My God My Everything

So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will flee in agony.  Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you.  But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting. – James 4:7-8 TPT In the movie God’s not dead there is a scene where a woman reveals to her son that he is in a prison cell. He has believed the lies of the enemy and feels comfortable there. The door is wide open and he has the choice to leave or stay. His freedom or confinement…

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease! Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. – Lamentations 3: 22-23 No, today is not Friday, but the day I wrote this post it was. For several years when I worked in the office my co-workers and I would always start the last day of the week by saying, “Happy Friday!” It meant that we had made it through the week with all its challenges, extra hours and hard work. Just saying the words brought a sense of relief and excitement. As I read through a devotional this morning the prayer at the end seemed to summarize…

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. – Acts 3:19 On the TV series Biggest Loser one of my favorite challenges was towards the end of the season when the participants had to hike a hill with a backpack carrying weight equal to the amount they had lost throughout the series. On each leg of the journey they would remove the weight that corresponded with that weeks weight loss. You could see the relief on their faces as they climb higher and higher, less hindered by the old weight. During my devotional time today…

Now more than ever we want to know the truth. We are tired of the phony, misleading, fake and outright lies that we are constantly fed by this world. We want something that is genuine, reliable and trustworthy. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth.” Centuries ago Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The answer was standing before him – Jesus is truth. Just as Pilate’s view was focused only on his present circumstances, we too can be blinded by the troubles we face and be completely unaware of the truth that is right in front of us. Thankfully we have God’s word, the Bible, which reveals to…

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”- John 4:13-14 In the Old Testament one of the most feared events was a famine. There are many stories of how God’s people responded when famines began and often it was not in ways that helped their situations. They were so afraid of famines that they tried to get rain for themselves by looking to and worshiping the false gods of the pagan countries around them. They took “control” by trying to…

 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20: 25-28 Today’s passage was as much needed reminder for me this week. I work in a service industry and my job is to assist others with…

So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” – Luke 18: 38-39 When Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, knowing that His time had come to suffer and die for the sins of the world, He purposely traveled through Jericho. Sitting along side the road was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When he heard that Jesus was nearby he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many people told him to be quiet, but he only shouted louder and Jesus…

We are filled with hope, as we wait for the glorious return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. – Titus 2:13 One of the biggest joys of travel has always been anticipation for the trip to begin. Over the years anticipation has created excitement and joy and encouraged many travelers during the weeks and months of waiting. During the last two years anticipation has been replaced with worry and stress over the pandemic and new requirements to travel. Many travelers cancel because anxiety has stolen their joy and excitement. But in the last few months I’ve noticed that hopeful anticipation is returning. Even in my own travels I…

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 I recently saw a short video of a warrior who was engaged in a battle on a beach. Several other soldiers were under cover of their shields as fiery arrows flew through the sky. The man looked up to the heavens, raised his arms and closed his eyes. Hundreds of arrows landed all around him, but none struck him. The video was intended to be a joke, but the more I…