DEVO. 08.01.26 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬) - What is the thing that you most often do? - The thing that you intentionally do, most often is what will define you? - Do you text? - Scroll through the internet or social media? - Watch tv or the news? - At least 15 times in the gospels, Jesus is recorded, getting away, by himself, to pray. - It wasn’t just formality, it was a necessity. - He had to get away with His Heavenly Fat

DEVO. 07.30.26 “Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.” (Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - What would it take to leave everything that was comfortable to you and follow Jesus? - I mean, really follow Jesus? - Leave what you know and follow in the unknown? - These disciples were trained fishermen. - That was their livelihood, identity and their income - In Luke 5

DEVO. 07.24.26 “Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!” (Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Isaiah the prophet, prophesied of the voice of John the Baptist, approximately 700 years before he was born. - He said that his voice would shout. “prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!” - That’s what John did with his voice. - We are living in a time where we are w

DEVO. 07.23.26 “And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him. (‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭40‬ ‭AMP‬‬) - You were created to grow! - Ever since you were born, it is a story of growth. - As your body grows, you become taller. - As your muscles grow you become stronger. - As your mind grows, you should become wiser. - As your heart grows you should become more compassionate. - There comes a tim

DEVO. 07.22.26 “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ - King Saul had sent men to watch David’s house with the intention of killing him. - While he is being watched, David comes up with this song! - “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you

DEVO. 07.10.26 “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.” (Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - In Numbers 22 we have the story of the prophet Balaam, who knew how hear from God and knew how to speak the Word of God but something blinded Balaam from being able to see. - He was blinded by the love of money. - King Balak had asked

DEVO. 07.08.26 “For no word from God will ever fail.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬) - If you’ve got a word from God, you can count on it. - The angel Gabriel had just told Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Messiah. - When Mary said “How can this happen?” Gabriel told her “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” - Then to confirm that word, the angel said “What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren

DEVO. 07.07.26 “Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭56‬:‭9‬ ‭AMP‬‬) - David was confident of this one thing, “God is for me!” - David writes this during a time that he fled from Israel and was seized by the Philistines. - Things could not have looked worse for David. - There was literally nowhere for him to turn except to cling to the Lord. - In the middle of this, David says, “This I know, that God is for me.”

DEVO. 07.06.26 “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬) - Psalm 55 is a prayer of David after he has experienced deep betrayal from a friend. - Many scholars think it may have been from the betrayal by Absalom. - The key part of this scripture is his understanding that when He calls out to God, the Lord hears. - God is there. - And not only does He hear but

DEVO. 07.03.26 “But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.” (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Your faith matters & your attitude matters. - Moses sent 12 spies into the promised land to explore it. - 10 of them came back with a bad report. They said, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”

DEVO. 06.30.26 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” (Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬) - This is an important principle for all of us, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Jesus had gone to the garden called Gethsemane, just prior to His crucifixion - He told them to “Sit here while I pray.” - He was obviously overwhelmed with the pressures ahead. - He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow

DEVO. 06.29.26 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭12‬) - Your Salvation has Joy! - This Psalm by David came after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan because he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. - The adultery was sin and sin carries a weight of shame and guilt. - David was carrying that shame - But David was wise enough to know that even though he was wrong, he could still come to God, repent of his sin

DEVO.06.27.26 “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”” (Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Have you remembered to thank God? - He says to make thankfulness your sacrifice to God and then fulfill or keep any commitment that you have made to Him. - Thanks and keeping your commitment. - They go together. - Stay faithful and as you stay faithfu

DEVO. 06.24.26 “Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power].”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭36‬ ‭AMP‬‬) - There are not a lot of instances that Jesus tells us to “Only” do something but here he says it! - So if Jesus says, “Only” then it must be important! - Jesus and His disciples were walking on the way to Jairus’ house. - He was a synagogue ruler and had come to Jesus and fell at His feet an

DEVO. 06.19.26 “And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Endure! That is the word of the day! - The disciples had come to Jesus wanting to know the sign of the end times. - They said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?””(Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - That’s what we all want to know, isn’t it, “When?” - In His

DEVO. 06.05.26 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Have you ever had someone who said that when you need something, “Just call me and I will help.” - But when you call, they are unavailable or they are too busy and they can’t help. - Well, our scripture says that God is ALWAYS READY to help. - God never makes a promise that He cannot and will not keep. - And not only is He available but He also has the powe

DEVO. 6.04.26 ““Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬) - Here is a man with and obvious need. He is blind. - Everyone knows his condition. - His name is attached to his condition! - Verse 46 identifies him as “A blind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road.” - We all know him as “Blind Bartimaeus” - Even his position of sitting beside the road points your atte

DEVO. 06.03.26 “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬) - ALL THINGS, Not “Some things”!’ - This was Jesus’ response when the disciples asked him “who in the world can be saved?” - The disciples were looking at things through human eyes and an earthly perspective but Jesus was teaching them to look with their spiritual eyes. - A man came up to Jesus asking Him “ what

DEVO. 06.02.26 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50) - Don’t lose your saltiness! - Salt is used to describe a faithful and distinct Christian life! - The life of a believer should be a life that stands out! - You need to flavor the world around you for good, and not be flavored by the world. - Every Christian needs to be set apart and have Spiritual Inte

DEVO. 05.30.26 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” ‭‭(Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV)‬‬ - One of the big differences I have noticed at the hotels in Uganda is their water. - When you turn the water on, whether it’s the shower or the sink, there’s no regulator for the heat. - When you put it on hot, it gets really hot! - I almost burned myself the first day! - In America, we have a thermostat that regulates our hot water heater. - It’s a good