My Heart Is On Fire by Doug Apple - a short Christian devotional to open the Scriptures and make your heart burn within you!

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32)

“God, what do You want me to do this year? Do You want me to do something different? Something new? Is there a new focus or goal or plan?”

That was my prayer coming into the new year, and nothing new really came to mind.

Meanwhile, I’ve been praying through various books of the Bible.

What does that look like?

Here’s how I do it. I read until something pops, until something jumps off the page, until something makes me go, “Ooo, that’s good.”

Then I underline it and turn it into a prayer.

For example, the last thing I underlined at the end of last year was Second Corinthians 6:16 where it says, “Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…”

What jumped out to me in that verse is the phrase, “I will…walk in them.” I know about God living in us, but walking in us? I like it. It’s an action word. I want God to walk in me, to use me to make a difference.

So I underline that verse and turn it into a prayer, “Lord, please walk in me.”

Then came my first prayer time of the new year and I came across this verse in Second Corinthians 7:13. Paul is commending the Corinthians because they had greatly blessed his friend Titus. It says, “…his spirit was refreshed by you all.”

Ooo, that’s good. Underline it. His spirit was refreshed by you all.

Turn it into a prayer. “Lord, please use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

The problem is, I can’t do that. I’m not good enough. I’m not smart enough. I’m not on the ball enough to even know how to refresh everyone’s spirit.

“God, I need you to walk in me, to work through me so that I can actually do this, refresh everyone’s spirit I come in contact with.”

And suddenly it hit me. That is my something new for the new year. That is my 2021 manifesto.

“Lord, please walk in me, and use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

And just like that, I have a new year’s resolution, and I think it came straight from God.

I wrote it down. I shared it with others. I hung it up so I would see it every day. I even made little pieces of paper so I can pass it out to others.

“Lord, please walk in me, and use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

May your spirit be refreshed today!

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32)

Are you wicked and lazy, or holy and hard working?

I’m getting this from Jesus’ parable of the talents.

Two guys worked hard and increased what they had been given, but that one guy, he hid the master’s money in the back yard. He didn’t lose it. He just didn’t grow it. He didn’t increase what he had been given.

Then the master returns and what’s he looking for?

Increase!

He wants to see improvement. He wants to see growth.

And what does he say when he doesn’t find improvement and growth?

He turns on that man and in very strong language he says, “You wicked and lazy servant.”

Wow. He didn’t soft pedal it. He didn’t let him down gently. He tore him up.

Why?

Because time had been wasted. Opportunity…wasted.

God is not into waste. He is into growth.

He has given us gifts. We have time. We have talents. We have opportunities.

And we have an assignment. We have a requirement.

Our requirement is to grow what we have been given.

I highly recommend that you take this to the Lord in prayer.

“God, what have I been given? How should I grow it?”

This is a sobering time. This needs to be taken seriously.

In the parable of the talents, two men took it seriously, and things turned out well for them. One of them, and I’m not going to say he didn’t take it seriously. He wasn’t a total clown. The master didn’t call him a clown. He called him “wicked and lazy.”

Why was he wicked and lazy?

Because he was entrusted with something and he didn’t grow it. He didn’t improve it.

That is the requirement.

Are you wondering what you are supposed to be doing with your life?

You are supposed to take what you have and grow it, improve it, make it better.

It’s time to get to work. You sure don’t want to receive the wrath of the master.

And you certainly don’t want to hear the words, “You wicked and lazy servant.”

Instead of being wicked and lazy, I want to be holy and hard working.

“Father God, please help each and every one of us become the holy and hard working people You want us to be, not wasting any of the time or talents or opportunities You’ve blessed us with, but investing, improving and growing, from this day forward, for the glory of God, for the blessing of Your people, and for the growth of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray…”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

(Matthew 25:14-30)

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

Do you know what is the all time most played video on YouTube?

It’s been played over 7 billion times. It’s called Baby Shark Dance.

That’s right. It’s a very simple and very catchy song for little kids, and it is now the most played video in YouTube history.

I have a granddaughter who talks about it, but I had never seen it. I was curious, in this day and age, what kind of weirdness they might be pushing into the impressionable minds of the youth.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised, skipping over the fact that it’s about man-eating sharks.

It starts out simple enough, singing “Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I like that because kids and people in general have a soft spot in their heart for babies. People can become jaded over time, but this song has planted the seed seven billion times about the cuteness and happiness of babies. It’s new life!

Then it says, “Mommy Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I like that because a child should be close to its mother, with all those loving bonds, and all the cuddly time and sweet words. Babies need to be with their mommy.

Next it says, “Daddy Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I’m so glad that daddy made it into the most popular video of all time on YouTube. I’m glad daddy is in the picture. Daddy is with the family, with Mommy and with Baby, the way it’s supposed to be, the way God designed it to be. And Daddy has a big strong voice, a commanding presence. Daddy is here and it’s time to pay attention.

Next it says...what do you think it says? It says, “Grandma Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I love that! I’m married to a grandma and we have 13 grandchildren. My wife is so in love with her grandchildren. She has such a mighty bond with them, and they love her completely. It is a wonder to behold. Grandmas are so important, and I was excited to see them make the list on the world’s most popular YouTube video.

Next up is “Grandpa Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Man, that says so much. Grandma and Grandpa, still together, still involved in the family, still an important part of the close-knit family structure. It is the extended family providing a powerful foundation for the following generations to build on.

It all sounds traditional, doesn’t it? In a world today that wants to throw out tradition like some old stale tuna, it’s refreshing to see something so popular that in the most simple way is promoting a solid family structure into the minds of the young. The world will be a vastly better place if they can just hold onto that ideal.

Next the song takes a turn with the lyrics, “Let’s go hunt, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Soooooooooo many videos for kids talk about play and fantasy and fun, and that’s fine, but I’m so glad this most popular song talks about work. There’s work to be done. It’s time to hunt. You want to eat? We’ve got to work. And we’ll all work together as a team to provide for and support one another as a family. It’s time to hunt.

The song then takes another turn saying, “Run away, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Why would I like that? Because you know what? There is a time to run away. There are things in life we should run away from. There are dangerous people, dangerous places, dangerous situations and even dangerous thoughts. A big part of life is knowing when to run away.

And finally the song says, “Safe at last, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

What an adventure! Life is an adventure! And there is a safe place to run to. There’s Mommy and Daddy. There’s Grandma and Grandpa. There’s home and safety and security, inside the fold of the family. You may venture outside to go on the hunt, but you always end up back home, safe and sound, surrounded by your loved ones.

Okay, yes, it’s a silly song for kids, and it has sharks, and I’m reading a lot into it, but like I said, in this day and age with so many strange notions being force fed into the minds of the young, I know the power of a seed, the power of a tiny thought repeated hundreds of times. And the seeds of this most popular video in YouTube history are solid:

Baby,

Mommy,

Daddy,

Grandma,

Grandpa,

Family,

Work,

Danger,

Safety.

If you get those things right, you’re gonna have a pretty good life.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

As I write this in October 2020, Florida State football fans are licking their wounds once again, this time after being thrashed by Louisville. Five times in the first half alone, Louisville busted open huge plays against Florida State’s defense.

After the game senior linebacker Emmett Rice was talking about the Florida State defense. He said, “We just weren’t doing our jobs. Like eight of the eleven would do their jobs and the big play would happen. If all eleven did their jobs, those big plays would not happen.” He said, “You’ve got to do what the defense is assigned to do. If you’ve got to stay in your gap, stay in your gap. You can’t be out there freestyling.”

That’s true for the FSU defense, and wow, it is so true for the body of Christ.

I have said it a hundred times and I’ll keep saying it. Each of us must fulfill our part in the body of Christ. God has gifted us and called us, each one of us, to particular things. We need to diligently seek Him, spend time with Him and learn from Him so that we can each fulfill our Kingdom assignment.

As Emmett Rice said, we can’t be out there freestyling. When we do, we leave gaps, and that’s a huge problem.

If you make your life’s decisions based on worldly values rather than your Kingdom assignment, you are freestyling and you are leaving gaps.

Think of God as the Coach. He sees the big picture. He is drawing up the perfect game plan, and He assigns each player their part.

And then some players start freestyling, leaving their assignment to do something else, and leaving gaps where they were supposed to be.

Have you ever looked at the church and felt like the game plan wasn’t working? Well, here is a huge reason: too many players not fulfilling their assignments.

My friend Rodney has a great story. His church was going through some difficulties, and some people were leaving. He thought about leaving that church, too, and he prayed about it. And God laid it on him in very clear language, “Do not abandon your post.”

Rodney’s response was the correct response. He simply said, “Yes, Sir.”

So Rodney stayed at his post, filling the assigned gap instead of freestyling.

I’m not saying everyone has to stay where they are forever. I’m saying we all need to take our assignments from the Coach, the real living God who is building His church.

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, so what should we do? How can we discern our assignment? Seek Him. Diligently seek Him. Listen and He will let us know, with authority and peace and conviction, what we need to do to fulfill our part in the body of Christ.

And once we have our assignment, we stay in that gap until the Coach gives us another assignment.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

Jesus made many profound statements, and here’s one He just kind of tosses out there, like a free bonus.

In Luke 7:35, Jesus said, “...wisdom is justified by all her children.”

What does that mean?

It means wisdom proves itself by the long term results.

People can SAY anything, but how do we know if it’s wise?

Jesus gives us the litmus test. Wisdom is justified by all her children. In other words, what are the long term results? If the long term results are good, it was wise.

In the moment it sounds like fun when someone says, “Eat, drink and be merry!” Let’s do it all day. Every day!

Why work? Why go to school? Why do anything hard at all?

But wisdom is justified by all her children. Look at the long term results for people who never go to work, never go to school, never do anything hard.

Years ago I met a young man who was gloriously saved by Jesus Christ. He was a new creation, full of joy. He really wanted to grow in his faith, and that’s what led him to me.

Part of his plan for getting his life on track included going to college. There he ran into a professor who was a vocal opponent of Christianity. I know, it sounds like one of those Christian movies, but it was real.

And it really attacked the faith of this young man. He thought a college professor must really know what he’s talking about.

One day he came to me and shared how his faith was slipping because of what he was hearing from the professor.

I said, “You know, by your own words, your life was not good before. Then you came to Jesus and suddenly you had hope and peace and joy. Your life was radically changed for the better. And now I’ve noticed lately that that seems to be slipping away. So let me ask you, the professor, what is his life like?”

The young man said, “Not good. I think he’s an alcoholic and divorced.”

I said, “Well, why do you want to take life advice from someone whose life isn’t going the way you want your life to go?”

Wisdom is justified by all her children. So when people begin babbling on and on about all kinds of ideas, look at the actual long term results.

If someone is telling you how to live, how is that working out for them over the long haul?

If they are telling you how to parent, or handle marriage, or your money or your business or your career, how did that work out for others who did it?

Did it bring joy or sorrow? Success or failure? Stability or instability?

We don’t have to wonder. We have a litmus test for knowing if something is actually wise or not, and Jesus summed it up perfectly and deeply.

Wisdom is justified by all her children.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

“...and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

“Lord, right now I forgive everyone for everything, past, present...and future. God, I forgive everyone in advance for anything they might do or say today, so that I am free to love them with the power of Your Holy Spirit flowing through me.”

That’s how I do it. That is how I practice what I call “preemptive forgiveness.”

Preemptive forgiveness means forgiving in advance.

Look, you know something dumb is going to happen, right? You don’t know who. You don’t know when. You don’t know what. You don’t know why, but sure enough, there it is. Someone is going to say something, they’re going to do something, it might be on accident, it might be on purpose, it might even be with criminal intent, but I say we forgive them IN ADVANCE and get that part out of the way, so then we can be completely free to love them in the way that God wants us to love them.

Jesus told us to love another. He told us to love our neighbor. He told us to love our enemies.

But listen. You can’t love someone you hate. You can’t love someone properly while at the same time harboring unforgiveness. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus told us that if we have anything against anyone, we must forgive them.

Let it go.

And we do that with a very specific purpose in mind. We forgive them so that we can be completely free to love them just as God wants us to love them.

The fruit of the Spirit is…love, among other things, but the first on the list is love. God wants us to love people, He empowers us to love people, and to properly do that, we must walk in forgiveness.

And what I’m promoting is something a bit unusual. It is forgiving...in advance. It is preemptive forgiveness.

In Luke 17:1, Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses should come…” Offenses are coming. Knowing that, what should we do?

I say we forgive them in advance, preemptively. We bomb the enemy’s base before he even gets the offense rocket off the ground.

That eliminates the offense altogether. I’m not offended because hey, I forgave that already. Now I’m free to love them in whatever way God wants me to love them, in whatever way they need to be loved, in whatever way is best for them, for their life and their future and their own walk with God, and their eternity.

That doesn’t make us doormats. That doesn’t mean people can walk all over us. Listen. Love is the power position. Perfect love casts out fear. Love causes you to lay down your life for others, and a person who is so sold out that they are willing to lay down their life like that...like I said, love is the power position, the very opposite of a doormat.

When you love someone, you want what is best for them. Sometimes accountability is exactly what they need. Sometimes being arrested is what they need. Yes, you can call the police on someone you dearly love, because sometimes that is exactly what they need. But you don’t do it because you are offended and hurt and bitter and harboring unforgiveness. Listen, you can forgive...and press charges. It can be done in love.

The point is, remove offenses from the equation. I’m saying, never get offended again by practicing preemptive forgiveness, which sets us free from all offense, which sets us free to love people which is what we must do anyway.

And the way I do that is very practical. Each morning I pray through the Lord’s prayer, and when I come to that part about trespasses I pray “Lord, right now I forgive everyone for everything, past, present...and future. God, I forgive everyone in advance for anything they might do or say, so that I am free to love them with the power of Your Holy Spirit flowing through me.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

In John chapter 10, Jesus said that He is the good shepherd, that He speaks to His sheep, and that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, for they know His voice.

So the question is, do I know the voice of the Good Shepherd? How do I know if God is speaking to me?

First of all, in John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” In John 6:63, Jesus said that the words He speaks are “spirit.”

So when we talk about hearing the voice of God, we’re usually not talking about hearing a physical voice.

Romans 8:16 says that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

That’s spirit to spirit communication. I know, it’s getting deep, but I would expect nothing less.

So God is Spirit, His words are spirit, and His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

As born again, blood-bought believers, we each have God’s Holy Spirit inside of us, teaching us and guiding us.

Now listen to this. I’m leading up to a key that will help us answer the question, “Is that God speaking to me?”

In John 16:13, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak.”

In the next verse Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

So when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, He speaks the words of Jesus. It’s Jesus talking to us, through the Holy Spirit inside of us. Back to Romans 8:16, it is His Spirit communicating with our spirit.

But the question is, when you hear that little voice, how do you know it is God speaking and not just some random thought, or worse, some random devil?

Now here is the main key of this lesson. Luke chapter 4 verse 32 says that people were astonished at the teaching of Jesus. Why? Because His word was “with authority.”

And that’s the key. That is one way we might discern the voice of God. We answer this question. Did it come with authority?

Some translations say, “His word was with power.”

So when we are seeking God, trying to hear from Him, and suddenly we hear a voice speaking inside of us, here’s a question to ask, “Did this message come with authority? Did it come with the power and authority of Jesus?”

His sheep know His voice. How? Because our Shepherd speaks with authority. He speaks with power. His words come with conviction.

Yes, there are other considerations. We should consult Scripture. We should consult the body, by which I mean our fellow believers. And another key is what Jesus said in John 16:14, that the Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus, so another question is, “Does this glorify Jesus?”

But here’s the main point we’re focusing on today. When we are asking, “Is that God speaking?” we can remember the example of Luke 4:32. His word comes with authority.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

God can solve our soul issues and our goal issues.

Think about it. Many of our problems are either soul issues, or goal issues.

Our soul issues include our identity, “Who am I?” and our value, “Am I worth anything?”

And our goal issues include our purpose, “What am I here for? What am I supposed to be doing with my life?”

Fortunately, God can solve all of our soul issues and goal issues, and they are actually summed up very tidily in Ephesians chapter two.

The foundation of all of our soul issues is that we start out dead in our sins. We are sons of disobedience. We conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and are by nature children of wrath, separated from God.

The good news is that there is actually a quick solution to our soul issues, and I’m still in Ephesians chapter two. It says that God, who is rich in mercy, loves us with His great love! He loves us so much that, through Jesus, even though we start out dead in our sins, He makes us alive through Christ!

And it’s not because we start doing good, or because we finally get our act together. He does it by His grace and kindness toward us, not by our own good deeds.

This solves our soul issues. Who am I? Through Christ, I am a very much loved, born again child of God! Am I worth anything? I’m worth so much that the creator of the world, God Himself, loved me and saved me and calls me His child!

Now what about the goal issues, what am I here for? What am I supposed to be doing with my life?

We are still in Ephesians chapter two. Verse ten says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What am I here for? What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Good works!

Just look around and say, “What good works can I be doing today?” Then do them!

Ephesians 2:10 says we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” and it says that “God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

God CREATED us to do good works, and He PREPARED BEFOREHAND that we should live this way...doing good works.

One more soul issue: the idea of loneliness. We find the solution again in Ephesians chapter two. We are not in this alone. Verse 19 says we are “...fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…”

All the Christian believers all over the world? We are all in this together!

And as God’s children, we have His Holy Spirit inside of us. Ephesians 2 concludes with verse 22 which says we are “being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Yes, we are all born with many soul issues and goal issues, but the good news is that God can solve them all as we turn to Him!

And we can find them all summed up rather tidily right here in Ephesians chapter two.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

I don’t have regrets.

I do have a lot of repentances.

Regrets are like weights. They can drag you down, even long after the fact.

You did something you regret. It was bad. It was wrong. It was dumb. It was embarrassing.

You hurt someone. You committed a crime. You failed. You stumbled. You fell.

Regrets can come in unlimited ways. Every story is different, but they end up in the same stinking valley called Regret.

Fortunately God has given us a mechanism to deal with regret. It’s called repentance.

Whatever you did. Whatever sin you committed. Whatever way you went off the rails and into the weeds, here is the solution. Repent.

What does repent mean? It means you admit it, you confess it, you own up to it, you’re sorry for it, you don’t ever want to do it again, you give it up to God, and you receive His forgiveness for it.

And then it is done. You have repented and it is done.

And then that old snake Regret comes calling. Old memories come back. It’s vivid in your mind. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I did that, said that, went there, it’s so awful.

But wait a minute. What are you supposed to do about it?

You can’t go back in time and make it not happen.

Sometimes the people involved aren’t even alive anymore. Now what? You can’t even tell them you’re sorry.

It doesn’t matter. You can’t change the past and it doesn’t matter because God has given us the solution. Repentance.

Don’t wallow in regret. It does no good. It helps no one. It changes nothing. It makes no difference. It only drags you down, wastes time, drains your energy, saps your emotions, and for no good reason.

So when Regret comes knocking, don’t answer. Don’t listen. Don’t waste a minute thinking about it.

Skip regret and go directly to repentance. That is God’s gift to us for handling all the stains.

In Isaiah 1:18, God says, “...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...”

Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west,” that’s how far God has removed our transgressions from us.

Hallelujah.

So how to handle regrets? Don’t handle them at all. Skip it.

Skip regret, go directly to repentance, and be done with it once and for all.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)

The Bible talks about overlooking offenses.

Why would you ever overlook an offense?

Because it is wise to overlook an offense. It is prudent. It is honorable. It is virtuous. It is to your glory. It is to your credit. The Message version of Proverbs 19:11 says it is to your grandeur.

And when you refuse to overlook offenses you basically waste your life in drama, burning every bridge, cutting every tie and destroying every relationship.

But God has a better plan!

Proverbs 19:11 says, “...it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 12:16 says, “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.”

And I love the use of this word “overlook.” When you overlook something, you do it because it is small, because your eyes are trained on something bigger.

You overlook an offense because your eyes are trained on something bigger.

And what would that be?

Loving people.

We are called to love people. God told us to love our neighbor, and even our enemy.

So we overlook the smaller thing of the offense because our eyes are on the bigger thing of loving this person. How can I love them? Lord, show me, how can I love this person with Your love flowing through me?

First Corinthians 13:5, the love chapter, seems to say something crazy. It says that love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not keep an account of all the offenses. Why not?

Because love is overlooking them, looking to the bigger picture which is: what is best for this person?

They were made in the image of God. They have been gifted by God and called by God. Jesus died for them. He died for these very offenses.

And Jesus told us to love them. He wants what is best for them, and so should we.

That is the big picture. What is best for them? How can we love them? How can we let God love them through us?

Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives is...love...

God puts His Spirit inside of His people, and His Spirit is going to bear the good fruit of love through us as long as we don’t block Him up.

And what is one key to not blocking up the Holy Spirit?

It is this. Overlook the offense. We can overlook offenses because our eyes are fixed on the bigger picture of loving people.

And that is how you overlook an offense.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.