Wednesday Morning Devotional

My friend, Shaun Watkins, wrote this WMD

They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound on His side.” John 20:25

I have read this verse several times and each time I read it, it blows my mind that this disciple has been labeled as a doubter because of one verse in the Bible, one moment in time. I Googled “Thomas the Disciple,” and guess what came up? “Thomas the Doubter.” Really?

What has happened in this verse is the other disciples saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion. Thomas wasn’t there. When he was told that they had seen Jesus, this is when he says that he wouldn’t believe it unless he saw it himself. Sounds a little tough to label him a doubter for one sentence in his life, right?

Why do we overlook the verse when Thomas says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him?” (John 11:16) Here Thomas is talking to all the other disciples that seem scared to go back to Bethany when Lazarus had died because of an earlier incident where the Jews tried to stone Jesus. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a doubter to me. That sounds like a warrior. Why is Thomas not called Thomas the Warrior?

 I have thought about this a lot over the past week or so because of a video I saw.

I recently watched a 10 second video from a meeting where the Superintendent of Education was speaking to the staff of a school. The school that my youngest son currently attends. In the video that was shared, the Superintendent made a remark that was loved by some and hated by others. I for one agreed with what was said in the short video that I viewed and made a long Facebook post in support of the Superintendent. I knew when I touched the submit button, I was opening myself to be blasted by those on both sides of the reaction, but I did not think about how God was going to use this in my life.

When I made the post, I was basing it off my feelings. I was basing it off my thoughts. I was basing it off my emotions. I was basing it off 10 seconds of time that did not show the entire picture.

Since making the post I have received text messages, phone calls, Facebook messages and replies, and even had a teacher come up to me while picking up my son. I have to say that each one of these incidents have opened my eyes. It has allowed me to see the bigger picture. The bigger picture is we can’t base an honest opinion off a short clip of anyone’s life.

See, like many, I wasn’t looking at the whole picture. I was looking at one frame of time. I honestly don’t know the heart, concerns, or burdens of the teachers that were being spoken to. And I don’t know the stress and heart of the Superintendent. So many of us took that clip and labeled everyone involved. Here are some of the things that I heard from this incident. “I can’t believe that the Superintendent is so cold hearted.” “I can’t believe someone in that position can be so ignorant.” Or “Can you believe that those teachers are such crybabies?” “That’s their job!” I could go on and on.

Here is the point: I feel like the Holy Spirit is wanting me to make. It is not fair for us to “label” people based on one moment of time. It doesn’t matter which side of the argument we are on, we don’t know the whole story or any story based on 10 seconds. We could all be labeled as something that we aren’t. Thank you, Lord, that I ain’t who I used to be.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t call us all the things that He could? Yet He calls us His Children, His Masterpiece, Redeemed, Chosen, Loved, Blessed and Highly Favored, SET FREE, and here is my favorite, HIS! We are His!

Father, thank you so much for what you have shown me over the past week. I am so grateful that you don’t take small snippets of my life and put them on blast. Thank you for “opening my eyes” to let me see the heart of those on both sides involved to realize I was wrong in the way that I handled this situation. Thank you for the love and compassion that I have been shown by those I’ve offended. I pray that I’m never a stumbling block for anyone! I pray for everyone reading this; that we don’t let one moment of our life label us, other than the moment of our Salvation! To HELL with the devil for letting us believe the lie that we are something that You’ve never called us. Reminded us today of who You say I am! Thank you that the only good thing about me is YOU.

In Jesus Name.

-Shaun

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.  – Proverbs 18:21

For a couple of months now, I have just been down.  Right around December, I was in the best shape of my life, I had finally put completely to rest some offense from my past, and everything was just going well for the most part.  Then, I got the virus which shall not be named.  The actual sickness lasted for about 3 days, but then came the tiredness.  I tried to start working out again to just to find myself sleeping for hours afterwards.  It began to sink my spirit.  I got into this habit of complaining and even telling myself, “I need to go back to bed,” or “I just can’t do this” even though I had slept plenty.  I would end up dragging through my day with low energy and lots of whine.  

Recently, I picked up this religious book from the 80’s in a really weird place.  I read the first page and found these words, “Let the weak say I am strong.”  Immediately, the Lord spoke to my spirit, and I thought of how weak I’ve been and just accepting it.  Well, I took that moment to tell myself, “No more complaining about being sick . . . body, you are strong, you are well rested, and you have all you need by the spirit of God!  It all turns around starting right now!”   I had no idea where that verse was in the Bible, so I looked it up . . . Joel 3:10.  When I studied it in context, it had nothing to do with how I had just used it, but thank goodness it still worked.  

I looked for other similar verses . . . I liked Proverbs 18:21.  I have the power to speak death and life into my situation.  I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in just a few days.  Instead of waking up saying, “I wish I could sleep some more” and dragging myself around, I say, “I am well rested . . . I have all I need to conquer the day.”  Either I have the spirit of the living God living inside of me or I do not.  I have no idea why I forget to access Him.  I’m not where I want to be, but praise God, I’m finally heading back in the right direction.

Lord, I want to be more than a conqueror.  I’m not foolish enough to think I can just say whatever I want and go do it.  I need You constantly filling me with Your Spirit, Your mercy, and Your grace.  I need You leading me.  I can walk one step at a time.  I can live moment by moment and breath by breath.  When I live like this, things are so wonderful . . . it is like I’m walking with You . . . not crawling so I don’t get anywhere, and not running so that I tire easily.  You are and always will be the best thing this planet offers.  Let me not forget . . . even for a moment.  Amen

Whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  – 1 John 5:12

A: “So do you have faith in God, or anything like that?”

B: “No.  I used to.  I was saved, but I found myself quickly getting drunk again, being angry, and still using words I know I shouldn’t use.  The religious people around me told me that if I had really gotten saved, I wouldn’t be doing that kind of stuff.  So now I pretty much believe that it doesn’t matter what a person believes.  All religions pretty much lead to the same place if they lead anywhere at all.”

A: “Since that happened to you, since you were saved, would you say that there is anything different about your life?”

B: “I feel like my attitude immediately got better.  I just had a better outlook on things and stuff doesn’t bother me nearly as much.”

A: “What if God is like a person who really loves to take His time fixing really nice classic cars?  The only problem is that they don’t run and pretty much everything on them needs to be fixed.  Could you imagine how awesome it would be if all you saw one day was a car that hasn’t run in forever, but the guy working on it went out there and fired it up?”

B: “That would be pretty awesome.” 

A: “There is all kinds of stuff that needs to be fixed, but it runs now.  The restorer of the car is in no hurry to fix it all up.  He just does a little at a time.  He takes his time and purchases each part to replace as he goes along.  He doesn’t mind taking years.  I’m telling you this because your attitude change was God getting the car running.  Just because there are a ton of other parts that need to be replaced doesn’t mean He isn’t working in your life.  You are certainly free to believe what you want, but I’m just saying that I wouldn’t let go of my faith because there are a bunch of parts that need fixing.  Be excited that God has gotten you up and running.  He will do the rest in His time.  Before you die, He will have completed His masterpiece in you.”

B: “I guess I never thought of it like that.”

A: “I didn’t either for quite a long time.  I was always defeated and beat down as well because I would do stupid things.  The devil as well as many religious people would always point out what needed to be fixed and never could just say that they saw a difference in me, and I was headed in the right direction.  I just want you to know, I believe you are headed in the right direction.  Don’t let go of Jesus . . . at least not for the reasons you gave me.  He is working in Your life.  If you have Him, you have everything.”

B: “I really appreciate you talking to me like this.”

Lord, let person B feel Your presence today.  Let me feel Your presence today.  To really know that You are in our lives and working on us, knowing that there is so much to be fixed . . . thank You!  There is and never will be another like You.  You are the restorer of all restorers.  Help us to live for You!  Help us to lay our lives down for You!  Help every person that reads this to think about the conversations that they have with people about You.  Do we encourage them to move forward?  Or do we beat them down and make them think they must go backwards to fix a bunch of things?  We know which one comes from You, and which one comes from the evil one.  Lead us, guide us, protect us, and give us exactly what we need to move forward today, Lord.  I love You!  Thank You so much for loving me.  Amen!

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.  – Romans 14:1 (NLT)

I went to see Redeeming Love this weekend.  It is a romance based on the book of Hosea.  I thought the movie was awesome.  I thought the book was awesome when I read it a few years ago.  I felt God’s presence in both of them.  I learned a little bit more about what I’m like and how He is.  It was just a presence of God that I needed to experience.  I felt like God sent the book and the movie at just the right moments in my life.  

I looked online to see what others thought.  I found so many videos just bashing the movie.  They called it pornography.  They said that Michael Hosea (the protagonist) did all the saving, not Jesus.  There were a lot of YouTubers calling the movie evil.  After watching it, I just don’t see it.  It shouldn’t, but it all serves now as one more thing to divide Christians while an unbelieving world looks on and says, “I want no part of those Christians if that is the way they are with each other.”   

I saw where someone posted that they were at a Reba McEntire concert.  Yes, a Reba concert.  The first comment said, “You shouldn’t be there, we are supposed to be separate from the world.”  To relate this to the verse, one person, who claims to know Jesus, thinks it is perfectly fine to go and enjoy Reba, another, who claims to know Jesus, thinks it is wrong.  Again, what does an unbeliever think when they see that conversation?  

I remember one time posting a video of me singing a song in a brewery.  Some people in the church I was attending at the time lost their minds.  They immediately did some “research” on one of the bands we covered and let us know just how evil we were for entertaining with their music.  Now, don’t get me wrong, those band members were not and are not even close to being Christians, but a few people let us know that my daughter and I were heading straight to hell for playing the song.  I’m not trying to justify my, or anyone’s actions, I just want to emphasize Romans 14:1

I don’t know about you, but my deep, inner sense of right and wrong has changed so much in my 30 years of being a Christian.  As I grow in the Lord, what He says is right or wrong in different settings and situations changes over time.  I’m not talking about obvious sins like sexual immorality, drug abuse, anger, violence, theft, vice, and whatnot . . . Galatians 5 tells us what they are.  I’m talking about the things God says is wrong for you at a given moment or time period in your life.  For example, nobody would call playing golf a sin.  Yet, there was a time when God let me know that I was not to play.  To play would have been to disobey Him.  There was also a time when I could not listen to rock music.  I loved that stuff so much as a kid, God asked me to go through a long season of listening to, learning, and playing worship music and old hymns.  Years later, I could listen to rock songs again because they were no longer medicine to my soul, or a way of escape.  Even now, I do go and see the concerts of the bands I idolized growing up.  The awe, wonder, and the covetousness of wanting to be those guys no longer exists.  I pray for them and ask God to save them before they draw their last breaths.  I thank God that He didn’t give me what I thought I wanted and let me live out that lifestyle.  I thank God that He has given me a heart that wants them to be saved and go to heaven.  I don’t want to see anyone punished forever.

All I’m saying is love God, love His Word, and allow it to work on you.  If Romans 8:28 is true, and I absolutely believe that it is, everything, even the things we think are evil that others are doing, is working for their good.  Pray for others instead of bashing them.  Literally, for God’s sake, all this quarreling among Christians just has to stop.  The unbelieving world is watching.

Lord, the greatest commandment is to Love You with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength.  Help us to remember that the greatest sin we can commit is simply not love you.  There is no amount of right we can do to earn Heaven, and there is no amount of wrong we can do to deserve hell.  You have taught me so much by being places I never should have been and doing things I never should have done.  Thank You, Lord.  You really are working all things for my good.  I ask for You to help me be merciful to those who love to point out other people’s perceived wrongs.  I don’t want to write them off or think negatively of them.  I want to remember what Romans 14:1 says.  Help us to get this right.  If the world could just see Christians united and wanting the best for one another, we would be so unstoppable.  Right now, we are very much stoppable.  Help us.  With all my heart I’m asking for you to send revival to this land, Lord.  You have done it before . . . You can do it again.  Amen

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already.  Why not rather be wronged?  Why not rather be cheated?  — 1 Corinthians 6:7

I have a friend that, to me, has been done as wrong as anyone has ever been done wrong.  Every time I hang out with him, I think of this wrong and pretty much the same Bible verse passes through my mind.  The verse comes from James and John when the people were treating Jesus rather badly.  When they witnessed it with their own eyes, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?”  (Luke 9:54) I honestly think those exact words in my mind.  I want so badly for the Lord to just lay the smack down on the people hurting him the most.

The crazy thing about it is that he thinks I’m being done wrong by some different people.  When we talk, it turns out that what bothers me about his situation doesn’t bother him nearly as much as I think it should.  In return, the thing that bothers him about me doesn’t bother me that much.  As we talk month after month, I’m beginning to wonder if this is some of what it means to “carry one another’s burdens” as mentioned in Galatians 6.  

Here is the thing:  This last time I was calling down fire from heaven in my mind, God spoke to my heart.  “Adam, if I did ‘punish’ them in a way you saw fit, would you be happy about it?”  As always when God speaks to me, it flooded my mind with thoughts.  Thoughts of how I’d never want my own kids to gloat over someone else’s pain . . . even if they did deserve it.  Thoughts of how God has more than withheld the punishments I have deserved.  If I’m asking God to judge them, would I be ok asking Him to judge me in the same way?  Suddenly, it didn’t feel so great to call down that fire from heaven.

God is making every person who has given his or her life to Him into the image of His Son.  The last thing He wants is a child of His gloating, pointing, and saying, “Ha-ha . . . you got what you deserved!”  I can’t believe I was about to let that live inside of me.  All I can say is that God is good, God is corrective in the best of ways, and God expects His children to represent Him well . . . to everyone.  

Lord, I’m sorry for the times I don’t represent You well.  I’m sorry for calling down fire from heaven.  I’m sorry that I can be a “son of thunder.”  We will be wronged in this life, but this life is so temporary.  Help me to keep that in mind.  Help me to want the absolute best for others.  Keep me on this narrow road that leads to life.  Thank You for all that you have shown me and taught me in 30 years of following You.  I look so forward to the day when my faith becomes sight.  Amen

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  – John 1:14

I have begun to realize that people tend to make Jesus a better version of themselves.  Jesus, for the most part, is exactly like me, but better.  He hates the same stuff I hate; He loves the same stuff I love; He for certain can’t stand the people that I can’t stand.   But whereas I fail at following my own rules from time to time, He never fails.  What happens when we take this attitude is we never grow in true Godliness.  We never grow to be like the real Jesus.

Even right now, I am guilty.  I started out this year with a fast.  As soon as it was over, I transitioned into eating healthy and exercising.  As soon as I felt like I was making some real progress, I got zapped with sickness.  I haven’t been to work in a few days, and I just hate being miserable.  Now, I would never say it out loud, but something in me believes, “The Jesus I serve should not have allowed me to be sick after starting off the year so well.”   Do you see what I’m doing?  Nowhere in the Bible is that found, but In my heart, I believe that health is tied to some sort of performance.  In my heart, I think God owes me health.  The Bible so quickly and easily debunks these thoughts that I have.  I sit here reminding myself and telling myself that I live by what the Bible says . . . not what I think.

Recently, I heard someone actually say the statement, “Well, the Jesus I serve . . .”  As soon as I heard it, I wondered, “Have I done this?  Have I made Jesus who I want Him to be and not who He actually is?”  The context of the phrase was sending someone to hell.  They were basically saying that the Jesus they served wouldn’t send someone to hell for whatever reason.  Without thinking about it, the person made Jesus exactly like themselves.  They were relying on their own opinion instead of what the word of God says.  John 3:18 says, “he who does not believe is condemned already.”  Hell is every person’s default destination.  We don’t misbehave so much that God eventually decides to send us there.  It is where we are going anyway.  Heaven is made possible through belief.  Jesus came simply to make a way.  “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.”  (John 14:6) Right now, you and I either trust Jesus with our eternity, or we do not.  In no way will any person’s additional thoughts or opinions change that.  

I like John 1:14 because I’ve begun to use it to take the opposite approach to how I feel.  For example, if I’m beating myself up because I feel like I let God down (as if I’m holding Him up), then I see Him as full of grace, assuring me that all is well.  If I’m excusing my sin time and time again and thinking it isn’t a big deal and He is cool with it, then I picture Him as full of truth saying something like, “neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more.”  I guess I’m just all too aware that If I’m not careful, I will make Jesus way too much like me and I’ll really just end up serving myself . . . which is the easiest thing in the world to do.  

Lord, with all my heart, I want to serve the real You.  Reveal yourself to me.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit that Your Spirit may be my spirit.  I think too often I make my spirit Your Spirit.  Forgive me.  Help me be a good representation of who You really are.  You told Phillip one time, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”  I’m asking You, Lord, could you make it so that when people see me, they see You?  Help me, grow me, heal me, lead me, and guide me.  There is and never will be another like You.  I pray for all who read this today.  Help us to impact this world for Your glory.  Amen.

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  – Psalm 105:2

One of the things that I’ve enjoyed doing lately is playing music.  I’ve been heading into the taprooms, breweries, coffee houses, and wine bars and just playing my acoustic and singing.  As you can imagine, it has been met with some concern among the religious community.  I was interviewing for a possible job and was asked straight up, “Would you stop doing this simply because of the way it looks?”  I said, “no” and that was over before it ever even got started. 

But here is the thing, there was a time when I think that it would have been wrong for me to do it.  I used to love that world.  Now, I can certainly do without it.  I believe God has called me to go and play.  I do not play all Christian songs.  I play pretty much all the songs that I loved playing when I was a teenager and a young man just learning how to play.  But here is what I do that is different.  I ask God to open the door for an opportunity.  I just open my spirit and let Him lead me in an opportunity to play a worship song, or a song you might hear on Christian radio.  The results have been nothing short of amazing.  I just want to tell you about one.

There wasn’t a huge crowd, but I had not felt led at all yet to play for the Lord.  At the very end, I was beginning to think that this was going to be the first time that God didn’t lead me to do so.  Then, a couple brought in their young grandkids.  They had a little girl who was just enjoying life and dancing around.  She came near me after I finished a song.  I said, “What is your favorite song?  I’ll play it if I can.”  Without hesitation, “Can you play ‘Jesus Loves Me’?”  Just like that, we were all singing this song that I would have never even thought to play.  

I said, “Is there anything else you want me to play?”

“Will you play the B-I-B-L-E?”  

“Yes, I will.”  

Lord, I couldn’t make some stories up if I tried.  You do the coolest things at the coolest times.  You know exactly how to bring glory to Your Name in the most perfect of ways.  Continue to use me.  Continue to work in me, on me, and through me.  You know my heart.  I don’t want a bad attitude towards “religious” people.  You know that I have been one and in many ways probably still am.  Help me to be merciful.  Help me to forgive.  Power wash my soul and restore me to what You created me to be.  You are and always will be the greatest thing this planet offers.  Amen

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.  – Acts 1:3

This had to be the ultimate of all evidence.  I can’t imagine seeing with my own eyes Christ die on the cross and be taken away to the tomb.  I can’t imagine how sad I would be if I had been one of those who walked with Him.  What would I think on that third day when they told me the tomb was empty?  What would I think when people started telling me they had seen Him?  Would I doubt them?  Or would I pray that somehow someway He would allow me to see Him for myself?  

We are in a similar situation today.  We have all heard of God doing great and miraculous things in and through other people.  We have heard of God revealing Himself to others in just the coolest of ways.  When I first heard of God really revealing Himself to people in today’s time, I remember first thinking that He would never do it for me.  I thought there was no way He would ever show up for a nobody like me.  Then, one day, I asked Him to.  Within days, His Spirit filled my 1991 Ford Ranger pickup truck, and I was sob crying for the first time in my life in the presence of God.  I knew that He still showed up for people today.

I don’t know what happened in 2021.  I kept pretty much all my resolutions.  I was close to the Lord.  I was in probably the best shape of my life physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Then, one day, I got sick.  I didn’t get the v-word that shall not be named, but I had this cough which seemed to last for weeks and weeks that turned into months.  I had no motivation to eat right.  I felt weak so quickly when I would even try to exercise.  When I would read and pray, it felt too often like such a duty.  I hated feeling like that.

Right after Christmas, I prayed for some things.  I asked for the Lord to help us as a family find a place where my kids enjoyed going to church.   I asked for evidence that they were growing in the Lord.  I asked for people to be placed in my life that I could help grow spiritually.  I asked for my heart and mind to be purified.  I asked to stop caring about many worthless worldly things that I know will not last forever.  For the past 19 days I have not let up.  Let me tell you just how good and gracious God is when you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.  

The very next day after my wife and I prayed together, one of my young ones woke up and said, “Dad, can we read a Bible story?”  I could not help but smile in my lit-up spirit as we talked of King Solomon’s mistakes that drew him away from God.  When we were out of town, my wife and I invited the kids to join us in attending a random church service.  One of them said, “If we were going to Open Door back home, I’d go.”  We have been attending Open Door Baptist Church for two months now and my kids love it.  I have grown in knowledge.  I have grown in closeness with the Lord.  I even have a small group of people that God is allowing me to lead spiritually.  One of them went to church with us this past Sunday.  What else could I possibly ask for?  The evidence is all around me that the Lord still works today.

Lord, I look so forward to the day when my faith becomes sight.  All I can ask for is help.  I know that the Christian life is only lived because You are doing the work.  Work in me.  Work on me.  Help me become a finished and completely restored product.  On the day I draw my last breath, may I hear those words that every person who has ever followed You longs to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  Amen

They called the Apostles in and had them flogged.  Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  – Acts 5:40

All the Apostles had to do to avoid a beating was not speak about Jesus.  If you read on, they looked at the beatings as an honor.  They would look at their wounds and rejoice, for they had been found worthy to suffer as their master and Lord suffered.  Of course, we know they did not stop preaching the Word of God.  Nearly all of the Apostles died brutally as martyrs.  

American Christians are generally free from persecution.  But the question is why?  Is it because we live in “the land of the free?”  Or, is it because we do not speak His name anywhere that would make us uncomfortable?   I think back over the years where I spoke boldly in church where others believed like I did.  I met with other Christians in life groups inside nice homes and spoke of Him.  But what about speaking of Him where His name is not welcome?  

I believe many American Christians enjoy their comfortable lives so much that they are afraid to speak outside of comfortable places.  I am certainly including myself.  The only times I can remember getting into any trouble for my faith is when I’ve spoken up either in a school setting, or in churches that didn’t believe the same as me.  Here is the thing:  100% of the time, it was not unbelievers that spoke against me.  It was people who said they were Christians.  A man who I knew from a hardcore denomination came and told me directly to my face “Stop speaking the Name.”  One lady brought me before administration and threatened to “have my job,” for “speaking the Name.”  These are just a couple of incidents that I can mention in vague detail because they happened years ago and it doesn’t give anything, any group, or anyone away.  The worst part of it all was that it worked in striking me with fear.  

The Sanhedrin was a group that believed in God, but they did not believe in the resurrection.  They believed in the same God the disciples believed in, they just didn’t believe Jesus was His Son or that He died for their sins.  They certainly didn’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to His Father.  For some reason, God followers who don’t believe part or parts of the Bible, or overemphasize parts of the Bible, are mean.  As soon as they hear someone with opposing views, they do whatever they have to do to silence them.

I don’t really know what I’m trying to teach here.  Maybe just that we need to step out in faith more and speak where we are forbidden to speak.  Maybe we need to get into some trouble for our faith.  The disciples certainly got into trouble and rejoiced afterwards.

Am I willing to do the same?

Are you?

Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.  And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”  — Acts 9:13-14

This verse is the response of Ananias after God told him to go and pray for Saul to receive his sight.  Up until this point, Saul had done nothing but persecute Christians.  Even though God Himself was telling Ananias what to do, it was hard for him to believe that Saul had truly converted.  It is often difficult for us to believe that God can truly save the ungodly. 

While on vacation last week, I watched The Wolf of Wall Street.  I enjoy messing around with investing in the financial world, but this movie takes it to a whole new level.  I started watching it when it came out, but after about a dozen f-bombs in the first few minutes, I knew I couldn’t watch it.  I watched an edited version that came on television.  The only price to pay was enduring the commercials.  The movie is pure debauchery from beginning to end.  It is supposedly the real-life memoir of Jordan Belfort, who became extremely wealthy being a less-than-honest stock broker.  The richer he got, the more sinful and indulgent he became. 

The only reason I admit that I watched such filth (It was pretty bad . . . even edited for tv) is because as soon as I went to sleep, it was like a continuation of the movie in my dreams.  I was following Jordan walking down a street.  At the height of his sinfulness, I saw the power of God descend from Heaven and convict him.  He hit his knees right then and there and began to repent of his sinful life.  As I watched, I began to cry.  I was in the presence of God myself.  I recognized that I was dreaming and said, “God, I know I’m dreaming, but can I stay here for a bit longer?”  My attention focused back on Jordan.  As I watched him just bask in the presence of the Lord, I began to say over and over, “He can save anybody! He can save anybody!”  Eventually, I woke up.

In 2022, I want to believe that.  I want to tell people who are “too far gone” about Him.  I want to invite them to receive the forgiveness that the Lord offers.  I want to pray that His convicting power and presence will be all around.  I want to pray with people and see His power descend on them so much that we both just uncontrollably weep in His presence.  I enjoyed His presence that night in my dream as much as I enjoyed anything in 2021.  The presence was sparked by seeing with my own eyes the dead come alive.  

Lord, we have become such a selfish, pleasure-seeking society.  I know plenty of people that you have put in my path that, on the surface, I think, “there is no way that they will ever repent and follow the Lord.”  If nothing else, You are teaching me this morning that You can save anybody.  May those who truly follow You be as bold as they have ever been in 2022.  Help us to proclaim the Name above all Names . . . the Name by which we all must be saved.  Amen

Thank you all for reading.  I am praying for you this morning.

Have a blessed 2022!