“Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.’”” – 2 Samuel 12:7

We have an almost unlimited ability to be blind to our own sins!!! We can clearly see every small offense committed by other people while being able to rationalize, excuse, explain, or ignore even the most obvious ungodliness in our lives. King David slept with another man’s wife then arranged to have him killed to cover it up – and was completely OK with it!!! It was only after God sent the prophet Nathan to tell a parable that David was able to see the evil within himself.

If King David can deceive himself about breaking two of the Ten Commandments, you better believe you can deceive yourself about your sins! Ask God, right now, to reveal any sin in your life. Ask Him to open your eyes to any habits, patterns, behaviors, addictions, attitudes, or words that disobey and dishonor Him. Then, be still, and listen quietly to understand what He says or shows you about yourself.

Don’t hurry on with your day until you’ve sat with God about this – it’s too important to your spiritual wellbeing! If God reveals something to you, repent of it. Confess it to Him, apologize for it, ask Him to forgive it, and then ask for His help to avoid, resist, or flee from that sin in the future. #FollowJesus

“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!’” – Acts 3:6

On that day in the Temple, Peter gave a man who’d been handicapped since birth a gift more valuable then all the gold in Fort Knox! He introduced that man to the person and power of Jesus Christ. In an instant, the man was physically healed. He could stand. He could walk. He could jump for the first time in his life. He knew God was behind it and he celebrated and praised God.

He also stayed close to Peter and heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. He learned the truth, that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, that He’d lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, and risen from the dead to rule over creation in Heaven. This man believed in Jesus and repented of his sins. In an instant, he was spiritually healed as well. His sins were forgiven, he gained eternal life, he was sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Many today spend their precious lives scrambling after money – whether it’s to survive or to accumulate more than could be spent in a thousand lifetimes. However, no amount of money is as precious as knowing Jesus! Earthly wealth can’t give renewed life either on earth or in heaven. Jesus does and He doesn’t charge for it! Trust in the Lord Jesus and invest in Him first and foremost before being too concern about the wealth and investments of the world. #FollowJesus

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
– Proverbs 14:4

If you want to do things that matter, it will probably get messy! Get used to that. Embrace it! A farmer obsessed with having a perfectly clean barn will only achieve that by getting rid of the animals required to succeed at farming. With fruitfulness and productivity comes a certain inevitable amount of messiness. It’s OK to like tidy but fruitfulness needs to take priority.

The same is true in life and the service of God. If we wish to be productive and fruitful for God, it will come with a certain messiness in our churches and our lives. If we’re going to reach those hurting, broken, and far from God with the good news of Jesus Christ, it will require energy, compassion, and a willingness to patiently endure ups and downs, successes and setbacks, joys and hurts, thrills and disappointments, and lots and lots of changes. To lovingly meet the needs of those God puts in your path requires a willingness to sacrifice your comfort, preferences, and expectations for their sake.

Jesus has promised us that we’re surrounded by harvest fields prepared by God – people open to the Gospel and ready to embrace God’s grace and love. If you’re a Christian, then you’re one of the workers God has designated to go out, whether to your neighborhood or to the nations. Either way, going out will get messy. That’s the nature of getting close enough to people to really impact them for Jesus. Prepare yourself – messy is the price of fruitfulness. Don’t worry about a clean stable, get involved in God’s abundant harvest despite the mess! #FollowJesus

“I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” – 2 Samuel 6:22

In the eyes of his wife, King David had made a complete fool of himself! David didn’t care and was ready to double-down on looking like a fool! As the Ark of God was being carried to Jerusalem, David danced in front of it in a manner his wife found embarrassing. She told him he hadn’t behaved like a proper king should. His answer was that he was celebrating God and would keep celebrating Him no matter how embarrassing it became. He knew that those who truly loved God would admire his authenticity.

How about you? Are you so full of joy about the Lord that you don’t mind looking like a fool, even to those closest to you? Are you willing to embarrass yourself because you love Jesus so much? Would you dance without dignity because you’re so excited about being near to God?

Many Christians love Jesus but are reluctant to fully display their love because they want the approval of people around them. That happens in the workplace, school, home, and even in churches! We can be reluctant to express just how much joy we have in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can be afraid of people judging us for being too “weird”. Don’t be.

Follow David’s example – be weird for Jesus! Don’t let anything hold you back from authentically demonstrating how much you love Him for what He’s done for you and how excited you are about that. If the love of God is leading you to be expressive, be expressive. Don’t be fake but don’t restrain yourself just to be approved by others. Act like a fool in people’s eyes if that’s what God’s love is leading you to do! #FollowJesus

“And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” – 2 Samuel 2:4

Waiting is hard! Especially when we’re absolutely certain about what God wants us to do. God’s people must often wait for things to come together as we expect. Sometimes we must wait for years. David certainly did! As a boy, David was anointed by Samuel to become the next king of Israel. David started doing great things for God but still had to spend years running and hiding from the current king of Israel. Once King Saul died, David was anointed king over his portion of Israel – the house of Judah. It would be another difficult 7 years before David was crowned king over all Israel.

We often begin to doubt God’s calling if we’re forced to wait a few weeks or months. David waited, in difficult and dangerous circumstances for YEARS. That didn’t mean God had forgotten him or was ignoring him. It didn’t mean David had misunderstood his calling. It simply meant that God was preparing him, strengthening his faith, refining his character, building his leadership, and filling out his experiences. God’s timing is always perfect and there was purpose in all that waiting.

Likewise, if what you understand to be God’s will for your life is taking more time than you’d like – which it usually does – don’t despair! Use your season of waiting to draw nearer to God, to build your faith, and to refine your character. Be busy for the Lord and learn from what’s valuable in the various experiences you have while waiting. Be patient. Be prayerful. Keep being patient. God hasn’t forgotten or ignored you – it’s just a matter of waiting for His perfect timing. Stay holy, keep growing, #FollowJesus