I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Be Filled Before I Feed

There’s a sacred call we have—to encourage, to serve, to lead, to disciple, to feed His sheep.But as I was praying today, God gently reminded me: I can’t feed unless I’m being fed. I can’t pour out what I haven’t first received. Just like a mother who breastfeeds must nourish her own body in order to nourish her child, we too must be nourished—by the Word, by time in God’s presence, and most importantly, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We often rush into our vocations, our callings, our ordinary, even our ministries with empty cups, offering stale crumbs instead of living bread. But even Jesus didn’t start His ministry without the filling of the Spirit. He waited until the Spirit descended like a dove at His baptism. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He was filled with the Spirit when He stood up in the temple and declared Isaiah 61 over Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me…” If Jesus needed to be filled with the Spirit before He began to feed others—how much more do we? It’s true—if you are a believer, the Holy Spirit already dwells

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Even in the Silence, He Is There (As featured on (in)courage)

The world didn’t stop. It kept turning, kept moving forward, as though nothing had changed. But for me, everything had. I remember stepping outside that tragic morning, my heart shattered beyond words. My neighbor stood in his yard, watering his flowers, exclaiming about what a beautiful June day it was. I could barely comprehend his words. How could anything be beautiful in this moment? My voice came out flat, almost detached from the reality crashing around me:“Well, my son just died, so I don’t know how beautiful a day it is.” Grief has a way of making everything around you feel distant, like you’re watching life from behind a thick pane of glass. You see it, but you’re not part of it. You exist in a different space—one that is heavy with sorrow and filled with deafening silence. Had God forgotten me? I had always believed in His presence, but grief has a way of testing even the deepest faith. If God was with me, why did I feel so alone? Why did my prayers seem to go unanswered? And how was I even supposed to pray in this kind of pain? What does one say to the Almighty when

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I Choose Today to Wait on His Presence

There’s a lot I could chase right now—momentum, strategy, visibility. The podcast is almost ready, and everything’s in motion. But there’s this moment from Scripture I can’t stop thinking about. It’s when God tells Moses, “Go on up to the land I promised you. I’ll even send an angel ahead to clear the way… but I’m not going with you, because you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:3) And Moses, in all his boldness and intimacy with God, basically says, “Then don’t send us. We’re not going anywhere without You.” (Exodus 33:15) He knew the Promised Land meant nothing without the Presence of God. That’s exactly where I’m at right now. I don’t want to launch a podcast, write another word, or take another step—unless the Lord is in it. His Presence is the promise. Without Him, it’s just noise. This calling has always been about obedience, not production. About God’s heart, not my platform. So I’ve found myself praying something that’s become almost a whisper I repeat throughout the day: “Don’t let me get ahead of You, Lord.” Because I’ve seen what happens when I rush, when I strive, when I try to manufacture something that only the Spirit

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I Choose Today to See God in the Ordinary

Have you ever wondered if God is moving in your life, but you just didn’t notice? What if He’s been passing by in ordinary moments, and we weren’t paying attention? But what if we’re looking in the wrong places? See, in Scripture, God rarely shows up the way people expect. Samuel heard His voice, but didn’t recognize it at first (1 Samuel 3). The disciples were just going about their normal workday when Jesus happened by and called them to something greater (Matthew 4:18-20). And the woman at the well? She was just doing her daily chore, completely unaware that an encounter with Jesus was about to change her life forever (John 4). God passes by in the ordinary—but are we paying attention? I’ve had moments where I almost missed Him. • At a gas station, I noticed a woman sitting in her car at the pump. The Holy Spirit whispered, You’re going to fill her tank. A moment later, she tearfully asked if I could put gas in her car. Without hesitation, I filled it up. She didn’t say thank you. She just drove away. And you know what? That had to be okay. God didn’t ask me to

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I Choose Today to Refuel

Anyone who has ever driven a car knows the tension of watching the fuel gauge dip lower and wondering, Do I have enough to make it? Maybe you’ve even miscalculated, convinced you could push just a little farther—only to end up stranded, waiting for help. Looking back, the reason for not stopping to refuel often boils down to I didn’t have time. But that logic quickly falls apart when we realize that running out of fuel actually cost us more time, energy, and stress than simply stopping would have. The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we don’t take time to refuel, we risk running on empty—pushing ourselves until we are drained, anxious, or worse, unable to move forward in what God has for us. Even though I study God’s Word, listen to sermons, podcasts, and teachings to equip me for writing and speaking, I can’t rely on those things alone. If I don’t take intentional time to personally refuel with God—to be filled with His Spirit, wisdom, and power—I’ll find myself depleted, running on fumes, and unable to fully step into what He’s calling me to. Even Jesus, while fully God, operated in complete dependence on the

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