I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Practice

The other day I was watching the show Amazing Race. The participants were challenged to learn a dance from another culture and then perform it in front of judges who would determine whether or not they got all the steps and nuances correct. They would pick an instructor to teach them what they needed to know. But it wasn’t until they went out to preform the dance, did they understand where they needed to practice some more. Watching their instructors was not enough, they needed to practice and refine their skills to succeed. This reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 4:9, where he encourages us to put into practice what we’ve learned in our faith. “Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Just like the contestants on The Amazing Race, we can’t just watch others live out their faith—we have to step out and do it ourselves. We can read the Bible, listen to sermons, and learn from great teachers, but at some point, we have to apply what we’ve learned. And just like those contestants,

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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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I Choose Today to Build in Faith

A little while back, a pastor friend of mine wrote a sermon about the faith of Noah. He pointed out that Noah is listed in the “Hall of Fame” of Faith: “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.” — Hebrews 11:7a (NLT) Noah had great faith because he obeyed God—building something that had never been seen, built, or even imagined—simply because God said to. Noah obeyed and built the ark. What’s remarkable is that the ark’s design stood out from every other ancient boat. Unlike boats meant for navigation, the ark was built for survival, not direction—it had no rudder, no sails, no way to steer. It didn’t need them, because God was in control of its course. We don’t need to steer when God is leading. At that time, rain had never even fallen (Genesis 2:5-6 suggests the earth was watered by mist). Yet, Noah obeyed. He built a massive ship for a phenomenon he had never seen, purely on faith in what God spoke to him. Even when we don’t understand, obedience is our part—God

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I Choose Today to Walk in Childlike Awe

This is the last attribute of the seven-fold Holy Spirit that Isaiah prophesied Jesus would be empowered with when He came to make a way for our salvation and reconciliation with our Heavenly Father. Some time ago, I wrote a post about how fearing the Lord means to be in awe of Him and to have deep reverence for who He is. But today, I want to explain this concept in a way that speaks to something many of us understand—parenting. When we have children, our desire is to nurture them as they grow, guiding them toward a path that allows them to thrive. This isn’t just good parenting; it’s biblical: “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6 AMPC As parents, we don’t just train our children in general morality—we seek to understand their individual gifts, personalities, and callings so we can guide them in the way they were created to walk. When we train, instruct, and guide them, they naturally want to please us. Most of the time, they choose what is right

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I Choose Today to Truly Know God

How does one truly know another? Better yet, how does one truly know the God of the universe, the Maker of heaven and earth? The One who created all things that are and were created? Is it even possible? And if it is, how can we, as mere humans, have a deep, personal, experiential, transformational relationship with God and truly know Him? As we continue with the seven-fold attributes of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11:2, today we explore the Spirit of Knowledge—not just knowledge in the sense of facts and information, but the kind of knowing that transforms everything. Jesus actually tells us what knowing God means. In John 17:3, He says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Eternal life isn’t just about what happens when we die. It’s not only about going to heaven—it starts here and now. To truly live is to know God. But this kind of knowing isn’t just about studying or learning about Him. The Hebrew word used for knowledge in Isaiah 11:2 is da‘at, and it carries the idea of deep, experiential, relational knowledge. It’s not about head

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