Recognize the lies of the Devil. He’s sly and manipulative. He’ll whisper to us “you’ve been doing so good.” He’ll read off our good works, church attendance, and devotion to us like it’s a holy resume. He’ll build us up and get us feeling prideful about our spiritual performance and then, out of nowhere, we hear “you deserve to indulge in a little sin.” NO. We have to recognize that lie for what it is. Sin is NEVER a reward for anything. It’s a pathway to death and destruction. It keeps us longer than we want to stay and costs us more than we want to pay. The real reward for being Christlike, IS BEING CHRISTLIKE. The best treasures are stored in Heaven and ALL the glory goes to God. Jesus said the truth will set you free. Don’t be enslaved by the Devil’s lies. Especially when he tries to turn our godliness into a prideful opportunity to fall into sin.

I recently heard a pastor talk about a “inner whisper” that for a long time he constantly heard that told him that he was a failure and that he was going to ruin everything. I appreciate his honesty. He’s not the only one I’ve heard say they’ve experienced something like that. Others might hear a different whisper, one that says you’re tough, you’ve got this, and you can make it on your own. That version of the voice may sound like a better alternative but the fact is they both ignore the most important voice—GOD, the voice of truth.

Here’s a couple of verses to combat each version of the whisper with the voice of truth:

•Whisper: you’re going to fail/blow it
•Voice of truth: God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7

•Whisper: you’ve got this and don’t need anyone or anything
•Voice of truth: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD… – Jeremiah 9:23-24

Parents let’s make sure our kids know we love them, even when they’re not playing sports.

I love me kids. I also love sports. That shouldn’t be a problem, but it can be. Sometimes when our when kids compete in sports it can make us (me) a little loony. Somehow we can get emotionally confused and our own personal competitive drive and desire to win gets wrapped up in our kid’s sports performance. Crazy right? Yep. That’s when we start criticizing the crap out of our kid for not playing better, or running down their coach like we know any better, or griping about the officiating. All this, even after the game is over. A game. A kid’s game. That we didn’t even play in. Like I said, LOONY. But I’ve been there.
So to help remedy this, several years ago I started just telling my kids after games, first and foremost, I LOVE WATCHING YOU PLAY. That helped a lot. And it’s so true isn’t it? We really do just love watching them play! We can just leave it at that. Boom. Dad/Mom of the year award might as well be coming in the mail, I’m pulling muscles patting my righteous self on the back! Right? Not so fast..Because if that starts to be the only time they hear us talk about love, we’ve got a problem. A big one. Because wayyyy more important than loving to watch them play, they need to know that I love THEM. Just them.
Completely separate from sports or anything performance related they need to hear and know that I LOVE THEM. At night before they go to bed, before we part ways in the morning, before we end a phone call, they need to hear I LOVE YOU. If we only talk about love when we talk about something our kids do or play, we’re giving them the impression that our love is conditional. And that ain’t the deal. We love them unconditionally, because most people won’t.
I’ve got 2 grown kids now. Both were athletes. I’m glad I told them that I loved watching them play. But I’m even more glad that to this day I just get to say I love you, and then they say it back to me. I love sports, but watching our kids play sports doesn’t last. Love does.

Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:8

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6

Satisfied? If you’re not, the solution isn’t to keep trying to get more of whatever you’ve been chasing. The solution is to change the appetite of your heart. Jesus says satisfaction is found in wanting more of God. God’s love and majesty are not short on supply and He’s eternal, so there’s expiration date.

You made a mistake, you’re not a mistake!

**Someone is reading that and saying “yeah but people need to repent!” Yes, we do need to repent. ALL OF US need to repent. And then we need to receive the forgiveness Jesus paid for on the cross, and let our gracious Heavenly Father wrap His divine arms around us and feel His love for us. His grace is sufficient. There’s no sin you can imagine that is stronger than His love in Christ.

Come home prodigal! God loves you. You made mistake, you’re not a mistake!

I hate addiction. It’s horrible and affects so many. It’s not something that just happens to “those people” either. No one is above it or beyond it. Addictions can rob us of our freedom, our joy, and worst of all, our friends and family. Speaking of friends and family—they hurt just as bad as the one who’s addicted, sometimes worse. Addiction can be devastating and deadly. But I believe there’s hope! Mostly because I believe in the goodness and power of God. And I believe there’s strength to be found in a loving, truth-telling community of people who wanna see you beat it. I believe there’s freedom in being honest about the problem and grace found in the right kind of accountability. I believe we should never give up on ourselves or others, because God never gives up on us.
If you’re reading this and hurting as you struggle with addiction, or are hurting as your loved one struggles, please know that even though it may seem like you’re alone, you’re not. God sees you and a lot of people love you. Don’t isolate. Look up and reach out. None of us have all the answers, but we’re here and willing to listen. You’re not reduced to your addiction, you’re valued and loved by God and others! Tomorrow’s a new day and God’s not done with you yet! 🙏🏼 #LookUp

Famous philosopher Garth Brooks 😎 said “tell that someone that you love, just what you’re thinking of, if tomorrow never comes.” More importantly, God tells us “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (Ps 144:4)

Bottom line? Let’s not waste time that we don’t have, holding on to words that we need to say! Here’s a few things that if needed, ought to be said to a loved one TODAY:

•I love you
•I forgive you
•I’m proud of you
•Thank you
•I miss you
•I’m sorry
•I’m praying for you

#IfTomorrowNeverComes

Daniel had a “posture” of prayer—Scripture says he “got down on his knees” (Daniel 6:10). Out of love for you, I’d like humbly encourage you to try following Daniel’s example sometime (if you’re physically able). Not because God can’t hear you when you’re standing up, but because the act of getting on your knees can play a role in conditioning your heart to be sincere in your reverence and approach toward God. I’m hesitant to share suggestions like this bc I don’t wanna sound legalistic or superstitious. I’m not. It’s not about that, at all.
One more posture suggestion and I’ll quit rambling. 1Tim 2:8 says to “pray, lifting holy hands.” My understanding of raising our hands is that it is a sign of surrender. Definitely fitting for prayer. Like getting on our knees, raising our hands could also help our prayer life. So if you’ve had double knee replacements and want to strive for a posture of prayer, raise em up! 🙌🏼 Just not when you’re driving 😅😳😂
What’s cool is these are things to be done, just between you and God! Not to be seen, not because you think it’ll make God love you more, or to make you a better prayer than others, but just bc you love God and want to approach Him with reverence and honor from the inside out. You can’t always do these things, but sometimes you can. Hope that’s helpful.
🙏🏼🙌🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼

Big ol’ moon out tonight, reminding us of our dependence upon God. The moon has no light of its own, neither do we. The moon gets its light from the sun. We get our light from the Son.

LookUp

Imagine staring at your own naval while standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. Crazy right??? But that illustrates us much of the time, looking inward instead of upward. None of us are immune to the tendency to become self-focused and joyless. God offers seeking Him and his Kingdom as a glorious alternative to living in the small sad kingdom of self. In Matthew 6:33 He says “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Psalm 16:11 says “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Romans 11:33 says “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

Imagine living in awe of God, immersed in His character and work, living by faith, with purpose, compelled by His love, and seeking His glory, rather than being self-absorbed and stuck. Many of us are pleasantly surprised to learn that the our deep hunger for meaning, purpose and identity, that sometimes causes us to turn inward toward self, is actually found in turning outward and upward, to God.

#LookUp