Luke 2:25–27“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple.”Luke goes out of his way to tell us that Simeon’s life was shaped ...  Read More

Luke 1:67“Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy.”Zechariah’s story is important because it reminds us that hearing God’s promise does not automatically mean we are ready to walk in it. Zechariah was righteous, faithful, and serving in the temple when God spoke to him. And yet, when the promise came, doubt followed. His response was not rebellion, but he...  Read More

Luke 1:41“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”Elizabeth’s life did not suddenly become easy when she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Her circumstances did not instantly resolve. But something shifted within her. The Spirit filled her, and joy followed. This reminds us that joy is not produced by circumstances. Joy is...  Read More

Luke 1:35“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”Mary’s calling was impossible by human standards. She was not equipped, experienced, or prepared for what God was asking her to carry. And yet, God did not hesitate to invite her into His plan. The reason is simple. God never asks us to accomplish His purposes apart from His presence. Before Mary ever...  Read More

Psalm 23:6“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”David ends the psalm with absolute confidence. Not in his performance. Not in his decisions. Not in a perfect record or a flawless past. His confidence is in the Shepherd who goes before him and the Shepherd who follows behind him. God leads you into tomorrow...  Read More

Psalm 23:4“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”David does not pretend the valley is easy. He acknowledges the darkness, the danger, and the uncertainty. Yet he speaks with surprising confidence. He says, I will not be afraid. Not because the valley changed, but because he realized he was not...  Read More

Psalm 23:1-3“The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”David opens the psalm with a picture of God that is both tender and strong. The Lord is not a distant observer or a passive presence. He is a shepherd who leads. A shepherd who goes fi...  Read More

Matthew 1:22-23“All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet. ‘Look. The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.’”Joseph heard the angel’s words, but he still had to wake up the next morning and live them out. He still had to face conversations, uncertainties, and a future that did not look a...  Read More

Matthew 1:20-21“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”Joseph was ready to walk away until heaven stepped in. The angel did n...  Read More

Matthew 1:19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.Joseph loved Mary, but the news of her pregnancy turned his world upside down. He wanted to do the right thing, yet everything he knew about life and faith suddenly felt uncertain. This is what doubt often feels like. It shows up when life does n...  Read More

Matthew 1:18Before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.There are moments in life when God steps into our normal and refuses to let things stay the way they were. Joseph had a plan. Mary had a plan. Their families had a plan. None of those plans included a pregnancy before marriage, an angelic visitation, or becoming parent...  Read More

Psalm 126:3“The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.”When you look back over this entire series and this entire week, there has been a clear thread running through everything God has been speaking. He blesses us so He can move through us. That is the heart of a restored life. That is the heart of a revived church. And it is the heart behind Heart for the House. Generosity is never just ...  Read More

Romans 12:1“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”Serving God is not glamorous. It is not always emotional. It is not always inspiring. Sometimes it looks like waking up early, staying late, carrying equipment, loading trailers, teaching kids, or doing things that no ...  Read More

Zechariah 4:10“Do not despise the day of small things…”God intentionally reduced Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Why? Because He wanted His people to learn that victory does not come from numbers, strategy, or strength. It comes from His presence. We live in a culture obsessed with bigger, faster, and more. God values faithfulness over fame. He values surrender over size. ...  Read More

Judges 6:25“Now on the same night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s bull and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it…’”Before Gideon ever fought the Midianites, God gave him an assignment in his own house. Before he confronted the enemy outside, God asked him to confront the compromise inside. Gideon had grown up in a culture whe...  Read More

1 Peter 4:10“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”God never asks you for what you do not have. He always starts with what is already in your hands. When Moses stood before the burning bush, God did not ask him for eloquence, status, or skill. He asked him one question: “What is that in your hand?” It was a shepherd...  Read More

1 Samuel 15:22“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…’”We often quote “to obey is better than sacrifice,” but we rarely think about what happens when obedience requires sacrifice. This is not obedience that is convenient or easy. This is obedience that costs something. Gideon un...  Read More

Luke 19:41-42“When He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace…’”One of the most powerful moments in the life of Jesus happens on the road into Jerusalem. He stops, looks at the city, and breaks down in tears. Not because the buildings were impressive or the crowds were cheering, but because He saw the ...  Read More

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.At the end of all our giving, all our obedience, and all our spiritual effort, there is one truth we can’t escape: we cannot change our own hearts. We can make adjustments to our habits, we can rearrange our budgets, and we can discipline our actions,...  Read More

Mark 10:27 (NIV)Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.Generosity always begins with trust, not abundance. If we waited until we “felt ready,” saw more income, or hit the perfect financial moment, most of us would never give at all. Abundance doesn’t create generosity. Trust does. The Rich Young Ruler had everything; wealth, ...  Read More

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.God never designed you to be a reservoir. A reservoir holds water, guards it, protects it, and keeps it confined. A river, on the other hand, moves. A river carries life from one place to another. A river flows freely, and because it flows freely, it stays fresh. This is the picture God uses when He call...  Read More

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NKJV)Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown…God doesn’t give seed to the keeper. He gives seed to the sower. That means God supplies more to the people who actually plant what He gives them. Too many believers live with a “bag mindset,” holding on tightly to everything they have, terrified that if they release a...  Read More

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.Paul uses a farming picture because it exposes something we don’t like to admit: you can’t reap what you don’t release. A farmer can stare at a field all day, pray over it, dream about the harvest, and even talk about what he hopes to see. But until he puts s...  Read More

Matthew 6:21 (NIV)For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Jesus didn’t say your treasure follows your heart. He said your heart follows your treasure. That flips the way we normally think about giving. Most people wait to feel generous before they act generous, but Jesus teaches that our giving actually leads our hearts. Your treasure is the steering wheel of your affections. Whe...  Read More