Devotions with Pastor Stanton

We are all waiting for something. Aren't we? Waiting for a prayer to be answered, for a season of grief to end, for a deep longing to be fulfilled. In those seasons of "barrenness," when our circumstances feel empty and our hopes feel distant, the last thing we often feel like doing is singing. But what if God's economy is different? What if the song isn't meant to be a response to the miracle, bu...

How often do you find yourself worrying about the future? It’s so easy to get consumed by anxiety over what’s to come. But what if God has already given you a down payment on your future? Not just a vague hope, but a tangible guarantee that proves His promises are true and your eternal home is secure? Today, we're looking at what it means to live with unshakable hope, not in what we see, but in th...

Have you ever felt like your relationship with God was based on a sliding scale? If you have a "good" spiritual week, you read your Bible, you were patient, you prayed, you feel close to Him. But if you have a "bad" week, you feel distant and ashamed. This is the inner battle of the Christian life: the part of us that wants to earn God's favor, to perform for His love. Today, we're looking at a di...

If you've ever been there, you know the unique agony of the waiting room. Whether you're waiting for a doctor's report, a prodigal to come home, or a breakthrough that never seems to arrive, the silence can be deafening. Waiting has a way of breeding doubt in our hearts. But what happens when the waiting is finally over? What happens when God steps into our impossible circumstances, right on time?...

Have you ever had a moment where you felt completely disqualified? A moment where you failed so profoundly you thought, "That's it. I've ruined everything." Maybe it was a repeated mistake, a moment of fear, or a lapse in integrity. In those moments, it's easy to believe that God's plan for us is hanging by a thread, a thread we just snapped. But what if God's promises were never dependent on our...

There is a unique pain reserved for a parent watching a child they love walk away from the faith. It may not be a city of sulfur, but a university classroom, a quiet suburban street, or a path of life choices that breaks your heart. You see them drifting into a world where truth is relative and pleasure is king, and the question burns within you: How can I save them? Do you stay silent on the hard...

Have you ever prayed for someone for so long you started to wonder if your prayers were making any difference at all? You plead for a wayward child, a skeptical friend, a struggling family member, and the silence can feel deafening. It’s easy to lose hope and think your words are just vanishing into thin air. Today, we witness a prayer that seems to fail on the surface, but in reality, it unleashe...

For the last three days, we’ve been down in the smoke-filled valley with Lot, watching a strategy of rescue that failed miserably. He tried to blend in, to get a seat at the table, to win influence from the inside. And it all ended in disaster. It leaves us with a desperate question: if that's the wrong way to rescue people from the world of Sodom, what’s the right way? Today, the story shifts. We...

Have you ever known you needed to leave a situation, a dead-end job, an unhealthy relationship, a bad habit, but you just couldn't bring yourself to do it? There’s a strange comfort in the familiar, even when we know the familiar is toxic for us. This hesitation reveals something deep within our hearts: a hidden attachment. We think we want to be free, but some part of us is still clinging to the...

Have you ever tried to give serious advice to someone, maybe a child or a friend, only to have them laugh it off or dismiss it completely? It’s frustrating, and it makes you wonder: why didn’t they take me seriously? Our words only carry as much weight as the life we live behind them. If our actions consistently contradict our advice, our most urgent warnings can sound like hollow noise. Today, we...

Have you ever felt the pressure to stay silent? To just nod along at work, or with friends, or even with your own family, because you desperately want to keep your seat at the table? We all want to have influence. We want to be liked enough that people will eventually listen to us. We tell ourselves it’s a strategy, that if we can just get a position of influence, then we can make a difference. Bu...

Have you ever received a promise that seemed so impossible, so long in coming, that you eventually just... gave up on it? Maybe it was a dream for your career, a prayer for a loved one, or a hope for personal breakthrough. Over time, hope can be replaced skepticism. When the subject comes up, you might even find yourself giving a little, weary, internal laugh of disbelief. It’s not a laugh of joy,...

If you're a parent, you know the feeling. It's that deep, sometimes anxious, hope that your children will walk with God. We can do all the right things, church, prayer, Bible stories, but we know, deep inside, we can't force their hearts to believe. It’s the ultimate tension of Christian parenting: we have a profound responsibility to pass on our faith, yet we are utterly dependent on God to do th...

We all have ways of showing where we belong. A wedding ring signals a marriage covenant. A team jersey shows our allegiance. These are external marks that point to an internal identity. But what if the sign of belonging was costly? What if it was painful, permanent, and demanded a level of commitment that went far beyond just putting something on? Today, we’re going to look at the mark God gave Ab...

Names are powerful. They carry history, reputation, and identity. For some of us, our name might be tied to a family legacy we’re proud of. For others, it might be connected to a past we’d rather forget. But what would happen if God Himself stepped in and gave you a new name, a name that wasn't about who you’ve been, but about who He says you will become? Today we’re looking at how God redefines u...

Have you ever had that moment of sheer panic? The doorbell rings at the absolute worst time. The house is a wreck, you haven’t showered, and a completely unexpected guest is on your doorstep. We rush to make things look presentable, but what if the guest wasn’t just a neighbor? What if it was God Himself, showing up unannounced on a hot, inconvenient afternoon? Whether you see that as an interrupt...

Have you ever felt completely invisible? Lost in a wilderness of your own making, convinced that you’re too far gone for anyone to find you, let alone care? Yesterday we saw Hagar flee into the desert, a victim of harsh treatment, but also a participant in the conflict. She is alone, afflicted, and running from the consequences of a sinful shortcut. By all human logic, her story should end there....

Have you ever had a "quick fix" blow up in your face? One moment you’re feeling clever for finding a shortcut, and the next you’re standing in the wreckage of a much bigger problem than the one you were trying to solve. The plan that was supposed to bring peace brings chaos instead. Yesterday, we saw Sarai and Abram choose a culturally acceptable sin to solve their problem. Today, we witness the i...

Have you ever faced a problem where the solution seemed so obvious, so practical, that you just couldn't ignore it? It’s the logical next step, the thing anyone would advise you to do. But what happens when the most logical solution requires you to set aside a promise from God? After ten years of waiting, Sarai finds herself in this exact position. She has a plan. It's culturally acceptable, it ma...

Have you ever been stuck in the middle? Maybe prayed regarding a promise from God, a sense of calling, a hope for reconciliation, a word of future provision. The promise itself is glorious. But then comes the waiting. Days turn into months, months into years, and the space between the promise and its fulfillment becomes a burden. This "in-between" is one of the hardest places to live. It's where f...

Let's be honest. Waiting on God is hard. The silence can be deafening. It’s tempting to think that real faith means never admitting our doubts, never asking, "God, how long?" But Abram’s story shatters that idea. What if your most painful questions are actually the doorway to your deepest encounter with God?

Victory is exhausting. We often focus on the struggle of the battle, but we forget the weariness that comes after. After the crisis is over, after the project is complete, after the conflict is resolved, we are often left spiritually and emotionally spent. It is in this vulnerable moment of fatigue that God meets His people, not with another demand or a new challenge, but with grace, with sustenan...

Let’s be honest for a moment. Have you ever seen someone who took advantage of you, who chose their own selfish path at your expense, suddenly face the consequences of their actions? There’s a secret, dark part of us that whispers, “Well, they had it coming.” It feels like justice. We feel vindicated. Our natural instinct is to stand back, watch the mess unfold, and think, “Maybe now they’ll learn...

Have you ever heard the story of the frog in the pot of water? The idea is that if you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump right out. But if you put it in lukewarm water and slowly turn up the heat, it won't notice the gradual change until it's too late. It’s a grisly metaphor, but it illustrates a profound spiritual danger: the danger of gradual compromise. We rarely dive headfirst into dis...

Have you ever stood at a fork in the road in your life? One path is paved, beautifully landscaped, and leads to a valley that looks like paradise. The other is a rocky, uphill trail, and you can’t quite see where it leads. The choice seems obvious, doesn't it? We are drawn to what looks good, what promises immediate comfort and success. Today, we’re looking at a story of two men standing at just s...