Encouragement Archives | Page 9 of 21

June 22, 2026

Choices

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) We’re surrounded by choices. I made choices this morning — what to wear and what to eat, how I am going to spend this day, and what kind of mood I am going to face this day with. Everyday living requires choices. Every choice we make is up to us. I talked with a young lady recently about some of the decisions she was making. She was making some pretty negative choices in the areas of addiction and […]

June 20, 2026

June 20, 2026

The Act of Forgiveness

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 (NKJV) I have had to come to God many times to help me forgive someone who has hurt me or wronged me in some way — not so much physically, but certainly emotionally. One example I will mention is, when I was quite young, I had a special cat I loved. At that time living on the reserve, we had a day-school teacher who was boarding in our home. He decided one Sunday morning, while my […]

June 18, 2026

June 18, 2026

You Are Mine

“My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30 (NASB) Growing up, it was just my mom and me. Of course, it takes a village to raise children, but for the most part, it was just us. This is a big […]

June 17, 2026

June 17, 2026

Don’t Let the Mold Grow

“Sin is crouching at the door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7 (NIV) One afternoon I was giving announcements at my workplace. All of a sudden, it felt like my air supply had been completely cut off. My heart was racing, everything started to spin, and I couldn’t breathe! This began an unexpected health journey for me. It took nearly a year to discover the root cause. I went through all kinds of tests, and all of them came back normal. Heart and lungs were all good, but I still felt like I […]

June 16, 2026

June 16, 2026

Changing Our Thinking

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT) The apostle Paul was very clear, writing to brothers and sisters in Christ, to not follow the ways of how the world thinks and acts. Romans 12:1 mentions that we are to present our bodies to God because of all He has done for us, and to let our bodies be a living sacrifice, holy and […]

June 13, 2026

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June 13, 2026

What if Jesus is Who He Says He is?

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made t hat has been made.” John 1:3 (NIV) If the Bible is true, and if Jesus is who He says He is, then Jesus is our Creator, and He made it all. Think about what that all includes. Look around you; even look at yourself. Go back through your memory files to find favorite activities, foods, friends and loved ones. He made every single atom and molecule for everything; He provided life to His plants, creatures, and people. How much personality, artistic ability, imagination, and power did it take […]

June 12, 2026

June 12, 2026

Realizing Potential

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renew al of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV) It just sits there. There’s an old 1964 Mercury “Shorty” school bus behind my dad’s place that’s been sitting there since 1976 when one of my brothers blew the motor on it. It’s a sweet little three-window bus that I sometimes wonder what it would take to fi x up, rebuild, restore, and customize . . . it would sure turn […]

June 11, 2026

June 11, 2026

Grieving God

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4: 30 (NIV) It seems that pain has a way of drawing us closer to God. God knew all about pain and grief. He watched His Son die on the cross for our miserable sins. I remember one time when I was pinning a diaper on my daughter (back before Pampers). I caught her skin on the pin. My poor girl cried in pain, and I cried right along with her, knowing I had hurt her — not on purpose, […]

June 10, 2026

June 10, 2026

Set Free

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 (NIV) In my past I was a musician. I played guitar in a band. We played in bars, halls, conferences, and even the Toronto Skydome (I believe now called Rogers Centre where the Blue Jays play). We even met various rock stars along the way. But I paid a huge price for this. I became an alcoholic, drug addict, party-er, smoker, etc. The list goes on and on. One day, I made […]