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Category: Choice (Page 1 of 9)

The Courage To Walk Away.

May 23, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“How much better it is to get skillful and godly Wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” –Proverbs 16:16

Wisdom will instruct us when to walk away, and from whom—if we avail ourselves of her wise counsel; we will flee, leaving behind us everything that is not God’s best. Even those “good things” we in fact know were God-given in seasons past. Those people, places, and abilities that served us well then. Still, they’re not God’s best for us now. They’re familiar, sure. Comfortable, you bet.

They’ve become so comfortable, in fact, that you’ve settled into them—moved in, lock, stock, and barrel, if you will, to a thing God intended to be temporary, a time of refreshing only. Or maybe it was intended as a time and place meant to build you up; that person or relationship meant only to bless you, then move on. The place you’re in now was hand-picked by God to settle you in for a season while you healed from the cutting away of those things He needed to remove from you. “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” –2 Timothy 2:21-22

So here’s the question: are you willing to walk away from whatever God is asking of you?

Will you freely let go of everything—anything, God is putting His finger on in this hour, or will you white-knuckle your way through, grabbing onto the familiar like a drowning man to a life -ring?  

Have you fallen for the enemy’s lie, beloved?

His deceptive whispers telling you what God has promised you —that seemingly impossible vision He’s given you, that dream or desire He’s placed in your heart and continues to confirm time and again, no matter how many fleece you keep throwing out—really isn’t possible, so how can it possibly be His right-now will for you?

Has what God promised you become just too impossible for you to hope for?

Did you fall for the lie of the enemy with his annihilative whispers, those same lies meant to challenge and thwart God’s Word, His promises? As if! Satan has been recycling his same trickery since his days in the Garden. “If you let go of what’s right in front of you now, you’ll surely risk going home empty-handed?

Hear me, friends: Those things, whatever they be: the best of people, that home, the city or State, that relationship, friendship or partnership may indeed have been God’s will for you in seasons past, but are no longer His Perfect will for you now. Recall Solomon’s sage words: “There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” –Ecclesiastes 3:1;5

Don’t mistake your right now for your forever, friends.

Seek God for His plan and purpose for your life, for how He would best use the gifts He has bestowed upon you for His glory—according to His will and plan for your life. “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].” –Romans 12:2

How do you do that?

You do it by surrendering and by remembering this crucial Truth: You are no longer your own—you’ve been bought at an exceedingly high price.

If you belong to Jesus, then Christ now has the only say that matters in your life.

You choosing to white-knuckle it in an attempt to hang on to your will over Jesus’ Perfect will for you is to kick against God’s Perfect plan and Divine purpose. That’s not only foolish but selfish. Not everything that glitters is gold, beloved of God; fool’s gold still exists, and fools continue to mistake it for the real thing by choosing their own will over God’s.

Being the loving Father God is, wanting only to give His absolute best to His children, is it any wonder that Abba forewarned us to be on the lookout for said fool’s gold? “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death.” –Proverbs 14:12

Friends, apart from my own, I don’t know whose heart God is knocking on today.

Who needed this Word of confirmation: it’s time to let go, finally; whose fear God wants to wash away—patient Father that He is, by Him using this one more reminder that: “the season is over. The time has passed. You’ve gleaned from it all I have willed. “It’s now time to move on, my child.”

I’m praying God gives you the courage and wisdom you need today to walk away when you hear Him say, “Go.”

Friend, if you don’t yet know this Loving, Kind, Patient, All-Knowing, Sovereign Jesus who, out of a love too big to wrap our heads around, gave His life for us, won’t you invite Him into your life today? “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12

This same Jesus wants nothing more than to love you and show you what He, the One who created you and knows you better than you know yourself, has for you—right now. “Cry out to me and I will answer you. I will reveal to you great things, guarded secrets that you never could have known.” –Jeremiah 33:3

Yesterday is done.

Tomorrow isn’t promised to us.

Jesus wants to do a new thing in you—a “right-now” renewing in your heart and life. Washing away completely all that was so that He’ll lead you into all that is and can be—if you’ll let Him. Hear Jesus’ heart and intentions toward you. Friend: “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11

Don’t Buy The Lie; It Is Not Too Late.

May 2, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? ‘ ” Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” –Luke 23:39-43

The world had sentenced him to death. According to them, his life was over, irredeemable.

But God had a different plan for the one the world had written off as used up. Why did God choose the last moments of his life to reveal Himself to this all but dead man and not years before, when his life may have made a difference? When he could have been used to help save others, or had time to preach the Gospel that turns hearts back to God? Only God knows. Why does God save any of us when He does? “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! —a worthless piece of broken pottery among other pieces equally worthless [and yet presuming to strive with his Maker]! Shall the clay say to him who fashions it, What do you think you are making? or, Your work has no handles?” –Isaiah 45:9

Had this man been guilty of being imprudent with the precious commodity of time God had afforded him, spending it on foolishness, sin, and selfishness? One doesn’t end up hanging on a cross because they made all the right choices in life.

And though Scripture doesn’t tell us this man’s name, age, or past offenses—only what he’d done to end up hanging beside Jesus on a cross —historical writings do; they suggest he was a man of a certain age, and his name was Dismas. And even with all Dismas may have gotten wrong in his less-than-illustrious life because God chose him to be His child before the foundation of the world, we’re still talking about him today. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” –Ephesians 1:4

No, you will not find Dismas’s name written in Hebrews 11— “Hall of Faith” — but because of one predestined and eternal stroke of God’s celestial pen, you will find it written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” –Isaiah 43:1-4

So why am I talking about Dismas today?

What does a thief on a cross have to do with you and me and our lives?

Nothing—if you’re of a certain age and can look back over your life with no regrets. But can you?

If you’re anything like me, you can’t.

Looking back at my life, it resembled Dismas’s far more than I’d care to admit. Like him, I too was guilty of a lifetime of sin, of foolishly spending the precious commodity of the time God had afforded me, my youth and beyond, on sin and selfishness. I, too, was written off on more than one occasion by others and myself, as irredeemable: too stained, too far gone.

Was that your story, too?

Can you relate to Dismas?

Friend, brothers, I thank God there’s no such thing as too late.

If there is breath in our lungs—or in the lungs of the one the world has written off, God still has a plan and purpose for our lives—or theirs.

Like Dismas, there’s a purpose for which you and I were created. No. We don’t all end up in the Hall of Faith, but I’m praying your name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

There’s no sin or even a lifetime of sin so heinous that God cannot redeem it, save it, making it clean, holy, made ready to use as a living testimony to save another. “For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” –2 Thessalonians 2:14

Dismas is a perfect example of this Truth.

God is still using Dismas’s life to call others to Himself by reminding them, through His Word, that it’s never too late to ask God for forgiveness—to save them. After all, part of why God chooses us is to use us to reach whoever He will, however He will, whenever He will—just as He did Dismas or through this teaching…

It’s not too late.

You’re not too old—too far gone—been through too much, smoked, drank, or had sex with too many, to be saved—washed clean, made new in Christ.

It’s what’s hidden in your heart, friend, buried beneath all that hardcore, gangsta exterior —what does only God see and know of you? Are you sorry, truly, for all that you’ve wasted—stolen from God?

Time, after all, belongs to Him.

Are you humble enough to admit you got it all wrong for so long that now your only hope is redemption? Forgiveness and a second chance to serve Jesus and others.

Are you willing to use whatever breath God may leave in your lungs to ask His forgiveness for all that you’ve done? That is what God desires for you—just like it was for Dismas. God has a plan for your life—and what if God will use these last minutes He’s afforded us all to do something so life-changing in you and through you that another soul is won to Him?

Nothing is impossible with God, friend.

He specializes in using those the world wrote off as irredeemable—useless, common. I know this to be true because I was one of “them”—until that moment, He looked at me and said, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”

 So, for as long as there is breath in my lungs, as long as I have use of every faculty God has afforded me, by His grace, I will use them to point you and anyone else I can toward Jesus. In His mercy, Jesus saved me, not only from the wages of my sins, death, but for Himself—Jesus wants me, just as He wants you.

Jesus saw me—called me by name, just as He’s doing to you right now, and for that alone, I am His, eternally.

That is my choice.

You must make your own.

Perhaps rereading today’s Scripture again will help you decide?

As you do, notice, there’s no altar call at the foot of the cross. Dismas didn’t recite a sinner’s prayer—he was simply and truly remorseful for his sins, all of them.

God saw his repentant heart and forgave Dismas.

He’ll do the same for you whether you ask him in church, driving down the road, in the shower, wherever. It’s all about your heart—and your sincerity.

It’s not about where you cry out to God—only that you mean it when you do.

We never hear anything more about that other criminal who hung alongside Jesus—only what Jesus says to Dismas, who recognized that Jesus was the only One who could save him. Through this, we learn how God will use anyone He so chooses to point others to Himself—notice, too, how God rewarded Dismas.

No, Dismas didn’t make it into Hebrews 11, “Hall of Faith,” yet God is still using Dismas today to point us toward Jesus.

If there is breath in your lungs, friend, it’s not too late for you and for God to use you to save another…

 “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

I Have Decided.

April 25, 2026 /

Maria Braga

Have you ever sung the following song? We sing it weekly at Highland City Church; it is sung not only as an anthem but also as a declaration, reminding us that our lives here on earth are very short, while eternity is forever. John 10:28-30 reminds us of this Truth. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. My Father and I are one.”

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I won’t turn back, I won’t turn back!

Though none go with me, still I will follow,

Though none go with me, still I will follow,

Though none go with me, still I will follow,

I won’t turn back, I won’t turn back!

The Cross before me, the world behind me,

The Cross before me, the world behind me,

The Cross before me, the world behind me,

I won’t turn back, I won’t turn back!

“I have decided to follow Jesus.” –The formation of the martyr’s words into a hymn has been attributed to the Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh. An alternative tradition attributes the hymn to Pastor Simon K. Marak of Jorhat, Assam. Timeless Truths Free Online Library. Retrieved 2011-10-09.

The true and powerful story behind this song is a sad, deeply moving one that convicts us, makes us look into our own souls, and ask: “Where is my faith?”

This hymn was inspired by and lived out in the life of Nokseng, a Garo tribesman from Meghalaya, India, in the nineteenth century. Nokseng and his family were killed after converting to Christianity when he refused his village chief’s demand to deny Jesus.

Such an honorable story of true love and a dedicated, sold-out life to Christ!

When we “decide” to follow Jesus truly and genuinely, exchange our old, sinful life for His Agape Love, our lives are transformed in such a powerful way that no one can persuade us to turn back.

Uncovering the power of love in this well-known song brings tears to my eyes. Each time I listen to this song, it reminds me of my ongoing need to build my house/faith on the Rock, Jesus. Jesus said that to build our lives on him is to build our lives on the Rock. Because Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the Rock. He is the only foundation of a well-built faith. Luke 6:47-49. “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the Rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, it immediately fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

The power of establishing our lives on “the Rock,” Jesus, is crucial to our temporal journey; we must decide to follow Jesus, and not turn back to our old way of life.

The Bible speaks of two builders in Luke’s Gospel: the wise and the foolish.

  1. The Rock represents Jesus’ teachings and a life built on obeying His Words and trusting in Him, leading a person to a strong, unshakable life in Christ, even in the face of trials and tribulations. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says: “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green”. Jeremiah beautifully describes this trust and obedience as like a tree planted by the water. He talks of a specific stream, representing spiritual stability and resilience; a person who thrives without living in fear and sees the fruit of their faith even though they may be experiencing a dry desert season.

We must keep this promise before us!

  • The sand represents a life built without a foundation, a shallow life. This type of person hears Jesus’ Words but ignores them and puts no value on them. This type of building collapses when hardships or temptations arise.

This Scripture is a metaphor for how we choose to build our lives.

Our lives are built either on something solid, which is faith, trust, and obedience to Jesus Christ, or something unstable, the things of this world, going our own way, and neglecting God’s Word. Through this Scripture, we see that a house built on the sand will soon sink. Building on sand is building shallowly, on the surface, with no substance or foundation to hold it up. One foot in the world and another hoping to go to heaven.

Individuals who attempt to build their faith on the sand have no security, no deliverance, no healing, and no promise to hold on to. The first windstorm to come through their lives will sweep through it. They are a building that is shaky, doubtful, and uncertain about the future.

Here are some questions for each of us to answer:

1-How am I building my spiritual life as a follower of Jesus?

 2-What am I building my spiritual life upon?

3-When no one comes with me, will I still follow my Jesus?

4-If I am not following Jesus, why not?

I pray our answers are full of assurance and in line with God’s Word.

The Cross must forever be before those who believe.

We must produce the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. If we are not bearing fruit, we need to check for cracks in our foundation.

Nokseng was so convinced of his faith that facing death didn’t move him.

He was so assured of his destiny, so strong in his belief, he refused to deny Jesus right up to the end, regardless of the horrific cost before him in the way of anguish and agony as he watched his entire family be killed, one by one.

What an example of faith this individual left for us.

His 19th-century life story of martyrdom in Northeast India is still very much alive today, inspiring us to live with spiritual vitality, fervency, and a sold-out love for Jesus.

Father, in the Mighty and powerful name of your Son Jesus Christ, I lift to you every person reading these words. I pray blessings over them. I pray they are encouraged. I pray it strengthens their faith or brings them to saving faith, Jesus. If anyone reading these words does not know you as Lord and Savior, my prayer is that they surrender their life to you and begin their walk of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, eternally, never to turn back. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Narrow Road

April 18, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” –Matthew 7:13-14

I recently read an online article that stated, “If you keep choosing easy, don’t complain when life gets hard. This is a truth most people don’t want to hear, because easy feels good in the moment. But here’s the cost no one talks about. Easy choices build weak habits. And weak habits quietly shape a hard life.”

To this, I would add, choosing to serve self rather than Jesus may give the impression of being “easier”; having no god but self to serve leaves your ability to choose wide open; to “blaze our own trail,” if you will. But here’s the thing about ways being left wide open before us; we can just as easily lose our way as choose our way when we take them. “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.” –Proverbs 14:12

Unlike many other of God’s creations, we were not created to roam free—contrary to those beautiful, enticing travel posters and vaca ads inviting us to do so.

You and I, dear friend, were created to live within the parameters of relationship—with God first and above all, with family, and within a community; that is God’s biblical plan. How He intends us to live, and designed the model He’s given us for forming communities.

In today’s scripture, we learn work is required of us—a concrete choice must be made if we’re to enter through the narrow gate, a metaphor for heaven. We’ve been afforded the unfathomable privilege of “getting to” choose which gate we’ll use—wide or narrow? Whom we’ll serve—or not serve, with our brief time on this earth. But know this: every man alive is serving something or someone—no man lives free of that choice; even your not choosing is, in fact, your choice.

Now, before I move on, I’ll stop here to clarify a foundational, biblical Truth: contrary to what you may have heard or been taught, God’s infallible Word assures us that salvation will never be achieved through our works.

Salvation is a free gift given to us by God alone, through Jesus alone, via God’s Holy Spirit, period. “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].” –Ephesians 2:8-9

If we could do anything to earn salvation/the forgiveness of our sins, there would have been no reason for Jesus to have ever been born. “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” –Romans 5:17

The point of the story I read online and the point Jesus made in today’s Scripture verse run paralell: Choosing to take the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the “I’m a good person, I follow the rules so why shouldn’t I get into heaven, too,” road, will, in the end, only lead to a man’s ultimate destruction—eternal separation from Jesus. Taking the easy way out now might look good from the outside, but it offers no eternal value within.

Jesus once addressed the heart behind such deceptive life choices as He spoke to the religious leaders of His day. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” –Matthew 23:27-28

These men chose what was easiest for them: to stick to what they knew and believed to be true, rather than open their hearts to the possibility that Jesus was, in fact, who He claimed to be—their Savior. Man’s choice to serve any god but Jesus, the One True God, or no god at all, is really just rebellion disguised as freedom. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” —John 14:6

It’s man’s rebellious flesh determining for itself what it will or will not do, is willing to sacrifice, or not, in this life: time, energy, money, love, service, or anything else that may interfere with attaining its end goal—gain, relaxation, and pleasure now—because he’s earned it. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”–Matthew 6:24

Yet it’s here, in man’s insatiable pursuit of self-gratification—with its unquenchable thirst for freedom and more, where mere moral limits will ultimately betray such men in the end. “They are doomed and their fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, siding with earthly things and being of their party.” –Philippians 3:19

Concerning the choices you make today, “Weak habits quietly shape a hard life,” said the author of the article I spoke of at the beginning of this teaching. Speaking of life now and eternal, Jesus cautions you to: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Why?

Because soon, and very soon, every man will lose his ability to choose the narrow way, having chosen not to follow it himself, he will, by default, have chosen the broad way instead, which leads to hell. “The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord YAHWEH,” bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!” –Philippians 2:10-11

Friends, Christ has afforded all of us the unfathomable freedom to choose freely for ourselves life or death—the narrow way, with its sacrifices, trials, and demands in this life, certainly—or the broad way. A life of seeming ease now, but which comes with an inestimable price tag in the end—eternal separation from God.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” –Luke 19-25

Every man must choose for himself, friend—and remember, not choosing is, in fact, your choice.

I pray you choose wisely, because Jesus loves you and hell was never meant for you, but for Satan and his minions. Friend, regardless of the choices you’ve made in life thus far, if you have breath in your lungs, it’s not too late for you to ask Jesus for His forgiveness. People send themselves to hell, this place of eternal torment and separation, not God. I share this with you in love, hoping to spare you from taking the seemingly easy path now and, instead, choosing the narrow Way that leads to Life. “Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” –Hebrews 12:14

Holy Spirit Boldness.

April 11, 2026 /

Wesley Mendes

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.” –Acts 4:13-22

As you read this scripture, you might just think, “Wow, these guys were really courageous and so bold to go out in front of the Sanhedrin, who hated them and opposed Jesus,” which is true. That’s what really stood out to me, too. The disciples’ boldness and courage led me to think about some things I’d like to share with you.

Acts 4 begins by saying the Sanhedrin saw the disciples’ courage and noted that these men had been with Jesus. Notice, that’s where their courage came from; where their boldness came from, too, from Jesus.

These men, bold in that moment, were once seen cowering in an upper room, fearful that what had happened to Jesus would also happen to them. But then, all of a sudden, scripture says, the Holy Spirit came over them. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” —Acts 2:1-4

God’s Holy Spirit empowered them with such boldness that they no longer cared what happened to them. That is why they were so bold when they stood before the Sanhedrin. Are you bold? Will you stand and face those who oppose Jesus?

Then, the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times, the one who had been named the rock among his brothers, who had said he’d die for Jesus, and who had walked alongside him, was filled with boldness by the Holy Spirit’s power and began telling others about Jesus. “Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel.” –Acts 2:14-16.

There are going to be threats.

There will be risky situations in your life.

You might be warned of the consequences and repercussions you’ll face if you keep on about Jesus. “The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” –Acts 4:1-2

Family or friends may already be asking you to stop with all this Jesus talk. That happened to the disciples, too. But it didn’t stop them. “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” –Acts 4:18

Like these brothers, like Peter, you have to be bold and lean on God, regardless of what people say; boldness says, “I hear you, but I obey God.”

“But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” –Acts 4”19-20

Be bold, be faithful, but not in your strength, which will never work. Be bold in the power that is from God’s Holy Spirit. People need to hear about Jesus.

Will you use what God has put in your hand to tell others about Jesus?

“ Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” –Acts 4:29-31

You can have the same power of Jesus’ Holy Spirit in you as the disciples did, but not on your own; you must belong to Jesus. Do you want to? Here’s how you can: Surrender your heart to Jesus. He’ll give you the grace to do it if you really want to. I encourage you to be bold, ask Jesus to save you. “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10

I Am, Life.

April 4, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” –John 11:25-26

There are times Martha gets a bad rap.

But not today!

Martha has become known for her busyness—always doing something while her sister, Mary, was commended by Jesus, for choosing what is best—stillness at His feet; drinking in every Word that spills from His lips.“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-43

Today, Jesus makes clear, however, despite Martha’s busy schedule and diligent attention to her everyday chores, she has not neglected to hold fast to what He has shared with her.

I pray Jesus’ acknowledgment of Martha’s heart, love, and belief in Him, in the midst of her busy life, despite all that still needed to get done, encourages that busy mom or pastor’s wife, Jesus knows your heart as well. He sees that sister, brother, mother, or daughter who stretches themself daily in service to others, desiring to meet their needs, all the while praying silently to their Lord for just five minutes of quiet so they too might pour their full attention at Jesus’ feet.

Now, before running to get her sister, Mary, Martha ended her conversation with Jesus by assuring Him of her faith in Him. That she knew—despite her pain, even in the midst of her chore-filled, others need me, every day life—that she could never forget Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that He could and would do all He had promised. “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” –John 11:27

So on this Resurrection Eve, I felt led to spotlight what Martha knew rather than her busyness. Martha knew her Lord. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Dear ones, you may be in the midst of a “Martha” season, still, hold tight to your “Mary” heart…

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow! Hallelujah!

For the Christian, it’s a day like no other; not even Christmas, as glorious, celebratory, and meaningful to us as it is. Why? Resurrection Sunday reminds Christians of the living hope we possess because Jesus defeated death and the grave—once, for all. And that all who believe on God’s Son, have life eternal in Him. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” –1 Peter 1:3.

No other god, so-called, has defeated death and the grave, having been raised from the dead. Buddha, Muhammad, even Krishna, to name but three; their remains, still in their graves—but not Jesus’! Jesus’ resurrection from the grave assures the believer that where He is, we will be—He has promised us: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” –John 14:3.

 With this eternal Truth in mind, please pause here a moment to ask and answer that same question Jesus once asked of Martha: “Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

 Everyone alive must answer, friend.

If not now, a day is coming, soon and very soon, when each man will.

God’s Word assures of this—believe it, or not.

“For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:9-11

Now I didn’t ask you to answer Jesus’ question to scare or intimidate you, quite the opposite. I asked it out of love. Hopeful that Jesus is your Lord and Savior—that you do have a loving, intimate, Life-giving relationship with Him, and have, with a pure heart, said, as Martha did, “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” –John 11:27

I ask those also, who have yet to decide their answer, to search their hearts now and ask themselves, “Who is Jesus to me?” As you do, please use God’s beautiful Truth below to help guide your decision. Understanding what Jesus did for you, specifically, is deeply personal, and your answer will inevitably determine your eternal destiny.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” –Romans 5:6-11

Because Jesus was Martha’s Lord and Savior, she had a deeply personal relationship with Him and understood this Truth.

I pray you do, or will, before this day draws to a close…

God sent Jesus into this world to pay your sin debt—and mine—a debt we could never pay—Jesus didn’t come to condemn you, friend, but to save you! The guiltless sacrificed in place of the guilty. Jesus took your place on that Cross He was savagely nailed to and died on. All that you might have eternal life. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” –John 3:17.

Put simply, Jesus came into this world to ensure you be given the opportunity—along with every man—to answer for yourself the question He once posed to Martha. “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

Martha believed, and she is with Jesus today, where she’ll be for eternity.

How about you?

Do you believe?

You must choose, friends, because not choosing is a choice.

Heaven or hell—that’s all there is.

I’m praying you choose heaven.

God’s Word promises you can and will have eternal life with Christ if, like Martha, you genuinely believe that Jesus is who He has claimed to be and will do all He promised to do. Read His promise for yourself. “If you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” —Romans 10:9-10

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow, Hallelujah!

I pray you experience a true Resurrection miracle: being set free from the grip from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death; being born again into new Life with Jesus; and getting to meet Martha!

No Greater Assurance.

March 14, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.” –John 5:25

Assurance, as defined by the world, in this case, by Oxford Languages: a positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise; confidence or certainty in one’s own abilities.

Assurance, as defined in Acts 17:31, by the Living God: “He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Let me ask you, is a declaration of assurance given by a man, a mayor, president, king, or statesman, even the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, actual assurance?

Does such a promise made by any of these alleviate your fears?

Do you rest at night trusting that a man can fulfill, to the utmost, every promise he’s made regarding your safety and well-being?

Before you answer, stop and think about the current state of this world, I mean globally, not just your little corner of it.

Take a moment now and call to mind, if you can, all the promises you’ve heard recently from presidents, statesmen, and kings of countries; mere men, each one, educated men, certainly. Experienced, we certainly hope so. Well-intended? Call me naïve, but yes, I do believe that most men who seek to lead others start out well-intentioned, wanting the best for those who have put their trust in them and aiming to do their best for them.

Yet, at the end of the day, I have learned that the best of men are, at best, just men, and being created beings, will always fall short of their highest and best intentions; I know I am most certainly guilty of this.

But there is One who has never broken a promise—not a single one. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” –Numbers 23:19

One who assures us, present tense, that He will do all and everything He has spoken, fulfilling every promise He’s made from the beginning of time, before time, more accurately, to this very day. “For no word from God will ever fail.” –Luke 1:37

Jesus has never failed—not once, because what He says He has heard from His Father, El Elyon, God Most High, Creator of us all and of things seen and unseen. “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” –John 12:49

And everything He does is in perfect alignment with the Father’s will. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” –John 6:38.

This same Jesus, Christ the Lord, who can do all things but fail, says this. “There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.” –John 12:48-50

At any time, any man can assure you of anything, friends, this much we know; it’s the way of the world. The question, then, is not whether someone can assure you, but whether they can put legs under their assurance. Which brings up a thought: do you trust men in the same way you trust the chairs you sit on? An action, like other actions, people do without much thought. You sit automatically, yet seldom, if ever, do you question or give thought to the stability of the chair you’re quite literally placing the full weight of your trust on—

Here’s my point, friends. If you watch the news, even briefly, or glance at the headlines of most newspapers, or follow online threads, you can’t have missed that this world is changing 2 fast and 2 furious, for all you action movie buffs, except this is no movie, it’s real life. Your life.

I’m curious: who are you trusting to keep you, your family, your children, and loved ones safe from harm?

Now, before you answer or say that what you see happening elsewhere in the world will never happen to you, not here in good ole’ US of A, think again, because it can.

Hear me now. I pray earnestly that such hardships and fear never touch you. I pray God keep you and all those you love safe, in the palm of His Sovereign Right Hand. But above this, because Jesus has assured us, again, present tense, both saved and yet saved alike, that in this world, even with all the assurances we’re handed by each other or those well-intended officials, the president and all the good fighting men willing to lay down life and limb to protect us, we will, nonetheless, have troubles.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie-downer, friends, I’m simply sharing with you what Jesus assured us of, read it here for yourself: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

What things is Jesus referring to?

To read the full account of all that Jesus assures us will happen, read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24. Here’s a snippet to get you started. “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” –Matthew 5-13.

Sound familiar?

Scholars tell us that Jesus’s birth fulfilled some 300 Old Testament prophecies concerning Him. Probability studies conducted by the mathematician Peter Stoner suggest that the odds of Jesus fulfilling just “eight” of the over 300 Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. For those of us who are not mathematicians, that’s 1 in 100 quadrillion. (These calculations were published in “Science Speaks” by Peter Stoner.)

And whether mathematically correct or not, the Bible makes plain that Jesus has fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy concerning Him. From His birth in Bethlehem and being born of a virgin: Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14, to His ministry: Isaiah 61:1-2, to His betrayal and death: Zechariah 11:12; Ps. 22:7-8,16, culminating in Jesus’ burial and Resurrection: Isaiah 53:9; His being buried with the rich: Isaiah 53:9 and His resurrection: Psalm 16:10, Jesus has fulfilled every single one of these.

So, why would anyone think that Jesus won’t fulfill those yet-to-be-fulfilled?

Since none of us are equipped nor were we created to go it alone, my hope and prayer for you in these turbulent, trying times, is that you have or will this day, put the full weight of your trust in Jesus, who can help you navigate the turbulent waters of our times, steadying you, and leading you through what looks like the thing sent to take you out. No mere man, any man, from any political party, whether He be a president, king, or statesman, nor a Declaration written by mere men, regardless of their well-intentionedness, can do this.

So I pray the full weight of your trust will rest squarely and immutably on Jesus, the only one who can. He faithfully saved twelve others who put their trust in Him while in a storm. How? He commanded what was threatening them to be still. “When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” –Mark 4:38;41.

God has afforded you the privilege of making many choices in this life, friend, yet He has given you only One sure hope: His Son, Jesus. Will you put the full weight of your trust in Him?

Are You One Of “These” People?

September 27, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” –Matthew 15:8-9.

First things first. Who are these people?

And are they among us still?

The people Jesus is referring to were pious Scribes and Pharisees—the religious elite of their day. Their hearts were hard, unyielding, stony. These men clung to traditions and rituals, white-knuckled, blind, most never even considering to humble themselves before Jesus, allowing their stony hearts to be made soft, pliable—able to be used by Him to harvest souls for His Kingdom—30, 60, or even 100-fold. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” –John 12:24.

Instead of yielding to Jesus, these haughty Pharisees strutted about, announcing to anyone with ears to hear that they’d been called by God, all the while making a show of serving Him before His people. Their service to God was often accompanied by elaborate religious pageantry, self-important displays of phylacteries and tassels, which had far less to do with genuine love, honor, or devotion to God and far more to do with being admired publicly, receiving praise and accolades from His people. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.” –Matthew 23:5.

Look around you, friends, the attire of these attention seekers has changed over time, sure, but the heart hidden beneath that attire remains the same.

Don’t take my word for it; instead, read Jesus’ words.

Words He Himself used to describe the condition of the Pharisees’ hearts—remembering as you do, that you and I see only the outward appearance of a person, but God sees their heart. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.” –Matthew 23:25.

Jesus saw behind every move they made. He knew their intents and motives.

Hear what He tells His disciples concerning their following the example of these men of God, so-called: “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.'” –Matthew 23:2-7

As Christians, then, Jesus tells us to honor the office our leaders hold, all leaders, from our Pastor to our President. Why? Out of obedience and submission to Almighty God. Trusting He alone raises men up, and He alone removes them. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” –Romans 13:1.

Beloved, we’re not asked to agree with everything our leaders say or do.

But, out of obedience and submission to God’s authority, we must honor their office. Unless, that is, those placed in charge over us demand we go against God or His Word. Then, modeling those who came before us, we too must choose whom we’ll serve. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.” –Acts 5:29.

Regarding this principle of obedience and submission to those in authority, we need only look to King David’s example for confirmation. “But David said to Abishai, ‘Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.” –1 Samuel 26:9-11.

Not once, but twice, David spared King Saul when opportunities had arisen to not only remove him from his office, but from the face of the planet.

Seemingly good men, so-called, God appointed men, men like King Saul, were and are imperfect, sinful men. Only God is worthy of the full measure of our trust; not man, never man; don’t be deceived by appearance or demeanor, beloved. Remember, only God knows the heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7.

But back to Jesus.

Speaking of those who were deceiving themselves and others, Jesus went on to say: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!” –Matthew 23:13-15.

Wait! Jesus, the God of love, said that!?

Yes.

Why? So that, in love, Truth might be told and lies exposed. Because love minus Truth isn’t love at all—it’s selfish and self-serving. It’s dishonest; more concerned with sparing feelings than with men experiencing freedom. Besides, sparing someone’s feelings is never Jesus’ primary concern; Truth is. Character is. Men being set free, not being bound to fleeting feelings, is one of God’s primary concerns.

With all of what I’ve shared in mind, understand the title of this teaching is not rhetorical; instead, it requires you, me, and anyone else who may read it to both ask and answer it of ourselves.

So, are you one of these people?

All show, no substance. All rites and rituals, yet no heart. No love?

Knowing God’s Word, sure, yet bereft of His mercy, His grace, humility, and compassion. One, maybe, who may have shouted “Crucify Him” solely because Jesus’ unorthodox, rule-challenging love, favor, and radical forgiveness threaten your very rigid, limited understanding?

 If so, there is hope, still, for your stony heart to be made flesh.

Concerning this very thing, Jesus Himself said the following to a Pharisee named Nicodemus: “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” –John 3:10-12.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Remember, God sees the heart, and He knew Nicodemus’s. His willingness. Nicodemus’s sincere questioning—God is not opposed to our asking Him questions, only to our questioning Him; there is a difference.

Jesus often uses our questions to open our hearts and minds to His Truth.

Listen to the rest of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, then, judge for yourself whether what was shared with you today about the nature of God and His character is true or not. “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” –John 3:13-17.

Of the Light or Darkness. Which of these are you?

Closed off to hearing the Truth, or open to it?

I pray that, like Nicodemus, you choose to open your heart to the Light, allowing Jesus to illuminate any darkness that might stop you from accepting His love and Truth. Ask Jesus to help you do this. Genuinely repent of your sins, and believe in the One God sent into this world to save you from this present darkness.

Canceling Unbelief.

September 20, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nail, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” –John 20:24-25

After Jesus’ resurrection, He spent time with His disciples. He reminded them that all things spoken of Him by the Prophets and about His death had to be fulfilled. “Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” –Luke 24:44.

All of Jesus’s disciples, except one, Thomas, believed Jesus had been resurrected. Thomas was the only disciple who seemed to struggle to believe someone could come back from death.

Jesus’ disciples had witnessed an unthinkable event: Jesus, their Messiah, their friend, had been betrayed and arrested. Some ran off into the darkness, while others stayed. The Bible doesn’t name names; we know only this: “they all forsook Him and fled.” Fear has a way of making us run, forgetting we have faith on our side. Scripture makes indirect mention of one disciple who actually stood with Jesus and witnessed Him be crucified, John, the Apostle. W“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” –John 19:26-27.

We know from other Gospel accounts that John referred to himself as “the disciple whom he loved (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 20:2).

During their last meal with His disciples, Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: “I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” –Matthew 26:31

Fear was the driving force that separated them. When we go through hardships, we can forget “faith first” and allow doubt to take first place.

Thomas is a realist. He sees things for what they are, but also has faith in Jesus. It’s not easy for someone like Thomas to believe Jesus came back after knowing Jesus had been crucified. His realistic mind needed to catch up with his faith. He was dealing with double-mindedness, and it was taking a toll on him. In the book of James, the author writes, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.” –James 1:6-8

I can relate to Thomas, though. I’ve been there.

In my humanity, when certain circumstances came up, I admit, I doubted. I have had those double-minded moments thinking, “How can I make this situation work,” when the fact of the matter is, I needed to trust God, let go, and hand it over to Him. Instead, I acted as though God would not be able to help me. I relied too much on what I was thinking and left little room for God to move. King Solomon writes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

When something unexpected happens in our faith walk, it can cause us to question or doubt. To ask ourselves, “Does God really love me?” or “What if I do step out in faith and I fail. Will God forgive me for that?” The answer to both, by the way, is a big fat yes!

We can be our own worst enemies. We need to be reminded that the Spirit of God that dwells in us is greater than our circumstances. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” –1 John 4:4.

God tells the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think of you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11 God thinks this about you. His plan for those who believe in Him is to have life in abundance. Not to stay living in fear or doubt. We’re to have a mindset of victory, believing our battles are truly overcome in Christ Jesus. Remember what Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

Will God ever leave us in this place of doubt or fear? Never!

Let’s read what happened next, after some of Jesus’ disciples first experienced witnessing Him alive, again: “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, “Peace to you!” –John 20:26

Every issue you were facing, every doubt, was silenced because Jesus entered the room. “Then He says to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and My God!” –John 20:27-28.

Jesus shows up in ways no one expected.

Isn’t that the nature of God, though? To show up suddenly? When you least expect it, He suddenly appears and says, “Peace to you.”

Jesus came to put Thomas’ doubt to an end.

He shows Thomas the nail prints in His hands and the wound in His side from the spear. It really is Jesus!

Every doubt melts away. Peace takes its place when Jesus shows Thomas His wounds. The only words Thomas can say are, “My Lord and My God!”

It’s like nothing could come between them at this moment. Thomas’s faith has been rekindled and galvanized. He now knows who Jesus truly is; He is God, in the flesh, risen and alive. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” –John 1:1-2.

Our circumstances, fears, and doubts do not get to dictate their own outcomes. The enemy will always think he has the final say. But didn’t Jesus say that “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” –Matthew 28:18.

So, if we abide in Jesus, doesn’t that mean that through Jesus’ power and position, we have authority over whatever situations fear and doubt are trying to make themselves lord over?

Shouldn’t the love of God at work in us give us the boldness to face those giants head-on? “Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world.” –1 John 4:17

God’s love is so powerful.

Brother, know that you are not alone when you face moments of doubt. God will never leave you alone in that spot, ever! Jesus said, “I will never leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14:18. Child of God, rest assured that no matter the circumstance, Jesus is for you.

The greatest gift God ever gave us is His Son, Jesus.

All who repent of their sins, confess Jesus as Lord, are saved. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”–Romans 10:9-10.

I invite you today to call on Jesus and ask for His forgiveness of your sins. “For the scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” –Romans 10:11

Call on Jesus in your doubt. He will always answer you.

Amen.

Put it In the Water…

August 23, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“When she could hide him no longer, she made a papyrus basket, coated it with tar and pitch, placed the baby inside, and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” –Exodus 2:3.

There comes a time in every man’s life, many times, actually, where we have to put the basket in the water. We have to let go and trust the plan of the Father. –Elizabeth Elliott.

I pray God uses the above picture to remind us of two things: first, that what God placed on Amram and Jochebed’s hearts to entrust back into His Providential care was an actual baby, their precious, infant son.

God often asks His elect to do hard things—Father Abraham, Queen Esther, and each of Jesus’ Apostles would surely attest to this Truth.

Secondly, I pray God’s Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus does not ask us to do something He has not already given us the grace, strength, and ability to accomplish. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” –2 Peter 1:3.

But back to Amram and Jochebed.

Think of the level of faith it took for Jochebed to obey God.

Moses is the child referred to in Exodus 1:1 as a “goodly baby.” The term “goodly” or tov in Hebrew is a throwback to Genesis, where we first hear it used by God on the 6th day of Creation to describe the perfection, functionality, and completeness of all of His works. “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was (Tov) very good…”

God was now asking Jochebed to take her hands off of the very “goodly child” He had given them, and to trust Him that He would protect and care for Moses. Today’s scripture assures us that Jochebed did just that. She trusted God, put Moses in the basket, and released him to the Nile’s watery embrace.

“About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.” —Exodus 2:1-4.

That “goodly” babe would grow into a man God had foreordained to help deliver His chosen people, Israel, from Pharaoh’s cruel, oppressive grip. Though Jochebed knew her baby was tov, destined even, for something great perhaps, still, circumstances dictated she had no choice other than to leave Moses’ fate in God’s hands; a fate, mind you, the Providence of God Himself had orchestrated.

What’s in your basket, child of God?

What precious promise, hope, ministry, child, partner, possession, what future dream have you been doing your best to keep hold of, beloved?

What precious thing is God asking you to entrust to His Providential care as He calls you to follow Him to the watery edge of surrender?

It’s from God, that much you know.

You’ve held it close to your heart, fed it, nurtured it for a season, and the peace of God that only He can give assures you it came from Him.

And yet, despite all of this, God’s Providence is, dare I say, bearing down on you, pressing you to release it back into His care. To trust Him, despite your knowing.

You sense His Holy Spirit pressing upon you to move in a direction so diametrically opposed to your own desire. Yet, His pull is so powerful it feels like some super magnet you cannot resist, drawing you in the utter opposite direction from where or how you thought you’d go.

Now all you can do is put your basket in the water, stand back, keep watch, and wait on God.

What will you do, beloved, when you can no longer “hide away” what God has given you? When you come face to face with having to know for certain if you genuinely believe that God will provide you with the grace to surrender all into His providential care?

An aside here for anyone who has never encountered the term “Providence” associated with God. Scripture explains God’s Providence rather simply: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” –Proverbs 16:33.

Or maybe you’d recognize God’s Providence explained this way: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” –Jeremiah 1:5.

As with Moses before him, God had predestined Jeremiah for the work and calling planned for him to do before the foundation of the world.  

So it is with you, too, beloved.

God has given you a “goodly promise,” and the peace that only He can provide a soul confirms it. And yet, if God is asking you to entrust what you “know that you know” He has given you, back into His Sovereign care, will you obey Him and put your basket in the water? Or do you want the gift God has given you more than you desire its Giver?

Each man must search his own heart; I pray that each of us follow Jochebed’s example.

I pray we’re all seeking to know and trust in the Giver far more than wanting to hold onto something we know He has given us.

Just as Jochebed could never lose Moses, regardless of God’s actions or how He might use him to accomplish His Kingdom purposes and plan, neither can you lose what God has entrusted to you.

“tov” doesn’t simply mean “good” as in God’s finished Creation, being perfect, functional, beautiful, and complete.

Tov also implies that something or someone fulfills the Divine purpose for which it was created.

With this in mind, I pray, like Amram, Jochebed, and Moses before you, that you might fulfill your true purpose in God: to trust Jesus, desiring Him and His Perfect, Providential will for your life more than anything else. Far above people, dreams, hopes, husbands, wives, children, relationships, even those heart’s desires, He’s entrusted into your care. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” –Exodus 20:3.

Put it all in the water, beloved child of God, taking Him at His Word. Believing that you cannot lose what Christ has given you—even unto your very life if you’ll but trust Jesus enough to release it back into His care. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33.

In Romans 10:9-10, God has made a straightforward way for you to do just that: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.”

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