiah had confidence in God while he was facing insurmountable odds in the face of defeat.

In chapter 19, King Hezekiah did what we need to do when we’re facing insurmountable odds. He went to the Lord in desperate prayer. He then sought a word from the Lord from Isaiah. God said he would send him back to Assyria where he would be killed. However, the stand off continued. The king of Assyria taunted more. He said, “You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?” He reminded them of all the other people they destroyed, but Hezekiah still went to God for help even when it looked like God wasn’t answering like he said. Then God moved against Assyria killing 185,000 of them in one night. The king broke camp, went home and was killed.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (GNT). You can have confidence in God even though you’re facing an insurmountable odd today. Whenever you’re feeling like the situation is taunting you and it looks like you can’t win, turn to God. When you look at what it has done to others and the thought comes that says, “Why should you get a different outcome,” turn to God in faith. There is nothing God cannot do. There are no insurmountable odds that He can’t overcome. Faith is to be sure of what He can do in the face of what you can’t overcome. Don’t listen to the voices of doubt or the words that tell you there’s no hope. Trust in God no matter what insurmountable odds you face.

Photo by Ashley Knedler 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. G

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 2, 2025 · 5:35 AM

Don’t Manage Sin

My mother in law loves plants. She has plants all over her yard and on her porch. When she lived with us for a while she planted some in our yard too. There is one that I hate. It gets wide and it’s invasive. I cut it down with the weedeater, and it grew back. I dig it up once, and it grew again. We had a freeze that killed it. So I thought. It grew back. I tried poison and everything else you can think of, but it kept coming back. Finally, I took the shovel, dig out the whole flowerbed around it two feet deep, got everything root or pod I could find and then put in new dirt. That finally got rid of it. I hope.

Hebrews 11:25-26 says, “He (Moses) chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward” (NLT). I wonder how hard it was for Moses at times to go in the palace and not want to return to the freedoms and luxury he grew up with. Did he see the delicacies he once ate and get tempted? Egypt is often used as a metaphor for sin throughout the Bible. Our sin nature tries to call us back often. We read here how Moses chose daily not to enjoy those pleasures. He didn’t partake in temporary pleasures at the expense of the eternal ones.

Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Notice it doesn’t say they manage them at the cross. No, we have to crucify (kill) them there. Like that plant, they’ll keep coming back if we don’t crucify them. Sin doesn’t lose its power because, we try to not do that anymore. We must choose like Moses live as one of God’s people rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. We must choose not to allow sin to rule our life anymore or dictate our choices. As Paul said here, it must be crucified at the cross so it doesn’t keep popping back up.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 19, 2025 · 5:30 AM

The Process Of Growth

The Chinese Bamboo tree is one of the most incredible trees on the planet. When a farmer plants the seeds in the ground, waters and fertilizes them every day, nothing happens. He can keep tending to the soil for a year and nothing will happen. If he keeps going, years two, three and four will pass to with nothing shooting up from the ground. Then in the fifth year, suddenly the stalks rise up to 90’ in the air in just six weeks time. For five years, the farmer must trust that roots are forming underground while he does the preparation above ground. His faithfulness is rewarded in “sudden growth” that actually has been going on for five years where he couldn’t see.

This the same growth process God uses in our lives. We see it many times in Scripture. Take David for example. He was a young shepherd boy around 16 years old when he was anointed King. It wasn’t until he was 30 that he actually became king. During those 14 years or so he faced giants, served in Saul’s court, fled for his life, lived in caves and in foreign lands as well as became the leader of a group of outcasts. David wasn’t ready for the coronation at 16 so God sent him through a growth process that was masked in intense trials. One day his men were about to turn on him, and the next he became king suddenly. What seemed like a dark period of his life was actually roots of faith growing in the unseen to prepare him for what was next.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in” (AMP). If you’ve been in an intense season of trials or you have been praying over a situation for what seems like an eternity, don’t give up. God is working in the unseen. At the right time, those seeds will sprout and come shooting out of the ground. If you’re waiting on God to fulfill his promise, don’t stop being faithful in your preparation. It can often feel like nothing is happening or that God is slow concerning His promises, but nothing could be further from the truth. God’s promises are on the other side of His processes.

Photo by kazuend on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 4, 2025 · 5:57 AM

Fighting Fear

Fear is one of our greatest enemies. It distorts the truth about who we are. It can make us feel less than who we are. It can also cause us to doubt our own strength and capabilities. Fear will also interject itself into how we see God and our relationship with Him. It causes doubt, gets us to question God’s plan and blinds us to our identity in Him. Ultimately it keeps from reaching our potential and achieving all God created us to do. We must not let it gain a foothold in our lives. It’s lies spread and hold us back. Thankfully perfect love casts out all fear.

In Judges 6, we meet Gideon, and immediately we can see how fear is driving his decisions and has distorted his view of God, as well as his own identity. He is threshing grain in a wine press so he isn’t seen by his enemies. When the Angel of the Lord show up, He spoke to Gideon’s identity by calling him a mighty warrior and reminding him that God is with him. The fear in Gideon questioned God plan in their current situation. The angel spoke to his identity again and told him he was being sent to deliver Israel. When Gideon questioned it again, the angel said, “I will be with you” (NLT). The Lord continued to be patient with Gideon as he transformed him into the warrior God created him to be.

In Isaiah 43:1 the Lord says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” God knows that we all face fear in one way or another. His truth will drive out fear from your life and will help you see your true identity in Him. You have been called by name and belong to Him. He will not abandon you in your time of trouble. He sees your potential and calls it out the same way He did to Gideon. You may not see it in yourself right now, but listen to the voice of truth over the voice of fear. The goal of fear is to bring insecurity in every area of your life, but God’s love brings confidence, freedom and victory. It’s a process to let go of fear, but God is patient and will walk with every step of the way as you fight fear.

Photo by Bruno do Val on Unsplash

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 23, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Healing Amid Hardening

Quenching steel is the process that rapidly cools the steel after it has been heated to a glowing malleable state. In that form it is soft and vulnerable. Plunging it into oil creates a dramatic shift in its temperature and hardness that gives it strength and hardness. It can be done in either oil or water depending on the steel. If it cools too fast, the steel can crack. If it cools too slowly, the steel might not harden enough. Oil absorbs heat at the right temperature and forms a blanket around the steel initially, cushioning the shock. This helps the steels structure heal properly as it realigns. 

There’s not a person in the world who hasn’t gone through hard times. Some of us have been pushed to the brink of what we could handle. We’ve felt broken, alone and wondered why it was happening to us. When we don’t heal properly, we carry those wounds with us into our relationships and jobs. We project hardness to keep people away, but the truth is we are broken on a level that may not be visible to the eye. We need the oil of God to come and heal us. We need to get to a point where we open ourselves up to Him and allow Him to pour His oil into the places others can’t reach. His healing is perfect. It does leave a scar, but that is so you can share what He has done, and others will find their healing in your scars.

I love the story of the Good Samaritan. When the Samaritan found the wounded man, he had compassion on him, bandaged his wounds and poured oil into them to bring healing. God calls you and I to be the oil bearers for people who are hurting and broken. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.” If God has brought healing into your life, you have a responsibility to pour oil into the wounds of others who need healing in the midst of their realignment. There’s power in your testimony and your scars. There’s healing amid hardening.

Photo by Martin Baron on Unsplash

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 11, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Wholehearted Obedience

There’s a story of a construction worker who spent his entire career working for one builder. When it came time for him to retire, the owner of the company asked him to build just one more home as a favor to him. Reluctantly he agreed to build. As he worked on the house, his heart wasn’t in it. He began to cut corners instead of the usual craftsmanship he put into the homes he built. He used cheap materials and even covered up some shoddy work that he did. When the house was finished, he went to the boss to let him know and to ask if he could retire. The boss thanked him for doing the favor and also told him how much he appreciated his excellent craftsmanship and dedication through the years. As a thank you to him, the boss gave him the keys to the house the man just built. Immediately he thought of all the halfhearted work he had put into this home that was now his.


In 2 Chronicles 25, we read the story of King Amaziah. You probably haven’t heard of him, but when he took over as king, he followed the Lord. While he was preparing for battle, the Lord sent a prophet to tell him to change his strategy despite what it had already cost him. King Amaziah did what was asked of him by God and won the victory in that battle, but pride crept in. Verse 2 tells us a haunting caveat to his obedience. It says “Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly.” His partial obedience led to a life of idolatry. His halfhearted commitment to God is a cautionary tale of someone who started out with good intentions, but ended up letting partial obedience and pride keep him from all the blessings God had for him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” God’s call to us today is to serve and trust Him with our whole heart knowing it will empower us to full obedience. We must seek Him in every situation, and He will direct us. When we trust Him with our whole heart, he can use us completely. We can’t just go through the motions of following Him on the outside. We must surrender our hearts to Him as well. When we do, we will receive all the blessings He has in store for us and live a life that points others to Him.

Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,