Judges 18:19 NLT ‘“Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and a clan of Israel than for the household of just one man?”’ How can I tell if God wants me to continue what I am currently doing or if it is time to make a change? The answer is I don’t, but faith is the key to that decision. I can’t scientifically prove that I will go to heaven when I die. If science can’t prove that, then it also can’t prove if my next choice is the right one or not. My faith is what gives me peace in each step through life. In this verse, a man is being faced with two options. Continue to minister right where he is, or leave and join another group as a leader and priest. This has me thinking of when I was at a major crossroad in my life. Towards the end of college, I had three alternatives of what the next step would be: 1. Stay and be a teacher in Orlando 2. Go to Europe to play basketball 3. Or take another job opportunity that would move me to Indiana Any possibility that I select would drastically change the rest of my life. I have no way of knowing if it is for better or worse, and I don’t believe that I need to know that. I thought and prayed for guidance in making a decision, the truth is there wasn’t a correct choice. I think God had a plan to use me no matter where I went. I just couldn’t make a move and then second guess what I was doing the whole time. Make the determination, start walking, and see what the Lord places in front of me. What ever option I took was going to be correct as long as I made the pick for the right reason. I moved to Indiana and now, here I am. Looking back I should have only prayed for help making the right decision, I should have prayed for faith that I will seize the opportunity in front of me to the best of my ability. Don’t look back with worry, look forward in power. I pray to not judge the decisions that I have made to this point, but rather stand tall in faith that God has placed me where I should be and will equip me with what I need. I can make mistakes, but He does not.

Judges 18:5 ESV “And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” Will what I am about to do actually work? How much would change if I knew the answer to that question before attempting anything? In this chapter, a group of people still believed in God, have fallen off of the path directed of them to serve their own desires. They are seeking divine approval of what they are about to do. It seems like this is when you ask a question, but you don’t really want a conversation, you just want someone to agree with you so you feel better for what’s about to happen. My focus can’t be locked into outcomes over the obedience that it takes to succeed. My growth doesn’t show up the end of a journey, it’s developed through every step that I take. My focus on ten steps ahead can’t be more important than the step right in front of me. It was about 9th grade when I decided that I wanted to play college basketball. I loved the sport and I wanted to do whatever it took to make it. What if I asked from the start, ‘Will I succeed?’ If I was told yes, would I have actually done what it took to make it? I wanted a goal that was 4 years away, but that objective was nothing compared to doing what was needed in the moment. How could I improve today to get ready for the next game? The contests years ahead don’t matter right now. Am I doing what it takes today? If so, then I have a chance to reach my goal; but if not, then I slip further away from that possibility. The road I took towards a goal shaped who I am, the scholarship at the end didn’t do that. I know I chose an example that was just serving my desires, but consistent determination doesn’t just affect that one area. That quest wasn’t only fruitful it if I succeeded. I believe that if it didn’t work out in the end, it still would have been worth it. My heart was in the right place to desire to do the best that I can, and from that came the ability to remain consistent. Determination that shaped my ability to create time each day to write these devotions.

Judges 16:15 ESV “And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” This the story of Samson and Delilah, she kept trying to figure out his weakness so that she could tell the Philistines how to defeat him for money. If you really love me, you would…fill in the blank. It’s not love if something is required in return. Whether we are talking love of a friend, relative or significant other. Love isn’t an emotion or just something that you feel, it’s a godly, action oriented, and committed CHOICE. Action oriented is key. I believe major evidence that proves God’s existence is the fact that we have the ability to love. When you look at all of the ways that Jesus showed love to others, it was never for the reason that he would receive something in return. He had the ability to love and he wanted to share that, even to those that didn’t love him back. Jesus said to love others as He loved us. How is that possible? I believe that I have to put myself aside and be prepared for nothing in return. I pray that I can see the value in others and offer steadfast love without expectation. I pray that my actions will show love and not just my words. Constant prayer, active listening and prepared to serve is how I will show love this week.

Judges 13:8 ESV “Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” An angel came woman and said that she will have child, don’t drink booze, watch what she eats, and he will be a mighty warrior to save Israel. The couple asked to speak to the angel again. They seemed frantic and wanted to know what their son’s mission will be. The angel pretty much said that the instructions were simple, you will have a child, so don’t drink booze, watch what you eat, and the baby will be a mighty warrior to save Israel. I am always attempting to figure things out before they happen. I struggle to just be. Be in the moment, be present, and not think too far ahead. If an angel would give me instructions, I would have 1000 follow up questions. Sometimes the instructions are not complex. If I follow them here and now, the future will fall into place as it should. I don’t need to have it planned out before it happens. Love the Lord your God, love your neighbor, and pursue Christ. There are plenty more instructions, but in a nutshell I need to concentrate on those 3 things. The less I feel myself worrying about the future, the happier I can be in the present. I pray to not overthink what I am supposed to do. Stay in my I AM and be thankful for right where I find myself.

Judges 12:3 ESV “And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” Sometimes I want an excuse to not push forward. It is really easy to get in a rut and wait around for things to happen or put it on someone else before I get started. I don’t need to be rescued, I need to step up. In my previous job, one area of my business that I lacked in for my first couple years were AAU (travel) basketball teams. It’s a massive part of the what makes a basketball company thrive. I made excuses as to why I didn’t grow in the number of teams I had, I think I was just waiting for them to fall in my lap or just partner with a group that already had some. That area was stagnant until I realized that it’s completely on me if it’s going to grow, or stay the same. The first year I set an intention that I WILL have a certain number of teams, guess what happened??? I got more teams. I need to speak it into existence, write it down, and then make strides to create what is missing. What needs growth in your life, but you are giving reasons as to why it isn’t done yet? What intention needs to be set to take your life into your own hands to make it happen? I pray that can be intentional about growing in areas that are lacking. Help me to be bold and not back down when the urge to make an excuse comes up. Christ strengthen me when my first reaction is to be weak.