February 27, 2025 Devo

Yesterday in my prayer walk, I thanked God for all the amazing opportunities He’s given me in my life. I thanked Him for the 44 years that He’s allowed me to serve in full-time ministry. I thanked Him for the incredible churches I’ve had the privilege of serving and the amazing staff I’ve been blessed to work with. I thanked Him for the privilege of speaking around the world. I thanked Him for giving me the opportunity to write devotionals and author books that are read by thousands. I thanked Him for all the lives I have been able to touch in His Name. As I walked and prayed, my eyes were filled with tears of unworthiness. I’ve lived a great life and been able to be a part of some amazing churches and ministries. But it’s all because of HIM.
Please hear my heart. This isn’t some false modesty. This is a heartfelt confession and testimony of God’s goodness. I’m just a gym rat who has been saved and called by God’s grace. I have struggled with arrogance and insecurity and failed God more times than I can count. Yet God, in His Mercy, has never left me. He has broken me, disciplined me, redeemed me, and restored me. But He never gave up on me. The greatest lesson in life I’ve learned is that “He is the Vine, and I am the branch. Apart from Him, I can do nothing.”
That’s why I resonate with David’s passage today. “You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed.” The victories I’ve won in my life and the successes I’ve had have been far beyond what my abilities, gifts, or faith would warrant. GOD has given the victories. GOD has brought the success. I’ve just ridden the coattails of God’s unfailing love for me.
Does this make sense to you? Any true “successes” we want to achieve in this life are not reachable by our own human strength. Great families, great ministries, great eternal impact in the world, great personal integrity and faithfulness—all of these things are not the result of human effort. They are the result of a Great God working in our very common lives. The world will tell you that if you want to do great things that you need to just believe in yourself. But that’s not true. You need to believe in a God who can do great things through you. Because God can turn even messes into miracles. That’s God’s Word for you today.