Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

How does the Spirit of God change us? He enrolls us in the University of Godly Thought. Little by little, day by day, year by year, he creates a new person! We learn to: Take thoughts captive Test each message against the truth of Scripture Interrupt poisonous thought threads before they infect us Think and act like Jesus Does this appeal to you? More faith, less fear? More grace, less guilt? More...

From Tame Your Thoughts by Max Lucado on YouVersion Giant-sized challenges are won not with bigger biceps but with better thought management. Your mindset is your most valuable tool. It’s time to screen thoughts, interrupt thoughts, extract and replace thoughts. And I know just the fellow to help us. God called him “a man after my own heart” in Acts 13:22. Such words were never said about Abraham...

From Tame Your Thoughts by Max Lucado on YouVersion Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising th...

Sometimes God calms the storm. He excises the malignant cancer, transfers the cranky boss, replenishes the diminishing funds. The breath of heaven blows, the clouds scatter, and the winter sky becomes a springtime blue. Sometimes he calms the storm. Other times, however, he chooses to calm the child. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 Rather than quiet the tempe...

From Tame Your Thoughts by Max Lucado on YouVersion Romans 8:5-8 ESV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for...

Divine Blessings Genesis 22:15-18 ESV And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess...

Spiritual Battles Ephesians 6:10-20 ESV Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heaven...

Aligning with God’s Will Genesis 22:10-12 ESV Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” The purp...

Aligning with God’s Will Genesis 22:10-12 ESV Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” The purp...

Obedience Defined If you love me, you will keep my commandments. – John 14:15 Obedience to God is foundational in the life of a believer, rooted in a deep understanding of His authority and willingness to listen to His voice. The Bible repeatedly calls us to obey, or hear, listen, and trust, God’s commands as an expression of our faith in Him. This definition reveals that obedience begins with a r...

Addressing wounds is vital because of what Dr. James Reeves calls the emotional/spiritual principle. It states, “You can never be more spiritually mature than you are emotionally mature.” Why? Well, when we’ve been hurt we often develop bitterness; we isolate; we believe lies about ourselves, God, and others; we inhibit God’s work in our lives; we sin. When we sin, our intimacy with God and others...

A crucial step in seeking healing from emotional pain, whether from big W or little w wounds and lies from the Enemy, is seeking connection. No matter what you faced in the past or are facing now, you are not alone. You were not meant to be alone. You were made to thrive, created in the likeness of God with infinite worth, designed for healthy connection with Him and others. You were designed to e...

The Bible tells us that we do not battle against human flesh but against Satan and the fiery arrows that He uses to attack us. These fiery arrows often come in the form of lies that have been rooted in our souls through pain and wounds developed from our life experiences.   Maybe you’ve experienced loneliness or have felt rejected. What message have you believed? It could be “People don’t care abo...

The ways we sin and cope are ultimately about medicating our emotional wounds in life. Yes, we sin because we are born sinful, but we also sin because we are sinned against. We develop ways to cope with the pain others’ sin has caused us.   So, how do we process our losses, pain, and hurt? How do we survive without caving into our anxiety, hopelessness, and despair? Rather than coping by binging N...

Are you hurt? Have you been through something painful? Maybe it happened this year. You lost a job, experienced heartbreak, were repeatedly criticized by someone, or lost a loved one. Or maybe you were hurt by things that happened in the past: abuse, unmet needs, or rejection from family or friends. Psalm 119:28 ESV My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Many things i...

I went through a time when my life and soul were in the middle of a storm. Tears obscured my vision as I tried desperately to navigate the raging waters that encircled my heart. I wanted God to take the helm, direct my path, and take me safely into the harbor. I asked God to part the waters so I could walk through. I longed to step on dry land again where I could feel the security of the earth bel...

If you are anything like me, you may wonder why God allows so much suffering in our world today. I was thinking about that as I was reading the book of Job in my quiet time with the Lord. Why did God make Job suffer? Job’s story is one of a spiritual battle. Satan approached God and told him that the only reason Job was a righteous man was because of all the blessings that God had given him. And,...

They now use sheep’s blood to produce antivenom for various snake bites. You see, the lamb’s blood causes the poison that the snake injects into its victim to have no deadly power. Let’s say a farmer has a lamb bitten in the face by a snake. The lamb’s face will swell up, but he will experience no lethal consequences because its blood will begin to produce what is needed to overcome the snake’s bi...

I was driving the other day, and while sitting at a red light, I looked on the corner, and a young man was holding and spinning a yellow sign that read, “Everything Must Go.” I suspected this was one of those announcements from a store that is having a big sale or is going out of business. As the light turned green and I pulled away, those three words rattled around in my spirit like a nickel in a...

Romans 8:24-25 ESV For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. One summer day, I was working in my garden, the July sun warming my face, and I was amazed at how much my flowers have grown since spring. It wasn’t that long ago that snow covered the ground in a blanket of white...

Now, although it would of course be amazing to stay in the position of worship, as Mary did. We also have very distinct calls and purposes on our lives which require us to GO. We are required to ABIDE, which means to remain in him, as we go and do. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks...

Now, of course, a devotional plan on the study of God as a means to an end would not be an adequate way to spend this time together. The majesty of God isn’t only something to be studied and pondered on in order to make ourselves feel smarter, or so that we might know more. Our study of him is, of course, an opportunity to KNOW him more. “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the gar...

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10 ESV Jesus longs that we’ll live our lives to the full – He truly does. But that abundant life he speaks of is, of course, so much more than simply lip service on a Sunday or our well-rehearsed prayers. Instead, it’s about honesty and wholehearted surrender to him. When we can get...

When met face to face with Jesus, Mary chose worship and Martha chose worry. Luke 10:38-42 ESV Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care tha...

There are countless books that remark on the characteristics of God, our understanding of God in relation to our lives, how to use our God-given gifts, etc. Something we mustn’t skip, though, or feel to be irrelevant or less important, is the simple seeking of our Savior.   I say ‘simple’, but sometimes that’s so far from the truth, though, isn’t it? Sometimes one of the hardest things to do is to...