RETREATING WITH GOD

The journey in the here and now is full of trials and hardships. We can choose to let the hardships capture our senses. Or we can let our minds flash forward to the eternal victory we will experience – thanks to Jesus. Today, we'll dwell on Scriptural truths that will turn your heart from doubt and discouragement to joy. KEY PASSAGE: Revelation 19:1-9 (NIV) After this I heard what sounded lik...

John 15:1-8 holds the secret to living the Christian life. It’s a simple concept that I return to often. These verses are a great reminder of how Jesus intended for us to relate to him. The passage starts out, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1 ESV). I find these words assuring. Jesus’ statement sets the scene. He shows me the source of life. He’s not just any vine. He’s the true vine. Today, we'll s...

We are challenged to compromise our walk with God every day. That’s what spiritual warfare is all about. It’s not the major compromises that do us in. We can usually resist the urge to steal, kill or hurl insults. But how about the subtle compromises? We share a prayer request about someone but it’s really gossip; bend the truth but refuse to call it a lie; and justify our anger towards a family m...

Rocks are mentioned throughout the Bible, often symbolizing strength, protection and stability. David expressed it this way, “. . .  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield” (2 Samuel 22:3 ESV). He says later in that chapter, “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation” (verse 47). Jesus is here for you in this world. Are you facing...

Spontaneous prayer. We all need it. Our relationship with God can’t be put in a box. When the Lord wants to meet with us, we should respond. It’s an invitation for a rich time of fellowship with him. Do you need to break away from your prayer rituals and be more spontaneous? Today's audio devotional will help you do that. KEY PASSAGE: Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions wi...

Most of us don’t have to go far from our home to see the poor. We’re confronted with poverty at freeway offramps, street corners and sidewalks. Something inside says we should care. At the same time, we’re uncomfortable, so we don’t do anything. Day after day, we face this tension. The poor are more than those we see locally on the street corners. Sections of entire cities are home to the impoveri...

God tells us to “be holy, because I am holy” (I Peter 1:16 NIV). What a tall order. Sure, we want to be holy, but it seems totally out of reach. The Bible promises this: “For those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29 ESV). Do you realize the significance of this promise? You know Jesus as your Savior, right? You will be like Jesus, who was 100% ho...

If we know it’s futile, why do we keep worrying? I have a hunch, but I’ll get to that in a minute. It’s been a problem since the fall of man. It was important enough for Jesus to address it in his day: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes” (Luke 12:22-23 NIV). I’d s...

Who was the biggest failure in the New Testament? A person that comes to mind is Peter. This man was an enthusiastic follower of Jesus. He pretty much stated he’d go to the ends of the earth for his Lord. However, he failed Jesus in his hour of greatest need. As the Savior was going through the suffering leading up to the crucifixion, Peter was asked three times if he was an ally of Jesus. Each ti...

A lot has been said about faith and works over the centuries as they relate to the Christian life.  We know that we are saved through faith – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —  and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) Yet, works do have a part in our relationship with God – “So also faith...

I’ve never heard the phrase “courageous parenting,” but it’s certainly a quality moms and dads need for their overwhelming roles. Looking through Scripture, even kings had varied results raising their kids. Today, we'll look at three, followed by three parenting principles and one key verse. KEY VERSE: Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (N...

We all have to come face to face with our humanity. When we’re hit with a surprise diagnosis or a pain that lingers, our mind should go right to God. Our dependence on him should deepen, our hope in him should spring fresh. Instead of fear, confidence in God can grow. That looks good on paper, but it’s not easy to live out. Paul was plagued by a secret illness or disease that theologians have been...

Here's the scene: You have to deal with a conflict, rift in a relationship or bringing a friend to accountability. And as difficult as it may be, avoiding these hard conversations usually causes more harm to the other person. If you come to them with the right spirit, you’re saving them pain in the future. Let’s look at one of the hardest conversations in the Bible and see how courage saved t...

My wife and I have been recipients of the generosity of hundreds of people over the years. Ministry and missions has been our work for all our adult lives, so we’ve had a team of personal and ministry supporters. We try to make it a point to thank every person who has contributed. We couldn’t serve without them. But some people don’t want to be thanked. They remain anonymous. The most dramatic ano...

My dad practiced “inside out” generosity. Inside out generosity is the kind that flows from the heart, not forced from the outside. Inside out generosity looks for opportunities to give. It doesn’t withhold, but is open-handed. It blesses. Instead of squeezing out a tithe to God, inside out generosity pours out much more to the Lord. I find it interesting that my dad had so little growing up but g...

How about having fun giving? Like when unexpected funds arrive. Or beyond that, how about always having fun giving? Paul tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. He defines this person as one doesn’t give “reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Cor 9:7 NIV). Today, we'll explore six ways to have fun giving. KEY PASSAGE: 1Corinthians 9:6-12 (NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will a...

Here’s an exercise to try when impatience creeps into your life. Take a look at the trigger that’s setting you off. A child disobeys. You’re waiting for someone. You can’t figure out how to make something work. Whatever it might be at the time, call it out and lay it on the table. Then stop for a minute and give it a score from 1-10 , depending on how critical the trigger is. In the big picture, i...

How in the world can we be a patient parent? Seems like a contradiction. Those two words don’t exist together. Hats off to those moms and dads who have this quality mastered. What’s your secret? Tell the rest of us! My wife was one of those patient parents. Now she’s a patient grandparent. Her patience showed up often when he gently explained things to the kids. While I would bark, “Stop it!” she...

We fail most at patience with the ones we love. Our spouses pay a price for our impatience when they experience it over and over again. We let our guard down and don’t extend grace. Think about the grace God extends to you every day. It started with the cross and hasn’t stopped since. When you get ahead of the Lord, does he stop loving you? Does he hammer you? Does he humiliate you? No! His love e...

Have you ever wanted something so bad that it hurt?  You went to the extent of pleading with God for a new car, the dream job, a boyfriend or girlfriend, your child’s award, your sister coming to Christ, financial support for a mission trip… you add to the list.  Whether it’s spiritual or material, we can get pretty worked up about the thing we have our sights set on.  A life of pea...

Fear has a way of playing with our emotions. It can rattle us, paralyze us. Fear has a way of amplifying small, negative thoughts that creep into our minds. We even project things that aren’t likely to happen. Most of our fears never come true. In the Old Testament, God sent 12 spies into the land of Canaan, which he was going to give Israel.  He stated it so clearly to Moses, “Send men to sp...

We’re all familiar with the parable of the prodigal son. This was the rebellious kid who decided he had enough of his father and marched off with his share of the inheritance. I’m not sure if his mother was still living, but I can imagine the hurt she felt with her son leaving.  After a season of prodigal living (prodigal means “wasteful”), the son was out of money, out of bounds, out of frie...

Why do we find it so hard to surrender to God? An inner conflict rages. A debate echoes in our mind. Intellectually, we know that surrendering to the Lord is the right choice. But our will defies that clear thought. We hold on tightly to the steering wheel of our life. I think there are several reasons why we fight surrendering to the Lord. We'll explore three of them. KEY PASSAGE: Colossians 1:15...

Why fight God? That’s what we’re doing when we don’t surrender to him. There’s a saying that “What I do is for God is my gift to him.” Baloney. That’s humanism. Self-effort glorified. You’re putting yourself at the center instead of God being there. Now that you’re shaken up, let me put it in perspective. When we give our all for the Lord, we better do it with the right heart. Otherwise, it’s rubb...

Isn’t it great when you’re hated and persecuted? Of course not, but surrendering to Jesus might lead to that.  There’s a price to pay when we live a life of surrender to our Lord. He promised, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18 NIV) Why is that? Why would we be hated if we’re practicing a loving, serving, generous, sacrificial lifestyle? Let's explore t...