A Scribe on the Wall

Several years ago now, I believe that God gave me a message, He would be telling me things and it was up to me to tell others. To me, it's much like the Watchman on the Wall as described in the Old Testament. The Watchman was told that it was on him to warn others about any approaching dangers. God's apparently gifted me with being able to type and write. So I put the old definition of a writer along with the concept of a watchman together. Jesus is coming soon...are you ready?

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Deeper Roots Lend to Greater Growth

by David Brenneman

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5.

Quite often we may think the worst in an apparently bad situation. I certainly didn't know what to make of being put on administrative leave pending an investigation last year. What it did do was immediately make me go to my God in prayer. Only He can and will go places that I can't go, and could make an impact where I could not.

Going deeper in the soil while He took care of things in this season of my life is what He's been doing to me.

Another thing is that I both knew and acknowledged from the Spirit that I had need of praying for those who were persecuting me. This too is found in the Scriptures. In not just the Gospels but we can find it in the Old Testament as well.

Another was to remember the words of Paul when he quoted the Old Testament. "Vengeance is Mine says the Lord."

Going on from there...knowing that He would supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

My Dear Reader...in all these areas and more He's provided in ways we never would have known possible.

He has a purpose for me, for you, in Christ. Not just our sanctification but in His plan for mankind. To point people to Jesus by the word of our testimony and the life we live before our God.

It's not about our getting everything we wanted in life but getting what He wants from our lives for His glory in Christ Jesus.

Paul counted everything in His life as loss in order to know Jesus more. He didn't see trials and tribulations as setbacks. He did in fact deal with anxiety but within it counted on God's grace to deal with it.

God's unmerited favor is the grace bestowed upon us. The writer in Proverbs says that "For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights." Proverbs 3:12.

We think the trinkets we have in our lives that garner our attention are fantastic to us yet we will have no idea what the Father would give us if we give those things to Him.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalms 37:5.

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land." Psalms 37:7-9.

Jesus promises...should we fret or should we trust?

My Dear Reader that is what's before you and I. We fret we will burn ourselves out. We don't know what God knows. We don't see the picture from His perspective. We don't know from what we have been spared. We don't know the blessings to come from our obedience in our difficult times until we are in fact obedient in those times.

Jesus loves us with a relentless love. He isn't looking for "Ah HAH!" moments to get us with.

He wants to give us His best but we need to let go and open our hands, arms and heart to receive it..

The deeper our roots go the more we’ll experience in storms of life. It takes experiencing the storms to result in growth in between the storms. He promised to never leave us or forsake us and we need to trust that those words are right and true.

Jesus loves us more than we can know in this life.

Turn to Jesus in all that is going on with you. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Life does and will get difficult but we by no means are in it alone.

Trust in Christ who saved you.

Trust in Christ who sustains you.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Monday, February 9, 2026

Rejoicing in Song or Crying Out?

by David Brenneman

When the stars burn down and the earth wears out

And we stand before the throne

With the witnesses who have gone before

We will rise and all applaud

Singing blessing and honor, glory and power

Forever to our God

Singing blessing and honor, glory and power

Forever to our God

When the hands of time wind fully down

And the earth is rolled up like a scroll

The trumpets will call and the world will fall

To its knees as we all go home

Star of the morning, Light of salvation

Majesty

God of all mysteries, Lord of the universe

Righteous King

There will come a day standing face to face

In a moment, we will be like Him

He will wipe our eyes dry, take us up to His side

And forever we will be His.

- When the Stars Burn Down

--Philips, Craig and Dean

Worthy is the lamb who was slain

Holy, holy is He

Sing a new song to Him who sits on

Heaven's mercy seat

Worthy is the lamb who was slain

Holy, holy is He

Sing a new song to Him who sits on

Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Adore You

Golden rainbows of living color

Flashes of lightning, roars of thunder

Breathing here on earth strength and glory and power be

To You, the only wise King, yeah

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

I will adore You

Filled with wonder, oh, struck wonder

At the mention of Your name

Jesus, Your name is power, breath and living water

Such a marvelous mystery, yeah

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Holy, holy, holy is Lord God Almighty

Who was and is in days to come, yeah

With all creation, I sing grace to the king of kings

You are my everything and I will adore You

Filled with wonder, oh, struck wonder

At the mention of Your name

-Philips, Craig and Dean

--Revelation Song

These songs were in my mind this morning...partly due to my morning readings are in Revelation as I'm wrapping up a year of reading through the Bible.

Are you ready to step into eternity to worship Jesus forever? These songs are a taste of what's to come in the Heaven that's been prepared for those who believe on the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Those who have never placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation will never see it.

This, by far, is the most important thing that anyone has to know for certain in their lives. Nobody can count on a 'later' in life to 'get right with God'. I personally know of true stories of people standing up to get something then falling dead on the floor who thought they had a today in front of them to live.

You and I are not promised a today. For those who are saved in Christ we are promised that He will be with us in the today we've been given and that He has our tomorrow's in His hand just the same.

Sorrow, pain, lonliness, griefs and troubles come to the saved and the unsaved alike but only those who truly have Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord - who have made Him the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives - have hope in each day to live it to the full.

Nobody was meant to handle the weight of even their own corner of the world on their own.

Jesus IS going to return. It's taught throughout the New Testamet that the early churches were taugth to be expectant. To not be lazy about life as to whether or not give their all to Jesus all the time.

Nobody knows when either their hour is upon them or if they have days, months or years ahead yet.

Lives are altered in a split second these days. Would you be ready to step into eternity and find yourself in the presence of God the Son or would you wake up in painful torment in Hell? The Word of God says that those are the only two choices. Being 'good' enough will never get a single person into Heaven.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. " Galatians 2:20.

This what Believer's can say of themselves. If you've never placed your faith and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins...if He is not the Forgiver of your sins and the Leader of your life...then no you have never been crucified with Christ. He does not live within you.

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

Salvation is for everyone but it's on everyone to ask Him for it.

There's literally trillions of 'good' people in painful torment in Hell who thought they would be in Heaven who only now see why they aren't...that they never came to Jesus to be saved.

You, my Dear Reader, you must choose this day to receive His free gift of Salvation or face the same.

You have come this far in reading this and now know the truth and as harsh as this sounds...are now without excuse before Jesus.

You can text the word "Jesus" to 330-264-9459 and someone there WILL help you know for sure how to be saved.

You too then, my Dear Reader, WILL be able to sing such songs to He who will become YOUR Living Lord and Savior...Jesus Christ.

Time is not on anyone's side concerning this. While Scripture sayd that He's not willing for any to die but for all to come to the truth of salvation in Him...there IS a day set by His Father for His return.

It's GOING to happen as assuredly as the sun came up this morning.

God always keeps His promises and He certainly promised to return.

Will you be waiting for Him or will you be left behind crying out for Him to come back?

"Come up here!" is going to be said soon to all who are saved in Christ.

Will you hear that or hear the cries of the billions left behind?

Most know "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

Don't neglect to read the very next thing said by Jesus.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him."

The first time He came was not to judge. The next time He comes He WILL be here to judge.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Help My Unbelief

by David Brenneman

When We Don't Understand

"This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:27.

We may live in experience a fallen that world, so there are circumstances we may experience that will be God's are perfect will for us. Indeed, there are tragedies we will witness that are beyond human explanation and that shake us to the core. However, the Lord may allow us to face them through His permissive will for some significant purpose. In His omniscience, the Father knows what is ultimately best, including the long-term consequences of calamities that seem completely devoid of any good. We should not doubt God or abandon our beliefs when we lack understanding. Instead, we should latch on to what we know is true and not let go-and that is the goodness of God.

We must trust Jesus. That can be difficult, but understand that your life matters to God to a degree beyond which you can fathom. He cares for you, and He wants to teach you through what He is doing. So when you face inexplicable circumstances, remind yourself that God always has your best interest in mind. No matter what befalls you, your all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful heavenly Father has you in the cradle of His hand.

Jesus, I want to believe You. Help my unbelief, teach me and heal my heart. Amen.

-Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley

"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:22-24.

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears." 2 Samuel 22:7.

"Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary." Psalms 28:2.

My Dear Reader, if we're honest as we ought to be with one another, we have prayed that prayer in one way or another.

We might even be aware of this passage too: "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27.

What we go through in life might seem like we're all alone, but the reality is we never could be alone when it's the u deserved grace and mercy of God that even provides our heartbeat and each breath we take in.

I have had many opportunities to experience being alone or at least my perception of what alone feels like. The truth is extremely similar to a story I once heard.

---------

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's right of passage? It goes like this...

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a man.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

--------

We are quick to mistake silence for abandonment. Quick to think we're the only ones going through our hardship and pain. Quick to rush to judgment about what our situation is and what it appears to be headed for.

The truth is God only knows.

We go through what we do in order to be refined in the fires of tribulations to become more like Jesus Christ. That's what the work of God in Christ Jesus is always only going to be doing in our lives. That's what being "His workmanship" is all about. We won't always be blessed with understanding the why's behind the pain or sorrows but we will be able to know that He is there through the day and night by our side through it all.

I have been in serious school since last January in how I have been directed to learn from the Spirit of God. 6 devotional books and 4 Study Bibles. Every single evening even if it means losing sleep to complete it. My lessons went into the physical world in June of last year when, through no fault of my own, I was fired from my employer. All I had done was befriend a brother in Christ, no more, no less. God has made my innocence in the matter very clear to me. So my attention was then on what is in this season of life that I am to learn? It might indeed have everything to do with helping my unbelief.

We can withdraw from God, maybe even blame God, for what He allowed to happen to us at the hands of men and women. That, my Dear Reader is always the wrong perspective.

Job was educated on his wrong perspectives on what he was going through. He never connected the dots until after his exchange with the Lord Jesus Christ in the latter parts of the book of Job. The reality was his affliction was sanctioned by the Lord but carried out by Satan. But with limits in place that Satan had to abide by.

We can go through many things that are possibly Satan's fondest desires for us but are in the same manner as Job. Limits set by Jesus that cannot be overruled. We are to look to Christ for our life breath and all things...even within what we go through that we don't understand.

One sure lesson in the last 8 months is that it's ok if I can't figure out why. Another is to listen and do whatever He puts before me to be doing even if it isn't making sense at the moment. An applicable Life Principle is to obey God and leave the consequences to Him.

We are brought to things, go through things, in order to trust Him more. The appropriate response also should be to love Him more. To praise Him in the storm just as well as when there is none.

We need help with our unbelief because no matter who you are you have some that needs dealt with.

It's a simple enough prayer. Right there with Nehemiah's bullet prayers that have no time for words that are lengthy. We who are in Christ know what the Spirit will do when words fail us.

As our belief in Jesus Christ and His work in us proceeds we will grow in Christ. We will become more like Jesus. Isn't that what we really want more than anything?

Praying for ourselves to have our belief strengthened isn't a sin or even something that Jesus has a problem with. He visited with His Disciples for 40 days after His resurrection to grow them in Himself before leaving to take His place at the Father’s side in Heaven.

More than anything don't you want what God wants for you? It's going to mean going through some things to get there. As someone who had a conversation with a silversmith learned...silver stays in an appropriately heated fire only long enough for him to see his face in the silver then it's pure enough to be removed.

What we go through is there only long enough for Jesus to see something of Himself in us.

Lord I believe, help my unbelief!

Make me as you want me to be.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Saturday, February 7, 2026

Always In Training in Righteousness

by David Brenneman

"and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts;" Revelation 2:23b.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10.

"and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:27.

"teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.

Our perceptions on our lives are tainted by our views concerning what is sin and what isn't. On what should be and shouldn't be in our lives. On what's right before God and what isn't.

Satan's a defeated foe according to the Scriptures but he's a lousy loser. Bent on kicking and clawing at whomever has become a child of God.

But our individual lives are always before our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

His promise to never leave us or forsake us is ever before us. We know by His own words that He's searching our hearts. You just read that yourself taken from the book of Revelation. Paul talks of this truth as well.

Growing in Christ, becoming more like Jesus in everyday life IS our life. Regardless of what our day entails that's what we are engaged in first and foremost. Jesus takes no breaks from our being His workmanship. He doesn't offer vacations from learning how to become more like Himself.

If you aren't intentional about learning more from your Teacher and Lord Jesus, then you're heading the wrong way.

We seem to live in a world where everything to stimulate the imagination is now at our fingertips. Everything to satiate the desires of our hearts, or so we think.

We are talked into this or that to make our lives easier or better. We are talked into what is ok and shouldn't be consistent as sin but in fact if we were in the Scriptures we would see that it is.

Jesus isn't going to stop our transformation into being like Him.

If you objectively looked at your life would you see someone obedient or someone who's been self-deceived? We can get so busy with life that we push Jesus out of the room we are in.

We will lie to ourselves as to what's going on but the truth is we are to seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness. Yet we can and do knuckle under to the pressures of life rather than do that.

Do you set aside time, intentionally, purposefully, to be with Jesus because you want to?

Do you have things that you 'love' that have taken up your time so that you don't spend time with Jesus?

These things might even have the appearance of being good but the truth is the truth...you are neglecting your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to pursue those things.

Jesus is never going to cease working in your life until that moment where you either breathe your last or the Rapture of the Church takes place.

Jesus is always going to know when and where you lied to yourself and He was excluded.

We cannot put people, places or things before our lives in Christ.

So what if you miss a live stream or video or movie or television show or sporting event or anything else.

If what you engage in is proving to cost you in growing in Christ then the price is too high.

Nothing should be worth more to you than doing, living, what is right in the eyes of God.

Whatever is important to God should be important to you.

So what if this means you miss out on things...isn't making your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ happy of greater importance?

As Peter was told...so are we...we are to follow Christ. We are to take up our own cross and follow Him.

Get truthful with you. Look at where you've lied to yourself about things and turn back towards the righteous life that God desires for you.

Our lives are not our own, we were bought with a price, the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

If your light ISN'T shining in such a way that people ARE NOT seeing your works and glorifying your Father in Heaven then stop n learn what it is, turn from it and get your life right before Jesus.

Jesus is GOING to keep on working on your life, it’s a matter of how hard you are going to resist Him while He does.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Friday, February 6, 2026

Getting Untangled by Jesus

by David Brenneman

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2.

Getting out Christmas lights and getting them ready to hang once again can be a challenge! Some would say it's on par with arguing with a toddler over a toy.

Yet we don't see how far and by how much we are entangled in sins that have been such a part of our lives.

The thing that we also so quickly forget when adversity comes upon us is the passages that tell us to EXPECT such things...because we don't we get anxious for nothing.

The sin that so easily entangles is anything that we're putting on either equal terms with Jesus or above Jesus whether or not we agree with the Scriptures about it. If God says that it is, then it is, and it's entangled us.

Probably it's heard thousands of times a day at many many Emergency Rooms by medical personnel from patients saying they're fine, give them something for the pain and they'll just go home. Never at all considering the risks associated with such a rash decision. They don't perceive what they are entangled in.

We cannot rely on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 commands, not suggests, that we not lean on our own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

We are going to lie to ourselves about what all has already entangled us in our lives.

Thanks be to God above, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He promised to never leave us or forsake us. That we ARE His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. That what He began in us is GOING to be completed.

Things that we have convinced ourselves that aren't bad...have we ever even asked the Spirit if they should stay or go?

Things that we say we enjoy so much that from our perspective are fun and joyful...are they crouching at the door of what's unacceptable to growing in Christ? Have we in fact crossed the line and don't realize it?

Do we justify our words when by all scriptural accounts those words never should have, under any circumstances, been said or even thought?

Consider this...has what you thought about a person...what you said about a person...would those thoughts or words ever come out of the mouth of Jesus?

Sin that easily entangles.

When we read Proverbs we can see a great deal of wisdom in how to live life. On guarding our hearts and minds. We read Paul's letters exhorting all of us to stand firm in the Lord.

We have probably faced various kinds of adversity and not understood why. The why's go back to the truth about the work of God in Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, that's GOING to happen in all of us.

Adversity indeed will only last as long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.

Do you realize that? Do you acknowledge that?

God HAS a specific and special purpose for you in Christ Jesus while you yet breathe and go about your life. Not unlike Ananias before going to meet Saul for the first time...we are to trust and obey.

We are to look at these adversities from a spiritual perspective and ask what is it that God's wanting to do in and through us or to remove from us or move us past in order to further His workmanship in us.

We all have sin that has entangled us. We are just so used to it that we don't recognize it.

Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see what He's doing in your life about your entangled sins. Ask Him to reveal what you are entangled in and again ask for His help in dealing with them. We do want His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven don't we? His will for us is our sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3a "This is the will of God for you, your sanctification".

Not your personal happiness.

Not that you get everything you ever wanted.

Not that this or that would happen in order to make you feel better about life.

Your sanctification. Your becoming more like Jesus Christ. Everything else is EXPENDABLE. Honestly everything. Even people in our lives and everything counted as a possession.

We are entangled and thank God we won't be left that way. We have His promises that He's going to finish what He's started in us.

Pray for yourself that you obey in what He's telling you to do. What to let go of. What to begin doing. Pray and be prepared because you will have things that He's identified that need to go or need to change.

Run the race with endurance...after your arms and legs aren't tangled up anymore you will be able to give of your best to the Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Thursday, February 5, 2026

When We Don't See

by David Brenneman

The Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting

PSALM 100:5

What comes to mind when you think of God's nature? Whenever I ask, people usually respond wich words like holy, all-powerful, or eternal, but very rarely do they say good. Indeed, many people think of the Lord as demanding, distant, and

unfeeling. This may be for many reasons, of course. But ultimately.

when they hear or read that God is faithful, merciful, forgiving, or

loving, they think, To others, but not to me.

Is this the case for you? Do you have an easier time imagining

other people being kind to you than the Father? Then it is time to confront what you believe about His character. Scripture is clear that what God has planned for you is for your welfare (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He works everything for your benefie (Romans 8:28), What He provides for you is not only ample but is of the finest quality. You may doubt this because of your circumstances. But the Lord sees your whole life from beginning to end, and into eternity, and He always leads in the manner best for you. God is good--to you, Stop doubting and believe in His love

for you.

Jesus, help me to trust in Your goodness and loving-kindness

in every area of my life-even when I don't understand what You are doing, Amen

-Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley

To be honest, there's a whole lot of my life that I don't see the why's behind. I don't understand and I believe that God's been teaching me that it's ok if I don't. To trust Him and keep going where He leads me. What I think are spectacular ideas on a direction for my life right now doesn't appear to be what Jesus says is a spectacular idea for my life.

Easily put: I can't see what He's doing. Yet I am still to keep trusting Him and keep moving no matter what it is that life looks like right now.

Daniel, Job, many others, pretty much all the Disciples, at one time or another were walking by faith and not by sight. Look at the list of people in Hebrews 11.

Something else is that Satan's going to try to incite jealousy between us and other Believers because of what we see Him doing in their lives while we wrongly perceive ours as being stagnant, going nowhere.

We don't see what Jesus sees as our potential in living for Him. Note that isn't a description of worldly success but success in the life in Christ that's been for you to live for Jesus.

We are going to go through the process of sanctification, to become more like Jesus Christ, it's in God's will for us.

This is going to put us in situations we don't understand. We don't have God's 'big picture' in mind because He's God and we are not.

I would be lying if I was to say that the last 8 months hasn't been very confusing for me. I have had application after application submitted, sometimes with a form letter response, sometimes with a decent response, an extreme few that turned into an interview, all the rest were met with utter silence.

At times I feel like a bobbin in the water, sometimes going under, sometimes not between discouragement and disappointment. The silence at times from those in my life here is enough to hurt. It's a perception thing I know.

"for we walk by faith, not by sight—" 2 Corinthians 5:7.

We're learning...we haven't learned...what that fully means yet. We're still going to be among all who are saved, who will enter Heavens gates who will get their theology corrected.

It's an ongoing process for all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Colossians 3:23-24.

We may not understand but we are to still obey and to keep on striving to please Him in all that we do...and to do everything as unto the Lord.

It's ok not to see what's coming because we know that He knows.

Make this prayer your own:

Jesus, help me to trust in Your goodness and loving-kindness

in every area of my life-even when I don't understand what You are doing, Amen

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Obedience and Faith

by David Brenneman

"One of the most basic yet important principles a Christian can ever learn is that of obedience. When we obey God, we’ll experience His blessings (Ps. 25:10). When we don’t, we’ll miss out on the blessings He had in store for us.

The more familiar we become with God’s Word, the more we’ll begin to understand the importance of obedience. God’s laws are not designed to deprive us of pleasure or prosperity. Rather, they’re intended to protect us from hurting ourselves and others and to guide us toward the fulfillment in life He wants us to enjoy.

When we’re faced with daily pressures, we may be tempted to compromise Scripture’s teaching in favor of self-reliance or worldly solutions. Every person has God-given desires and appetites, which can be satisfied as He intended or in selfish and harmful ways. Throughout our lives, we’ll encounter opposition to biblical living. Obedience to God involves a commitment to Him, regardless of the consequences.

Obeying God often involves choices that we fear could result in rejection, loss, or hardship. Sometimes the decision to follow Christ brings about unwanted confrontation. Obedience always require courage. However difficult our circumstances may be, we can respond to them with confidence in the One who empowers us to do His will. Has God ever made a mistake, been too late, or proven inadequate? No! Our heavenly Father is all-powerful and consistently faithful.

The laws of Scripture are profound yet simple: The Bible teaches that we will reap what we sow and, oftentimes, more than we sow (Gal. 6:7-9). When we obey God, we always get His best. When we don’t, life will turn out to be much less than it could be and much harder than it needs to be. We don’t always do what we should, and there is grace for those situations; but for Christians, making a commitment to obey God is essential to our faith. Obedience and faith are inseparable. We demonstrate our trust in God by complying with His will. When we do, we will reap the rewards He has designed for us—and we’ll hit our mark … every time."

- Devotional "9 Truths for Living God’s Way" - Dr. Charles Stanley on the Bible app.

"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”" Daniel 1:8-13.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”" Daniel 3:13-18.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:7-9.

Dr. Stanley didn't include the 2 sections from Daniel that you just read but they absolutely do apply to what it is he's trying to say to us. The last portion from Galatians is included in that devotional.

It's a lesson that rises to the top as the Lord directs the Spirit to turn up the heat in our lives...that of obedience.

In Job at the very beginning of that book we see the fruits of obedience that Satan's got a beef with. Due to Job's obedience the Lord made him prosperous. Seems to me as well that his obedience was lost on even his own wife since she urged him at one point to curse God and die.

Obedience can and often does cost us something. For me, listening to the Spirit to befriend a brother in Christ cost me my job. But even in that...God's blessed us in ways we could never have come up with on our own. The results have been a peace that does pass all understanding.

As he also points out...you cannot have obedience without faith. Faith and obedience go hand-in-hand. There should never be one who attempts one without the other.

What he says about what we fear...this is certainly true of those who go down this road.

We are called to obey the Word of God...and we are not to use ignorance as an excuse. We're to be in the Word daily. We're to be in prayer as often as we can. What God wants of us and for us should be more important than our own wants and desires.

Job loved his family enough to intercede for them. Daniel and his friends loved God enough to trust Him with their everything...and even if it didn't work out as they wanted...they would still praise Him.

Another of Dr. Stanley's Life Principles is "The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us." Look at Job and you see that one for sure.

"Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees." is another principle.

"God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him." is another.

One that I'm learning to go and more importantly grow through is "Disappointments are inevitable; discouragement is a choice.".

"Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God."

"Listening to God is essential to walking with God."

Much, if not all of these "Life Principles" that Dr. Stanley developed over the years all point to both obedience and faith being together...side by side...no matter what.

We cannot go through life by getting ahead of God is one that I've known myself...that one's mine.

Obedience and faith must be inseperable. Even when obedience makes no sense to us. Why? All obedience and faith together point us to is this: our sanctification.

The Disciples saw and learned to do as they were taught from Jesus in His obedience to the Father and His unbreakable faith in the Father's plans for Him.

These 30 Life Principles aren't 'gospel' but they are found within the Gospels. You will find them within the life of Christ that we read about within those pages.

Another that I read in a different devotional is that by way of our obedience and faith we will and should expect to be hit by the enemy of God for doing so.

I can readily testify that 24 hours after publicly professing Jesus as my Lord and Savior...that broadside attack happened. It happened to me, and you shouldn't be surprised if it happens to you.

Don't expect others, even if they are Christian's, to understand your level of obedience and faith. We are all at different places in our walk with Jesus and in our growing into His likeness. Simply stated: expect to be misunderstood because it's likely to happen.

Stay the course, finish the race, as Paul wrote. Stand firm in the Lord. Be careful of how you listen as Jesus said. Keep the full armor of God on at all times. Be ready to obey when called upon.

Our infinitesimal mark on the history of mankind is still ours to make in the Lord...and will only be achieved by our obedience and faith...as He sees fit to be done.

We cannot "Trust in the Lord with all our Heart and do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will make our paths straight" as it says in Proverbes 3:5-6 unless we keep obedience and faith together.

We cannot do what we do as unto the Lord unless obedience and faith stay together.

We have a debt we can never repay to indeed work to repay for all that the Lord did for us in dying on a cross for our sins.

Think about these things today as you go out into your day.

Look up the 30 Life Principles that Dr. Stanley wrote about. Those reminders might be what you've been needing to keep at your fingertips.

Obedience and faith might mean not doing or giving up something that we 'love'...but the eternal rewards are out of this world.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.

New American Standard Bible

A corporation not for profit.

www.lockman.org