“Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.”
– Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT

“In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night.”

During the first week of our summer break this year, I read these verses in Ecclesiastes. I was reminded again that it’s the finish line that really matters. Nobody really celebrates your start; you don’t get a trophy or medal for that. What is celebrated and rewarded is what happens at the finish line.

There is a moment coming when you and I will stand before the Lord. It is at this ultimate finish line that we want to hear the words, “Well done!” I want to finish strong, I want to be faithful with what I’ve been given today, I want to be dependable, reliable, a person whose life is clean and ready for every good work. This is what I want for you, too, my friend.

It is the little choices you make every day that lead you
to a celebration at the finish line!

While you are on your journey, running your race, here is something to guard against—ceaseless activity. Part of your race includes a regular rest from ceaseless activity. When I read those words, “ceaseless activity,” I thought, that sounds like my life. While I know God has wired me for action, results, and to move at a fast pace, I’m also aware that God has created me to need rest, to pause, to be refreshed… and the Lord has made you the same way.

So I pray for you today, my friend, that your race includes some rest. That the Great Shepherd of your soul will lead you to times of rest and refreshing in His presence. I pray that you run your race with purpose in every step and that we all can enjoy hearing those words from the Father – “Well Done!”

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame
will darken their faces.  – Psalm 34:5

Those who look to Him for help will be radiant! Who do you look to when you need help? Who do you turn to? If you look to a person… people leave. People will let you down, even the best of them. They say one thing, but do something else. But if you look to the Lord for help, you will be radiant with joy!

I recently attended a funeral for a 14-year-old boy… a remarkable young man. In such a short amount of time, it was evident that he made a huge impact on all those who knew him. Something stood out to me that I just can’t seem to shake – the family! I have talked with moms who have lost their teenagers to a tragic accident. I have had tears on my shoulder, I have watched the horror of such deep pain. But this time was different. Was there tremendous loss? Of course. Was there grieving and deep pain? Without a doubt. But there was also joy!

Through the tears of this precious mom, her eyes and smile were radiant with joy. How can this be? She was walking through the worst any mom could ever have to go through. But she did it with joy that could not be missed. When you find yourself going through the worst, learn a lesson from a hurting mom. Look to the Lord for help and you will be radiant with joy!

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. – Psalm 34:1

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! – Psalm 34:8

Thanks for joining me for these three days of fasting and prayer!

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom…  – Ezra 1:1

Have you ever had something or someone stir your heart? Has the Lord ever stirred your heart to come to a prayer meeting, start a business, invest in your family, or dive in with both feet and serve in new ways? Throughout scripture we see something about God—He stirs the hearts of man. He stirs you and me to action!

When it says that the Lord stirred the heart of King Cyrus, to stir means to awaken, arouse; it’s the opposite of sleep or idleness. It’s a picture of a mother eagle stirring her young to get out of the nest and fly; to awaken in them a desire toward activity, reaching their potential.

This is what the Lord is doing in this season—He is stirring you! He is awakening a desire in you to take action, to reach your full Kingdom potential! The Lord is stirring you out of everything average, everything ordinary, and He is putting in your heart a desire to take some bold actions.

As we study the book of Mark together on Sundays, I see this repeatedly. The Lord stirred the hearts of four guys to make a bold move and tear through somebody’s roof in order to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. That move looked reckless to everyone in the room—that is, except Jesus! I think He loved it! We saw it when the Lord stirred the heart of Levi to leave everything—his business, position, and money—to follow Jesus!

So how about you? What’s your next big, bold move? What is the Lord calling you to do? What action do you feel that He is calling you to take?

Simply follow the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit as He stirs your heart toward action. You’ll find yourself in the middle of something that is beyond your expectations!

“As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me,” says the Lord.  – Jeremiah 13:11a

What a thought – you and I have been created to cling to the King of Kings. You were made to be close to God. From the moment a baby is born, they hold on. They will hold onto their parent’s fingers. As they grow, they hold onto their toys. Later in life, we continue to hold tightly onto so many things: relationships, reputations, careers, money…. the list goes on and on.

There is only one thing—one person—you and I were created to hold onto and cling tightly to: The Lord! You were created to be close to God, created to cling to Him, to trust Him for everything you need. You were created for friendship with God. Come on… let’s go after that friendship. We certainly don’t want to settle for just asking God to fix things for us when He wants something so much deeper – friendship!

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.  He teaches them his covenant.  – Psalm 25:14

A real friend sticks closer than a brother.  – Proverbs 18:24b

And He is a real friend who sticks. Yep, others will come and go. Some will say one thing but do something else. But the Lord sticks… He sticks close to you! He is fiercely faithful to you, He doesn’t change His mind about His commitment to you. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Bigger than your ability to cling to God is the fact that God is holding onto you! Psalm 73:23 tells us that the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth, takes you by the hand. The Lord who holds the world in His hands is holding your hand today! Why? He loves you, He is leading you, He is helping you, He is directing your steps, and He delights to be near you!

May you be fully aware all day long that the Lord is close to you! The Lord, who created you to cling to Him, is holding tightly to you!

“As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.  I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’”
– Acts 22:6-7

The Lord is interrupting people today… in fact, He wants to interrupt you. He wants to interrupt everything you thought was normal. He wants to interrupt your current thoughts about what you are facing. He wants to interrupt the current circumstances you are in. He has something greater that He wants to invite you to be part of.

Saul was going about his day like any other day. He was on a road, on a mission, living out his plans to persecute and kill Christians, when his day was interrupted. A bright light from Heaven came beaming down on him and knocked him off his donkey. Then he heard the voice of the Lord talking to him by name. God had a different road for Saul; there was a new day and a new path for him to walk. First came the interruption, then came the invitation. That is a pattern we see with the Lord throughout scripture.

Studying the book of Mark together, we recently read about the disciples who were doing their thing, walking down their path of being fishermen, when they were interrupted by Jesus calling from the shore saying, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Everything they knew to be normal was about to change. They were being invited to live at a different level, to function with a higher purpose with every day.

A divine interruption is coming that will challenge the path you are walking. This interruption will be abrupt, a surprise, it will be unexpected. In the middle of this interruption, it’s imperative that you listen to the Lord’s voice. Listen to what He has to say to you. He wants to speak to the circumstances you face. He wants to speak to your thoughts. He wants to invite you to something that is bigger, grander… something that will cause your life to change and never be the same.

Thank you for joining me for these first three days of July to pray and fast together! May you be interrupted by the King of Kings today.

Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:

• 2 Kings 20
• 2 Kings 21
• 2 Kings 22:1-2
• Acts 21:18-36
• Psalms 150:1-6
• Proverbs 18:9-10

 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.”
– 2 Kings 19:14-15, 17

This amazing moment into the life of one of Judah’s great Kings, Hezekiah, reveals a secret to powerful prayer. It’s simply acknowledging the truth of what is happening—recognizing the truth about what was done, what was said. But more importantly, it is acknowledging who God is and what He has said!
For King Hezekiah, that truth was in the form of a letter. In that letter, an evil King spoke the fact that no nation had ever been able to stand up to them. He went on to taunt the nation of Israel and belittle them. But it’s what Hezekiah did with that letter that was powerful. He spread it out before the Lord, acknowledged the facts, and acknowledged who God is.

You don’t have to ignore the facts… but to have power in prayer, you do have to acknowledge that GREATER is He that is in you than the facts that stare at you in the face. It was true that the kings of Assyria had defeated the other nations they bragged about. But it was also true that God is enthroned above all the “facts.” He is enthroned between the mighty cherubim in Heaven. It’s true that He is God of all the kingdoms of the earth. And watch this… it’s true that He created the heavens and the earth! That’s the living God that you are relying on!

You see, it’s the truth of who God is that brings power to your prayers. What are the facts that stare at you today? Don’t deny them, just add to them the fact of who God is—the Creator of Heaven and Earth! He can create something out of nothing for you today!