Confidence
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What the Spirit Gives
The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul reminded Timothy that he had everything he needed to face his fears and faithfully follow God’s calling for him. I think we need that reminder also. I need the power of the Holy… Continue reading
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Instant Access
“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” – Ephesians 3:12 My father-in-law will be 102 next week. He’s never owned a computer. That still blows my mind. And then there are my kids -unable to imagine a world without cellphones. They don’t remember life before instant access,… Continue reading
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Riding the Storm with God’s Faithful
“Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” – Acts 27:10 In Acts 27, Paul, a prisoner on his way to Rome, is aboard a ship facing a perilous journey. As an experienced traveler, he senses an… Continue reading
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I’ve Got a Peaceful, Easy Feeling…
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1 Friend, let me tell you something: there’s a big difference between being happy and having peace. Happiness? It comes and goes. It depends on whether the sun’s shining, the bills are paid, or the… Continue reading
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Do We Take It For Granted?
“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. – Ephesians 3:12 I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it must have been like for people back in the days of the Old Covenant. Imagine heading to the tabernacle, your heart desperately longing to connect with God, to… Continue reading
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Keep Striking
Elisha said, “Get a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. “Take the bow in your hands,” he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” he said, and he opened it. “Shoot!” Elisha said, and he shot. “The… Continue reading
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He Was Thinking of You and Me!
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent… Continue reading
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Caring Too Much About What Others Think
Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.– John 12:42-43 Have you ever found yourself holding back when… Continue reading
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Have You Been With Jesus?
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. – Acts 4:13 When we make time to be in the presence of Jesus, it leaves a mark. Not just on our hearts, but… Continue reading
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Letting Go of Things That are Hard to Let Go Of
Every kid I grew up with in the 70’s had two things that he valued more than anything else: an old basketball, and a hoop nailed to a nearby telephone pole. Basketball truly was a religion in Kentucky. Years later, Gene Hackman would play the head coach of a high school team in Indiana, the… Continue reading
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New Year, New Challenges, Same God
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Is. 43:19 Well, congrats! If you’re reading this, you survived 2023. Of course, we have the national election to look forward to this upcoming fall…… Continue reading
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The Greater of Two Miracles
“And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And… Continue reading
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A Daughter’s Desperate Faith
But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” ~ Luke 8:46 (NLT) We can only imagine how isolated and depressed this woman was. She had been dealing with constant menstrual bleeding for twelve years. According to the law, anyone who touched a menstruating woman immediately became ceremonially… Continue reading
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Blessed Assurance
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just… Continue reading
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That Time Jacob Gave an Angel All He Could Handle
Back in the late 1980’s they were called the Bad Boys of the NBA. They were the most hated team in the league, and no player, not even the great Michael Jordan, looked forward to playing against the Detroit Pistons. Their reputation was fed in large part by their three most physical henchmen: Rick Mahorn,… Continue reading
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When You Can’t Escape God’s Favor
“Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. The Lord made Joseph a… Continue reading
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Half the Size, but Twice the Man
“Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord… Continue reading
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Unwanted
“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” ~Psalm 27:10 Fear can be a powerfully destructive emotion. It can drive us to think things, say things, and do things that create irrational responses to otherwise normal situations. But one of the most destructive fears we all experience in life… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!
Former Blackout Artist 