God’s Vision, Not Mine

August 12, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

My podcast cohost, Greg Heeres, and I just finished our first co-authored book in our series Business by the Book. This book is both biblical wisdom and practical insight into how a CEO casts vision for themselves and the organization they lead. 

We write about the God-honoring way to cast vision, but there is another way—the human way. In their book Spiritual Leadership, Henry and Richard Blackaby describe it like this:

     “The Gospel of Luke provides a graphic contrast between peoples’ agendas and God’s [Luke 9:28-36]. Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him up a mountain to experience a divine encounter. God the Father was unfolding His specific will for His Son. The Father brought Moses and Elijah to encourage Jesus for the enormous work of redemption He was about to accomplish. So sacred was that moment that Jesus radiated the glory of His divinity. Peter and his companions, however, had been sleeping. When they awoke and saw the magnificent scene unfolding, Peter spoke up: ‘Master, it’s good for us to be here! Let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’ (v. 33). Peter’s first thought was to build something tangible to institutionalize the divine encounter. Peter, a natural leader, could already envision the ongoing ministry he and his friends would administer as a result of that encounter. However, the instant Peter began talking, the vision was removed, and only Jesus remained visible. Clearly Peter’s plan was not God’s agenda. The heavenly Father immediately rebuked Peter, saying, ‘This is My Son, the Chosen One; listen to Him!’ (v. 35). Peter, because he was human, instinctively thought in temporal terms. He envisioned something he could control and manage. He wanted to move Jesus, Moses, Elijah, James, and John on to his agenda instead of seeking to understand God’s will and adjusting his own life accordingly. Peter’s ignorance of spiritual ways is all too prevalent among today’s spiritual leaders. Too often people assume that along with their role of leader comes the responsibility of determining what should be done. They develop aggressive goals. They imagine grandiose dreams. They cast grand visions. Then they pray and ask God to join them in their agenda and bless their efforts. That’s not the spiritual leader’s role. Spiritual leaders seek God’s will, whether it is for their church, family, or corporation, and then they mobilize their people to pursue God’s plan. …  

     “We must emphasize that planning or goal setting is not wrong. Organizations must have direction and order. The key is the source of those plans. Spiritual leaders seek God’s guidance in discerning God’s purposes for their organization. Then they mobilize their organizations to effectively accomplish what God assigns.” 

God’s desire has always been to give vision to leaders who will lead in a God-honoring way. If you are the point leader for your organization, by all means seek to cast a compelling vision for your team, but use the wisdom in God’s Word to ensure your vision is something that makes an eternal difference. 

One final thought from the Blackabys: “God has the vision of what He wants to do. God does not ask leaders to dream big dreams for Him or to solve the problems confronting them with their own best thinking. He asks leaders to walk with Him so intimately that when He reveals His agenda they immediately adjust their lives and their organizations to His will and the results bring glory to God.”  

Please pick up a copy of Business by the Book: What the Bible says about a CEO’s Vision-casting today.  

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Good Lives Or Good Deeds?

August 11, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

What’s more impactful: living a good life or doing good deeds? Let’s talk about that on this episode of The Podcast. 

The Scriptures I refer to in this episode are 1 Peter 2:12, 15, 20; 3:16-17; 4:19; 2 Peter 3:11; Matthew 5:16; 6:1-2, 5-6, 16; 23:1-5. 

I mentioned that the apostle Peter’s first letter was written to Christians who are citizens of heaven while living on earth. I taught a whole series about this called Aliens and Strangers. 

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Your King Is The Perfect Judge

August 10, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

There’s a scene in The Princess Bride that rings true for us. As the grandfather is reading the story to his sick grandson, he has just revealed that the hero in the story has died. The grandson stops his grandfather, “Wait, grandpa, you’re reading that wrong.” This young man wants what all of us want: For the good guys to be vindicated and for the bad guys to get what’s coming to them. 

The next Royal Psalm assures us that our Judge will perfectly balance His scales of justice. King David (sort of) gives us a picture of this. 

King David’s son Absalom had usurped the throne, and David is fleeing the city with his trusted inner circle. Along the way he is confronted by a man named Shimei, who was from the same family as King Saul (2 Samuel 16:5-12). David gives us a good foretaste of King Jesus in the way he initially responds to this attack (19:18b-23). Sadly, David apparently hung on to these slights and asked his son Solomon to keep an eye on Shimei (1 Kings 2:8-9). So I’m going to guess that our Royal Psalm was written between these two incidents. 

(Check out all of the biblical passages in this post by clicking here.)

Psalm 98 is a call to sing our praise to our King and Judge. First, we are to sing to Him and about Him because of what He has already done: 

  • He has done marvelous things (v. 1) 
  • He has provided salvation (v. 1) 
  • He has made His salvation known (v. 2) 
  • He has revealed His righteousness (v. 2) 
  • He has remembered His love for us (v. 3) 
  • He has remembered His faithfulness toward us (v. 3) 
  • the earth has seen His salvation (v. 3) 

Then we are called to keep on singing in anticipation of what He is going to do: we shout for joy and burst into jubilant song (v. 4), make music (vv. 5-6a), shout for joy (v. 6b), and see creation praising all around us (vv. 7-9a). 

All of this singing because He comes to judge? Does that sound right? 

It sounds right when judgment is in the hand of the Perfect Judge. The Bible describes judges who are looking for bribes, or who are swayed by personal feelings (like King David), or Jesus even identified a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people.  

But God on His throne isn’t any of these things! Isaiah prophesies Christ’s first Advent as one of peace (Isaiah 42:1-4). Even when Jesus was maligned and mistreated even more hatefully—and without having done anything wrong—than David, He still didn’t retaliate (1 Peter 2:21-23). 

Jesus entrusted Himself to Him Who judges justly, which is what Psalm 98 calls us to do. 

  • He comes to judge [vindicate] the earth [creation], which has been groaning for this (Romans 8:21-22). 
  • He will judge [acquit or declare guilty] the world and its peoples (Matthew 25:31-32; Revelation 20:12). 

His judgement will be with righteousness and equity—

  • righteousness = the perfect standard 
  • equity = the perfect consequence (see also Isaiah 42:10-13) 

In light of the perfect judgment from the perfect King that is coming, how should we live today? 

  • He will handle retribution then—so don’t retaliate today (Isaiah 11:1-5). 
  • He will handle vindication then—so forgive today (1 Peter 2:23; Luke 23:34). 
  • He will call you to give an account then—so change your words and actions today (Matthew 12:36). 
  • He will forgive blood-washed saints then—so forgive today (Matthew 6:14-15). 
  • He will judge perfectly then—so don’t be judgmental today (James 5:9; Romans 2:1-3). 
  • He will reward perfectly then—so don’t look for applause from the world today (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Matthew 25:34). 

Our King has won our salvation, and He is going to balance the scales perfectly when He returns, so we should be singing His praise every day until His return! 

If you’ve missed and of the other messages on these Royal Psalms, you can find them all here. 

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Links & Quotes

August 8, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Greg and I both have a confession to make. But these confessions also show that all of us should be continually evaluating and growing. Don’t stop short! 

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

T.M. Moore wrote, “I’m persuaded that one reason the work of personal evangelism has fallen on hard times in our day is that the people of God are simply fearful of the task. We find no joy in bearing witness to Jesus. Instead, we’re afraid that others won’t receive us kindly, that they’ll lash out or, worse, talk about us to others. We fear we might mess up the Gospel presentation and permanently offend someone. We fear the questions and challenges others might pose, that we might not be able to answer them. We’re afraid of being laughed at, yelled at, or dismissed as foolish or deceived or mad.”

“Do not be satisfied, dear brethren and sisters in Christ, with the grace that you already have. Be thankful for it, but ask for the divine multiplication of it; regard the grace which you have already received as being like the boy’s loaves and fishes, and expect that Christ will continue to multiply it for you and for thousands of others round about you: ‘Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:2 

“Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.  … Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My presence.” —Sarah Young, in Jesus Calling [she formed this quote from Romans 12:2; Jeremiah 29:11]

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” —M. Scott Peck 

Clinton Manley gives us two bad excuses that people give for either not reading their Bible or not applying what they did read. He says, “God woos us to His word with unblushing promises of reward; take hold of them.”

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie.  One word of truth outweighs the world.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Geneticists have found a single-cell pond ciliate that uses its RNA to send unexpected signals to the cell. “Surface-level study may make cells seem like simple chemistry, but deeper study reveals coded instructions, used by molecular tools and monitored by timing controls. Those tools operate as part of a larger biological network. This detailed process reflects sound engineering principles.” Even this tiny creature shows the flawless design of our Creator.

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The Heavy Responsibility Of Pastoring

August 6, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

Even Charles Spurgeon—a man called “the prince of preachers”—recognized the heavy responsibility of God’s call on someone to serve as a pastor. 

Here are the two Spurgeon quotes I shared in the video—

“Oh, what a solemn thing it is to be a preacher of the everlasting gospel! It is an office so high that an angel might covet it, but one that is so responsible that even an angel might tremble to undertake it.” 

“Pray for us who preach, not merely to a few, but to many of our fellow-creatures, that we may be the means, in the hand of God, of blessing to our hearers.” 

The best resource a pastor can tap into is prayer, and I would suggest that the first person a pastor should pray for is himself. This is where my book Amen Indeed can be a huge blessing. This is a book that helps pastors turn the Scriptures into prayer. 

Pick up your copy of Amen Indeed here. 

If you are a pastor who has been wounded in your ministry work, you may also want to check out my book When Sheep Bite. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Andrew Murray On Psalm 119

August 5, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  

At 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is a chapter that extols the immeasurable and eternal value found in God’s Word. With the exception of four verses, every other verse specifically names God’s Word—using words like statutes, commands, precepts, and laws. 

Andrew Murray wrote in The Inner Life, “Anyone who really wants to know how to study his Bible according to God’s will should make a careful study of this psalm.” To that end, he gives the following six suggestions, to which I am adding my own thoughts.

(1) Take note of all the different names which refer to God’s Word. For example, “the law of the Lord” (v. 1), “His statutes” (v. 2), and “His ways” (v. 3). 

(2) Take note of all the different verbs expressing how we should feel and what we should do in regard to the Word. Like: “that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (v. 18), “my soul is consumed with longing” (v. 20), and “remove from me their scorn and contempt” (v. 22). 

(3) Count how many times verb tenses appear in the past, present, and future. “You have laid down” (past tense in v. 4), “obeying Your decrees” (present tense in v. 5), and “would not be put to shame” (future tense in v. 6). “Put all these together and see how more than a hundred times he presents himself before God as one who honors and keeps His law.” 

(4) Study the prayers themselves and note the different requests he makes with regard to the Word—“cause me to understand” (v. 27) and “strengthen me according to Your word” (v. 28). 

(5) Count the verses in which there is any reference to affection from his own sinful condition, from his enemies, from the sins of the wicked, or God delaying to help him. Phrases like, “my soul is weary with sorrow” (v. 28) and “take away the disgrace I dread” (v. 39). 

(6) Notice how often the little pronouns You, His/Him, and Your occur. “Then you will see how the whole psalm is a prayer spoken to God.” 

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, and this psalm is divided into twenty-two 8-verse sections. The verses in each section all begin with the Hebrew letter of that section, and they form a mini-theme within themselves. 

I took time with my congregation to look at each 8-verse section individually, and then see how those sections amplified the entire 119th Psalm. You may want to use this series as a means of helping you study this amazing chapter. 

“Let us seek, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to have the kind of devotional life which this psalm reveals,” wrote Andrew Murray. And to that sentiment I add, “Amen!” 

After you have studied Psalm 119, check out some other Bible studies here. 

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8 Quotes From Others Quoted In “Spiritual Leadership”

August 4, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Henry and Richard Blackaby had some amazing thoughts to share in their book Spiritual Leadership (check out my review here), but they also pull together insights from so many other noted leaders. 

“The American church is dying due to a lack of strong leadership. In this time of unprecedented opportunity and plentiful resources, the church is actually losing influence. The primary reason is the lack of leadership. Nothing is more important than leadership.” —George Barna 

“Human communities have always had a need for people with very strong drives to do tough jobs like leadership.” —Malcome Davies 

“Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth.” —James MacGregor Burns 

“Popularity is not leadership. Results are.” —Peter Drucker 

“Continual success probably means our bar is too low or our tape too short.” —Max De Pree 

“Good times blind us. Bad times reveal truth to us.” —Peter Koestenbaum 

“If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.” —Seth Godin 

“There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” —Martin Luther King Jr. 

You can check out the other quotes I shared from Spiritual Leadership by clicking here. 

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The Security In Our King

August 3, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

There is a confidence and joy in knowing how things will turn out, in having “the inside scoop” that others don’t have. 

In my book Shepherd Leadership, I tell the story of the time when I was working as the executive director of a camp and conference center. I was breaking down boxes at the recycle dumpster when a guest approached me, not knowing I was the director. I was able to help her because I knew who to talk to, where the supplies were, and how things worked around the facilities. I knew what I knew, but our guest was a little surprised that I knew what I knew. 

We see this in the life of David as he became king of Israel and as his leadership expanded. 

David was first anointed king over merely the tribe of Judah, but his influence began to expand (2 Samuel 3:1). It wasn’t just fear of his military power, but people genuinely liked him and saw that he had the best in mind for them (3:36), until eventually all of the tribes of Israel saw David as their king (5:1-3). His reign as king saw him continuing to grow in his strength, wisdom, and influence (14:18-20). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I mention in this post by clicking here.) 

David was unquestionably established as the king—the leader God had chosen. Seeing David reigning as king brings us to the next Royal Psalm (Psalm 97). 

The statement that “the LORD reigns” (v. 1) is widely accepted. For instance, the foundational document of the United States of America opens with the words, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America … We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” 

The fact that we exist presupposes a starting point. It would appear that the starting point is something or someone with unimaginable power. Even atheists call the beginning of our universe “a singularity” with unimaginable power to bring all of this into being. The fact that our universe is so well ordered makes the case for an Intelligence behind the unimaginable power. This intelligent, awesome power is described in Psalm 97:2-6. 

Jesus is the One the biblical writers identify as this intelligent, awesome power (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-17). Jesus even identifies Himself as being this One (Revelation 1:8, 18). Because Jesus holds the keys, He has the final word on our eternal existence. His desire is that all would come to know Him as their King and Savior (John 3:16-17). 

When our sins are forgiven, we have no fear of God’s punishment (Psalm 97:7-12). 

Those who oppose this worldview can be quite intimidating at times. Peter tells us, “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened” (1 Peter 3:14). 

For now, in America, we don’t face bodily threats of violence (although that day may come). The threats Christians face today are being mocked for outdated or out-of-touch beliefs, being canceled because our stance is bigoted and hateful, or simply being pressured to compromise just a little bit on what we believe. 

To emphasize his point, Peter quotes words from King David in Psalm 34. David’s words in this psalm sound a lot like the tone of Psalm 97. Notice especially Psalm 34:1-2, 15-22 where David assures us that King Jesus gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word! 

Someday every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is God (Revelation 20:11-15). Knowing this should give Christians an incredible sense of security, especially in the presence of those who doubt, deny, or mock. 

So when atheists, agnostics, and skeptics want to attack your belief in an all-loving, all-powerful God Who says the only way to avoid His final judgment is to place our faith in the work Jesus did on the Cross, let’s be careful in our response. We don’t have to fight them—we should instead respond with love. Peter went on to say that our response to their attacks would be our testimony (1 Peter 3:14-17). 

Like David, let us extol the LORD at all times (even when under attack). Like the Royal Psalm, let us rejoice in the LORD and praise His holy name. Let us never forget Who gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages about the Royal Psalms, check out our series All Hail King Jesus by clicking here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Links & Quotes

August 1, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Obviously blessing someone is not just saying, “God bless you” after they sneeze! So what does it mean to bless?

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

The biblical historian Luke mentions the Roman Caesar Tiberius. “Tiberius is only named directly once in the Bible (Luke 3:1), where the fifteenth year of his reign is a chronological marker, signalling the beginning of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus.” Although only named once, Tiberius’ influence is seen throughout the historical events recorded in the New Testament. Check out the archeological biography of this interesting Roman leader.

“Oh! what prophets and kings longed for, do not let us despise, and we shall despise these mercies if we do not make the most of them by entering into the fullness of the joy which they are meant to bring to us.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:11 

Conventional scientists, looking for a way to explain the origin of life, have proposed nanozymes which served as catalysts to speed up chemical processes. But as ICR notes, “What can be done in a laboratory is not always what happens outside of it. Laboratory tests depend on selected chemicals, planned procedures, and controlled conditions. Such experiments show what skilled researchers can make chemicals do, but they don’t indicate that an unguided environment built the first living cell. … Life displays ordered parts, stored instructions, and linked systems. These observable traits are consistent with the workmanship of a wise creator. As Scripture says, ‘O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all’ (Psalm 104:24).”

“Spiritual warfare against lust is enlistment for a lifetime career. … But do not be afraid because your enemies are mighty and many; your victory will be so much greater. And do not worry, either, when you see Caesars stripped of their insignias and forced to die in chains of lust. Remember, it is only the unbelieving world—without spiritual arms and abandoned by God—that is left to become the prey of satan.” —William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armor 

“It is manly to be tender toward your wife. … A Christian husband should be intimately aware of his wife’s needs, her strengths and weaknesses, and her goals and desires. He should know as much about her as possible, in order to respond in the best way to her.” —Dr. Henry Halley 

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Do You Look Like The King?

July 30, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

The longer someone is a Christian the more they should look like Jesus. 

You can check out the full sermon that this clip came from by clicking here. 

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