Holy Spirit

Inspiration or Manipulation

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 Simon Sinek’s description of leadership is one of my favorites. People can be influenced in two ways, according to him: manipulation and inspiration. Now, before you leap to a quick conclusion about which type is best, keep in mind that manipulation isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, if I pay someone $50 to mow my lawn, that is a sort of manipulation because I am paying them to do what I want. I’m not going to get a response by listing all the advantages of mowing lawns and making a YouTube video about it; I need a clear approach to accomplish it! Discipline can be viewed as a type of manipulative influence,

October 29, 2021 No Comments

Something New

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” – Matthew 27:7,8 There’s been much talk recently about the end times, because there’s a lot happening in the world around us. And whether Jesus is coming back next week or in another 500 years, the truth is that He often births new seasons through discomfort. This will certainly be true when history comes to a close and Creation endures a time of tribulation, but it’s equally as true in our lives right now. As those made in the image of God and born again through the blood of Christ, He beckons us to press on and move forward, becoming more like Him in the process. However, it’s important to remember that He often uses pain to loosen our grip on one season so

October 20, 2021 2 Comments

The Son of Man

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:13,14 For the past couple of days, we’ve seen that the system of the world is controlled by Satan, and that while he appears to have unlimited power, the duration of his dominion is actually limited. The Ancient of Days is sovereign over his fate, and it’s only a matter of time before his rule comes to an end. This is because the One who ascended the throne next to the Almighty — in

August 26, 2021 No Comments

God Incarnate

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27 Faith is not existential, it’s relational. Many people say that it’s just them and Jesus and that’s enough, but such an approach to Christian living doesn’t really work. This is because we adhere to the doctrine of incarnation, which means that the Word of God became flesh, lived among us, died, was raised, and ascended into Heaven. But that isn’t all there is to the story, because incarnation continued in the Church. This was made clear in Acts chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit entered the body of every single believer. And what it means for us today is that because of His indwelling, when we look at a fellow disciple, we’re not only seeing that person, we’re gazing at Christ within them. Likewise, we’re not just listening to

August 17, 2021 No Comments

The Anointing of Light

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” – 1 John 2:20 Yesterday, we learned that our anointing in Jesus is one of power and protection. For the next few days, I want to explore three additional aspects of authority that come through the covering of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The first one is light. Have you ever been engaged in a busy evening at home when the power suddenly goes out? It’s amazing how quickly a bustling pace can come to a halt in the absence of illumination. Left in the dark, we must scramble to find candles, flashlights, and other temporary sources of brightness to see us through. Though nothing replaces the intensity of a return to full power, each little flicker helps us find our way in otherwise black rooms and halls. And this is exactly how

July 23, 2021 No Comments

The War is In Your Mind

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 Earlier this year, my dad contacted me and wondered if I had a copy of C.S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters. He happened to be working on a sermon in which he wanted to quote it, so it pained me to tell him that I don’t have it in my possession anymore. Though I once had a really cool first-edition print that I got from my grandpa’s cabin, I think a friend of mine “borrowed” it in college and never gave it back. Though that’s irrelevant, I bring it up to let you you that reading this book early in my life helped to greatly increase my understanding of spiritual warfare. Though it’s not one of C.S. Lewis’ more

June 30, 2021 No Comments

The Solitude of Jesus

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” – Matthew 14:13 Yesterday, we talked about the importance of having good habits in our lives, and we affirmed that how we use our time determines the course of our future. For the next few days, I want to dive into this topic further and examine three regular disciplines of Jesus that we can apply today. First of all, our Lord had a practice of solitude. Withdrawing to a place of peace and quiet seemed to be a top priority for Him, especially following a public outpouring on His part. After His baptism and commission to ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness where He lived forty days and forty nights without food or water. This was a season of immense

June 4, 2021 No Comments

Replication vs. Self-Gratification

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19 Yesterday, we looked at the manner in which Jesus invested in making disciples rather than in building an empire. We saw that by befriending and mentoring a group of people, His influence was replicated in ways that wouldn’t have been possible had He focused solely on His own glory. Interestingly, I believe one of the greatest case studies for these principles in modern-day Christianity is a man named Chuck Smith. Most of us have heard of him, but he was the founder of Calvary Chapel, which started here in Orange County and now has influence all over the world. Surprisingly, when I hear his name, I recognize it, but I’m not bombarded by images of his “larger than life” personality nor do

May 9, 2021 No Comments

Leading Close to Home

“‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’” – John 4:34 One of the most remarkable things about the life and ministry of Jesus is that He never traveled more than thirty miles away from where He was born. While He certainly traversed the countryside to engage in ministry work, He didn’t go on a worldwide conquest, nor did He exert great amounts of energy trying to gain fans and followers. Unlike powerful leaders of history such as Alexander the Great and Caesar, He never led a military revolution, nor did He build any monuments to Himself. And in contrast to the presidents and heads of state of today, He didn’t campaign, engage in self-promotion, or write books in His own hand. Nevertheless, He started the most powerful and culturally-transformative movement ever to impact mankind. Though He built no

May 7, 2021 No Comments

Who Governs Your Mind?

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6 While the term government may not evoke positive emotions for many of us who hear it nowadays, when we look at it objectively, the word govern simply has to do with making and enforcing laws or policy. In short, it means to preside or to rule over something or someone. Therefore, when we examine Romans 8:6, the inference is that our minds — or the part of us that controls our reasoning, thoughts, and intellect — has a ruler or a governor. Someone or something tells us what to do and how to behave, and the Apostle Paul explains that there are two possible directors for this activity: the flesh and the Holy Spirit. It may be helpful to think of these “rulers” of our reason as a

April 24, 2021 2 Comments

Inspiration or Manipulation

Something New

The Son of Man

God Incarnate

The Anointing of Light

The War is In Your Mind

The Solitude of Jesus

Replication vs. Self-Gratification

Who Governs Your Mind?

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!

WATCH

CONNECT

SHOP

ABOUT

DONATE