Weekly Devo

“But  I  discipline  my  body and bring it into subjection, lest, when  I  have preached to others,  I myself  should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). It would be best if you worked on creating in your mind mental structures for success. A study was done where  two basketball teams had to shoot free throws. One group went out and shot 100 free throws with something life 30% accuracy. The second group had sat for 30 minutes and visualized making a perfect free throw 100 times. That team went out and shot 100 free throws with 75% accuracy. What is the difference? The mental structure. You can do the same. Paul said, “I discipline my body, I seek to please God.” Just like Paul, we must get in our heads what we will do to be successful in Christ. Work to create Godly mental structures.                                                                                                                                                              ~Steve Johnson

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). You will never know what you are made of until you swing for the fences. When we begin to understand our heavenly goals we become more spiritual. We can’t just set back and shoot for success here on this earth. We must strive for heaven. That pursuit puts us through trials and tribulations that are found nowhere else. The refining that our character receives is out of this world. The mental and emotional maturity that is developed is beyond what can be achieved in any other way. You see, the key is, you must pursue it. Ogilvy said, “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the park. Aim for the company of immortals.”  You may strike out a lot. It may be challenging. The achievement that comes from both the pursuit and reaching the goal is incomparable to anything found elsewhere. There is a group of immortals that lay waiting to enjoy eternity with you. They did it. You can too. Pursue immorta

Mature souls have an understanding that transcends the world. Often, it even goes beyond those around them.  The hope we have in Christ is beyond anything in this world. All man’s pursuits will never reach what God gives us in eternity. This hope anchors us in Christ, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). As much as this anchor is tried and confirmed, there is still more to understand. Mature souls understand that worthy efforts may go unrewarded. In Christ, even our most significant accomplishments are simply out of obedience to Him. Jesus made it clear with this statement, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). The reality is those mature souls retain high hopes but know that worthy efforts may go unrewarded. Yet, they hold tight to those hopes and stay true to the

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). We can justify anything. If you want to justify sin, go right ahead. The only person buying that bag of lies is you. We are not to be justifying our actions to fit our agenda. We act and adjust based on our surroundings. We never justify lousy behavior or sinfulness for any reason. Have you ever wondered how sin can give birth to death? It’s justification. You justify this sin or action in your life for this one moment or situation. Then the next time, you expand that lie, justification, to fit this new situation. Then before you know it, you are just dead bones walking around. Please do yourself a favor and don’t justify it; get out of it!                                        ~Steve Johnson~    

       Two men were walking down a street on opposite sides. It began to rain. It only rained on one side of the road. At the next crosswalk, the man who had walked in the rain looked at the other and said, "How are you dry?" he replied with this one word, "Location." We need to understand that location plays a huge role in a lot of things in our lives. Everything from our character to our mental stability is effect by our location. It would make complete sense that where our heart was located would determine how we live. Our treasure is where our heart is. Meaning that what you will live for, work for, die for, and yearn for whatever our heart is set on. As Christians, our hearts should be in God. If it is, the perfect law of liberty becomes the greatest blessing in the world. It turns from a daunting list of dos and don'ts to a beautiful guide to greatness. It's all about where your heart is. Then that leaves us with this question, "Where is your he

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (2 Peter 3:17). You would be surprised how few people think about you. That does not mean you are forgotten or are not important to anyone. It means we don’t have to worry about what others think - you’re just not that important for others to stay that focused on you all the time. Let’s be honest for a second. Even some of the most influential people in this world do not get our thoughts all the time. We have to work at making God, our spouses, children, friends and church family a priority. That’s okay. That’s how it is. It does mean that people are not walking around with their heads in the sky pondering what you are doing. Since we are not under constant surveillance, we get a special blessing. That blessing is we get to be free and authentic to who we are. We must get this concept. Many of us tailor our actions, thoughts and wo

“For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).      We often think that to do big things; then earth-shattering events need to be taking place around us. The Good Samaritan did a big thing, and there was not even a mention of an earthquake. Sometimes the road to success and greatness is filled with little things done right. It’s a road where every brick was placed with care, love, and service. We pursue excellence in everything that we do. We want to be great in the kingdom of God. Everyone does. Jesus says to achieve this we need to be a servant. A servant is a quiet, hardworking, and devoted person. They don’t make waves in the ocean. However, they make constant ripples in the pond. The reason for this being as servants of God, we serve everyone, everywhere, every time. That means we quietly serve everyone, even the unserviceable, undeserving, uncaring, and undesirable. No, it doesn’t bring down buildings and ch

“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b).  There are only two types of motivating factors behind everything we do. We either do it to boost our ego, or we do it because it makes a difference. The ego focused activities are things we enjoy, make us look good, and require little to no sacrifices. Therefore, you can be a “good” person and do “good” things without going to Heaven. Doing something to make a difference requires a different type of mindset. It will always require a sacrifice. At the very least, you will have to sacrifice your ego to do it. We are to be people who only act and make a difference without considering any personal gain. The only thing we gain from what we do is a glad heart from knowing we served God and others. We are to be sacrificial people, not superficial. What is your motivation behind what you do?                     

“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).      We are taught to dream big. We walk around saying, “Go big or go home.” We have a mentality that if we can’t have it all, it’s not enough or worth it. We even expect others around us to give us the world with every word or gift. The reality is, that’s not real. Yes, give it your all. Of course, you want to reach the highest high. You do not get there with getting it all done that day. No one ever walked into a gym and deadlifted 600 pounds on the first try. No one ever walked into a kitchen and made a souffle on the first try. No, they both had to have had previous knowledge, understanding, and training to make that happen. It is the little things that make the difference. Our faith is the same way.                 You will not go out and baptize 1,000 people on your first day of evangelizing. You won’t comfort and pray for your brother in Christ perfectly on the first try. You won’t share in your

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV) We can never seem to catch a break. There is always something in this world that is going to threaten our faith. One we don’t often consider is comfort. It’s only an issue if we let it be - the reason why it’s secret is that it sneaks up on us. Comfort is one of those things that happens over time and grows on us. The struggle is it makes us where we don’t want to act and do. We are comfortable. Faith is produced in the trenches, not on the couches. That is why it’s our enemy. When we grow comfortable with sitting still, we are growing comfortable with dying. None of us want to die spiritually. Faith was never meant to be stagnant. Faith, by definition, is action. Remember, faith equals active obedience to God. Do yourself a favor, check yourself and

(1 Timothy 5:6) A dead alcoholic was once asked, “What do you want most?” He said, “A sip of whiskey.” Living for sin has a way of making you feel alive while the soul agonizingly dies inside. Your heart will race, adrenaline will pump through your veins, the world will seem like it bows down to you when living for what gratifies your flesh. All the while you are marching to your grave. Live in Christ. Walking dead belongs to those outside of Christ.                                           

                   (Matthew 22:37-40)      Love is a choice. It is the choice that compels us to put God first and others above ourselves. We choose to submit to, work for, and serve those around us. We often think love is something more or mystical. The truth is love is a choice. It is a choice made daily and in each moment between ourselves or others. Love is kind, longsuffering, believing, selfless, and never failing - the reason it carries those attributes is because it’s a choice. If you love the way God loves you, you choose to be kind, longsuffering, believing, selfless, etc. Souls need us to make this choice. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need us to make this choice. We need to make this choice for ourselves. God desires us to make this choice. The real question is, will you make a choice to love?                                                                                              

    Luke 15:11-32            The beautiful picture painted for us in the prodigal son is amazing to ponder. We often talk about the son and the father, the choices made, and the redemption found. But, have you ever thought about the love that never failed? The father never stopped loving his sons. Even when one went wayward, he still loved him and loved him dearly. I heard someone say to their child the other day, “Even if you make mistakes and do wrong, I still love you the same.” I know how it feels to think someone’s love may leave you. I know what it is like to worry that you will do enough wrong or the one wrong thing for their love to end. It makes for tear-filled nights and days filled with an aching heart. It causes things to be done, and a life lived out of fear. One day, I don’t remember when but I realized God is not that way. God’s love never ends. You cannot do enough wrong for God to stop loving you. That doesn’t mean His punishments or the consequences of your sins

  1 John 5:3 Love and faith go hand in hand. We have to love God to be submissive enough to keep His commands. In turn, keeping His commands shows Him our love. When we quit believing and keeping His commands, we no longer love Him. It is easier to stop loving God and love other things than we realize. Demas is a tragic example of such an occurrence (2 Timothy 4:10), who was a previous coworker with Paul. Paul was a fantastic example of Christianity, but Demas still walked away. Some today love the world instead of the truth.  They never receive love for the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10). It’s evident when you don’t love the truth, you do what you want and satisfy yourself. If we are to love the way God desires us to, we must love the truth.

Ephesians 5:2 We live our lives because Christ paid the price we could not pay. We walk in love because of that sweet-smelling sacrifice that Christ offered. We rejoice because we have salvation in Him. We are full of joy because His truth set us free. It’s the fact that we can know we are saved, that we are in Him, and we have the eternal life that causes us to celebrate (1 John 5:20). God’s word is truth (John 17:17). Truth is a shield and buckler for us (Psalm 91:4c). Along with the freedom we have in God, by His mercy through Christ, this too should cause joy to permeate through our bodies. It is lies that cause significant pain, grieving and death (Genesis 37:31-35; 1 Kings 21:7-10). Lies suck the joy out of the love that we have for the Lord. Its destructive nature causes us tremendous heartache. God condemns lying and calls it an abomination for such reasons (Revelation 21:8; Proverbs   6:16-17 ). His wrath is poured out against those who suppress the truth (Romans 1:18c). Perha

Only evil thinking creates evil things (Matthew 12:34-37). Such actions bar us from communion with God (Psalms 15:1-3). Those who hated Jesus were filled with wicked thoughts about Him, and they had no issue communicating that with others (Matthew 11:19). They even voiced such evil conceptions about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:18). That, too, is a sin because we are not to be talebearers (Leviticus 19:16). People who think of evil and act on that evil; also condone others who do that same thing (Romans 1:29-31). As New Testament Christians, we have no room in our minds for such thoughts. We are to be thinking about true, noble, pure, holy, commendable, and correct things, to name a few (Philippians 4:8). These thoughts enable us to forgive like Joseph, love like Mary and Martha and live like Paul (Genesis 45:1-15; John 11:20-22, 32; Philippians 1:21). Those are just some of the characteristics of a love that thinks no evil. You see, being full of such thoughts and actions prevents us

         The world is provoked for different reasons. Anything from God’s word to good deeds for others to envy can cause wrath to be poured out (Jonah 3:10-4:1; Luke 15:20-28; Genesis 30:1, 2). What should provoke a New Testament Christian is quite different. Things like idol worship, inadequate treatment of others, turning from God, and dishonoring the house of God should cause indignation to swell up inside us (Exodus 32:19-22: 1 Samuel 20:33, 34; Matthew 21:12, 13; Acts 17:16, 17). This type of anger is justified (Mark 3:1-5). However, when this righteous indignation sets in, we will not forget who we are. We must be slow to anger (Nahum 1:3). It should not set in fast (Titus 1:7; Ephesians 4:6). We should be seeking to stir up love and good works no matter what (Hebrews 10:24, 25; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2). We love the Lord so much it should bother us when He and His are mistreated. We need to handle things right and make sure we are never at fault for mistreating anyone or anything (

       Love is not a prideful thing. Love is only sustained through humility. You must be willing to serve and sacrifice for others to love appropriately. The world, full of pride, does not do that (1 John 2:16). When we love the world, we fill ourselves with such pride that humility leaves us, therefore loving is nonexistent in our lives. The Lord hears the humble and answers the humble (Psalmist 10:17). Jesus, who is love, exemplifies true humble love in His life, death, and resurrection (Philippians 2:6-8). Only when we humble ourselves can we love and serve the way God wants us to. When we humbly love, seen in our service, God exalts us (Luke 23:10-12). Only the humble will love the Lord enough to keep His commands and become His bondservant (1 John 5:2; Galatians 1:10). If we are to have and show the love that God so desires, we have to be humble enough to serve, live like Christ, become a bondservant of God’s and walk away from the world. Love has no room for pride. The prideful

 1 Corinthians 3:3   When we feel discontented because of another’s success, that is just our fleshly selves ruling our heart (Galatians  5:19-23 ). We cannot resent someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck. That is their life, and this one is yours. The correct attitude is to be supportive and rejoice with them. That is the loving attitude that God wants us to embody. This caring attitude enriches your life and theirs.   On the other hand, envy rots you from the inside out (Proverbs 14:30). Look at Moses’s attitude in Numbers 11. Moses was glad when Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp. Moses didn’t see it as a threat, nor did he envy them receiving attention. No, he just reveled in the idea that more were doing the work of the Lord (Numbers 11:26-30). Don’t forget to remember that because something good is done doesn’t mean it’s void of envy. Paul made that clear in Philippians  1:15-18  when he said, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife.” We cannot be t

2 Peter 1:7          A Christian grace is kindness. However, we need to make sure we do not swap kindness for niceness. Niceness is being in such a way that you are pleasant to those around you. Kindness does not always equal that. A drug addict may not think its kind of you to put them into rehab. Yet that is the more kind and caring thing you can do. As Christian’s our love is to be kind. We are to be kindly affectionate to one another (Romans 12:10). We are to be kind to unkind people (1 Peter  2:18-20).  God says that level of kindness is commendable. Even to our enemies we are to show kindness (Luke 6:35). The Proverbs 31 woman had a tongue that was the law of kindness. Look at the strongest brotherly example we have, David and Jonathan. Their love provoked a covenant that kindness was to always be shown (1 Samuel  20:14-17).  We need to have this kind of kind love toward one another and the lost.                   

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!”  (Romans 6:1, 2) NKJV What is freedom in Christ? It is the freedom to live. Whether you agree or not, sin is bondage. Sin enslaves us and destroys us (Romans 6:16; James  1:13-15 ). Sin rots us from the inside out. It requires our life here on earth and in condemnation hereafter. Look at Judas as an example of what sin does, how blind it makes us, and how much it can destroy us. It can harden our heart so much there is no good left (Hebrews 3:13). We become bondservants to Christ and slaves to righteousness by choice because we choose to obey. Then how is freedom? We get to choose it. We become more in Christ. We become who God created us to be. Studies show that simple things like giving to or serving someone else brings us more joy than being selfish. That would mean the fruits of the spirit would bring us more joy than the fruits of the flesh. We are free from death, corruption, sin, disease, an

“For he who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:7 NKJV) Just take a moment and say to yourself, “I am free.” Now the rest of this week, look in the mirror every morning, look yourself in the eye, and say, “You are free!” How did that make you feel? If it is anything other than good, come see me. We should feel joyful, elated, ecstatic, and just overwhelmed with positive emotions. We are free. The price was paid. That battle has been won. Are you living like it? We often live life pondering salvation when we know we are saved (1 John 5:17). We live life in fear of God’s wrath when we know we are forgiven. (1 John 1:7-10). We live life as if we are not loved or wanted when God shows us otherwise (John 3:16; Luke 19:10). We are not to live this way. God’s children are the only souls that can hold their heads high no matter what may come. We know how to enjoy life to the fullest and in its pure richness. Christianity is not a prison sentence! It is freedom! Live that free life

     Look at what Paul says, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV) and “Therefore I urge you, imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16). Man, what a healthy level of competition that is caused by creating the thought of, “I want to be like Paul” or “I want to be better than Paul.” Can you imagine what kind of faith and walk in Christ that would drive you to? Or what about this one? “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6 NKJV). Wow, now your thoughts are, “I want to be like Christ.” In some ways, it could be compared to running like Usain Bolt or playing like Tom Brady. It’s a dream that would take a lot of work, effort, dedication, support, and time. Many put in a lot of effort to be just that. Can you imagine if you put in that effort every day, the same effort as a world-class athlete, into being like Christ? What would you become in the Lord? Try it.                                  

“The scarcity in this world is initiative, not the resources to produce.” Kyle Eschenroeder      Dreams are great - conversations about what can and could be done are excellent. I mean, the American coffee shop thrives on such desired discussions. Often, the results of those great world - changing discussions are left right there on that couch or at the door when we leave. The same thing happens in the church. I wonder how many great ideas have been dreamed up and discussed among the brethren but never took off because no one did anything. We do not lack the tools, support, finances, or anything else for that matter to do the Lord’s work. He provides everything. The only thing that we come up short in, is initiative. Jesus recognized this when He said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2a). Do you know what happens when you fail to harvest a crop when it is ripe? It rots. Yep, it becomes suitable for nothing. There will be a day that comes when we will not

“To will and not to do when there is opportunity is in reality no to will; and to love what is good and not to do it, when it is possible, is in reality not to love it.”  -Emanuel Swedenborg-      Nothing equals nothing. You could take every dream or thought in the world and stack them up, one on top of another, and still have nothing. You make the difference. You have the power to bring something to life and make it a reality. You can do something. Do not misunderstand me; thoughts matter! Scripture makes that abundantly clear. It is the thought that you want something to drink that gets you up out of your chair. If you do get up, you will not go thirsty. I’m talking about the getting up part. As Christians, we are to do good as often as we have an opportunity (Galatians 6:9-10). We are to change the world with His word (Matthew 28: 18-20). We are to be the field medics of this universe (Matthew 25:34-40). Those thoughts should make us move. How else are they going to see our good wor

                                        Love is choosing the act of serving and sacrificing for something. This is emphasized by how we love God. That is by keeping His commands (1 John 5:1-3). We have the freedom given to us by God to love. We choose what we love. We can love the world and the things of the world (1 John 2:15-16). We can choose to love God and the things of God (Matthew 22:34-40). It’s just a choice. It is a decision we make every day about what we will bow down to, serve and sacrifice for. Sometimes it comes with those ooey-gooey warm fuzzies, and sometimes it comes with pain and hurt. To truly love is to choose to love no matter how you may feel or think at the time. Some may argue about this, saying you should feel the strong twitterpated heart palpitations towards God at all times. The thing is that’s not true, you don’t feel that way about the things of the world all the time, yet you serve them and are devoted to them. We can prove this by all the countless moti

Matthew 22:34-40   We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). That statement tells us two simple, straightforward facts. One, love does not exist without God. Two, when we become Christians, we are expected to love. There are three things we are to love. Yes, three. One is God; We love Him by keeping His commands (1 John 5:2-3). Another is others. We love them by being like Christ towards them in every way (1 John 2:6; 3:16-18). The third person we are to love is ourselves. Remember Jesus says, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). How can you love your neighbor if you do not love yourself? This is not the selfish worldly carnal love that quickly rushes into our minds when we talk about self-love. This is the love that God shows us and loves us with. That sacrificial providing nurturing firm full of grace love that God shows us is the love we should have for ourselves and others. Love is a choice. Without choosing love, you will not serve God, others or yourself. All

Matthew 22:37-40 We all understand that Christ died on the cross for our sins. That sacrifice was about you. It was about your sins. It was about clearing your name with God. It was to free you from the selfish mindset and lifestyle you were in. Have you ever noticed that sin is about you? Galatians 5:19-21 gives a pretty good list of the nasty things that are all sins. John makes it clear that anything that is about the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes is sin and worldly (1 John 2:15-17). All of those things are about you. It is all about what makes you happy and feel good. Sin is all about what satisfies your carnal desires. That is why temptation comes from our evil desires (James 1:13-15). When we are saved, that man has been put to death (Romans 6:1-4). If all that has been forgiven is washed away and put to death, then what is left? God and others! This time of year, we spend a lot of time thinking of others and what would put a sweet smile on their