We don’t like doing things when we don’t understand them, or know why it matters. Our human minds want to make sense of things and to apply logic. But that’s not what God asks from us. He tells us to let go of that desire and walk by faith, one step at a time. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5 “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than you

This is what our human nature does because it longs to be in control. But, that control is only an illusion. Following God requires that we surrender our illusion of control to Him. It means that we decide to trust Him, His word, Jesus, and Holy Spirit completely. It means that we put ourselves and our selfish desires aside and seek to desire what the Lord desires, to love like Him, and serve humbly. The world teaches us to seize control everywhere we can. This is just anothe

It is imperative that we listen to what the Spirt of God is saying - but it takes some discipline to do so - it’s part of discipleship. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ Not listening is likened to a hard heart that cannot understand Jesus and His teaching. “For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot se

Trusting God is so much better than being able to do things myself. I know this is t what the world wants us to do - the world teaches us to trust ourselves and other people. This never ever works because all of us know our own weaknesses and we can never completely trust ourselves. God is completely trustworthy and faithful. He will always do the right thing, even if it’s not what we want. And, even though His power and love are beyond our comprehension, He gave us His word

We have a purpose to show Jesus to others - we do this everywhere we go and with everyone we encounter. The question is, what message are we proclaiming with our actions? Are we showing people the Good News of grace and mercy, or are we showing them a burdensome religious spirit with judgement and condemnation? “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light

I have been following the Asbury Revival with joy and hope for our country. Many of us have been praying for revival in our land, but maybe we should all just start with ourselves. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from with them.” — John 7:38 And Psalm 23 tells us that our Good Shepherd walks with us, that He refreshes us and that our cup runs over. I believe the key is all about how we seek Him and relate to Him

Extraordinary always begins with ordinary. In Zechariah 4:10, we’re told “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” I have seen the Lord do extraordinary things with ordinary people who were walking in the spirit, in the holiness and righteousness Jesus bought for them, and following Christ. That means they were doing what He taught - that’s obedience. Jesus said, If you love me, you will obey what I command” in John 14:15. How many

So many Christians kind of miss this. We are all about Jesus’s grace and mercy and Loving God and people - most of the time. We don’t want to talk about the Fear of the Lord and because of that, the fear of other things interferes with our wisdom and discipleship. You are probably thinking, “I don’t live in fear of other things.” But, I would challenge you - how much do you consider what other people will think about something versus what God thinks? @ryanromeo preached yeste

God made this promise to Moses and the other Old Testament prophets, and to us as His adopted children, the promise is even greater! Jesus came and lived with us, experienced life and death and redeemed us from that death. He told us to follow Him and to do as He taught us: to love God and love all people. Then, He extended the promise to us: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you fore

I often say this to business leaders in my job as a business consultant- but it’s true for everyone in spiritual terms too. Jesus redeemed us from slavery to the law and to sin, but He didn’t touch our free will. We can choose to sin any time we want to, and we’ll also sin accidentally because of our flawed human nature. But when we make the choice, that exercise of our “freedom” usually leads us to some kind of bondage. That’s what sin does to us. “Christ has set us free to

Do you or someone you know constantly try to measure up against someone or something? Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the their of joy.” I see it all the time: Pastors trying to preach better than another - always seeking approval. Coworkers who need constant reassurance that others see their efforts as more worthwhile and valuable than another’s. Kids always trying to one-up the other. The key, God says, is to focus on doing your best work and then focus on moving on

There is no end to the glory and greatness of God and His love for us! How can we not respond with thanksgiving and praise? I often wonder how someone can say that “worship and singing isn’t for me.” It’s not about the singing, it’s not about our voices, it’s about God and His worth! Its our response back to Him! It’s also what He instructs us to do many times in Scripture: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Ps

Habits can be good and they can be bad, some habits aren’t actually either good or bad, they’re just a tool to accomplish a goal - like a morning routine which helps you to remember to do all the things you need to without having to exert a lot of mental energy. Those bad habits though, some are obvious and some not so much. When the habit prevents you from reaching goals, good health or pursuing your calling and purpose, it is bad. Maybe it’s ok if you do it less often, but

Sometimes we think we are just so smart, don’t we? And we think we really understand our world and what is going on around us… but our most immense wisdom and understanding is foolishness next to what God knows, understand and plans. It’s more than our minds can even comprehend. We’re even trying to build super computers and artificial intelligence to imitate God’s abilities in some way - but we can’t even really equal our human brain power. Faith in God and walking with Him

Read that quote again. When I heard it at church this weekend, I felt conviction- have I let the small things (cares of this world) crowd out my hunger for the presence of God? I don’t want to nibble at the table of the world when I can eat at the altar of the Lord most high, my Savior and my Redeemer. My focus Word this year is all about making space and investing time into seeking God more earnestly and purposefully. PRAY. #pray @johnstephenpiper @alecseekins #livingstreams

#MLK was a prophet of our time. He was killed while I was still little, but his influence and words live on! To understand justice, one must look to the Bible - because in the Bible, “Justice had primarily to do with conduct in relation to others, especially with regard to the rights of others. It is applied to business, where just weights and measures are demanded. It is demanded in courts, where the rights of rich and poor, Israelite and sojourner, are equally to be regarde

So many times I pray for help to be and do what God created me for - I should probably pray more for a teachable spirit and just to do His will in every circumstance and situation. This is a Psalm of David, but Jesus told us to pray for Gods will to be done here as it already is done in Heaven. David was a man after Gods own heart, and maybe his deep desire to do God’s will was part of the reason… #stepbystep #godswill #discipleship #prayer #shalom #yourjourneytobeingwhole #d

As Christ followers, we are to do what He did and walk as He walked - it’s all discipleship. We are His students and He is the Master/Teacher - in the Jewish culture, He was a Rabbi with His followers. Jesus embodied each on of these characteristics in ways that His disciples hadn’t seen before. He showed compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience with the lowest of the low and the worst of the worst. He actually hung out with the outcast people. What do we do fo

How many times have you chosen our own desire for happiness over obedience to God? Our human nature is selfish and our culture teaches us to look out for “number one.” We don’t need to teach our kids to be selfish, we need to teach them NOT to be - to think of others and to obey the boundaries we have for their protection. God does the same thing with us! We obey Him because it’s for our own good. Ultimately, our obedience leads to joy and fulfillment. Lord, please help us to

The Lord is with you. To hear His direction, His discipline, His voice - you must first learn to listen. I’m preaching to myself too! Listening isn’t always our natural response in a tense situation, but it’s what I’ve learned is most important. There are lots of times God has been communicating to me, speaking through others, in circumstances, and in my spirit. Sometimes I even noticed or heard Him, but I wasn’t actually listening. It’s like when someone says something in th