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Walking with Jesus: Spiritual DehydrationIt is hot outside today, the kind of heat that reminds you very quickly how much the body needs water. You can ignore thirst for a little while, but not forever. Sooner or later, dehydration begins to show. Strength fades. Focus slips. The body starts warning you that something essential is missing.The same thing happens spiritually.I have been thinking lately about how many of God’s people are suffering from spiritual dehydration. Not because Jesus has failed them. Not because the Living Water has stopped flowing. But because too many have gone too long without drinking deeply from the well.We are busy, tired, distracted, burdened, and stretched thin. We are trying to survive the week without enough time in the Word, without enough prayer, without enough praise, without enough worship, and without enough quiet fellowship with the Lord. Then we wonder why our souls feel dry.Jesus promised Living Water. He told the woman at the well that whoever drinks of the water He gives will never thirst again. That does not mean life will never be hard. It does not mean we will never walk through heat, pressure, grief, disappointment, or battle. It means we were never meant to face those things disconnected from Him.A fish out of water is a pitiful sight. It flips and flops, frantic and desperate, trying to survive in a place where it was never designed to live. The movement may be intense, but it is not life. It is panic. And if we are honest, that is what many believers look like during the week.We are flipping and flopping through life, reacting to everything, exhausted by everything, overwhelmed by everything, because we are trying to live outside the presence of God. We were created to walk with Him, abide in Him, draw from Him, and be refreshed by Him. When we neglect the Word, prayer, praise, and worship, we are like a fish out of water. We may still be moving, but we are not truly thriving.Spiritual dehydration does not always show up as rebellion. Sometimes it shows up as weariness. Sometimes it shows up as irritability.Sometimes it shows up as discouragement, anxiety, bitterness, impatience, or a quiet distance from God that we cannot quite explain.But the answer is not more frantic movement.The answer is to return to the water.Return to the Word. Return to prayer. Return to worship. Return to praise. Return to the presence of Jesus. He is not hiding the water from us. He is still inviting thirsty souls to come and drink.The world will keep turning up the heat. Life will keep bringing pressure.But Jesus still offers Living Water to every thirsty heart.So today, before we flip and flop our way through another dry week, let us come back to the well. Let us drink deeply from Christ. Let us stop trying to survive outside the place where our souls were made to live.Because the thirsty soul does not need more noise.It needs Jesus.

Walking with Jesus: Spiritual Dehydration

Leaves of Remembrance By ray mileurI pause to remember, and quietly give thanks.What I have found, I pray you will discover too.For every good thing I have been given belongs, in some way, to you — my children, my family, and those who come after.I imagine you years from now, looking back, searching through the glow of screens, scrolling through what I have left behind, wondering about the man you knew, or perhaps only heard stories of — the man once known for walking with Jesus.You may look for a name, a faded photograph, a line in a search result, or some small trace of who I was.But I hope you find more.I have left my heart in these words, waiting for you.Why do I share these thoughts in writing? Why do I leave them online? Why do I pour out my story, not knowing who may listen?Why do I scatter prayers, sermons, devotions, and reflections, not knowing who may one day receive them?It is not for applause. It is not for attention. It is not for the fleeting praise of strangers.It is for you — my children, my grandchildren, and those yet to be born.Look at the books, the websites, the scattered sermons, the daily devotions, the words left behind like leaves along the path.They are not just content.They are stones of remembrance, markers of my journey, signs along the road I walked, sometimes through wilderness, sometimes through shadow, but always toward the light.I want you to know that I walked with Jesus.Imperfectly, yes. Often stumbling. Often uncertain. Often needing grace more than I understood.But always with a sincere heart, turning again and again toward the One who never let me go.He carried me through low valleys and over hard mountains.He was faithful in my darkest nights. He heard me when I prayed. He lifted me when I fell. He saved even me — a small and ordinary soul.Before I go, I leave you this testimony:These words are breadcrumbs, a trail through the woods for you to follow.I am not entirely gone.I am just ahead of you, walking the same road, leaving a trail that leads you home.

Leaves of Remembrance

Walking with Jesus — Daily Devotion: Guard Your Heart “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23Solomon says, “Above all else,” because he understood something very important about life: the heart is like a spring, and everything downstream flows from it.What we allow into our hearts today will often show up in our words tomorrow, our attitudes next week, and our relationships down the road.If the spring of our heart is constantly being fed by worry, bitterness, offense, comparison, pride, and replayed hurts, then those things will eventually spill over into our lives. They will affect how we speak, how we serve, how we forgive, and how we treat one another. That is why we must guard our hearts.But guarding our hearts does not mean hardening our hearts. It does not mean shutting people out, refusing correction, or hiding from the world. It means paying attention to what we are allowing to take root inside us.This is especially important in the body of Christ.Satan would love nothing more than to use our differences to divide us. Different backgrounds. Different personalities. Different preferences. Different opinions. Different ways of seeing things. If we are not careful, the enemy can take small differences and turn them into deep division.But there is only one body of Christ.We may not always agree on every detail. We may not always see every issue the same way. But we belong to the same Lord, were saved by the same grace, washed by the same blood, filled by the same Spirit, and called to walk in the same love.That truth must matter more than our personal preferences.A guarded heart does not give the enemy room to plant bitterness. A guarded heart does not allow offense to become a permanent resident. A guarded heart refuses to let pride speak louder than love.When we fill our hearts with God’s Word, gratitude, prayer, humility, and truth, something begins to change. Patience appears where frustration once lived. Joy returns where bitterness had grown. Peace steadies what anxiety once shook. Love begins to cover what pride wanted to expose.So today, guard your heart.Start with God’s Word before the noise of the day gets loud. Turn complaints into prayers. Choose voices that build up instead of tear down. Refuse to let the enemy use differences to divide what Christ died to unite.Tend the spring.Everything downstream flows from there.Please guard your heart.In His love ray

Walking with Jesus —  Guard Your Heart

Sometimes people may wonder why I write the books, build the websites, post the devotions, share the sermons, and keep putting words out there when much of it may go unnoticed.The answer is simple.I am leaving something behind.Not for applause. Not for attention. Not because I think every word will be read today.I am doing it for my family — for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I want them to know what I believed, who I loved, and the Savior I tried to follow.If someday they wonder who I was, I hope they will find more than a name, a photograph, or a few memories. I hope they will find a record of a man who walked with Jesus, imperfectly but sincerely, and wanted those he loved to know the same Lord.My books, sermons, devotions, websites, and posts are not just content.They are stones of remembrance.They are a witness.They are my way of saying to the generations coming after me: Jesus was faithful. Jesus carried me. Jesus saved me. And Jesus is worth following.So if you ever wonder why I keep doing all of this, even when it seems like nobody notices, that is why.I am leaving a trail home.

I am Leaving a Trail Home

Walking with Jesus — Daily Devotion When Courage Is Required“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6Moses spoke these words to Joshua at a terrifying moment.Joshua was about to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. That sounds glorious now, but at the time, it meant stepping into enemy territory, facing uncertainty, and carrying the weight of leadership after Moses.Joshua was not a superhero. He was a man being asked to do something that must have felt far bigger than himself.And God knew that.That is why the command was not simply, “Do not be afraid.” The Lord said, “Be strong and courageous.” God knew fear would try to rise up in Joshua’s heart. He knew the road ahead would not be easy. He knew there would be battles, questions, and moments when Joshua would have to keep walking even when his hands were shaking.But God also gave Joshua the reason he could move forward:“The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”That is more than encouragement. That is a promise.God does not send His children into hard places alone and then watch from a distance. He goes with us. Into the battle. Into the unknown. Into the hospital room. Into the difficult conversation. Into the season we did not choose. Into whatever makes our hearts tremble.Courage is not the absence of fear.Courage is taking the next step while fear is still present, because we know we are not walking alone.There will be times in life when God calls us to step forward before we feel ready. There will be moments when obedience feels bigger than our strength. But the promise remains the same: He goes with us.You may not know what is ahead.You may not feel strong enough.You may not have every answer.But you have the presence of God.And that is enough.God is already in the place you are afraid to go.So be strong. Be courageous. Take the next step.You are not walking alone. Ask YourselfWhat situation in my life is requiring courage right now?Am I focusing more on what I fear or on the promise that God goes with me?What next step of faith do I need to take today? Prayer of the DayHeavenly Father,Thank You for the promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me.When fear rises in my heart, remind me that I do not walk alone. When the road ahead feels uncertain, help me trust that You are already there. Give me courage to take the next step, even when I do not feel strong.Teach me to depend on Your presence more than my own understanding. Help me remember that courage is not the absence of fear, but faith that keeps walking because You are with me.Lead me today, Lord. Strengthen my heart. Steady my steps.In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When Courage Is Required

I know fear.I have not just read about it, preached about it, or heard others describe it. I have tasted it. I have faced it on the streets, sometimes outnumbered, where the outcome did not unfold like some clean television cop show.I have seen fear in riots in Carbondale and Cairo, when the odds felt overwhelming and the danger was real. I have felt it in a burning building, barely escaping with the lives of two men in my arms. I have known it in the Marines, serving with an SRT and responding to calls of intruders at a top-secret facility, not knowing what might be waiting on the other side.Yes, I know fear.I have lived with it.But more importantly, I have lived with the God who has never forsaken me.That is the difference.Courage is not pretending fear does not exist. Courage is not acting like your hands never shake or your heart never races. Courage is knowing the fear is real, but trusting that God is more real.When Scripture says, “Be strong and courageous,” it does not mean we will never be afraid. It means we do not have to be ruled by fear. It means we can take the next step because the Lord our God goes with us.Looking back over my life, I can see dangerous moments, hard moments, and moments I would not want to relive. But I can also see the faithfulness of God through every one of them.He was there.He sustained me.He carried me.He never left me.So when I say God will never leave you nor forsake you, I am not saying it as a slogan. I am saying it as a man who has walked through fear and found God faithful on the other side.Fear may be real.But God is faithful.

Blog

Walking with Jesus: Spiritual Dehydration

Leaves of Remembrance

Walking with Jesus — Guard Your Heart

I am Leaving a Trail Home

When Courage Is Required

I know Fear