You Can't Work It Up
on July 13th, 2026
Have you ever tried to talk yourself into believing something?
"I believe, I believe, I believe." You repeat it, hoping that if you say it enough times, it will become true. You try to pump yourself up with positive thinking, convincing yourself that faith is just a matter of mental effort.
But that's not how faith works.
Faith is not positive thinking. You can't manufacture it, and you can't work it up. No pastor can give you faith. Your mama can't give you faith. Your spouse can't give you faith. Your children can't produce faith in you, and you can't produce it in them. Read More
3
The Saddest Word
on July 12th, 2026
What is the saddest word in the English language?
Hopelessness.
It's the place where you say, "I'll never be happy again. I'll never feel love again. I'll never be healthy again. I'll never have any more money again." It's the dead-end road where tomorrow looks exactly like today, and today feels unbearable.
The disciples knew that place. When Jesus was crucified, their dreams were dashed. Everything they had believed in, everything they had given their lives to, hung lifeless on a cross. They were in shock, in despair, and utterly without hope. Read More
1
For Better or Worse
on July 11th, 2026
What is your life teaching without words?
Let me pull you up to my kitchen table. My wife struggles physically. She's struggled for decades. She's got a better attitude than I do—she really does. She finds the humor where, if it was me in her circumstance, I'd be a whiner.
She didn't ask for the physical challenges, but she's sure dancing with who brought her.
And being married to someone who physically struggles, learning how to be a caretaker—it's not for sissies. It's not easy. Read More
6
No Plan B's
on July 10th, 2026
Do you feel like you're living a second-rate life?
I'll never forget when I was in seminary. There was a guy much older than the rest of us—in his 40s. Most of us were in our 20s, fresh out of college. This man already had a PhD in nuclear physics. He'd served on a submarine. Then God called him into ministry.
He was transparent enough in Greek class to say, "I look at a bunch of you guys, and you're on plan A. You said yes to Jesus early in your life." Then he said, "It's taken me a long time. I guess where I am now, I'm on plan B."
You could tell he was disappointed in himself. Disappointed in not hearing from God earlier. Read More
5
Through, Not Around
on July 9th, 2026
Are you asking God to take you around your trial?
Here's what I've learned: God sees you through, not around, but through the middle of whatever that circumstance is. And that's how to live the Christian life with power and victory and confidence—because you know you're right in the hand of the will of God.
We want shortcuts. We want the pain to stop immediately. We want God to lift us over the difficulty or guide us around it entirely.
But that's not usually how He works.
He walks with you through. Read More
1
Stop Fighting, Start Thanking
on July 8th, 2026
Are you fighting what God has allowed?
Read that verse again: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
This attitude of gratitude, regardless of what happens in your life, is essential. It's God's will that you learn to thank Him for whatever life deals you.
Some of us don't like what life has dealt us. We're upset with God because we're right here. We're struggling because our life didn't turn out like we wanted it to. We're in a situation that's not pleasant. We can't seem to get a handle on why God has allowed what He's allowed. Read More
1
Heart of Africa or Throne of England
on July 7th, 2026
Where would you rather be?
David Livingstone, the great missionary and explorer, said these words: "I'd rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than to be on the throne of England and out of the will of God."
Think about that for a moment.
The throne of England—power, prestige, comfort, security, influence. Everything the world says you should want.
The heart of Africa—in Livingstone's day, that meant disease, danger, isolation, hardship. Everything the world says you should avoid. Read More
3
Behind Locked Doors
on July 6th, 2026
Have you ever felt so afraid that you just wanted to lock yourself away from the world?
The disciples knew that feeling. After Jesus was crucified, they huddled together behind locked doors, terrified that they were next on the religious leaders' hit list. They weren't out preaching. They weren't out praying. They were hiding, paralyzed by fear.
And that's exactly where Jesus met them. Read More
1
Usin' and Thumbin'
on July 5th, 2026
Do you know how to find God's will?
Years ago, a young theologian from the Church of England became friends with an uneducated cobbler who knew the Bible remarkably well. Another theologian, prideful and eager to stump the simple man, asked him, "What do you know about the Urim and the Thummim?"
The cobbler said, "Well, I don't rightly know, except I know those words mean 'light' and 'perfection.' They were stones in the high priest's breastplate used for determining God's will. But you know what I've found? If I could just change a letter in each word—instead of the Urim and the Thummim, if I would just be 'usin' and 'thumbin''—I could find the will of God in the Word of God." Read More
2
When the World Goes Out
on July 4th, 2026
Do you know who your real friends are?
Sometimes when you get squeezed, the real surprise happens to be the people God places in your life. One person once said, "A real friend is someone who comes in when the whole world goes out."
Think about that. When everything falls apart—when the diagnosis comes, when the job ends, when the relationship crumbles—most people disappear. There are a lot of fair-weather friends who are there for you when you party, but there's only a handful who draw close when you go through dark times. Read More
2
Not a Cafeteria
on July 3rd, 2026
Are you picking and choosing?
Of the things God's Word says about His will, some are easy to embrace. Others are harder to swallow. And many of us treat Christianity like a cafeteria—we walk through, pick the dessert we like, choose an entree that appeals to us, grab the side items that look good, and leave the rest.
"I like three of those five things." Well, it takes all five for you to be rightly aligned with the will of God.
"I'm good with four of them." You're gonna miss God's will. Read More
2
The Sharpening
on July 2nd, 2026
Are you letting anyone get close enough to sharpen you?
If God wants to make you sharp and useful as a cutting tool for His kingdom's work, you know what He'll do? He'll bring somebody else into your life.
And you know how you sharpen a knife? There's gotta be pressure. There's gotta be tension. There's gotta be close connection.
Many of us never get sharpened because we don't allow someone to get that close to us. Read More
2
Recent
Archive
2026
January
Are You Living Like He's Coming?Are You Worth Following?Are Your Sins Confessed Up to Date?God's PlanBut Wait, There's MoreLean on God in UncertaintyCaught Off GuardLearning to Be AloneDoes Your Ministry Stick?Worrying Won't Get You AnywhereDon't Waste Your PainJesus is Coming BackPraying According to God's WillWe are Different for a ReasonLearning to Say NoGod is Working In UsDon't Watch. Pray.It Will Cost YouJoy in the Middle of HellMinistry Happens in the Mess of Real LifeFaith That Doesn't Need AnswersThe Gospel Changes EverythingThe Question That Changes EverythingWhat are You Still Holding?When God Calls You to Small ThingsWhen Light and Darkness CollideWhen Love Changes EverythingWhen Your Faith Has a ReputationWorth the SacrificeYou Must Be Present to WinWhen God Nudges Your Heart
February
Jesus is Coming BackPraying According to God's WillWe Are Different For A ReasonLearning To Say NoGod Is Working In UsGod’s Plan Needs YouMinistry Happens Heart to HeartDon’t Abuse Your Free WillDo Your Words And Your Actions Matchup?Seek God FirstA Safe PersonTrust over WorryTruth Over ApplauseForgetting Your First LoveNever Stop WorshipingWalking Humbly with GodIt’s All About JesusPraise the LordPraying To Remind YourselfYou Made the TeamYour Pain Has a PurposeReal FriendsReplacing GodSpecific ConfessionSpiritual AlignmentThis World Is Not Our HomeOpen the GatesOne Life Is Worth It All
March
Crooked Lines to Straight DestinationsDead Men Feel NothingDon't Twist the TranslationWhen Tradition Becomes a TrapRooted TogetherLeave Room for God's JusticeYour Relationship, Your ResponsibilityGod Loves Big Churches TooNot What You ExpectedTwelve Inches from HellYou Don't Need a BuildingHow Truth Gets TwistedThe Danger of "Plus"Equipped for EverythingThe Pull You Can't IgnoreHungry for MoreReset Your SystemThe Word Does the WorkYou're Already a SaintYou Need a CoachOpposition Fuels GrowthTake the Weight OffGod Doesn't Change His MindWho's Really in Charge?When God Get's Your AttentionActions and WordsPraying in God’s WillA Call to God’s ChurchFalse ProphetsJesus Intercedes for YouAre You Ready For Jesus To Come Back?