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Walking with Jesus — When the Conditions Are Not Perfect“But there are some things that you cannot be sure of. You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops.” — Ecclesiastes 11:4There are some things in life we simply cannot know beforehand.We can pray, seek godly counsel, study the situation, and make the best preparations possible—but eventually, we must take the next step. If we insist upon perfect conditions and absolute certainty, we may never move at all.Fear has a way of disguising itself as wisdom.We tell ourselves, “I’m waiting for the right time,” when the truth is that we are afraid of failing. We say, “I need to pray about it a little longer,” when God may have already made the next act of obedience clear.There is certainly a time to wait upon the Lord. But waiting upon God is not the same as hiding from responsibility. Sometimes faith means standing still, and sometimes faith means putting the seed into uncertain ground.Scripture is filled with people who felt inadequate for what God placed before them.Moses said he was not an eloquent speaker.Gideon said his clan was the weakest and that he was the least in his family.Jeremiah said he was too young.Abraham looked at his age and wondered how God’s promise could possibly be fulfilled.God did not use these people because they were fearless, fully prepared, or naturally qualified. He used them because, despite their questions and weaknesses, they eventually obeyed Him.Faith does not mean that every plan we make will succeed. It does not guarantee that every door will open or that every seed will produce the harvest we imagined. Faith means obeying God and trusting Him with the results.By almost any worldly measure, our ministry of more than twenty years could be called a failure. We have not built a large organization, gathered a great following, or achieved the kind of visible success the world celebrates. Yet we continue walking, serving, praying, and sowing seeds, trusting that God’s will is being done—even when we cannot see the harvest.I have learned that faithfulness cannot always be measured by numbers. We may never know on this side of eternity where every seed landed, whose heart was touched, or how God used a prayer, a message, or a quiet act of service. Our responsibility is to sow faithfully. The harvest belongs to God.That is an important distinction.We do not step forward because we believe in ourselves. We step forward because we believe in God. Our confidence is not that we cannot fail, but that God will remain faithful whether the outcome looks like success, disappointment, redirection, or something we do not yet understand.Perhaps you have been waiting for the clouds to disappear before planting what God has placed in your hand. Perhaps fear of failure has kept you from beginning, speaking, serving, forgiving, or making a necessary change.Do not confuse perfect conditions with God’s permission.If the Lord has made the next step clear, take it. Plant the seed. Make the call. Begin the work. Speak the truth. Offer your service.You do not need to know everything that lies ahead. You only need enough light to take the next faithful step. In His loveray &amp; anne

Walking with Jesus — When the Conditions Are Not Perfect

Walking with Jesus — The Holy Spirit Does Not Draw Attention to Himself“He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” — John 16:14We accept by faith that there is a God. We receive Jesus Christ as our Savior by faith. Yet when it comes to the Holy Spirit, many seem unwilling to believe He is present unless they see a sign, experience a sensation, or witness some unusual manifestation.Why do we trust the promise of God concerning salvation but demand visible proof concerning the Holy Spirit?Scripture tells us that those who belong to Christ have the Spirit of Christ. We do not receive Him because we worked ourselves into an emotional state or produced the right outward response. We receive Him because God has promised to give His Spirit to those who belong to His Son.The Holy Spirit does not come to draw attention to Himself. He comes to glorify Jesus.Jesus said the Spirit would testify about Him, guide His followers into truth, remind them of His words, and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit never separates Himself from the Father, the Son, or the Word of God.Where the Holy Spirit is truly at work, Jesus becomes the center.This does not mean that signs, wonders, and spiritual gifts are not biblical. God is sovereign, and He may work in extraordinary ways whenever and however He chooses. The book of Acts records many undeniable demonstrations of His power.But signs and wonders were never given to replace faith, overshadow Jesus, or provide a stage for human personalities. They confirmed the truth of the Gospel and pointed people toward Christ.Today, however, there can be an unhealthy obsession with manifestations. Nearly every emotional reaction, unusual movement, unexplained sound, or dramatic occurrence is immediately credited to the Holy Spirit. To question any of it is sometimes treated as questioning God Himself.But Scripture does not command us to accept everything that carries a spiritual label. It tells us to test the spirits, prove all things, and hold fast to what is good.Not everything supernatural is from God. Not everything emotional is spiritual. Not everything done in a church building is the work of the Holy Spirit.The question is not simply, “Did something unusual happen?”The questions should be: Was Jesus glorified? Was the Word honored? Were people convicted of sin? Was truth proclaimed? Did repentance follow? Were lives changed? Did the experience produce humility and obedience—or did it merely draw attention to a person, a ministry, or the manifestation itself?A person may fall to the floor and rise again unchanged. Someone may shout, shake, cry, laugh, or speak of a powerful experience while continuing to live in pride, bitterness, dishonesty, and rebellion.An experience may be sincere and still be misunderstood. Sincerity is not the final test. The Word of God is.The greatest evidence of the Holy Spirit is not what happens around us for a few minutes during a church service. It is what He produces within us over a lifetime.“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” — Galatians 5:22–23The true sign and wonder is a life made new through Jesus Christ.It is the proud person learning humility. It is the bitter person choosing forgiveness. It is the dishonest person beginning to walk in truth. It is the selfish person becoming a servant. It is the person once ruled by sin learning to live in obedience to Christ.That is not as sensational as a public display, but it is supernatural.We must also guard against going to the opposite extreme. The misuse of spiritual gifts does not give us permission to deny the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us not to quench the Spirit, but in the same passage, it also tells us to test everything.That is the balance we need.Do not manufacture signs. Do not chase manifestations. Do not mistake emotional excitement for spiritual maturity. But do not place God inside a box and tell Him what He can or cannot do.Seek Jesus. Remain grounded in His Word. Walk in obedience. Trust the Holy Spirit to reveal His presence as He chooses.The Holy Spirit does not enter the room saying, “Look at Me.”He works within our hearts, always saying, “Look to Jesus.”Let us prayDear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit. Give me discernment to recognize what is truly from You and courage to reject what is false, manufactured, or contrary to Your Word. Keep me from chasing experiences when I should be following Jesus. May the fruit of the Spirit be evident in my life, and may everything I say and do bring glory to Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Holy Spirit Does Not Draw Attention to Himself

Walking with Jesus — The Sleepless Nights “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.” — Psalm 127:2Anne can fall asleep in less than two minutes. Meanwhile, I lie beside her, trying to figure out how we are going to handle everything on our plate.When I ask how she can possibly sleep with so much going on, she replies, the Word says, “The sleep of the righteous is sweet.”Well, that is comforting—for her.I have searched the Scriptures, but I still haven’t found anything about the guy sleeping next to the righteous one.But seriously, sleepless nights can be lonely. The house grows quiet, yet our thoughts seem to grow louder. We calculate bills, replay conversations, worry about people we love, and wrestle with circumstances that will not be resolved before morning, no matter how many times we turn them over in our minds.I know what it means to carry responsibility. I also know how easily caring about something becomes trying to control everything. Somewhere along the way, “I need to do my part” becomes “Everything depends on me.”It does not. But that truth can be harder to remember at two in the morning, when the people I am praying for seem to run on an endless loop through my mind.On Sunday, I reminded someone that I was still praying for the nephew they had asked me to pray for six months ago. When I tell you I am praying for someone, I mean it. Those concerns do not disappear when the conversation ends or when the lights go out.But I am learning that faithfully praying for someone does not mean I must carry the weight of the outcome. I can keep bringing them before the Lord without taking His responsibility upon myself.Psalm 127 reminds us that our work depends upon the Lord. Before speaking about sleep, the psalmist tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.The builders still build. The guards still watch. Faith does not excuse us from responsibility, but it reminds us that our efforts cannot take the place of God.Neither can our worrying.This passage is not a rebuke to everyone who struggles to sleep, nor is a sleepless night evidence that God loves us less. Faithful people have restless nights, too. Sometimes we bring our burdens to the Lord and still lie awake. He has not abandoned us in those hours.There is something especially tender about this psalm’s association with Solomon. In 2 Samuel 12:24–25, we learn that the Lord loved Solomon and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, meaning “loved by the Lord.”Before Solomon built the temple, ruled a kingdom, or became known for wisdom, he was loved.That is worth remembering when I am lying awake with tears in my eyes. I have shed more than I could count, worrying about what remains undone and measuring my worth by what I have—or have not—accomplished. But God’s love is not a wage I earn by exhausting myself. I can stop working for the night without stepping outside His care.I am still learning this. Anne apparently has the nighttime portion of the lesson down considerably better than I do.But tonight, instead of rehearsing every possible outcome, I can name my concerns before the Lord, ask Him what is mine to do tomorrow, and entrust to Him what I cannot control. If the worries return, I can bring them to Him again.And if sleep is slow to come, I can remember that I am not alone in the darkness.The One who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps. We do not have to stay awake to help Him keep watch.Let us prayDear Heavenly Father, You know what keeps me awake—the people I love, the responsibilities I carry, and the things I cannot fix. Help me do faithfully what You have given me to do, without trying to carry what belongs in Your hands. Quiet my anxious thoughts and grant me rest. When sleep does not come easily, remind me that You are near and that I am loved. Thank You that Your care does not end when my strength does.In Jesus’ name, amen.The Lord be with you. In His love, ray &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Walking with Jesus — The Sleepless Nights

Walking with Jesus: No Other Gods—Including Ourselves “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” — Exodus 20:3 (KJV)Last night, a thought settled on my heart: God’s command to have no other gods before Him includes us. Our desires, our opinions, our feelings, and even our plans for ministry must bow before Him. We cannot confess that Jesus is Lord while insisting that we remain in charge.It is easy to recognize an idol sitting on a shelf. It takes more honesty to recognize the place we have given ourselves in our own hearts. Self can become an idol whenever we make our preferences the authority, measure God’s goodness by whether we get our way, or expect His Word to agree with us before we will obey it.And sometimes, we dress that up in spiritual language.We speak of “manifesting” God’s presence as though His power were ours to direct. But God is sovereign. His presence cannot be manufactured by our emotions, summoned by a formula, or placed under our control. We depend upon Him for every breath; He does not depend upon us to make Him present.What we can do is surrender. Through the work of His Holy Spirit, God makes His character and love visible in lives yielded to Him. Our obedience does not purchase His presence or earn His grace. It is our response to the grace we have already received.John the Baptist understood his place when he said, *“He must increase, but I must decrease”* (John 3:30, KJV). His calling was to point people to Christ. That is our calling, too.People should be able to see something of Jesus in the way we forgive, tell the truth, serve without recognition, and love those who have nothing to offer us in return. A surrendered life gives others reason to look beyond us to the Savior we serve.That surrender becomes especially real when obedience costs us something. It may mean releasing an offense we have held for years, admitting that we were wrong, or accepting an assignment that receives little attention. We discover how tightly we hold the reins when God asks us to let go.Be wary of those who teach that we are “little gods.” Being created in God’s image does not make us gods, and being indwelt by His Spirit does not give us His sovereignty. We are His children, dependent upon His grace and subject to His authority. Any teaching that elevates us toward God’s throne should send us back to His Word. Jesus taught us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. There is no room in that calling for making a god of ourselves.I need this reminder myself. Years of faith and ministry do not remove the daily need to bow before the Lord. Every day brings another opportunity to pray, “Father, Your will be done,” and then live as though we mean it.God’s command leaves no room for exceptions: no other gods before Him—including the person looking back at us in the mirror.Father, search my heart and reveal where I have placed myself before You. Forgive me for asking You to bless what I have refused to surrender. By Your Spirit, teach me to obey Your Word, trust Your wisdom, and serve with humility. May others see the love and character of Jesus through the way I live. You alone are God. Help me live in faithful surrender to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.The Lord be with you.In His loveray

Walking with Jesus: No Other Gods—Including Ourselves

Christ Centered in a Selfie-Centered World“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30In 1746, Jonathan Edwards wrote Religious Affections to help the Church distinguish between genuine spiritual life and its counterfeits. He was not writing primarily to atheists or skeptics. He was addressing churchgoers—people who participated in revival, spoke openly about God and claimed powerful spiritual experiences.Edwards recognized a dangerous distinction: The false Christian delights chiefly in his own experiences, while the true Christian delights in the Lord.That warning reads as though it were written for 2026.We are living in a time when many people have made themselves the heroes of their spiritual stories. Instead of examining their feelings by the Word of God, they examine the Word of God by their feelings. Scripture is accepted when it affirms them, reinterpreted when it confronts them and ignored when it requires something from them.The Bible warns us why this is so dangerous:“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” — Jeremiah 17:9Our feelings may be sincere and still be wrong. Our experiences may be powerful and still be misleading. Even spiritual language can disguise pride, self-promotion and disobedience. Both 2 Peter 2 and Jude warn that counterfeit faith can exist among God’s people, using the language of truth while quietly turning attention away from Christ.True Christians talk much about God; false believers are great talkers about themselves.Delighting in God, Not OurselvesTrue spiritual affection begins with the beauty and worthiness of God. The Christian’s joy is anchored in who God is—not merely in how God makes us feel.“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.” — Psalm 115:1John the Baptist expressed the heart of genuine faith when he said:“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30The true believer speaks much of Christ, delights in Christ and gives glory to Christ. He does not need to be seen, applauded or recognized. He is content to stand behind the cross so that others may see Jesus.That is the foundation of genuine faith: not delight in ourselves, but delight in God.When Experience Becomes an IdolReligious experiences are not necessarily evidence of spiritual maturity. Emotion can accompany a genuine work of God, but emotion alone proves nothing.Edwards warned that counterfeit faith can resemble a castle built in the air—impressive in appearance, soaring with emotion, yet lacking a solid foundation. It may be built on imagination, self-love, pride, excitement, and the desire to feel spiritually important.We see this danger throughout the Church today:- “My truth” replaces God’s truth. - Testimonies become autobiographies. - Personal platforms overshadow the pulpit. - Emotional intensity is mistaken for holiness. - Visibility is mistaken for spiritual authority. - Self-expression replaces self-denial.There is nothing wrong with telling what God has done in our lives. Scripture repeatedly calls us to testify of His goodness. But the purpose of a testimony is to glorify the One who saved us—not to glorify the person telling it.When my experience, my feelings, my calling, my platform and my story become the center, Christ is pushed toward the margins.Who Receives the Glory?Here is a sobering test: When we tell our spiritual story, who receives the glory?The genuine work of the Holy Spirit does not leave us impressed with ourselves. It humbles us before God, makes Christ increasingly precious, draws us into Scripture and produces a growing desire to obey Him.True faith says:Look at Christ. Look at His grace. Look at His mercy. Look at what He has done. Look at the cross. Self-centered faith says:Look at my experience. Look at my insight. Look at my influence. Look at my suffering. Look at me. The true work of the Spirit does not make us obsessed with our own story. It makes us devoted to His.The Question We Must AskThe answer is not to reject emotion, but to refuse to be ruled by it. We do not silence our experiences; we submit them to the will of God. We do not deny our feelings; we examine them beneath the light of Scripture.The most important questions are not:Have I experienced something powerful? Have I felt close to God? Have I received attention for my testimony? Have I seen dreams or visions?The question is:Has Christ become precious to me?When Christ is precious, self begins to fade.When Christ is central, pride begins to die.When Christ is exalted, the heart becomes anchored.And when Christ is the hero, our story finally points people toward the truth.Let us prayerDear Heavenly Father, search my heart and reveal every place where pride, emotion or self-interest has taken the place that belongs to You. Forgive me when I have spoken more about myself than about Your Son. Teach me to examine my feelings by Your Word and to seek Your glory above my own. May Christ increase in my life, and may I willingly decrease. Let everything I say, everything I do and every testimony I share point others toward Jesus. Not unto me, Lord, but unto Your name be the glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Christ Centered in a Selfie-Centered World

Walking with Jesus: When 3:16 Became Personal “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16 Today, we will lay my little sister Joyce to rest.Yesterday, her children reminded me that Joyce drew her final breath at 3:16. And today, as our family gathers to mourn, those numbers lead my heart to the most familiar—and perhaps the most precious—promise in all of Scripture: John 3:16.I will not pretend to understand the timing of every moment or the mystery of God’s ways. But I know the truth contained in that verse. God loved us enough to give His Son so that death would not have the final word.Cancer may have taken Joyce’s strength. It may have weakened her body and finally stopped her breathing—but it could not separate her from the love of God. It could not erase the joy she brought into our lives, extinguish the light she shared, or destroy the memories now carried by everyone who loved her.Most importantly, cancer could not overcome the promise of eternal life.John 3:16 does not tell us that believers will never face death. It tells us that death is not the end. Because Jesus died and rose again, the grave is no longer our final destination. For those who believe in Him, the last breath taken here becomes the first breath of eternity.Today, 3:16 is more than a time on a clock for our family. It points us toward the love of God—a love strong enough to enter our suffering, deep enough to carry us through grief, and everlasting enough to reunite all who belong to Christ.Today, there will be tears. There should be. Grief is the price we pay for having loved someone deeply. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We grieve while holding tightly to the promise that Joyce’s story did not end at 3:16.Her last breath was not the end of her life. It was the end of cancer, the end of pain, and the end of suffering.For God so loved Joyce.For God so loved me.For God so loved you.He gave His Son so that death would never have the final word.Let us prayDear Heavenly Father, today, as we lay Joyce to rest, our hearts are heavy with sorrow. We thank You for her life, her laughter, her love, and every memory she left with us.When grief overwhelms us, lead us back to the promise of John 3:16. Remind us that You loved us enough to give Your only Son so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life.Thank You that cancer no longer has any claim upon Joyce. Thank You that her pain and suffering are over. Comfort her children, our father, her siblings, and every family member and friend who mourns today.Give us strength for this difficult day. Hold us together when words fail and tears come. Help us trust what we cannot yet see and rest in the assurance that death has been defeated through Jesus Christ.Until the day when faith becomes sight and we are reunited in Your presence, keep us close to You and close to one another.In the precious name of Jesus,Amen. Walking with JesusToday, we mourn—but not without hope. At 3:16, Joyce left the suffering of this world behind. And through the promise of John 3:16, we are reminded that because of Jesus, death is not goodbye forever.It is only goodbye for now.