Breakthrough

The Lord’s Joy Comes with Ease

“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” – John 15:10-12 Today, I invite you to be a joyful person! God loves you so much, and so do I. Maybe you’ve encountered difficult trials lately, but God can restore your joy! God offers us absolute joy that is playful, full of laughter, fun, and fantastic. The Bible includes joy as part of the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of joy is one of the ways Christians can show others that we are genuinely connected to the heart of God. Initially, I thought about sharing two or three tips with you on

October 21, 2022 No Comments

Obstacles on the Road to Solitude

“But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” – Psalm 131:2 We talked yesterday about spending time alone with Jesus in an effort to seek healing and restoration for our hearts and souls. Today, I want to briefly share with you a few obstacles you may face on the journey to breakthrough in this area. Once you have found a peaceful place and are sitting alone with no distractions, I warn you that it won’t be easy to go straight to communion with your Heavenly Father. Unfortunately, the devil is going to try and keep you from experiencing the blessing that comes in such moments. The first challenge you will potentially face is anxiety. As soon as you quiet your mind, you will be bombarded by thoughts of a million things you “should” or “could”

May 14, 2022 No Comments

Winter from Two Perspectives

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.” – Genesis 8:22 After the holidays, many of us are disappointed. We pack up the Christmas decorations, our hearts heavy with the knowledge that the festivities and celebrations are done. January, on the other hand, is brimming with potential and the promise of new beginnings. This is why I think winter is only a matter of perspective. I relocated to Oklahoma from California when I was a teenager, as I’ve already mentioned. It was a difficult adjustment for me, especially since it was my first time dealing with the brutal and piercing cold of winter. Then there was a snow day, and I got to skip school. I had never experienced a snow day before, and I recall thinking to myself at the time, “well, maybe this isn’t so

January 15, 2022 5 Comments

Fighting in Prayer

“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’” – Samuel 1:10,11 Yesterday we saw that God calls Himself Yahweh Tsebaoth, or the “Lord of Armies,” over 250 times in the Bible. Interestingly, one of the most famous usages of this particular name was by a woman named Hannah. Now Hannah’s husband’s name was Elkanah, and he was married to her and also to a woman named Peninnah. Peninnah was fertile and she gave birth to many children, but Hannah was unable to conceive. Even though Elkanah loved and favored her, she was

October 24, 2021 1 Comment

God of Armies

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14 One of the most commonly used names for God in the Bible is Yahweh Tsebaoth, which literally means “Lord of Armies,” “Lord of Soldiers,” or “Lord of War.” In fact, this interesting depiction of our Heavenly Father is used over 250 times in the Scriptures, and yet very few people are familiar with it. This is because Bible translators have often inserted their own theology and made it “Lord of Hosts.” Even though most people don’t know what a host is (other than someone who entertains people in their home), they do it because they’re reluctant to connect God with something as ugly as war. However, this becomes less of a concern when we understand the context. When Yahweh speaks of being the “Lord of Armies,” He’s actually referring to a spiritual battle. He wants

October 23, 2021 1 Comment

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

“In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’” – John 5:17 Unfortunately, a lot of us Christians are myopic or nearsighted. In other words, we get so wrapped up in our daily circumstances that we forget we serve a Savior who is constantly working behind the scenes. God is infinite, and He has the ultimate “big-picture” perspective, but our minds are finite and only able to conceive of situations in linear time. That said, it’s important to remember that when life seems to be “closing in on us,” what we’re perceiving is only a microscopic blip on the radar of eternity. We can’t begin to conceive of how masterfully and marvelously everything fits together from His standpoint, but we can train ourselves to acknowledge the wonder that it does. No matter how uncertain or daunting

October 17, 2021 No Comments

Ask the Right Question

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.” – Job 22:21 Have you ever felt like things were finally starting to go your way when you were met with an unexpected crisis? Perhaps you tried for years to overcome an addiction, lose weight, land the perfect job, or start a business, and you made progress, only to encounter something that tempted you to “throw in the towel.” To all who can relate to this scenario, I want to say that you’re not alone, and it’s important not to give up. The truth is that when our aspirations and goals are being attacked, there’s always a reason, and it’s critical to ask the right question. Rather than bemoaning circumstances and hopping on the “train to complain,” God invites us to pray for His perspective and ask Him what He is doing in

October 2, 2021 2 Comments

God Works Slowly

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 I’m passionate about history, and one of my favorite periods to study is the Bronze Age, which is when most of the Old Testament took place. Back then, armies were huge — often made up of hundreds of thousands of soldiers — and because they were equipped with a lot of weaponry and manpower, they traveled at a snail’s pace. It would take months for them to move from place to place because hundreds of chariots, livestock, water carriers, and other equipment accompanied them. And though they couldn’t get anywhere fast, when they finally reached their destination, they were a force to be reckoned with. I actually think this is a great analogy for how the

September 29, 2021 No Comments

Life-Changing Shakeups

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21 Many years ago, when I was a young teenager, I was living with my mom, stepdad, and siblings in the San Fernando Valley area of L.A. Early one morning, our house began to shake, and though it started as just a tremor, it soon became a jolting and violent roar. Turns out it was the Northridge quake of 1994, and it ended up destroying numerous buildings and killing 60 people. My parents owned a real estate appraisal company then (they still do, in fact), and after the quake, there was practically no business to be had. The property market came to a screeching halt, and it was as if time stood still in Southern California. Since there was little work for my folks, our family scrimped and ate soup for weeks

May 18, 2021 1 Comment

Something From Nothing

“As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” – Romans 4:17 When we examine the story of Creation, it comes down to God making something out of nothing. Because He is the Beginning and the End, all power is in His hands, and He has the authority to call things that are not as though they are. While human beings are blessed with the ability to create in His image, we are bound to employ in our designs that which already exists. But this is not the case with our Heavenly Father — He is the originator of all. As people, our minds are finite and our thinking is limited to that which we can see and

April 6, 2021 No Comments

The Lord’s Joy Comes with Ease

Obstacles on the Road to Solitude

Winter from Two Perspectives

Fighting in Prayer

God of Armies

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

Ask the Right Question

God Works Slowly

Life-Changing Shakeups

Something From Nothing

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!

WATCH

CONNECT

SHOP

ABOUT

DONATE