Trusting God
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While You’re Waiting…
“After the Lord was taken up into heaven, there was a brief period of waiting. The place of the traitor Judas was filled, but nothing else seems to have been done. No signs of power just yet! Just a little company of plain men and women, meeting for prayer in an upper room! But that… Continue reading
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The Envelope That Belonged to Someone Else
When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” – Esther 6:6 It was the annual end of year party and I was standing with my coworkers in the back of the room. A month or so earlier the department managers had submitted their respective… Continue reading
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The Most Comforting Thing You’ll Read Today
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8 How many people do you know who love you just as much on your good days as your bad days? Who you can always depend on when you need help? Are they trustworthy? When they say they’re going to do something, do… Continue reading
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Are You Running on Empty?
Have you ever found yourself stranded on the side of the road because of your car breaking down? It’s not a good feeling! This happened to me many years ago. I was on active duty at the time and heading home for a week of military leave. I had just fueled up with only an… Continue reading
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The Struggle of Faith
“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is… Continue reading
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They Didn’t Get It. Do we?
The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what [Jesus] was talking about.– Luke 18:34 Jesus couldn’t have been any clearer to His disciples. He told them exactly what would happen—His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. He told them three times! And still,… Continue reading
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You’re Not an Afterthought
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32 When I read Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome, it’s like standing before a buffet with all of my favorite foods. It’s so hard… Continue reading
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When The Fields Are Empty, is God Still Enough?
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in… Continue reading
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Everybody Wants to Rule Their World
Because man is born a rebel, he is unaware that he is one. His constant assertion of self, as far as he thinks of it at all, appears to him a perfectly normal thing. He is willing to share himself, sometimes even to sacrifice himself for a desired end, but never to dethrone himself. No… Continue reading
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Things Unseen
Jesus keeps pointing us to the quiet places of faith. When you give, don’t draw attention to it (Matthew 6:2–4). When you pray, slip away and close the door (Matthew 6:6). When you fast, don’t make a show of it (Matthew 6:17–18). It’s not that public faith is wrong, but that Jesus knows how easily… Continue reading
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God’s Global Positioning System
Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. – Acts 9:43 My wife is currently traveling abroad on a women’s ministry trip. And to be upfront about it, when she first mentioned this to me and where she would be going several months ago, I wasn’t too keen on the idea.… Continue reading
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When There’s No Bloom on the Fig Tree
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.… Continue reading
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When God Edits Your Life Plans Without Asking
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”Proverbs 16:9 Have you ever been turned down for a job? Or maybe applied for a bank loan and was denied? Perhaps you didn’t get into the school that you desperately wanted to attend, or maybe you came up with a great idea… Continue reading
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A Little Faith Can Go a Long Way
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” – John 6:9 When the crowd of 5000 came, the disciples saw a major problem. They needed an army of caterers, not a small basket of bread and fish. The situation seemed hopeless.… Continue reading
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Why Forgiveness Isn’t Optional
“The moment I start hating a man, I become his slave. He even controls my thoughts. I can’t escape his tyrannical grasp on my mind. When the waiter serves me steak, it might as well be stale bread and water. The man I hate will not permit me to enjoy it.” – S.I. McMillen, None… Continue reading
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The Thing About Sin…
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?” ~ Jonah 4:11 Have you ever felt God urging you to do something that you were so… 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!