Blog

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.

I know Fear

Walking with Jesus — Convicted, Not Condemned “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1:8As Christians, we are not sinless.That may sound obvious, but it needs to be said plainly. We are saved by grace, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and made new in Christ, but we still live in flesh that must be surrendered daily.The difference is this: while Christians are not sinless, we should continue to sin less as we walk with Jesus.Spiritual growth does not mean we suddenly become perfect people who never stumble, struggle, or fall short. It means the Holy Spirit begins changing our desires, correcting our attitudes, exposing our sins, and shaping us more and more into the likeness of Christ.That process is called sanctification.The danger comes when we confuse conviction with condemnation.The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin because He loves us. Conviction is God’s mercy at work in our hearts. It says, “This is wrong. Come back to Me. Let Me cleanse this. Let Me heal this. Let Me lead you in a better way.”Condemnation, on the other hand, comes with shame, despair, and hopelessness. It says, “You are a failure. God is done with you. You will never change. You are too far gone.”That is not the voice of the Father.Romans 8:1 tells us clearly, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”No condemnation does not mean no correction. A loving Father corrects His children. But His correction is never meant to destroy us. It is meant to restore us.Some people today act as if admitting we are sinners somehow dishonors God. They boast as though they have arrived at some state of sinless perfection. But the Word of God tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”We are sinners saved by grace.That truth should not make us careless about sin. It should make us more grateful for mercy. Grace is not permission to keep living in rebellion. Grace is the power of God that teaches us to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.When the Holy Spirit points out sin in your life, do not run from Him. Run to Him.Do not mistake His conviction for rejection. Do not let the enemy use your failures to convince you that God has abandoned you. If you are in Christ, you are not condemned. You are being corrected, cleansed, strengthened, and changed.Walking with Jesus means we keep growing. We keep confessing. We keep repenting. We keep getting back up. We keep allowing the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ.We may not be sinless.But by the grace of God, we should be sinning less. In His name and love, raySee less

Walking with Jesus — Convicted, Not Condemned

THE CALL BUTTON - I stood in an ICU room beside a dear woman I have had the privilege of ministering to many times over the years.The doctors have said she may only have a few days left.As I held her hand and prayed, you could feel the peace of God settle over that room. It was one of those holy moments when words are few, but the presence of the Lord is unmistakable.Then something happened that I will not soon forget.I said Amen and held her hand and with her other hand, with what little strength she had, she reached for the call button beside her bed and pressed it. A moment later, a young nurse came into the room and gently asked what she needed.In a weak voice, this precious woman looked at her and said, “I want my pastor to pray for you.”There she was, lying in an ICU bed, facing the final stretch of her earthly journey, and her heart was still turned toward someone else.That is faith.That is love.That is what it looks like when Jesus has so filled a person’s heart that even in weakness, they are still thinking about how to bless another soul.I prayed for the nurse. I prayed for my dear friend. And I walked out of that room reminded once again that ministry does not always happen behind a pulpit.Sometimes it happens beside a hospital bed.Sometimes the strongest witness comes from the weakest body.And sometimes, a person with only a few days left teaches the rest of us how to live.Lord, give us hearts like that.

Blog

Walking with Jesus — Guard Your Heart

I am Leaving a Trail Home

When Courage Is Required

I know Fear

Walking with Jesus — Convicted, Not Condemned

The Call Button