Does Jesus know you?

Posted: July 22, 2025 in Something to think about
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One of the very last messages preached by John MacArthur before he passed was titled “Why most Christians will miss the Rapture”. Now if that doesn’t grab your attention, I am not sure what will. We have never spoken about the Rapture on this blog before and today, I am proceeding as if you know what this is…but to summarize, The Rapture is when God will evacuate Christian’s before the beginning of the Tribulation. You can imagine there is a whole lot more to this topic but not today.

Now…I will tell you there is a great deal of debate about the sequence of events for what I am telling you. But, I am not an expert and I don’t pretend to be one… but I can tell you, as a Christian, you don’t want to miss the Rapture.

That said, here is the critical point you need to understand that as a Christian, you cannot love both Jesus and the world. You cannot have your feet on both sides of the fence simultaneously. God is very clear in the Bible that he is a jealous God and someone trying to live in both worlds will fail. Read this verse below:

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  1 John 2:19

The second point to understand is that this world is NOT neutral and if you think it is, you are very mistaken. I can take this statement a step further and say that if the world feels like home to you then maybe Heaven won’t. This world has no intention of helping you be a better Christian. Read this verse:

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

Simply put, rebellion against God are people with hearts that are married to the world. MacArthur said it this way, “Christians who have hearts that are captured by the temporary and not longing for the eternal”. 

The third major point for you to recognize is God is coming back for a people who have separated themselves from this world.  What does that mean for you and me? As the scripture says below, making every effort to be holy. You can never be perfect, but you can live your life trying. Read this verse:

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

MacArthur says, “Holiness is a requirement and not optional”.

Finally, and really one of the most important points I can make today is that without repentance, there is no salvation. I understand that is a tough, hard statement to hear but that is the truth. That is a significant part of the point above about working to be holy. Read this below:

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  Acts 17:30 

It is important to recognize that God is not fooled by appearances. You can’t fake God into thinking you are someone different than you really are. God knows your heart so we are back to the statement I made before, that you can’t keep sinning and keep Christ too. That is not a suggestion.

I will close with this statement from John MacArthur when he said, “Christ finds lukewarm christians nauseating”. If you are not pursuing God, you are running from Him. Plain and Simple. You may make an excuse, but that is a fact.

Guys I firmly believe you can do this. It will take your attention away from other stuff in your life but frankly, that is the point. Read this verse below:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

Titus 2:11-12

I know this was a heavier topic but I can’t stress enough its importance and I have to ask this question one more time. 

Does Jesus know you?

Until next time guys-

Tribute to John MacArthur – 1935-2025

Posted: July 20, 2025 in Inspirational
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Many of you may have heard the very sad news this past week about the passing of John MacArthur, the Teacher-Pastor at Grace Bible Church near Thousand Oaks, California. He had been there for over 56 years. He became even more renowned during the awful Covid season when he stood firm against the State of California and Governor Gavin Newsom and refused to shut down his church. 

He literally defied what the State of California told him, deferring only to God, and in the end, Grace Bible Church won and held services throughout that difficult time.

It is very possible that you may never have heard of this man until the news broke this week of his passing, but I assure you that if you have read this blog before, then you are familiar with him because his influence is all over my IronManStrength blog and will continue to be. I have read 15 of his books and many of them twice and I found they are even better the second time. 

One of my regrets is I never got to see him preach in person, but thanks to YouTube, his sermons live on. 

I am the guy who likes to listen to him preach via his podcasts while I walk the miles I walk and in my opinion, his ability to speak biblical truth is exactly what this world needed and continues to need. His series of books titled:

The Gospel according to God,

The Gospel according to Jesus

The Gospel according to The Apostles,

The Gospel according to Paul,

…are extremely relevant and written in a way whereby he explains the theology of the good news of the gospel in an easy to understand manner. 

I learned this week through the media that he was a teacher that used the Bible to prove the Bible. He didn’t unnecesarily use lots of stories or personal anecdotes to help justify or emphasize sermons. He just used what the Bible says and that was enough.

Because of his influence on myself and this blog, I wanted to take just a few words and tell you that we lost a very important man in the Kingdom of God this week. In my opinion, he was the kind of man that doesn’t come along very often and from where I sit, I don’t see anyone now who can or will replace him. Why is this important? Because Satan knew John MacArthur as his enemy and one of his biggest adversaries on earth. John MacArthur reached millions of people throughout his lifetime using various media channels that broadcast his sermons. 

Guys, we need someone right now that isn’t afraid to speak Gods truth to a world that doesn’t want anything to do with it. We need another adversary like him to continue battling with our collective enemy.

John MacArthur said reading the Bible is like a lion, just open it up and let it out and it will do what its intended to do because Gods Word never returns void and will accomplish its purposes. 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Guys, more than ever, we need more men to stand up and be committed to the truth of the Word of God. My commitment to you and the readers of this blog is that I will continue to bring you the truths of Gods Word wherever I find them and that will always include the very best of Pastor MacArthur.

We lost a great man of God this week and if you couldn’t tell, I am bummed.

But I will I leave you with some of his quotes from his books and sermons along the way.

Until next time guys-

  • We should not be entertained by the sins for which Christ died 
  • For some reason, we think of doubt and worry as “small” sins. But when a Christian displays unbelief…or an inability to cope with life, he is saying to the world, “My God cannot be trusted,” and that kind of disrespect makes one guilty of a fundamental error, the heinous sin of dishonoring God. That is no small sin.
  • The simplicity of the gospel gives what the complexity of human wisdom promises but never delivers.
  • There are basically only two kinds of religion in the world: those based on human achievement and those based on divine accomplishment. One says you can earn your way to heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone.
  • All sin results from failure to act in faith.
  • The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.

Why is it so Hard to Believe?

Posted: July 13, 2025 in Tough Times
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Much has been written and spoken about Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch—and far more than can be covered with a single blog post.

Abraham is not only important to the Christian faith, but also to Muslims because he was the father of Ismael, who as mentioned in Genesis 16:12 below, was against everyone.

This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will live at odds with all his brothers.

Interesting verse, isn’t it? But let’s get back to Abraham because he did something in his life that caused God to award him with status that I know all of us would give anything to have. God saw something very different in Abraham that gave Him confidence to know that He could begin the Jewish nation. 

Abraham was clearly very special in God’s eyes and that has always struck me…what made him different? What did he do that would cause the Creator to think in his mind, “that is my guy”? “He is the one I am going to work with”.

When you read about Abraham you can tell right away that he is a man of action. He was a complete doer when the situation called for it. He wrestled with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He rescued his nephew Lot and his family when they were captured. 

But what I found most intriguing about Abraham was that his “believing,” not his “doing,” is what moved God. This is the central verse of this post is exactly why I wrote it.

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:12

Think about that verse for a moment…for the very first time in the Bible, we see faith and righteousness mentioned together. Why is this important? Because of this statement:

By Abraham simply believing in God, God gave him a right standing or a “different” standing with Him.

God performed a transaction: Abraham’s belief = right standing with God

Abraham’s heart was turned toward God in an enduring trust, obedience, and submissive relationship. Because of that rock-solid belief, that changed his status with the Creator of this universe. 

Abraham didn’t conquer the greatest army in the world or climb the highest mountain. All he did was believe, and that belief caused his position with God…to be BETTER.

In nearly every post I’ve shared on IronManStrength, I’ve highlighted the challenges of navigating this world as a Christian man. This isn’t meant to discourage you, but rather to inspire you as we are on this incredible journey together.

What’s truly encouraging about Abraham’s story is his unwavering belief, even when faced with what his physical eyes told him was impossible. Imagine: God promised him offspring as numerous as the stars, starting with his own son. And yet, Abraham was over 100, and his wife a ripe 95, when God made this statement and yet he still believed.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”  He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then the Lord said to him, “So shall your offspring be. Genesis 15: 4-5

Guys, hear me out for a second…how does this really apply to you and me? How does the story of some old guy who lived over 2,000 years ago make a difference to any of us right now? 

  • Abraham had problems – we have problems
  • Abraham had struggles – we have struggles
  • Abraham had family issues – all of us have family issues
  • God spoke to Abraham – God can speak to us

The HUGE difference:

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD

It all boils down to genuine belief, not just lip service—a true conviction inside of you that God is capable of fulfilling His promises.

When you believe God in your core that He can be trusted…your relationship with Him changes. When you are obedient and submissive toward God and not allow that arrogance inside all of us to show through…things will change.

I encourage you to take your own belief to the next level by trusting God.

Establish a “right standing” with Him…Do you Believe?

Until next time guys…

Pharoahs Hard Heart

Posted: July 6, 2025 in Knowledge
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Do you remember the famous biblical story in Exodus where the children of Israel, having been enslaved  in Egypt for over 400 years, then left in search of the promised land? Moses, one of the most famous figures in biblical history, was raised up by God to lead them out of not only Egypt, but into the desert where they instead experienced 40 years of their bad choices. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Before they could leave Egypt they had to get through Pharaoh…and he had his mind made up.

What we learn as Moses and God discussed how this exodus would happen is that God specifically told them that He would harden Pharaohs heart…to start. What in the heck? Why would He do that? If God really wanted Pharaoh to release His people, then why would He harden his heart and make that process more difficult to happen? Read this below:

Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your Prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment, I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Exodus 7:1-5

As previously mentioned, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart when it made more sense for it to be flexible, or at least easier for Moses to negotiate with him. This fact has always perplexed me. But as I looked further into it, I have come to realize that, as the Bible states clearly, when you or I make it clear over the course of our lives that we do not intend to serve God or repent, God will give us up to our own sinful desires. In other words, if we make the choice to choose the sin of unbelief, then He will let us/you ultimately have your way.

So let’s take that information and apply it to Pharaoh here… 

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a punishment because his heart was already hard and opposed to God. In adding to the hardness of Pharaohs heart, God was also acting on a divine principle that applies to all the unrepentant. 

As I said before, when a person persists in rebellion against God and His word, God will ordain that (he or she) heart be hardened (yours or mine). 

Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:18 – NIV

Simply put, this is God giving people up to their sinful desires and sending a delusion on those who refuse to love the truth of His word. As an example, you will notice that the judgments of the early plagues (in the Exodus story), softened Pharaohs heart just a little, however, when God removed each plague, his heart was hardened again. 

In other words, Pharaoh hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.

Like I said, Pharoahs mind was made up.

Guys, this is an incredible story but an even better lesson for all of us. 

The bottom line for you and me; God intends to show mercy to those who repent and believe In Jesus as their Lord and Savior while at the same time, hardening the hearts of those who refuse to repent and choose to continue in their sin and thereby rejecting the salvation in Christ. 

I know, that is a lot to unpack but you can do it. For you and me, we need to make good choices, stay focused on Gods word, and most of all,  remember to repent.

Until next time Guys-

It takes Real guts to say No

Posted: May 26, 2025 in Inspirational
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Have you ever heard the expression “if you give them an inch they will take a mile”? I am sure you have and it happens to be the phrase that illustrates what I wanted to talk about today. 

You see, the very expression “give an inch” implies from the outset that you gave in or you gave up something. But, in actuality, what you did was compromise. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Compromise in a relationship is critical for it to last but remember, we don’t agree with our spouse or even our friends all the time. I am sure you have even “agreed to disagree” and maintained the relationship from there. I think that good debate is healthy and promotes independent thinking which is one of the keys to long lasting friendships. 

However, its that compromise in important areas of our lives that I am focusing on today.

I remember reading a book a few years ago by Dr. David Jeremiah called, The Handwriting on the Wall which talked about Daniel, who, while being held captive in Babylon for 70 years, never compromised his faith in God no matter what his circumstances ended up to being and this included facing sure death in the lions den.

His consistency was astounding and a model for all of us to follow. However, Dr. Jeremiah made a point that I wanted to illustrate to you which was simply that it takes guts…real guts, to say no to a terrible situation, even with God on your side. 

Daniel was resolute in his faith while in Babylon. For you and I, no matter where we are in life, we do not “have to bend the rules to be blessed of God. Our success is NOT dependent upon our compromise”. Our job is to trust and believe that He will take care of us because he has told us so.

From the very beginning in the Bible, we see compromises with very poor results:

Adam: he fell right in line with Eve’s sin by compromising and eating the forbidden fruit. 

Sarah :(Abrahams wife) her lack of faith in God caused her to compromise and send her husband Abraham to Hagar, her servant, who then gave birth to Ishmael. Life in the Middle East will never be the same.

Do you remember Esau who compromised his birthright because he was hungry?

King David: he was the man after Gods own heart, BUT, he compromised Gods morality by sleeping with Bathsheba and then killing her husband Uriah. 

The list goes on and on with Solomon, Judas and Ahaz who all compromised something significant in their lives and it cost them. 

Guys, think about this…all they would have had to do was to say NO…and then take a stand on faith and on what God promised them. After that, God is in charge of the situation.

I want to finish this post with a story Dr. Jeremiah shared in his book about a verbal exchange in a high school class between some students and a professor who was an athiest.

The professor stood at the lectern and began his lecture by saying, “will all of you who believe the myths of the Bible please stand.” Several stood.

Then he added, “now this semester I am going to free you from this religious Bible nonsense. I have read the Bible, and it is certainly written by a bunch of mixed up men.”

One young Daniel stood up and said, “Sir, the Bible is God’s letter to Christians, and if you are confused it’s because you are reading someone else’s mail.”

Guys, I pray that all of us can stand firm in our faith and NOT compromise in the face any adversity against you. You already know this, but adversity will continue to come. That is the way life goes.

I can also tell you with certainty that you are going to be in circumstances where you will be asked to “give an inch”. And after this blog, now you know why an inch matters. As Christians, it’s the difference between a life spent with God in Eternity or the alternative…

It is that simple and you get to make the choice…

My advice to you, be like Daniel…don’t compromise…

Until next time Guys… 

Jeremiah, David. 2020. The Handwriting on the Wall: Secrets from the Prohecies of Daniel. Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Dad Stuff…

Posted: May 18, 2025 in Father
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Many years ago, when my son was about 10 years old, he asked me a very interesting question that caused me to think about the person I was. He said, “Dad, do you think you and I would have been friends when you were younger”? 

I was completely surprised for a second because I was remembering that I was kind of a jerk when I was a kid….(allegedly). But of course my response back to him was quick to say “absolutely, I know we would have been friends”…but in my mind, I thought to myself, would we really?

Another time, I was over at a friend’s house picking up that very same son from a sleepover and the mother pulled me aside to tell me that my son was adamant that when he went to bed, that he be allowed to sleep without his shirt on because that is how his Dad sleeps. She thought that was great…I stood there in amazement thinking my little man is literally watching me all the time.

I don’t tell you these stories to get an “Ahh shucks” effect; I tell them to remind you that your children are watching you 24/7 and what you say and do now…I can assure you that in a couple of years they will also say and do…exactly like you.

Are you ok with that?

Look guys, for me, losing a child changed everything. It has made me realize how quickly time flies with my kids, and since then, I really tried to make the most of it. You just never know what he future holds and going through horrible experience has definitely taught me to be more focused on being present with them.

So here is some advice, don’t be left wishing you would have said something or did something when you could of…because that feeling sucks.

But if I were to narrow in on your own time management right now, where do you spend most of it? Are you focused more on your hobbies, or your business, or maybe your phone? It’s a simple question to answer and not anything you haven’t heard before.

The question is, do you really understand what your true legacy will be when you die? And trust me, it won’t be the time you spent at work or at play. It will be the family you helped create and what kind of people they grew up to be.

Guys, I can’t stress that fact enough. Your legacy is NOT your work but your family. Everybody will forget what you did rather quickly, but they won’t forget the people you made and the impact they ultimately had on others.

Again, I know you know this so I won’t beat this drum forever. Take some time and be the Dad your kids need you to be. Just hang out with them and make them laugh…those can be some of the best times ever and it’s so easy…you have it in you, I know you do…you just need to let that fun guy out now and then.

Honestly guys, this was probably one of the easiest posts I have ever done. Why? Because what I am telling you is NOT rocket science, it just Dad Stuff…

Until next time guys…

Letter to my Second Son, the College Graduate

Posted: May 10, 2025 in Father
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I have said since the day you were born that you were a blessing from God. No one would have predicted what the future had in store for our family with the tragic loss of your sister. But to be honest, without you to keep our family active with regular day-to-day life duties, we might have fallen off the cliff into untold grief. Only God knows… 

So…even though I have to mention her loss because it happened; today this post is all about you…and everything began with your birth on August 27th, 2002, and now, fast forwarding to the present, a Grand Canyon University college graduate. 

But before I can celebrate the present, I have to go back to the past and talk about how you got here son. Besides the reason above, how did you make it from then (22 + years) to today, walking across that podium and accepting that Criminal Justice Degree? Well let’s talk about that- 

It started with you being born into the amazing family you have. Your sister was so excited about your upcoming birth that she literally interrupted my big birth announcement to the whole family and told me I was taking too long to tell everyone. From before day one, she was ready to have you around and be your big sister. Oh, and by the way, your older brother was pretty excited to have you show up too.

You grew up with your days filled with piano lessons, grandmas, and baseball…and not necessarily in that order. Both of your grandmas kept you very busy when you were young. One of them helped you learn over 100 Bible verses and the other one drove you all over town looking for squishies? I think that’s what you called them. But back to piano and baseball. The thing is, you were very good at both, and soon they competed for your time and much to your grandmother’s chagrin, you chose baseball. And that turned out to be a good choice with everything you accomplished by the age of 13.

You played so well that you earned a roster spot on the Little League All Star team your 10, 11, and 12 year old seasons. Those same 3 years your team also won the District tournament which was hard to do. The day I knew baseball was your sport was when your team played a tune-up game against the vaunted Encinitas Reds, a local travel ball team that was stacked with talent. They had a young man pitching that was 12 years old, 6 feet tall and could throw the equivalent of 80 mph because of the short pitching distance. I will never forget when you launched his fastball completely out of the park into the neighborhood behind. EVERYONE turned around and looked at me screaming out of their minds at what you did. I am pretty sure you were just as shocked as everyone that you hit such a bomb.

I am not sure you knew this, but your mom and I worked hard to keep you in Christian schools. In fact, you went to the same school your entire life; Pre-K through high school, which helped build loyalty as well as create long-time friendships like what you have with Caleb. It is beyond crazy to me that you are college dorm roommates but met in a pre-K class. Being friends for that long is difficult because as you get older, your interests change, and the people you enjoy also change. But you are both still friends even through 4 years of living together in college. I find that very impressive.

What I have always enjoyed watching you do is find something you want to try and then you attack it with a ferocity. No one likes to lose but especially you and if you can avoid that through preparation, you do. Take Football as an example. You decided you wanted to play in 8th grade and you stuck with it through your senior year. You learned new positions and then completely changed your body shape to play them.

Finally, and I love this, you shared what you learned with your teammates. Before each huddle broke, you made sure each person knew who they had to block which made all the difference. Your team was amazing. In your senior year, in your division, your team won the equivalent of a state title in that pandemic shortened season…AND…No one can take away from you.

But life goes on and then High School was over and you pressed on to College where out of the many choices you had, you chose GCU in Phoenix, AZ. And, as I previously mentioned you and Caleb have been able to be room mates these last few years together. And to all of our excitement, you succeeded…you graduated.

I am sure I don’t have to remind you but over the last 4 years you have dealt with and persevered through all kinds of problems; girl problems, priority issues, homework, late nights, early mornings, super late nights, roommates, crazy roommates, loneliness, grief, exhaustion, money problems, parents, 6-hour trips home, loyalty, laundry, cooking, cleaning, deadlines, fear, relationships, and the list goes on…all of this while maintaining your integrity. 

For all of these reasons and more, I tell you son that as your father, I could not be any prouder of you than I am right now. Did you make mistakes? Yep, and we all do (and continue to do) but yet you kept, and keep on, getting up and forging ahead. 

Adversity will come in your life. You have faced some of it already and will continue to face it because that is the way life happens. The question is, how will you face it? Will you cower and hide hoping that whatever it is, will blow over? Or will you stand up and look it straight in the eye and say, “God, you and I got this!” Because that is how God expects you to react. You have a calming personality and that will help you greatly when adversity comes your way…you can remain cool under pressure.

Now you get to take this degree you earned to move on to the next stage of your life. I know that you know your career choice is one that can put you in danger…but that is what you and God decided what you should pursue. Each and every day, I encourage you to begin by turning that day over to Christ and rest in the fact that He will protect you.

So here is my advice to achieve a satisfying life…

No matter what LIFE throws in your path; No matter what pain you may have to bear; No matter what suffering you may endure; or even hardships. OR maybe the opposite; No matter what successes you may enjoy; No matter what happiness you may be blessed with; 

NEVER EVER take your focus off of Jesus Christ. 

For you to endure anything in your future son, good or bad, you must trust and have faith in Him even if your mind says maybe to do something else. As I learned dealing with the death of your sister, sometimes we are not meant to understand the “why” part. 

Our job is to trust and rely on Him completely…your job, as the future head of your home, is to trust Him completely as well…

22+ years ago, God blessed me with a second son and he grew up to be you. And you? Well, you became an amazing blessing to our entire family and I firmly believe with all my heart that God has a strong and solid plan for your life. You are going to do GREAT things.

Your job is to take that first step, just like you have always done…

I Love You Son and I am truly blessed God chose me to be your Father…

Your Dad

Why Can’t LIFE be Easy?

Posted: April 27, 2025 in Inspirational
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I wrote a blog post a few years ago called Why can’t life be easy? because it kind of fit where I was at that point. What I found interesting today is after reading it again, it seems to apply all over again, not just to me, but to all of us. 

None of us understand the ebb and flow of life and why things change the way they do; both personally and professionally. I found the worst part is how those changes affect us.  These waves roll in and they roll out with some just being a minor annoyance while others will knock us off our feet. 

I wrote this post just to serve as a milemarker along your journey of life to remind you NOT to give up. Stay your course and be strong for the people that need you. I hope you enjoy the new and improved version of Why can’t life be easy…

Have you ever wondered why God allows or even requires our Christian walk to be filled with pain, problems, unhappiness, and sometimes even misery? Because I have… 

Why does God put so much emphasis in scripture on our persevering, or striving for the prize and winning the race as Paul writes in Philippians? 

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:14

I believe that all the lessons and experiences we learn through lifes challenges; like those “Iron Sharpens Iron” moments like we read in Proverbs 27:17 have a purpose. I am referring to the the falling down and getting back up opportunities, but most importantly, trudging through the adversity and our ability to keep our eyes focused on Him in spite of whatever is set against us.

Let me give you one Old Testament reference and I promise to be quick.

Do you remember the Israelites in Egypt? That group of people who, as we recall, spent 400 years in exile and servitude to the Egyptians. You may forget this point, but they went to Egypt voluntarily and were promised by God to be made into a great nation (Gen 46:1-4) and then almost went extinct during that 400 years. During that entire time, no word from heaven was heard and once Moses, the deliverer was announced, no explanation was given.

Why do I give you this story? because if you signed on with Christanity thinking you can just skate until He returns, you are sorely mistaken. I hope this is not the first time anyone has told you that.

The Christian walk is a marathon that God intended specifically to be ALL about the journey. 

In life, God focuses on how WE handle problems we face in this world. Are you the kind of guy who gives up and just walks away? Or do you get back up and keep forging ahead? 

Guys, I believe that the men who pick themselves up from their problems and still keep their eyes on Him… are the ones that I firmly believe God will choose to surround Himself with in eternity. 

Look…we know life is hard…but you can’t just give up and let it overwhelm you! You must fight back…

One of my favorite warriors of the Bible was David who wrestled with these very same questions. Look at what he says to God in Psalms:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  Psalms 10:1

The reality is that David, who is literally in the lineage of Christ, struggled just like you and me. He wrestled with pain and suffering and he cried out to God continuously…and do you know what? 

God did NOT forsake him.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, Lord, for you have never forsaken those who seek you.  Psalms 9:9-10

Guys, this blog is titled, “Why can life be easy?” because there are times it seems like the only luck we have is bad. But I encourage you today to remember that your main job is this difficult life is just to trust and believe that God will do what He says He will do. Claim these verses above because you are not alone…I know that for a fact-

Guys, enjoy your journey and keep the faith because ultimately you will overcome.

Until next time Guys…

By NOT making a choice, you have made a choice.

Posted: April 19, 2025 in Something to think about
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You are either for us or against us. Have you ever heard that expression? You are either all in or all out and there is absolutely no gray area to work with. I completely understand this mentality, especially if we are speaking about a professional sports team or a military mission. You cannot have anyone sitting on the fence with indecision. And that is exactly where we as Christians find ourselves with our Lord. 

There is no gray area with God. We either decide to submit to Him or we don’t..

Then the next obvious step is that those who do NOT submit themselves to Christ remain under the influence of the enemy. I am going to try and unpack that statement a little bit.

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Cor. 4:4

As I’ve said many times before in this blog, Satan, or the god of this age, currently holds a great deal of power which was given to him by our God. We also know that Satan’s rule or his earthly kingdom is temporary and is conditional. Satan is allowed to operate only due to God‘s permissive will until the end of history. (Yes, God has a Permissive Will…which is whole other blog)

For you and me, that means a choice must be made. We can either submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for everyone so that we might have salvation and eternal life… Or… We can submit to the god of this age; Who only has empty promises.

I need to say this again because it is critical to grasp: Those who do not submit themselves to Jesus remain under the power of Satan. And as Paul says, he blinds their eyes to the truth to the glory of the gospel in order that they might not be saved. Satan is running defense to every single play in God’s offense. 

Satan intentionally puts up obstructions to keep you from moving in the direction of Christ.

The only solution to this guaranteed fatal situation is what a Pastor would tell you. One must tie-up the enemy’s activity through intercession or group prayer and then to preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so people can hear and understand, and then choose for themselves whether to believe or not to believe. 

I know this is a lot to take in. I also know there are a whole lot of other things you would rather be thinking about right now than my words but at the same time, EVERYTHING about you is at stake. As I’ve told you before; there are no do overs or Mulligan’s in life. You and I must choose who we are going to believe. If we wait too long, then the enemy’s  influence can be overwhelming. Think of it this way;

By NOT making a conscious choice, you have made a choice.

Guys, I encourage you today to take this verse I shared into your heart. I challenge you to make decisions for you and your family. Dont’ just surrender because you are too busy. Dont take the easy path.

Until next time guys 

Having a God Mindset

Posted: April 12, 2025 in Tough Times
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For some reason, I have always loved the word mindset. It is one of those words that identifies your clarity or focus for whatever the topic might be. As an example, he or she might have an engineering mindset, which gives us an idea of what their expertise is. But when you apply God to the word mindset, you come up with a completely different category.

The apostle Paul did the same thing. In fact, he wrote about it in the first chapter of second Corinthians, where he said “now this is our boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have not done so according to worldly wisdom, but according to God‘s grace.“ 2 Cor. 1:12.

The easy translation to this verse is Paul is actually boasting that his life plan is to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are familiar with Paul at all, you will remember that he worked overtime NOT to boast about anything. What I find interesting is then only time he decides to actually boast, he tells us up front. And what is he boasting about? His God mindset.

Paul tells you and me that he made a choice. He decided that he would serve God. Period. Moreover, his service to God required a mindset at a whole other level to be successful. One that was focused exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ and if you’ve read Paul, you know that he suffered greatly in this role. He literally has multiple near death experiences; he was shipwrecked, jailed, bitten by snakes, punched, and spit on… You name it, he went through it.

But what can you and I learn from Paul’s mentaility? Is it possible to have a God mindset in 2025 even with everything going on in this world? What about all the chaos in the mayhem we see each day on the news? Shouldn’t we be thinking about just hunkering down and weathering the storm? 

Guys, my answer is simple… Not only is it possible, but it’s critical that you and I maintain a God mindset, especially during these difficult times.

I have said this before and I’ll say it again… Our enemy is alive and well and he is looking to devour and swallow both you and me whole. If you and I don’t make the intentional choice to be strong about our “God Mindset”; I can assure you, we will be swayed In the wrong direction. And we cannot allow that happen.

That is my charge to you guys today. Having a God Mindset is for you to be intentional and focused on your Christian walk by making choices that identify who you serve. Let me clear; make “who you serve” obvious so that there is no question what side of the fence you are standing. When people look at you or speak to you, they know. More importantly, be that strong intentional role model for your wife and family.

Be like the warrior Joshua when he said below:

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Until next time guys-

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