Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional September 11, 2026
He’s Still the Same God
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
I doubt there’s been a time in the history of America when the peoples of our nation didn’t know if or when death would rain down on them from the sky.
As I stood pumping gas at my local QT in O’Fallon, Missouri, I remember looking up to see if there were any airplanes in the sky. I wanted to be at home not at a gas station. I had been attending a meeting ten minutes earlier and learned that the World Trade Center had received a direct hit from an airplane and that our nation was under attack.
I had another meeting scheduled that morning. So, I drove to meet my associate at her home. She and I were to visit a physician about providing x-ray services for his patients. Kathy met me at the door weeping unconsolably and told me that her daughter and son-in-law lived in Manhattan and she could not get in touch with them.
The hours and days that followed were totally chaotic. No one knew if our nation was under attack. All air traffic was halted nationwide as we prepared for impending disaster and war. In short, the silence in the sky's was deafening.
President Bush stood atop the rubble at the towers and spoke encouraging words to our nation. That seemed to help everyone take a deep breath and regain some semblance of calm for a short time.
Twenty-five years is a long time, but it seems like it was only yesterday to those of us alive at that time.
Unless you have experienced this fear of war, the destruction of your nation, the instantaneous death of thousands of people in the blink of an eye or of friends and family ripped apart by sudden disaster there is no way to bring it home to roost in your mind's eye.
Today I can honestly say; I praise you God because you are faithful and will not tempt us above what we can stand.
Twenty-five years have passed, a mere blink of an eye to our God but I do know this. In times like those and times like these We Need a Savior.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional September 10, 2026
Mission Possible
1 Corinthians 1:8-10 NIV
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sometimes it seems that our daily sins and imperfections keep us from serving Jesus as we desire. Yet, throughout His word He tells us that He will keep us “firm” to the end. On that glorious day when we are called home or He returns for us, God will not say depart from me I never knew you instead He will say, “Well done my Good and faithful servant”!
Are you struggling with feeling inadequate at serving Christ? Does it seem that all your Christian friends are joyful and happy in their Christianity while you feel in the dumps much of the time?
You are not alone! Many Christians have convinced themselves that they need to be or do more for the Lord. I too have had feelings of inadequacy but have come to realize this too is a scheme by Satan to make me feel unworthy. Satan works at getting us into a self-centered mode again. We are, after all, still frail humans. However, here’s where the power struggle ends for him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Because we are living examples of Christ’s power to heal, change and use our weak human frailties as examples for other Christians and unbelievers alike. We, like Paul, go through daily spiritual struggles.
Ephesians 6:12 NIV
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Remember, this world is not our home. We are here for a reason and that reason is to show the love and redemptive power of Jesus Christ to change lives just as He has changed ours.
Hebrews 10:22 NIV
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today's Devotional September 9, 2026
It Ain’t Easy Being Green
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
I loved Kermit and Jim Hansen’s characters. Jim had a way of making life’s problems seem easier when seen through the eyes of his muppet-type characters.
Honestly, it’s not easy being a child of God with so many outside influences to disrupt and disturb us.
My devotional this morning involved looking at how I deal with God’s will and my commitment. Do I bring my every thought captive when making decisions? Truthfully, I do not do so on every occasion.
My current church project has many pieces to put into place. Not as difficult as a 3,000-piece puzzle but difficult none the least. When done successfully it will bring honor and glory to God and fulfillment to the hearts of our church ladies. It's just that sometimes I get into my own way as I piece the pieces together.
Our Lord’s every project, and move was in step with His Father’s will. He obeyed God and brought glory to His Father.
My question this morning to myself and all of you is; are we doing God’s work and obeying His will or are we “do it yourself Christian’s”?
Let’s explore!
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today's Devotional September 8, 2026
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-19 NIV
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The eleven disciples went eagerly to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. They went to worship Him and hear words of encouragement; however, some still doubted His resurrection even though they had already seen Him with their own eyes and heard Him with their own ears. They were, after all, human and had seen and heard many tricks from the seers of that age.
Jesus came and spoke with them and gave them “the great commission” to go and make disciples of every nation and to baptize them and teach them to obey everything He had commanded them.
Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest’s October 14”, devotional taught young ministers and missionaries that accepting a commission from God’s Son Jesus Christ, was a lifetime commitment.
I like the words of my Life Application Study Bible regarding our commission. It reads, “we are to go whether it is next door or to another country and make disciples. It is not an option, but a command to all who call Jesus’s Lord. We are not all evangelists in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts that we can use to help fulfill the Great Commission.”
We go with this knowledge and promise. That Jesus is with us always and will bless the seeds we sow.
Matthew 28:20 NIV
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional September 7, 2026
Leaky Valves
Psalm 123:2
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters……so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God
Oswald Chambers in his November 24th My Utmost for His Highest says; “This verse is a description of our entire reliance upon God. Just as the eyes of the servant are riveted on his master, so our eyes are up unto God, and our knowledge of His countenance is gained. Spiritual leakage begins when we cease to lift up our eyes unto Him.”
My Cardiologist has diagnosed me with a heart condition he called “leaky valves”. That simply means that the valves of my heart are not working as they were designed to work. This causes blood to flow back into the chamber that should have been empty which causes more stress on my heart and valve function than necessary.
There are times when Christian’s are their own worse enemy. I’ll call it the “leaky valve syndrome”. It occurs when they take their eyes off Christ and stumble around blindly disrupting their lives and the lives of others.
There are even some things done by them that cause others to question their relationship to God. After all we are new creations in Christ. Shouldn’t our lives promote that?
Whenever you find your thoughts and your life more focused on anything other than bringing glory to God and “you ignore the lifting up of your eyes to Him” God will “bring you to a sudden halt” and you “will realize you have been losing out.” Words of Oswald Chambers who says “whenever there is a leakage, remedy it immediately.”
Never let something come between you and God. There are too many idols in this world. Too many ways that Satan can tempt you to put your focus on worldly thoughts and opinions. All of which is designed to make your witness for Christ ineffective. You have become a leaky valve. Not functioning or acting as Christ intended.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional September 4, 2026
Because We’re His!
2 Timothy 3:1,12 NIV
3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted
Psalm 121:1-2 NIV
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Yesterday I listened to an upsetting story of how members of a certain Christian church were under intense pressure from Satan to disrupt the work that is being done for man’s salvation and God’s Glory. Church members and leaders in tears as Satan tried to destroy the work of God because he knows that his time is short.
2 Timothy 3 is God’s testimony of these end-time events. We can read for ourselves a picture of today’s world.
Be encouraged and of good cheer…God is not dead nor does He sleep. Psalm 121 (as in 1-2 above) in a few verses is a Psalm of encouragement given to David and all Christians by God’s Holy Spirit. It will lift even the most sorrowful of souls and bring the light of Jesus Christ to their darkened world.
Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest” September 4th devotional says, “the Holy Spirit expounds the nature of Jesus to me in order to make me one with my Lord…. our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him”
My dear Christian be of good cheer this day. We must give 100% of ourselves in “sovereign preference” to Jesus Christ. As the gospel hymn says, “He is Lord!”
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional September 3, 2026
Knowing God: His Perfect Timing
I was recently studying about Anna the Prophetess in John Macarthur’s “Twelve Extraordinary Women.” It occurred to me how God’s Holy Spirit causes people, places and things to happen just-in-time.
Luke 2:36-38 reads as follows:
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Anna had been praying and fasting for many long years, perhaps as many as 64, she had been fervently praying that Messiah would come. Now, He had come, He was born to a carpenter and his wife in the small unknown town of Bethlehem. Anna could tell everyone she would meet from that moment until she died that Messiah had come.
What occurred that day in the temple was exceptional.
John Macarthur in his book describes the temple in this way. “Herod’s temple was a massive building, and the temple complex was huge, surrounded by a courtyard with thousands of people milling around at almost any given time. Joseph and Mary did not know Simeon, but by God’s providence and through the sovereign direction of His Spirit, He had brought them together. At that very instant, just while Simeon was blessing the child…the Spirit of God providentially led this elderly woman to a place where she was within earshot”.
How often has this happened throughout the course of the history of creation? How often does it happen today? I would say, quite often, in fact I would say “it is the very way God’s Holy Spirit has operated in every way since the beginning of time. That is why there is no such thing as coincidence.”
Can you remember a time when you were operating on Holy Spirit Time? When some event occurred that “never in a million years” could happen to you but it did, “just-in-time”? Perhaps the event saved your life or a loved one’s life? Perhaps some unbelievable happening in your life or a total stranger’s life was caught on film and your only thought was, “no way that could ever happen?” That’s God’s Holy Spirit at work!
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Devotional September 2, 2026
The Love of God
John 11:35-36 NIV 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Refrain:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song!
This beautiful song has been sung by millions over the ages assuring them of God’s unwavering love.
John 11:1-44 tells the story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. It is a story of faith, love and hope. Lazarus became very sick unto death.
John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
They knew He could heal their brother. Yet Jesus tarried and arrived 4 days after their brother was in the grave.
When Jesus saw the grief Mary and Martha were going through because of the death of their brother. He was overcome with emotion Himself and as the Bible says in John 11:35 “Jesus wept”.
John the apostle in his writing of the Gospel of John stresses that we have a God who cares. Most of mankind thinks of God as being lofty and emotionless. Not so, He is compassionate, kind and loving. The writer of my NIV study Bible says; “we must never be afraid to reveal our true feelings to Him.” I will add that Jesus understands us perfectly having lived among us and seen and experienced our emotions firsthand for 30 years.
Jesus did indeed raise Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:41-44 NIV
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Every man, woman or child who believes in Jesus Christ, upon their physical death instantly steps into their heavenly home.
September 3rd Devotional.....Death where is Thy Sting
1 Corinthians 15:54-56
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Devotional September 1, 2026
Catastrophic Global Events
Floods in Nepal and Tibet
Human Impact
Entire communities have been wiped out, with morgues and hospitals in some areas running out of space. Survivors have been rescued from trees, rooftops, and submerged homes, and some have been reunited with family after long waits.
In summary: This is a massive cross-border disaster with thousands missing, hundreds dead, and rescue operations ongoing amid fears of renewed flooding. International aid and volunteer support are being considered to help with the search and relief.
In an instant they were gone.
These days I find myself drawn to thoughts of the unsaved. To global disasters natural and those made at the hands of mankind.
My heart is heavy thinking about the many opportunities given every living human being to know God.
Since God gave light to the universe and ultimately created man, He is whom we must thank for giving us the gift of life.
Sadly, there is a natural cycle of life to everything that exists on this crumbling planet. Just as there is a cycle of life from birth to death for man.
This week’s devotionals will focus on the enormity of God’s creation and love as told in His word, The Bible.
John 11:35-36 NIV 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
John 3:16-17 NIV
16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 31, 2026
Our Help Comes from Above
I will lift up mine eyes to the hills
From whence cometh my help
My help cometh from the Lord,
The Lord which made heaven and earth
One of the most soul stirring songs I’ve ever heard is the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of My Help.
My NIV Life Application Study Bible says this; “As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. Even when you don’t know the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays with and for you, and God answers. With God helping you pray, you don’t need to be afraid to come before Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you “in accordance with God’s will.” Then when you bring your requests to God, trust that He will always do what is best for you.
Sometimes God’s word is all that’s necessary to fill our hearts and emotions. I find in days like these Psalm 91 says what my written words cannot say.
Psalm 91 1-2, 14-16
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 28, 2026
GOD AMID YOUR PRAYER LIFE
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
No one ever said living life as a child of God would be easy. However, some of the happiest, most settled people I’ve ever met are Christians.
It’s true we all have our stories, our burdens, our challenges but we have a wonderful, kind, loving Father that we can turn to any second or any moment of the day or night.
I’ve had tragedies befall me throughout my long years of life that would bring anyone to their knees but through it all, as the song says, “I’ve learned to trust in Jesus.”
A little book called How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life by Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell was given to me by a friend who knew I was writing daily devotions. Dr. Frizzell writes, “a powerful prayer life is not just a discipline or ritual, it is your commitment to a personal relationship with God. From God’s perspective prayer is the expression of that which He desires most…your personal relationship of love, surrender and trust.
I have found that a strong emphasis is placed on new Christians to serve and work when the overwhelming emphasis should be on leading them to develop a solid prayer life express through a genuine love for God and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, the way to God’s heart is not servitude and soul winning it's having a genuine loving relationship with him 24/7. When we have that the servitude and soul winning will naturally follow.
Matthew 22:37 NIV
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 27, 2026
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV
ARE YOU EVER DISTURBED?
What a question! Life gives us those moments those A-ha moments when we find our lives totally disrupted.
Our lady's bible study group has been "in session" now for almost 15 years. We've shrunk from 6 to 4 but what a group of warriors.
Today we're faced with the loss of one of our foursome. Not to her being heaven bound but to her being Idaho bound.
Now what? Do we continue as a threesome? One of our members prefers to "dissolve" the group. Another is concerned that she may lose one of her best friends.
Oswald's devotional for August 26th seems to speak to life's disturbing moments. Not perfectly about our dilemma but still...Jesus says to us that His peace is the perfect peace.
Here's what "My Utmost for His Highest says;
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. — John 14:27
There are times when our sense of peace is based on ignorance. We may be filled with calm delight about the world, but only because our eyes are closed to its cruelties. When we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible—that is, unless we receive it from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, he makes peace; his words are forever Spirit and life (John 6:63). Have I ever received the peace of Jesus? It comes from looking into his face and realizing his undisturbed calm.
Are you painfully disturbed right now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission? Have you been examining your beliefs, searching them for a bit of peace and joy and comfort and finding none? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord. Reflected peace is proof that you are all right with God, because you are at liberty to turn your mind to him. If you aren’t right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, either you are disturbed or you have a false sense of security.
Are you looking to Jesus right now, in a matter that is urgently pressing, and receiving peace from him? If so, he will be a gracious blessing of peace in and through you. But try to worry it out and you will obliterate him from your life and deserve what you get. We become disturbed because we haven’t been considering Jesus Christ. When we turn to him, our perplexity vanishes, because he has no perplexity; our only concern then is to abide in him.
Bring all your troubles and worries to Jesus; lay them out before him. In the midst of difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, hear him say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 26, 2026
CAREGIVING A MISSION FROM GOD
Proverbs 3:5 ESV 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
As Christians it’s impossible to understand why we go through life dealing with specific issues. Why many of us become caregivers by chance and not by choice. However, I do know that God has given each of us a purpose and that purpose is about fulfilling his will for our lives and the lives of others. We are commissioned officers of the gospel of Jesus Christ and as such are ambassadors of His good will.
It's hard for those not chosen for this earthly task to understand the mental toll that caregiving takes on the men and women God has chosen for this important role. I've watched the stooped shoulders and careful smiles of my Christian brothers and sisters as hours turn into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months of their caregiving duties. Each one of them physically wearing the hurt of seeing their loved ones disappear physically and mentally.
The following scripture captures the essence of who we are since many of us are the only Jesus our ailing loved ones may ever personally know. We may even be the only ones to lift them up in prayer to our Heavenly Father.
2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Sometimes caregivers may feel stretched to the breaking point. Let them know that you care. It means so much to hear someone say, "I'm praying for you," or perhaps you might deliver a simple meal that could be just the thing to lift the heavy burden they carry.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 25, 2026
Focus on God’s Grace
Matthew 7:9-11 NIV
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
How exciting the visual messages, we get from God as we see him working in our daily lives. It’s the simple things we see that drive home a thought or idea that God expands into His word for the day.
This morning I watched my Doodle; Bentley, stand by the door in eager anticipation that his master would soon come out and make him breakfast. Bentley stood there quietly, happily wagging his tail knowing his master would soon satisfy his needs for breakfast as he had done many times in the past.
Watching Bentley made me think of our daily trusting relationship with God.
· Do we wait in eager anticipation for God to answer all our needs as we have asked and prayed? OR do we grumble and grouse because His timing is not our timing?
· Are we sure that God will fulfill His promises as He has done in the past? Or, do we forget to trust Him for everything we need physically, mentally and spiritually?
Today, we need to trust Him, waiting in eager Bentley like expectation and happiness. Knowing He will provide.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 24, 2026
Prayer is an Effort of Will
Matthew 6:6 KJV
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Sometimes a devotional is just too good to keep to myself. Today’s My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers struck a chord with me that I’d like to share.
Prayer, it seems, has been a universal problem of Christians throughout the ages. Even Jesus disciples had prayer issues. In the most difficult of times just hours before Jesus was arrested and sentenced to be crucified, He asked His disciples to pray and what did they do….they fell asleep not once but three times.
OC says this regarding Matthew 6:6 our verse for today. “After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on wilful prayer.”
I cannot tell you how many evenings when it’s my prayer time that I struggle to “shut the door” to my thoughts and concentrate on spending time with God. This is my private time when I share prayer requests and give thanks for my day and thank God for His many blessings. Of course, at many other times during the day, I also offer up prayers. Especially when I’m driving on the 10 in Phoenix.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "Pray without ceasing"
How then do we pray without ceasing? OC offers this suggestion in his August 23rd devotional. “Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.”
Be an ambassador for Christ or as Pastor Jack Hibbs said this morning, “an influencer, a martyr.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 21, 2026
Moved by God’s Holy Spirit: A 2023 Reflection
Psalm 23:1 ESV
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
David described the Lord as a shepherd from his experience caring for sheep. Sheep depend entirely on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. We are His sheep…not frightened, passive animals, but obedient followers of one who will lead us in the right places and right ways.
When The Lord has plans for us, His Holy Spirit leads and guides us, sometimes despite our humanness.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic, I have been without a church home. My previous home for years was with a beautiful congregation in Glendale, Arizona. What a blessing those years were to me. A minister and his family with more than 25 years’ experience at the church and a choir director with the same passion for serving our Lord who had been there for the same number of years.
I was delighted to be part of a choir and orchestra that praised Our Lord weekly and provided special cantata music for the Christian Holidays. I never dreamed of experiencing the incredible thrill of a rising crescendo of worshiping God in spirit and song as I had during those years in Glendale.
Living 30 miles away and driving heavily traveled interstates became a bit much after Covid-19, so I sought a church closer to my home in the western suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. I still participated in choirs with several local churches during Holiday celebrations and was part of two ladies' Bible study groups. But I felt a strong need to be part of “the family of God” in a local church body.
A longtime member of one of the Wednesday Bible study groups invited me to a church she and her husband had recently discovered that was practically in their backyard! They were encouraged by the warm, loving care of the pastor and church family and asked me to check it out.
Arriving at a “coffee and cookie” time between Sunday Morning Bible Study and Sunday Service, I was greeted by many friendly, smiling members who welcomed me as though they’d known me for years. I decided the fellowship they extended was the warmest I’d know at any church I’d ever attended. So, I kept going back to learn more about the church and hear messages from their pastor.
As the months passed, I decided there were two church families I was considering for my new home. That was the easy part. Knowing where I wanted to serve was a more difficult thing. LC’s church had so many activities I could probably spend 24-7 being involved in God’s work. At my age, there weren’t enough hours in a day for that intensity of serving. It was, however, food for thought.
Sunday, October 8th, 2023, was like any other Sunday. Pastor Kirby’s message was titled “Trust Jesus When the Trials of Life Come,” based on Hebrews 2:17-18 and Hebrews 4:15-16. Having gone through a year that could only be described as "Job-like,” his message resonated with me.
Pastor Kirby always gives an altar call at the end of his message for those who wish to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ or want to join the congregation. Like every Sunday I had attended, I stood to sing the closing hymn and suddenly felt compelled to join this body of believers. It was as if my body was on remote control, and I had no choice but to obey.
This being “moved by the Spirit” the first time resulted in 12 beautiful years serving Him at a local assisted living center. I have no idea what The Lord has in store for me at FBCSCW, but just as I followed the Holy Spirit’s request to ask about a Bible study more than 12 years ago. I know He has plans for this next step in my Christian experience.
Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion, He understood. All I had to offer Him was loneliness and strife, but He made something beautiful of my life.
Bill Gaither
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today’s Devotional August 20, 2026
Wisdom from Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest”
Belief is a Holy Spirit Miracle
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NIV
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest abilities. When he says that he didn’t use “wise and persuasive words” in delivering the gospel, he isn’t speaking out of self-deprecating humility. He’s saying that if he’d tried to impress people with his talent when he preached the gospel, he would have veiled the power of God. Paul knew that belief in Jesus is a miracle produced by the redemption—by the sheer, unaided power of God—not by making fancy speeches.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow Paul’s example. If we are going to preach the gospel, we must practice a special kind of fasting—not from food but rather from eloquence and impressive diction, from everything that might hinder the word of God coming through us to reach others. The power of the redemption does flow through the preaching of the gospel, but we have to recognize that this power is never due to the personality or the eloquence of the preacher.
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Preachers are representatives of God. We are commissioned to present his gospel, not human ideals. If it’s only because of my charisma that people desire to be better, they’ll never get anywhere near Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching will end in making me a traitor to Jesus, because I will prevent the creative power of his redemption from doing its work. “And I,” said Jesus, “when I am lifted up . . . will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today's Devotional August 19, 2026
Biblical Understanding
Psalm 119:104-106 NIV
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
The importance of daily bible study cannot be underestimated. It is as vitally necessary to our spiritual life as food and water to our physical wellbeing.
A well-known minister expounded on this during his message last Sunday. His words were, in effect to never go a day without reading and applying God’s word to our lives.
As our world becomes more and more tumultuous we need to cling to God’s precepts and wisdom.
A wonderful hymn goes as follows:
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
When I feel afraid and I think I've lost my way
Still, you're there right beside me, nothing will I fear
As long as You are near, please be near me to the end
Amen and Amen
Messenger Moments
Today's Devotional August 17, 2026
ANSWERING THE CALL OF GOD
Sufficient Only in Christ, from an interview with John Piper.
"There are no perfect missionaries. There are folds and contours of my heart where hidden things lie, I know. Cleanse me from hidden faults. Help me to love you more than money. Help me to be real and sincere. Help me to speak your word. Help me to fear no man. Help me to get all I need from being in Christ."
A WORD OF TESTIMONY
Twenty-two years ago, a lovely friend and Bible Teacher asked me to teach a senior ladies' bible class at our church in Harvester, Mo. It was the beginning of my call to minister the word of God.
The call to minister is exciting, wonderful, and frightening, all experienced simultaneously. It is an honor to know someone like my Christian friend Earlene believed that I could make the scriptures come alive in everyday ways that the ladies of our church could understand.
Our Bible has survived thousands of years and is still the number one best-selling book in the world. I believe its survival is twofold, #1, because the words and message are as relevant today as they were when they were written thousands of years ago, and #2, It is the inspired Word of God and will never be abolished by Satan or man.
To me, our Bible is a book of instruction on the perfect way to live our lives. However, being human, we can only ask God to lead us as we live, learn, and experience each day the “how” of being called to minister God's word as His child.
James 3:1 shows that this call is a grave responsibility and should not be taken lightly, while 2 Timothy shows that this calling to teach requires much study and preparation.
James 3:1-2 NIV
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
There is no rhyme or reason as to whom God chooses to use as His minister to a lost and dying world. From the day we became a speck in our mother’s womb God has formed our spiritual personalities. This is despite Satan’s misleading us at every turn.
I thank God that He continued to pursue me when I turned from Him and fled into a world of sin and denied my adoption into His family. To this day I remember how that pursuit almost cost me my sanity. Yet, praise God, He healed and forgave me and put me on the path where He could use me to teach others of His marvelous grace.
Amen and Amen
Tomorrow: Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Messenger Moments
God's Plan for Your Life
We All Have One!
We are not on earth at this time and place in history by accident. No matter the circumstances of our conception or birth, we are neither unplanned nor unexpected. God knew about us before time began.
Psalm 139:14-16 NIV says I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
My question is this, how do you fit into God’s Plan? What special place in history do you occupy?
Look closely at all of history or read and consider God’s word The Holy Bible. Each person was important in that particular place in time. Each person had a purpose. Some were of greater significance than others, yet each one fulfilled his or her God given purpose. No one made by God was more important than another, but each one was of value.
Genesis 1:27-28 ESV says So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Acts 17:26 NIV says 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
My point in asking these questions and offering these scriptures up as evidence of God’s purpose for each one of us is this. We are living in the end times; God is pouring out His spirit on the earth. Time is short! A time is coming when there will be chaos in the world as has never been seen before. God is sending out His Holy Spirit and reapers to harvest souls before He signals the final battle with Satan.
The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit
Joel 2:28 ESV
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Transformiran.com writes;
In recent years, Iran has witnessed a remarkable spiritual revival, particularly among converts from Islam to Christianity. This movement is largely underground due to the Islamic Republic’s strict laws against apostasy, which can result in imprisonment, torture, or even execution for those embracing Christianity. Estimates suggest that 300,000 to 370,000 Christians now worship in secret house churches, meeting discreetly to study Scripture and share the Gospel. Despite the risks, the movement continues to expand, fueled by personal experiences, dreams, visions and digital ministry platforms.
Acts 17:26 NIV says
26 From one man (Adam) he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
John 3:17 NIV says 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Yes, Jesus paid the blood sacrifice for our sin on a rugged wooden cross thousands of years ago. He paid it for you, me and everyone throughout humanity. Jesus Christ is in the sheep business. He is the Good Shepherd that watches over us 24-27 from our first breath to last.
Matthew 18:12-14 ESV says 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Open the door, invite Him in. He endured scourging, beating, harassment and belittling for you and me. Tell Him you’re sorry for the mess you’ve made of the life He gave you. He understands, He’s patient, He loves you!
Amen and Amen