Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Job 11:18  NLT Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. One of the greatest things that our faith does for us is give us hope when the wold seems to be crashing around us us.  The struggle is real.  Hope and courage are linked in so many ways.  They are family members.  Each is a characteristic of people who care about the things of God, for other and caring too for themselves.  That is why God builds His people. God has used struggles through our lives to guide us give us hope and courage in this adventure called life.   Hope reminds us that there is more to life than the struggle.  Courage helps us press on.  It may not seem that simply, but it seems to make sense.   Psalm 31:24  NLT So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!   That is a command.  Not one of those like the sign th...

  Who encourages you? Think about that. So many people come to mind when I answer this question.  Currently there are people that come to mind that make me smile and who have made my life so much better. Proverbs 18:22  NLT   The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. My wife Julie began praying a few months ago and sharing some things with me that we have seen happen this summer.  What a blessing for us and for all our family.  Also Julie has been a huge encouragement to me.  I mean big time. Proverbs 18:24  NLT   There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. There are several people who have become great influencers in my life.  Some you might know, and some you most likely do not. My oldest brother has been reading Scripture with me each day for a few years.  I would say Steve is one of my biggest encouragers.  His place in my life makes me be...

There are so many outcomes that we can talk about in life.  Many of us have seen God do amazing things.  He is still working, and He is working all around us/  May we see it and share it and help others experience God. Titus 1:9  NLT   He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. One of the things that stands out to me about the ministry in Cuba is how God uses the gifts and talents of the people who step up to do what God calls each to do.   It all began in February of 2019 as I say at a table with Alex who shared his heart for ministry in Cuba and the need for partners.  I was in.  I am still in. God has called me to use my gifts to help others who have God given gifts.  Each of us has a place to serve and can make a difference in the lives of others.  In fact when we use our guts others will ste...

  Joshua 1:6-9  NLT   “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Leading can be very difficult.  There are stories throughout the Bible of men and women who chose to lead others in the direction of God and what is best.  Often they would struggle with things that seemed far to difficult for anyone to have to contend with. Let me remin...

1 Thessalonians 5:11  NLT   So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. We ought to be the people who help others know how special they are.  It is our words, words of kindness and encouragement, that make a difference.   Words can be used to hurt or to help.  Often the right words chosen just at the right time can do damage to the people they are given to.  Yet we ought to use all we have, including our words, as something like gifts to those who they are given to.   Speak life and strength over the people that means the most to you.  That is a choice I want to make, especially to the people closest to me.  That is my family and friends.  Sometimes these people get the worst and not the best. Take the opportunity to build up, not to tear down.  Choose words that bring courage.  In fact we are told by God to use the name of Jesus to give light and strength to those they are given to. The foll...

Thoughts about courage are so needed.  Too many people live their lives based upon what others think about think.  It is more important to live based on what God says about us. God loves you.  God sent His son for you.  God is with us and for us and ready to help us.   Take a few minutes to read through the following thoughts that will help center our thoughts and actions on the truth of our God: — No matter what we see in the news, what we learn about friends or ourselves, we will be strong because of some real truth, not fake news. Joshua 1:6-9  NLT Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruct...

What is going to change our situation?  I am not talked about the virus or about the tension around our nation.  What I am alluding to is the strain inside of each of us. Many times I have reminded our church and my e-devotion readers that we, those who follow Jesus, should be thermostats and not thermometers.  A thermometer tells the what the temperature is.  They literally conformed to whatever they are surrounded by.  Whereas a thermostat sets the temperature for the area it is in. Set the temperature, the mood, the attitude.  Set the standard and don’t slide to what is easy, the status quo.  Allow your mind and heart to be on a foundation that will see us through the strain and on to victory. No matter what we see in the news, what we learn about friends or ourselves, we will be strong because of some real truth, not fake news. Deuteronomy 31:6  NLT So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before the...

Job 11:18  NLT Having   hope   will give you   courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. These two things are linked in so many ways.  Hope and courage are family members.  They are characteristics of people who care about themselves and the people around them.  They are ways that God builds His people and what is used to guides us through this adventure called life. Hope reminds us that there is more to life than self and struggle.  Courage pressed us on.  Maybe it is not just that simply, yet that seems to make sense. Psalm 31:24  NLT So be strong and   courageous, all you who put your   hope   in the   Lord ! Sounds like a command to me.  Not one of those like the sign that says “don’t walk on the grass”.  But it is one of those that if you choose this thing that other thing will happen. Choose to be strong and your hop...

When God speaks, we better listen.  When God directs, we better walk that direction.  When God connects to us, we need to connect with Him.  Lets connect! Listen to what God said to me this morning: Joshua 1:6-9    NLT Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.  This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord   your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua was God's man in that day.  He had a direc...