Living According to the Spirit
Every believer has to battle the flesh. Romans tells us the way to have victory is by living according to the Spirit. What does it mean to live according to the Spirit? It means that we are continually filled with his presence, we walk according to his leading and we...
Abounding Grace
Salvation conquers sins grip on our life. We have died to sin because of the abounding grace of Jesus Christ in our life. Some have taken this unending grace as a license to sin. God's grace will always outpace our sin, but that doesn't mean that we can keep on...
Not By My Strength
Not by my strength or willpower but by the Holy Spirit. I have to keep reminding myself of this verse over and over. It's tough to remember when we are serving God. We are told that with hard work and tenacity you can accomplish anything in life. What we need to...
Poured Into Your Heart
God's Holy Spirit has been poured into your heart. Like an empty vessel that is filled to overflowing, that is what the Spirit is for our longing soul. Are you feeling empty today? Ask the Lord, and He will fill you with His Spirit. From that will spring forth this...
Importance of Spending Time
In the rush of our busy lives, we often lose the importance of spending time with other people. A quick text here, a Facebook like there, and we think that we have made contact with people. These are only shallow attempts to invest in the lives of others. Paul knew...
Live in Peace
Christians are to live in peace with everyone. Peace isn't easy, but as a Christian, we can live in peace even if the person we are at odds with doesn't see eye to eye with us. Peace comes from our maker. He fills us with peace as we pursue him and model the behavior...
Persistent in Doing Good
Growing up we are told, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." As we get older, we are told to be persistent in doing good things, it will come back and bless you. Finally, we are told that if we live a good life we will make it into heaven....
Not Ashamed
What in you are you so bold about that you will stand your ground no matter what? As a Christian are you bold in your faith? Can you say, like Paul, that you are not ashamed of the Gospel? We are called to live our lives with boldness, declaring the good news of Jesus...
Set It Aside
Set it aside. One of the steps of our daily walk with Christ is set aside a portion of our money to give back to him. Paul tells us to set it aside at the beginning of the week so we don't spend it. Learning to faithfully give is an essential part of our discipleship....
Going Nowhere Fast
Going nowhere fast? Working hard and nothing seems to be working out? You may be on the wrong path. Often when it looks like we are spinning our wheels, it is because we are doing the wrong thing. Sit back for a moment and survey your current situation. What is going...
God Rejoices Over You
God rejoices over you. He finds great delight in you and will protect you like a mighty warrior. Sometimes we need to hear that and be reminded of how God is with us. Just those words read during our devotion time can encourage us for that day. You don't have to worry...
Love That Lasts
Love that Lasts Today is Valentine's day. A time where we recognize our love for that special person in our life. People will go to great lengths and expense to show their love. The sad thing is that if this is one of the few days of the year that we prove our love,...
Return to Me
Return to me. God often sends that message to us when we have lost our way. We've all gotten lost and refused to seek help. Maybe you went a direction you knew wasn't right but did it anyway. Getting lost doesn't have to be a bad thing. We get stuck when we Refuse to...
One Shining Moment
After every college basketball national championship, they play the song "One Shining Moment." It highlights all of the great moments of the tournament. Players dream of being in the highlight reel. It's their moment of fame. As Christians, we are awaiting our shining...
Let Your Life Preach
Your life has a message; it's called your testimony. The way you lives testifies to others the redeeming work that Christ has done in your heart. You can either show people that love has conquered all sin or that you are living in rebellion to grace shown to you. In...
Finish the Race
It's not how you start the race but how you finish that counts. I had a friend in college who notoriously started slowly in his cross-country races. He was either last or near the back for most of the race. Then he would make his move and finish near the front of the...
Break in the Storm
Nothing brings hope like a break in the storm. The first sunlight that breaks through after a storm is a welcome relief. It is a reminder that storms are temporary and they do pass. The rays of sunshine bring hope to our hearts and warmth to our souls. God is always...
Broken But Loved
We can be broken but loved. God will often allow us to be broken to show us he loves us. He broke Israel's military. In the Bible, a bow is a metaphor for any military weapon. A broken bow renders a soldier helpless. He has no way to fight or defend himself; he is...
Read the Warning Signs
We need to know how to read the warning signs. When a storm comes, you often see the clouds form before the rain hits. They look ominous, and you can feel it in the air that something is about to go down. If we are wise, we will head for shelter and wait out to storm....
What Is Your Life Built On?
What is your life built on? Back in 1994, there was a fire that burned all of the houses on the side of a hill except one. When the news crew interviewed the homeowner, they asked him why his house didn't burn down. He began to boast that he built his house using...