After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. - Revelation 7:9 (NLT). I'm no theologian and I don't claim to be an expert of end time prophecies. Sometimes I get confused when people start talking about the rapture, pre-millennial reigns, post-millennial reigns, and the tribulation times. I can'

John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’” - Luke 7:20 (NLT). There comes a point in every Christian's walk where we begin to question everything we believe. Whether it's due to the world throwing the kitchen sink at us or because someone we trusted let us down, we all have seasons of fear, doubt, and questions. But before you allow that seed to t

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. - James 1:2-3 (NLT). Why does the God who holds the whole world in His hands allow us to struggle? If He can change a situation in an instant, why do we have to go through trials and tribulations? I've asked these questions more times than I can count. When you're in the middle of the t

Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. - 1 Corinthians 8:2 (NLT). Life has a funny way of humbling a person. One minute you're up and the next you're flat on your back. If I've learned anything, I've learned that disaster can strike anyone at any time. No one is exempt. Whether it's self-inflicted, poor choices, or you're a victim of circumstance, the problems we face in this life are no respecter of persons. How you respond to them will be

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. - Matthew 5:14 (NLT). It's hard to lead people when you're running on empty, because you can't pour into others from an empty cup. Over the last week, Shevon and I have been resting, recharging, and refilling our tanks (literally) on a motorcycle in the Black Hills of South Dakota. From Mount Rushmore and Iron Mountain Road to Custer State Park and Needles Highway, we have seen God's creation on d

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” - John 5:6 (NIV). At some point in every bound, bruised, and broken life, the person has to decide: Do I want to get well or am I good with living in the ruins of my brokenness? No one wants to be broken, but sometimes we stay broken for so long that we begin thinking that our brokenness is just a normal part of life. Some of us have re

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” - Isaiah 6:8 (NLT). From the earliest prophets to the apostles, God has always used ordinary people to carry His extraordinary message. The Apostle Paul’s testimony is well known among Christians and how he went from a Christian killer to the writer of 14 books in the New Testament. But as great as Paul was to the establishment of the 1st centur

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” - John 13:34-35 (NLT). There's an old saying: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist. That's a pretty true statement, but I think there's another trick he has pulled that has impacted the work of Jesus Christ in today's world on a far greater

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. - Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT). Some days we're on time; Other days we have time off. We can be just in the nick of time, if we're not already out of time. There's doing time, which can feel like a waste of time, unless you're making the most of your time, and then you

Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. - 1 Corinthians 1:21 (NLT). We all have our favorite preachers. Maybe it was your grandma's preacher when you were a kid. Maybe it was an evangelist who came to preach at your church one Sunday. To some people, preaching is the only thing standing between them and lunch. For others, preaching is boring compared to the singin

Compass Recovery November 2025 125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. 126 It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. - Psalm 119:125,126 (KJV). One of the most liberating things I've ever done was realizing that there are just some things I need to step back from and let God go to work. Sometimes I get mixed up on what my role is. I try to take control of situations in my life and in doing so, I unintentionally

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV). There are certain things in life that you have to experience to truly appreciate just how great they are. Experiences change perspective. For instance, I never truly appreciated freedom until mine was taken from me. Good and bad experiences have a

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10 (NLT). You've decided to follow Jesus. You've quit running and you're willing to do whatever He tells you to do. So, why are you feeling convicted about everything in your life? Things that you've never felt conviction about before? Are you under attack from the enemy? Or is God refining you into a newer, better version of yourself?

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. - Philippians 2:13 (NIV). We were all created for a purpose. God gave each and every one of us certain talents and skills to fulfill His will for our lives. Some of us use those talents and skills to fulfill God's purpose, while some of us don't. Some of us walk in our calling, while some of us run from it. Some of us knew what our purpose was at an early age, while others had to be recre

Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood - the total cancellation of our sins - all because of the cascading riches of his grace. - Ephesians 1:7 (TPT). What does it mean to be redeemed? For some, being redeemed means to trade in a winning lottery ticket or mailing in a "proof of purchase" to receive a rebate. For others, redemption means a comeback story. An underdog who beats the favorite against all odds. But for the f

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. - Psalm 51:17 (NLT). Nothing says 'I'm sorry' more than a change in our actions. We can apologize a thousand times, but an apology is just words until it's met with a genuine change in the way we act and treat others. Personally, I've apologized more times than I can count. Sometimes the person accepts my apology, and other times they don't. But most of the time they've hear

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. - 2 Timothy 1:5 (NLT). Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, moms, and mamas out there! You deserve all the praise, honor, and love we can give you for all of the hard work you've put in that no one will ever truly know or understand. For the late nights when we were sick, the sacrifices that go unnoticed

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. - 2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT). Preach the word of God. Be prepared... The bound, bruised, and broken are all around us. In the workplace, at the grocery store, and sometimes, they're our loved ones at home. We may not all be called to be preachers, but we are all called to be evangelists. An "evangelist" is defined as a person who seeks

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; - Isaiah 54:2 (KJV). Let's imagine for a minute that our verse of the week isn't talking about a dwelling place. What if we applied this verse to our spiritual walk with the Lord? What if we started stretching our faith past the point of our normal routine and began "sparing not" in what we believe the Lord is capable of? It's

9 So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. 10 But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men. - 1 Samuel 30:9,10 (NLT). We all get tired. It's an unfortunate part of life. Our bodies have real, physical limitations that let us know we're only human. Limitations that cause anxiety, fear, loneliness, and exhaustion. The physical limitations we are all bound by have a way of influencing other pa