Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Over the last 28 years I have had the honor of serving as a minister in many churches. No matter where the church or how it functions, the message remains the same.  It is all about Jesus. I have met preachers through the years that preach and teach very different.  Yet the main thing has always been and will always be about Jesus and the fact that He came to save the world. Last week I went to a conference where I was able to spend time with one of my favorite preachers, Johnny Hunt.  He has always been an inspiration to me.  His strength and message has never changed. I started going to the conference he puts on some 24 years ago.  I missed the last several years, but his teaching remains solidly built on Jesus. Why do some churches or ministers struggle? It might be because the message of Jesus takes a back seat to other purposes.  We must be people of the book. The Bible continues to be all about and points us to the message of Jesus.  The bigger deal we make of Jes

Proverbs 23:18  NLT Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. I have been in a couple different meetings and had numerous conversations with people who live in our area who want to help people in need.  We have talked about the needs we see, the services we offer, and way beyond. It is amazing to stop and listen.  It is amazing to see things from a new point of view.  What excites me is that we can and are "offering hope together". We are not alone.  There are other agencies, churches, and organizations that are linking up to make a difference in our community by helping hurting people. Psalm 9:18  NLT But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. God hears the prayers and the cries of those in need.  It is like nothing else to be able to offer hope to those who have little or no hope.  God's desire is to connect with people, and God uses you and me.  He uses those who are open,

Our men’s group has gone back to a book many of us have read before.  Mark Batterson’s  In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day has been a great encouragement to me over the last 12 years.  This week’s reading with our men was especially good.  Here are some quotes from chapter 7: God will keep opening doors of opportunity as long as we live. Seizing God-ordained opportunities… Success is doing the best you can with what you have where you are. Spot an opportunity a mile away. And they seize the opportunity with both hands.  They grab life by the mane.  And that is what opportunity stewardship is all about. Make the most of every opportunity. Benaiah learned how to live in prayer mode from the prayer warrior himself, King David. One of our greatest spiritual shortcomings is low expectations.  We don’t expect much from God because we aren’t asking for much. Low expectations are the byproduct of prayerlessness, but prayer has a way of God-sizing our expect

Hear what God says to us about His work in our lives.  This is spiritual and more.  We have been blessed by our generous God.   Read the following passage.  You might read it a few times and mark what stands out to you. John 3:30-36  NLT He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. 31 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!   33 Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true.   34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.   35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.   36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” Make a commit

This is a devotion I shared one year ago. It remains true and was on my mind today.  Read on and may God surround you! You are surrounded.    That might be what you hear when you are in trouble.    It might even look like you are done, defeated and headed for a lose. I have seen movies about battles, old westerns and new military ones, when the enemy surrounded who we thought was the good guy.    Some way the good guys came out winning.    Or did they? Deuteronomy 1:30    NLT The   Lord   your God is going ahead of   you. He will   fight   for   you, just as   you   saw him do in Egypt. In life we often feel like we are surrounded by the enemy or by the situations of life.    Seems like we are in deep trouble, but it is at that moment that we remember what God has said.    He is for us, with us and fighting the enemy for us. Isn’t that one of the most incredible things to understand?    God is for His children.    The victory is His.    The battle is His.    I