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A reminder, beginning May 1, I invite you to join me on a 31-day journey of faith through my devotional, *Walking with Jesus: 31 Days to a Closer Walk*. Before we begin, I wanted to take a moment to share the heart behind this devotional—why it was written, who it was written for, and my prayer for every reader who chooses to walk this road with me.This devotional is lovingly dedicated to Anne—my wife, my closest friend, and my steadfast partner in ministry—and to all who have grown weary on the road of faith. My prayer is that these pages remind you that you never walk alone. The same Savior who called you still walks beside you—steady in your steps and strength for your heart—one day at a time.I also want to acknowledge the Lord’s unfailing faithfulness. He is the true Author behind every word and the constant Companion on every step of this journey. I thank God for His grace, His mercy, and His presence that has sustained me through both mountaintops and valleys, through victories and questions, through seasons of joy and through nights of quiet wrestling in prayer.To my wife and dearest friend, Anne, and to my brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to walk this road with grace and courage—your steadfast faith strengthens and inspires me more than words can tell.I did not write these pages as an expert, but as a fellow traveler. This devotional was born out of my own walk with the Lord—a journey marked by both mountains and valleys, victories and questions. Along the way, I learned that the Christian life is less about pace and more about presence. We grow not by sprinting ahead, but by staying close to Jesus, one faithful step at a time.Each devotion began as a quiet conversation with God—often in the early morning hours, sometimes through tears, always with gratitude for His mercy that never runs dry. The truths found in these pages are simple, but they are truths that have carried me through seasons when faith had to become more than words—it had to become trust, surrender, and obedience.My prayer is that these 31 days will help you draw closer to the One who walks beside you—that you will rediscover His voice in Scripture, His peace in prayer, and His strength in the ordinary rhythm of your daily life.May every step you take remind you of this eternal truth: Jesus is not simply the destination—He is the road itself.Tomorrow, we stand at the threshold. On May 1, we begin the walk together—one day, one devotion, one step closer to Jesus. Before we begin, allow me this prayer for you:Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for every heart that opens these pages. May this devotional draw them closer to Your Son, Jesus Christ. As they read, let Your Spirit walk beside them—revealing truth, convicting hearts, and bringing peace to worried souls.Lord, let every word point not to the writer, but to the Savior. May each reader feel Your presence in quiet moments and find encouragement and courage to follow You faithfully through every valley and over every mountain.Bless their homes with Your love, guide their steps by Your wisdom, and strengthen their faith with endurance. May *Walking with Jesus* be more than words on a page—may it be a journey that transforms lives for Your glory.In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.Walk in faith, rest in grace, and trust the One who walks beside you. In His love and grace,ray mileurHelping believers walk closer to Jesus, one day at a time.

An Invitation to Our New  Series

Beginning May 1, I’ll be opening the pages of my book, Walking with Jesus: 31 Days to a Closer Walk, and for 31 straight days, I’ll be sharing one daily devotion with my readers.This is more than a book. It is a journey.Written for believers who long for more than a Sunday faith—more than routine religion—Walking with Jesus was written for those who truly desire a deeper, richer, closer walk with our Lord.Every chapter is built on the simple truth that Christianity is not about merely knowing about Jesus, but about walking with Him daily—through joy, through trials, through quiet moments of prayer, and through seasons when faith must carry us forward one step at a time.I’ve been humbled that readers have given this book a 5-star rating, not because of the writing itself, but because God has used its message to encourage hearts, strengthen faith, and draw believers closer to Christ.If your spirit has been hungry… If your prayer life has grown quiet… If your heart longs to walk nearer to Jesus…I invite you to join me beginning May 1.For 31 days, we will walk together.One devotion. One day at a time. One step closer to Jesus.Coming May 1 — Walking with Jesus: 31 Days to a Closer WalkI pray you’ll join me for the journey.— ray mileur

Coming May 1: Walking with Jesus - A 31 Day Devotional Series with Ray Mileur

I struggle with the desire for perfection. I have found myself standing outside the ICU or at the bedside of someone receiving end-of-life care, wishing I could find the right words to say, only in those crucial moments to have my mind go blank.In the midst of that panic, questioning why God would choose someone like me to be there, I have discovered freedom in letting go of the need for perfection and trusting in my perfect Lord and Savior, who goes ahead of me and walks with me.When we show up authentically—without pretense or performance—we model the love of Christ. It’s not about filling silence with answers; it’s about walking alongside others, just as Jesus did.People remember how we made them feel, rather than the exact words we said. Jesus didn’t rush around delivering polished sermons to His grieving friends. Instead, He wept at the tombs, broke bread with those who doubted, and sat beside those who were suffering.We don’t need to offer perfection; we only need to be willing to show up—imperfect and open, to share Christ's love, to discover the amazing things God can achieve when all we have to offer is a blank slate.

Why Presence Matters More Than Perfection

"Imagine if you will"Imagine, if you will, a small gathering in a simple community room.No stage lights. No giant screens. No smoke machine setting the mood. No pounding music shaking the walls. No polished production designed to entertain the crowd.Just a man dressed in black, in an old white cowboy hat standing with a worn, tattered Bible in his weathered hands.And for 45 minutes, he simply opens the Word of God and preaches it—plain, honest, and unashamed. No gimmicks. No showmanship. No carefully crafted performance. Just truth spoken in love.Then, when the preaching ends, nobody rushes for the parking lot.They stay. They kneel. They pray.For every minute spent preaching, another minute is spent praying—arms around shoulders, heads bowed, tears falling, burdens lifted.Anxiety is washed away by peace. Heavy hearts are made light. Broken people are comforted. Captives find freedom. Souls are refreshed in the presence of God.No celebrity pastor. No production team. No spectacle.Just the Word of God… and the power of prayer.Imagine that, if you will.No—you haven’t entered the Twilight Zone.You’ve just been to church.Maybe what the modern church needs is;Not more lights on the stage… but more light from His Word. Not more performance… but more prayer. Not more entertainment… but more encounter with the living God.Because when Jesus is truly in the room, He is enough.Every single time.In His love,ray

"Imagine if you will"

a scrabble block spelling the word mn, in front of a bouquet of

A Life that SpeaksThere is a quiet reality we don’t often say out loud:Christianity is rarely judged by its theology, it is judged by its people. We may proclaim truth with our words, defend it with conviction, and identify ourselves boldly as believers. But the world is not primarily listening to what we say. It is watching how we live.And what it sees matters more than we think.We live in a time where faith can easily become compartmentalized—a portion of the week, a habit of attendance, a box checked. A few hours offered to God, while the rest of life operates under a different set of instincts. In this way, a subtle divide forms: a moral life divorced from spiritual identity. We may still believe the right things, but those beliefs no longer consistently shape how we move through the ordinary moments of our lives.Yet it is precisely in those ordinary moments that our witness is most visible.Not in the pew, but in the grocery store.Not in the prayer we say aloud, but in the patience we extend when we are tired.Not in the label we claim, but in the way we treat the person who can offer us nothing in return.It is easy to assume that our small failures go unnoticed. But witness does not work like an average—it works like a memory. One harsh word, one dishonest moment, one visible contradiction can linger far longer than a hundred quiet acts of faithfulness. Like a single bad review among many good ones, it shapes perception in a way we cannot control once it leaves us.This is not meant to condemn, but to awaken.Because the truth is, our lives are always speaking. The question is not if we are witnessing, but what we are witnessing to.There is another quiet truth we must be willing to face:Many who walk away from the Church are not rejecting God as much as they are reacting to what they have experienced from His people. What is often called “church hurt” is not always a rejection of truth—but a response to its distortion.When faith is lived inconsistently—when love is preached but not practiced, when grace is spoken but not extended, when identity is claimed but not embodied—it creates confusion, and sometimes deep wounds. Not because the Gospel is lacking, but because it has been obscured.The early Christians were known by a simple observation from Tertullian: “See how they love one another.”That was their witness. That was their credibility.And so we have to ask ourselves—what are we known for?Because when our lives mirror the mercy, patience, and humility of Christ, they draw people in. But when they contradict Him, they can push people away—not from us alone, but from the very God we claim to represent.Yet even here, there is hope.As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “The Church is not a theater for saints, but a hospital for sinners.”Which means failure will exist—but it should never be where we settle. It should be where we begin again.And as St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote: “It is better to be a Christian without saying so, than to say so without being one.”In many faith traditions, belief is woven into the fabric of daily life—shaping rhythms, habits, and even the smallest decisions. It becomes difficult to separate what one believes from how one lives. And perhaps there is something to learn here: that faith was never meant to be contained. It was meant to permeate.Christianity, at its heart, is not merely a set of beliefs about Christ—it is an invitation to become a living reflection of Him. To embody patience, mercy, humility, and love in ways that make the invisible visible again.Most people will never open a Bible with the intention of understanding it deeply. But they will read us—carefully, subconsciously, and often critically.They will draw conclusions about Christ based on the tone of our voice, the consistency of our actions, and the integrity of our lives.This is the weight and the gift of witness.So today, the invitation is simple:Let your faith follow you into the unnoticed places. Let it shape the moments that feel too small to matter. Let there be no division between what you believe and how you live.Because somewhere, in a way you may never see, someone is forming an understanding of Christianity through you.And your life is speaking.

A Life that Speaks

There is a troubling drift in much of modern Christianity. Many have become so consumed with chasing what they believe is the moving of the Holy Spirit that they have lost sight of where the Holy Spirit is always pointing—Jesus Christ.Emotional experiences can be powerful. Music can stir the heart. Passionate preaching can move people. Crowds can generate excitement. Atmospheres can be carefully manufactured to create moments that feel spiritual. But feelings, no matter how intense, are not always evidence of the Spirit of God. Emotion can be manipulated. Experiences can be manufactured. The flesh can imitate what many mistake for the Spirit.The question we must ask is simple: *Does it glorify Christ?* Jesus Himself told us plainly concerning the Holy Spirit: *“He shall glorify Me”* (John 16:14). That is the Spirit’s work—to magnify Christ, exalt Christ, reveal Christ, and draw men and women to deeper worship, obedience, and surrender to Christ. The Holy Spirit does not seek the spotlight. He never points to Himself. He points to the Son.The late John MacArthur wrote in *Strange Fire*, “Show me a person obsessed with the Holy Spirit and His gifts, and I will show you a person not filled with the Holy Spirit. But show me a person focused on the person and work of Christ, and I will show you a person who is filled with the Spirit.”There is hard truth in that statement.A Spirit-filled believer is not obsessed with signs, wonders, emotional highs, or outward displays of spirituality. A Spirit-filled believer becomes increasingly captivated by Jesus—His Word, His holiness, His cross, His resurrection, His mercy, and His Lordship. The evidence of the Spirit is not merely excitement in a worship service, but transformation in everyday life. Greater humility. Deeper repentance. Stronger obedience. A growing hunger for Scripture. A heart that burns to know Christ more.The Holy Spirit is not given so we may chase experiences. He is given so we may become more like Jesus.Churches would do well to remember that noise is not revival. Emotion is not necessarily worship. Excitement is not always spiritual power. Manufactured moments may move crowds, but only the Holy Spirit can truly change hearts—and when He moves, Christ is lifted high.Stop chasing and start Walking with Jesus, keep your eyes fixed on Him. That is where the Spirit points. That is where true worship begins. That is where lasting transformation is found.*“He must increase, but I must decrease.”* — John 3:30 Walk in faith, rest in grace, and trust the One who walks beside you. In His love and grace,ray mileur Helping believers walk closer to Jesus, one day at a time.

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An Invitation to Our New Series

Coming May 1: Walking with Jesus - A 31 Day Devotional Se...

Why Presence Matters More Than Perfection

"Imagine if you will"

A Life that Speaks

The Holy Spirit Can Not Be Manipulated - Do Not Be Deceiv...