“Walking Through the Psalms”“Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.” – Psalm 5:7 (NLT)“God’s Welcome Mat of Love” God makes me worthy. Look in the mirror and say that out loud. Now say it again. It’s an important understanding. If you’re like me, there are lots of days that you know you’ve fallen short, not been the best version of y...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” – Psalm 5:3 (NLT)“Wait Expectantly” Is there anything better than grandkids? I hear a thousand voices saying, “No, there’s not!” (There’s also nothing more expensive or exhausting, but that’s a different story.) I don’t know what it is that gives them the ability to ...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.” – Psalm 4:7 (NLT)“There Is Nothing Better Than God!” When I read our passage today, I thought of the words from Brandon Lake’s song, “Graves Into Gardens.” The opening verse and chorus say, “I searched the world, but it couldn't fill me. Man's empty praise and treasures that fad...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.” – Psalm 4:5 (NLT)“It’s Not What, It’s How” Have you ever had your kids (or anyone) say the right thing but with the wrong tone of voice? Such as when you hear them say something they shouldn’t have said or done something they shouldn’t have done. You tell them to apologize, and they do. But their response of, “...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.” – Psalm 4:4 (NLT)“Control Your Anger or It Will Control You!” Several years ago, police were called to a home in Gary, IN, where there was a report of a domestic dispute. When police arrived, they discovered that the daughter had been the one to call and that it was more than just a si...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself.” – Psalm 4:2-3 (NLT)“Worry About Your Character, Not Your Reputation” A while back, someone told me something they heard someone else say about me that was not very flatterin...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” – Psalm 4:1 (NLT)“Head Games” “Don’t let them get in your head.” Have you ever heard that expression? It’s the idea that what gets your mind, gets YOU! And there is a lot of truth in it. Playing sports taught me a lot about mind games. Athletes ...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.” – Psalm 3:7-8 (NLT)“A Prayer for the Powerless” Have you ever felt powerless? Powerless to defend yourself or powerless to do anything about your situation? Or how about powerless to defend God? Maybe you’ve had...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.” – Psalm 3:5-6 (NLT)“A Nighttime Prayer” “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Did you ever pray that prayer as a kid? I did. It ...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.” – Psalm 3:4 (NLT)“God Hears” Trauma can sometimes have a numbing quality to it. It can skew our perceptions of reality. It has a way of magnifying our pain and fear and making the darkness absolutely blinding. That’s why we feel hopeless and helpless. It’s also why we feel so alone.David had to fight ...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.” – Psalm 3:3 (NLT)“Let Nothing Bring You Down!” What an incredibly powerful passage and promise today! This is a verse that many of you will want to write down and post on your refrigerator or keep at your desk. Read the verse again out loud, and let the hope and encouragement it...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, ‘God will never rescue him!’” – Psalm 3:1-2 (NLT)“Wars of the Heart” One of the things I love about the Psalms is how honest the psalmists are about their struggles and their feelings. I feel as if it gives me permission to be honest about mine as well. In Psalm 3 we find David on the run. As a...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“and they prosper in all they do.” – Psalm 1:3 (NLT)“The Turbo Boost of God’s Blessing!” One of the great outcomes of pursuing the presence of God is being endowed with the power of God. What the psalmist points out in our verse today is a principle that you see repeated over and over again throughout God’s Word. God blesses His People who walk with Him.Abram followed G...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“They are like trees planted along the riverbank…Their leaves never wither” – Psalm 1:3 (NLT)“Stay Watered and You Won’t Wither” When my family and I moved to Phoenix in 1996, it was the first time we’d ever lived in a desert area. Adapting to the lack of greenery and having an all-rock yard took some getting used to. As did the extreme heat of summer. But one of the su...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.” – Psalm 1:3 (NLT)“Are You Fruitful?” Fruitful. Is that a word that you would use to describe your life? It should be. That’s the description here in Psalm 1 of the life of a godly person. Fruitfulness is the outward demonstration of the inward transformation. In other words, what God is doing ...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“They are like trees planted along the riverbank…” – Psalm 1:3 (NLT)“Strong and Steady” “Strong and steady.” Wouldn’t you love for that to be the description of your walk of faith? It can be! In fact, It’s the way it’s supposed to be! Then why is it that so many live a spiritual life that is constantly up and down, back and forth, and in and out? It’s mostly because we ...

January 5, 2025“Walking Through the Psalms”“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” – Psalm 1:2 (NLT)“Divine Lenses” I watched a video the other day of a 14-month-old child born with really poor eyesight. After recognizing that the child couldn’t see very well, the family took her to an optometrist who fitted her for glasses. She didn’t really like having the glas...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” – Psalm 1:2 (NLT)“It Starts with the Heart” “It starts with the heart.” That’s the title for my message this Sunday as I kick off a new sermon series called “Closer.” James 4:8 says, “Come close to God and God will come close to you.” The big idea behind my sermon series is talking about how we d...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers” – Psalm 1:1 (NIV)“Beware of the Slide” “How did I get here?” Have you ever asked yourself that question? I’ve heard people ask it out loud in my office as they tried to figure out how they got so far from who they wanted to be. The answer...

“Walking Through the Psalms”“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners…” – Psalm 1:1 (NLT)“Standing Around Or Standing Your Ground?” When I was a kid, I was short and skinny. In fifth grade, I had a bike accident that cracked my front teeth. I became very insecure and self-conscious. Add to that being a child of neglect, and there’s no wonder I ...