Devotionals from Dad

Love to hear from and know who is listening

In my household we try to be as conservative as possible. God has richly blessed us in many ways, but we still try to be as financially responsible as possible, especially during the Christmas season. I would love nothing more than to be able to give my children and grandchildren their every desire, but doing that really isn't being a responsible parent. I have tried to teach my children that nothing good is free! One way I try to be financially responsible is by not putting any Christmas gifts on the credit card. We have a large jar that we both put our spare change into. Around the Thanksgiving we take the change to the bank and cash it in. This year there was $240 in change in the jar. I also have an account at the credit union that I put $20 a pay period into. The credit union is 85 miles away, so it is easy to just forget about it. Just like the change jar each year around Thanksgiving withdraw most of the balance of the account. This year it was $400. I also have a bank bag at home that we keep all the cash from the sales of eggs. This year we sold $1,100 in eggs. The total cash I set aside for Christmas was $1,740 now “That's not Chicken Feed!” It is nice to be able to set aside the cash and to avoid debt. In Revelation 13, the beast forces everyone in the world to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads in order to control financial transactions. No more buying eggs from your neighbor with cash.

Revelation 13: 16-17 ESV Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 

These verses in Revelation indicates that during the tribulation currency will become cashless or digital. In order for the Antichrist to control all buying and selling, a cashless society will be necessary during the tribulation. As long as people are using cash, transactions can be completed in private, but, if currency becomes electronic, then every transaction can be monitored. According Clearly Payments, a payment processor that provides digital payment solutions, including websites and credit card machines, 84% of payments in the US are being made digitally in 2025. Why is this a problem you ask? If Christianity were to fall out of favor with those in power, a government-controlled digital currency could be used to target Christians. The government would have the ability to monitor or even block transactions and could be used to shut down churches, confiscate funds, or penalize individuals based on their political or religious views, and that's only the beginning. In a digital society those who control the currency could assign everyone of a carbon foot print and once you have purchased your allotment of petroleum products, no matter what the balance of your bank account, you wouldn't be able to buy any more gas for your car or propane or natural gas to heat your home. The same could also apply to the grocery store. Each and every household could be assigned a certain portion to be used to buy groceries and once you reach that limit your money would no longer be any good.

2 Timothy 3: 1-5 ESV But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 

The end times started with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. We have been in the end times for the last 2,000 plus years. We are currently living in the end times, cash or no cash. Every day that passes brings us one day closer to the Lord's return!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

When my children were young at times they would come to me and tell me they were afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes there were monsters under the bed and sometimes they were simply afraid of the dark. As they grew up they still had fears, but the fears were different. When they were preteens, their fears were that they wouldn't be liked by their peers and friends. As they grew older and were well into their high school years their fears became getting the grades they needed to graduate, among other things. My fears in life have changed as well. I used to be afraid that my teenage daughters would make a bad decision, get into a car with the wrong friend and have a life changing or even fatal injury. Now that my children are adults I don't worry so much about them. I do still have one thing that I worry about occasionally. I worry that something may happen to my wife and I would suddenly find myself alone, a widower. My wife makes me a better person and I can't imagine life without her. What does God's word have to say about worry and anxiety?

Matthew 6:27 ESV And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 

In Philippians the bible clearly teaches that Christians are not to worry. Philippians 4:6, says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.If you watch the news at all it is hard to not be worried about something. When the pandemic hit, I really didn't worry about getting the virus or getting fatally sick, the things I did have anxiety about may surprise you. I wasn’t worrying about masks, vaccines, or lock-downs. Rather, I saw the world falling apart around me and I wondered if it indicated a final slide into the end times, the final days of the world as prophesied in the bible. Instead of being joyful at the soon return of Jesus, I found myself a bit anxious about the end times. The headlines of the nightly news sound like they are quotes taken directly from the bible. Biblical signs of the end times include religious deception, wars and rumors of war, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, and the persecution of Christians. Other signs mentioned are; increasing lawlessness, immorality, and a decline in love among people. Maybe you can relate to my fears, about the world.

Mark 13: 7-8 ESV And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. 

As Christians, we know that God will accomplish his perfect will. God is in control in in the midst of what seems like chaos. He controls the events that will lead to the fulfillment of his word. For those who do not know the Savior, worry and fear will be a part of life. But to those who have given their lives to Him, there is a confident hope. We should not be worried or afraid of the darkness of this world. When we hear of conflict and unrest these are the signs of Jesus imminent return. If you have placed your faith in God you will agree, the world is filled with lost people doing what lost people do, lying, cursing, breaking laws and living immorally. Jesus will come back and in the twinkling of the eye there will be destruction. Saints will be saved. Sinners won’t be and Jesus will make all things new. 

Revelation 21:5 ESV And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

So don't be afraid of the dark there is good news! This world is not the end of the story. Jesus is returning for us!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

I am truly blessed. As a young boy and a teenager my parents drugged me. They drug me to church every week and sometimes multiple times a week! I grew up all my life understanding the ABC's of Christianity. “A” admit that I am a sinner. 

Romans 3:23 ESV For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

“B” Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his death and resurrection provide salvation from sin.

John 3:16 ESV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

“C” Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. 

Romans 10: 9-10 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For many people once they have said “The Magic Prayer” and asked Jesus into their heart they believe they have now entered “Club Christianity.” Congratulations! You have made a life-changing decision! Perhaps you are asking, now what? How do I begin my journey with God? The real unfortunate thing is,... mature Christians put nearly all their effort into evangelism, or more simply said, leading the lost to Jesus Christ, after that they are not given much further attention. Mature Christians have several vital roles after someone first accepts Jesus Christ as their savior. Mature Christians need to focus on discipleship, mentorship, and integration into the church community for the new believer. This involves nurturing them to help them grow in their faith, understand Christian principles, and develop a personal relationship with God.

 Ephesians 4: 11-16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 

Ultimately, the job of the mature Christian is to help the new Christian grow to a point where they can, in turn, help others who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior come to know the truth. So once your, friend, neighbor, brother or sister has said “The Magic Prayer” and confessed Jesus as their savior your job, my job, as a mature christian is not done,.. it has only just begun! Now we must come along side them disciplining them into a healthy growth and service for God, in the family of God.

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

I made a post on social media recently about how my grandparents and parents were able to afford the American Dream of owning a home, yet my children and other younger people can't seem to save enough money to buy a home. I made the mistake of accusing the younger generation of making poor financial choices and putting things like a $10 coffee at the convenience store and expensive vacations as top priorities. I received a lot of backlash. A younger member of my family said, “Judge not least you be Judged.” I didn't believe I was passing judgment, I was just making an observation based upon my own personal experience. My difficult question to you is this, was I being judgmental and exactly what does this verse in Matthew mean?

Matthew 7:1 ESV Judge not, that you be not judged.

I am sure all of us have felt judged at some point in our lives. Judgment can often leave you feeling sad and hurt, especially if it comes from someone important or close. Scientific studies have determined that judgment is an instinct of the human brain. As humans, our basic instincts are to survive and thrive. As a consequence, we automatically end up judging people around us to determine if they are safe to be with. Everyone, without exception, judges the people around them based upon their appearance. I will be the first to say when I see someone in the public who has a serious case of bed head and their hair looks like it has not seen a comb in months, they must be a lazy person. Other ways people are judgmental include: assuming someone is lazy because they are overweight, assuming someone is selfish because they have no children, thinking someone is a bad parent because their child is throwing fit in a public place, thinking someone is poor because of the way they dress. I could go on forever, but I think you understand my point. We pass judgment on people every day. My failure was that I assumed all young people, that could not afford to buy a home, were financial irresponsible. Some may be, some may not. Exactly what does, “Judge not least you be Judged” mean? Sadly, the passage is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied teachings in Scripture, by believers and non-believers alike. When Jesus said, “Judge not lest you be judged,” He wasn’t issuing a blanket rule that people are never to judge others. To truly understand this verse we need to look at the verses that follow it. 

Matthew 7: 2-5 ESV For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 

A closer look at these verses reveals what Jesus was really trying to teach us. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Jesus teaching was primarily directed to believers, but the principle can be applied to anyone. How can anyone deal with the speck in our friend’s eye, if we have a log in our own eye? The purpose of judging someone weakness is to help him or her be free of it. But how can we help someone else if we are not free? We must first be willing to look honestly at our own lives and exercise the same judgment toward ourselves. When we do this, we judge from a position of humility. A faithful servant of God will see himself as accurately as he sees others. He will recognize his own sinfulness and need for God’s mercy as much as he does those around him. 

Romans 3:23 ESV For all have sinned and fell short of the Glory of God!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

Frequently we associate faith with a feeling, an invisible force that seems to be leading you to a destination that you may or may not know. Faith is often thought of as something we have a belief in or someone we trust. But in the Scriptures, faith is more than a passive possession, it’s a firm confidence that results in action. In the bible every mention of faith is followed by an action. Noah built an Ark in a land where it had never rained, because of his faith. Abraham placed his only son, Isaac on and alter to be sacrificed, because of he had faith in God. The Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho once a day for six days, with priests blowing trumpets. On the seventh day, they marched around seven times, blew their trumpets, and shouted, because they had faith in God's Divine instruction and the walls of Jericho crumbled!

Hebrews 11: 1-3 ESV Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 

There is a song by Hillsong United that speaks of faith. The lyrics of the song go like this: Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters. Wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander. And my faith will be made stronger. In the presence of my Savior... I don't know about you, but there are often places I would not choose to go if it were not for my faith in God. Do you have complete faith and trust in God, even when He calls you into situations that are unknown and intimidating? Instead of sitting back, believers should count on God’s promises and act accordingly The book of Hebrews is often called the, “Hall of Faith.” Hebrews highlights numerous men and women of faith, primarily in chapter 11, figures like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, it also mentions others such as Rahab, Gideon, and Samson. The Lord accomplished amazing feats through their lives when they believed Him and acted in obedience. Like a muscle, faith grows the more we put it into action. In this way, believers strengthen their trust in God and His promises.

 Mark 11: 22-24 ESV And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

You may be experiencing mountains in your life right now. You may be juggling work, school, family or dealing with a personal trial. Whatever the mountain it is that you are facing at this time in your life, you must do your best and keep the faith knowing that all things do come to pass. Do you have a faith that can move mountains? True mountain-moving faith isn't about the strength of the individual, but about the power of God working through a surrendered heart. It involves trusting God's power over your circumstances, praying with the assurance that nothing is impossible for Him, and acting in obedience to His will. Are you acting on your faith in God and His Word? When you see a command or warning in Scripture, do you obey it? Are you letting biblical truths about God’s character and power shape your thinking and responses? Be grateful for the difficult mountain that God has placed in your life, for it is giving you the opportunity to rely on God. Place your faith in Him, then to respond or act in a way that brings Glory to God!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

When I was a child I learned in Sunday school class the song, Jesus loves the little children. If Satan had a song it would be called, Satan loves all the good people. The song would go something like this.... Satan loves all the good people, all the good people of the world. The generous and kind, the friendly and the caring. Satan loves all the good people of the world. Satan is not opposed to good morals. What he is opposed to is Jesus Christ. Satan doesn’t care if you’re a good person. He doesn’t care if you volunteer at the food bank, recycle your trash, and help old ladies cross the street. He doesn’t care if you are kind, generous, and well-liked by everyone in your community. He cares that you don’t bow your knee to Jesus. Here’s the deception that is damning millions. Satan has convinced people that morality equals spirituality. That being a good person is the same as being a Christian. That if you live right, treat people well, and avoid the big sins, you are acceptable to God.
Titus 3:5 ESV he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees had impeccable morals. They followed the law meticulously. They were well respected, disciplined, and religiously devoted. Jesus called them children of the devil. Why? Not because their morals were bad. Because their morals replaced Christ. Satan’s greatest trick is not making bad people worse. It’s making good people think they don’t need a Savior. Most of the world has Satan pictured as a red horned man with a pitch fork and a pointed tall. They think of him as the evil one that convinces people to kill, steal and cheat. However Satan's greatest tool is deception. Think about it, the atheist who feeds the homeless thinks he’s good enough without God. The Buddhist who meditates and practices compassion thinks they are enlightened without Christ. The Muslim who prays five times daily thinks he’s righteous without Jesus. The moral Christian who goes to church, pays his tithe, and avoids scandal thinks he’s saved without surrender. All of them are headed to the same place, hell and eternal separation from God. Because morality doesn’t save.
Ephesians 2: 8-9 ESV For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Satan loves good people who reject Jesus. They’re his best advertisement for the lie that you can earn your way to heaven. They are living proof that you can be kind without Christ, be generous without God, be disciplined without the Holy Spirit, be respected without redemption and still be lost. Here is what most people fail to comprehend, Satan doesn’t need to make you do bad things, to murder your brother, to steal from your friends or to have an affair with another man's wife. He just needs to keep you from doing the ONE thing that matters the most, surrender to Christ.
John 3:36 ESV Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
You can live a moral life and still die lost. You can be a good person and still face judgment. You can avoid all the big sins and still end up separated from God forever. Because the only sin that damns you eternally is rejecting Jesus Christ. The murderer who repents and believes in Christ will be in heaven. The thief who turned to Jesus on the cross is in Heaven. The prostitute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears is in heaven. However the moral, religious person who rejects Jesus Christ is damned to hell for eternity. That is why Satan loves all the good people of the world. It sends people to hell, convinced they were good enough. Your goodness won’t save you. Your works won’t redeem you. Your morality won’t justify you. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away your sin and make you acceptab

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

I pride myself at being good at a few things. I believe that I am pretty good at mowing my yard and keeping it weed free. I spend a lot of hours in my garden making sure that it is perfectly tilled and that I have the biggest and best possible produce. I may not be perfect at either, but I feel confident I am pretty darn good. Also, I tell my wife that I am the perfect husband and there are none better than me, so far I think she believes me! For the majority of my life I have wanted to excel at everything I do. Perfectionism can lead to finding your identity in accomplishments and when things don't work out as you have planned you may find yourself at the least feeling disappointed and at worst becoming depressed. No matter what I may tell my wife, I am not perfect and I never will be! In my walk with Jesus, I want to be a perfect Christian. In my mind, the ideal Christian is someone who lives a sacrificial life. This person is obviously a missionary, lives among the poor and has adopted at least seven children and they have hour-long quiet times every day. They never yell at their kids or spouse and their house is immaculate. They also disciple many younger adults or teens and have an ideal marriage. They are, in a sense, perfect!!! However, perfectionism can be devastating for a Christian.

Romans 3:23 ESV For all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God!

The perfect Christian does not exist! It is easy for us to look at someone who is living an “extreme life” for the Gospel, someone who is a missionary in some far off location or is leading a large congregation of people and be convinced they have it all together, but I promise you, even though they may look perfect on the exterior, they struggle with sin daily. There is one thing that I am perfect at, I am the perfect sinner. I can always count on myself to do that thing that I shouldn't do and fail to do the things that I should. 

 Romans 7:15 ESV For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 

In Romans, Paul confesses that he does not understand why he continues to sin. He wants to do righteousness, but he does not do it. Rather, he finds that he commits sin, the very thing he hates!!! I have to admit that I really connect with Paul when it comes to failing to be the Christian I want to be. We live in a day, when sin is normalized. The world does its best to make sin seem acceptable. They sit comfortably in it and make it look so good. For example, the LGBTQ community says that all sorts of sinful relationships are perfectly fine, because they love one another. It is so easy as a Christian to look the other way so that you are not accused of being hateful or intolerant. It is the nature of man, even the nature of a believer, to over look sin, to be entangled in sin. It happens so easily. 

Hebrews 12:1 NASB Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us.

When we constantly strive for unattainable perfection, we are chasing after something that will never satisfy. We are chasing after a fleeting goal that will never compare to the love and peace found in our sweet Savior. God never meant for us to spend our days toiling to reach an eventual state of human perfection. Our idea of perfection is often rooted in selfish ambition and a desire for more. So friend, let us lay aside our desire for perfection and instead cling to God's perfect grace and love!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

Soon after my marriage to my first wife ended, I became a single father doing my best to raise 3 little girls, My oldest Samantha was 8 years old, Sophia was 6 and Sara was 18 months. I spent the next 4 years of my life earnestly searching for and praying for a wife, someone that could come along side me and help me raise girls. Because I was not the smartest guy in the world when came to understanding females. Oh, I knew the physical anatomy of girls but I knew nothing about the emotional issues. I was a typical man, I just wanted to know how to fix stuff and as their father I felt a high calling to fix every problem that arose. Little did I know that some female problems can not be fixed. So in my anguish and absolute failure to fix things, I prayed for a wife, but it seemed God was not listening. 

James 4:3 ESV You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

It was hard for me to believe that God did not want me to have a wife to help me raise my girls, after all in the very beginning God said it was not good for man to be alone. However, looking back over the years now I have realized that the reasons I was asking God to answer my prayers for a wife were selfish and had nothing at all to do with bringing Glory to God, they were for Jeff alone, so that I could get out of life the one thing I desired the most, love!!! There are many different ways God answers our prayers. Some of the most common answers to prayer are: No, I love you too much, Yes, but you'll have to wait, Yes, but not what you expected, Yes, and here's more, Yes, I thought you'd never ask. In my case, God answer to my prayer was, Yes Jeff, I have a wife for you, but your gonna have to wait. 

Psalm 27:14 ESV Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! 

Waiting, I must say, is not something I do well. It seems there is not a day goes by that we do not spend a portion of it waiting. We wait at the stoplight. We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait for our children get ready for so that we can get where we are going. We wait at the restaurant for our food. We wait for the insurance company to approve a medical treatment. I could go on but I think you understand, waiting is part of life, even if you don't like it.... Immediate answers to prayer, you want them, I want them, but God does not always work that way. And to get his best, we must be patient. However there is one prayer that God always answers the same and always answers immediately. That is the prayer for salvation from repentant sinner.

 Romans 10: 9-11 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 

Many people think prayer is complicated, but it is not hard at all. Romans 10, verse 9 couldn't be any simpler, it says very plainly. “confess with your mouth and believe in your heart.” If you pray, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Today, I make Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe He died so I could be forgiven and rose again to give me life. This prayer God always answer immediately and with a resounding yes!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

A thousand ways to die was a television series that aired from 2008 to 2012. The program recreated unusual deaths, some based on true events and some on urban legends. The show interviewed experts who describe the science behind each death. Over the years the human race has become experts at killing each other. The history of war begins with the evolution from primitive hunting with spears to organized warfare, marked by the first recorded war in 2700 BC. During, The Bronze Age, warfare intensified, with dedicated armies and the development of metal weapons like swords and spears. Two other commonly named periods of the increase of warfare are the Axial Age and Modern Times. The invention of gunpowder, and its use in warfare, together the invention of the atomic bomb has forever changed warfare. Currently the acceleration of technological is changing war all together!

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me, Says the Lord. 

No matter how many ways man finds to kill each other, as Christians our confidence rests upon the sure promises of the all-powerful God. Who reminds us throughout His Word, that He is the Almighty, Sovereign Ruler of the universe, and has given us His assurance that no weapon, whether physical or spiritual, will prosper against His children. A weapon is anything designed to inflict harm. The apostle Paul tells us that we have been given tools to fight against our enemy, but our weapons are not ordinary weapons or even like modern day weapons such as automatic guns, fighter jets or even atomic bombs. The weapons we fight with are not like the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power.

2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 

Often, the enemy hits us with spiritual attacks such as confusion, depression, anger, anxiety, fear, temptation, and loneliness. But the Lord has given us His Word as our sword and faith as our shield.

 Ephesians 6: 13-18 ESV Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

God is in command. He controls both those who make weapons and those who use them. He has already won the war. Through Jesus Christ, He has defeated the final enemy, death, and purchased for us eternal life. As God’s people, we can be confident in the Lord’s victory over every enemy. Nothing built, sharpened, aimed, or fired against you, your family, your church family, God’s kingdom, or God’s people will succeed. This is a promise from God, every child of God can say, no weapon formed against me shall prosper!

Support the show

Love to hear from and know who is listening

The octagonal Heinz ketchup bottle was patented in 1890. The bottle is know for its iconic shape. However, the eight sided ketchup bottle posed issues for both the consumer and the brand. Consumers were often perplexed by the difficulty of getting the thick condiment out of the bottle. Sometimes, they resorted to sticking a knife in the bottle, resulting in a messy red goo all over the handle. Pounding on the bottom of the bottle sometimes worked. But, at times, it produced a flying burst of ketchup that could land anywhere. Eventually, Heinz found a way to take the stress out of the ketchup bottle. The inverted the plastic squeeze bottle let people start applying the ketchup with a lot less effort and frustration, even when the bottle was nearly empty. Stress and pressure that comes from stress comes in many forms, much more frustrating then getting some ketchup on your hamburger. Here are some things that may cause you stress: the toilet is plugged, the water heater burst and flooded the house, the alarm didn't go off and your running late for work and on the way to work you hit every red light possible, the temperature is freezing and your car won't start and your kids are sick and you must stay home from work and your already so far behind you feel like you will never get caught up. This is only the beginning of the list of things that can stress you. 

Philippians 4:6 ESV do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

Stress, pressure, we work under it. We are driven by it. We suppress it. We deny it and try to escape it. We take vitamins for it. We feel it in our chest. Our stomach churns. Our palms get sweaty. And all of us are squeezed by it. What comes out of you when you are squeezed? What comes out of you when milk is spilled all over the brand new carpet? What comes out of you when a child throws a tantrum at the worst possible time or when you get cut off in traffic, or your husband says something unloving? Thank God I never say anything unflattering to my wife!... The truth is: whatever is inside of you will spill out when you are squeezed under the pressure and stress of life! The bible tells us that there is a holy war going on inside of us. Our flesh wants to scream and lash out at the person or thing that has squeezed us and caused us stress. 

Romans 7: 18-19 ESV For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 

When the stress of life puts the squeeze on and I want my own space, my own way, my own silence or rest. I need to remember that Jesus left the comfort of His home in heaven, where He was worshiped and adored to die on a cross for me a rebellious sinners!

Romans 5:8 ESV but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

He died for me, even though when I am squeezed by the pressures of life and I react in a way that is far less then heavenly and am everything or anything but perfect, He still forgives and loves me. He loved me enough to send his only begotten Son to die for me. Christ died for us while we were still sinners, which is to say that Christ didn’t die for the perfect and the put together, as if there are any such people. He died for the weak, the wicked, the broken, the rebellious, the ungodly. God, in His divine nature, didn't wait for us to be worthy or even to seek Him out, but actively pursued us, a rebellious and evil people.

Support the show