Always Ready

March 6, 2024 — 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. 

A large crowd surrounded Jesus. “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to Him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.’ He replied, ‘You give them something to eat’” (Luke 9:11-13). 

Why did the crowds seek out Jesus? They came to Him because they knew He had wisdom, healing, and food for them. As disciples of Jesus, we never know when people will be around us that are in need. In fact, the closer we walk with Jesus, the more needy people will begin to gravitate toward us.

Jesus never intends that we simply give them a verbal blessing like, “Go, be filled and be warm” (James 2:16).

Jesus wants us to give them something substantial.

This means we need to both prepare and stock up ahead of time (be proactive) and we need to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in each encounter we have with a needy person (be reactive).

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would remind us of His words (John 14:26), but that means we have to study His words ahead of time. The Holy Spirit can then give us those words to share in the heat of the moment (Matthew 10:19–20). 

Jesus also instructed us to have available both old and new treasures to share with people around us (Matthew 13:52). The old speaks to being proactive, and the new is reactive to each thing that we are learning and experiencing.

One of my life’s mottos is: Leave every place better than I found it.

That means I also want to leave every person better than they were before we crossed paths. 

In order to do this, I have to have something substantial—something eternally significant—to give to them. When needy people show up, it is too late for me to prepare.

I want to be always ready. That means I need to be always abiding with my Savior. I need to be learning at the feet of Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and saturated in the love of God, so that I always have something good to give. 

Jesus, when you tell me, “Give them something to eat,” I want to give them You. Help me to proactively prepare so that I am ready to react in a way that glorifies You every single time.

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Links & Quotes

February 24, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

We’ve added things that we think should be in our prayer vocabulary. But kingdom praying should be as natural as talking to the most loving Father you can imagine! Check out more thoughts in my series of posts called Kingdom Praying. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” —Michael Jordan

In the post-Flood rock layers, fossils are often found of animals that were much larger than are currently observed. This has been called giantism. “Evolutionists claim that adaption occurs as random mutations make some organisms better fitted for their environment, and the less-fit organisms then die off. … This supposed, random, trial-and-error process requires long periods of time waiting for the ‘right’ random mutation to occur. In contrast, ICR gives credit to Jesus. He designed organisms with built-in sensors that enable them to detect changes in their environment. Internal genetic programming then allows these organisms to rapidly adapt to these changes in predictable ways. Such adaptation is often too rapid for natural selection to be the correct explanation. This design-based paradigm of adaptation is called continuous environmental tracking (CET).” This is an excellent article. 

“If the stone falls on the pot, alas, for the pot; if the pot falls on the stone, alas for the pot.” —Jewish proverb, based on Psalm 118:22 and Luke 20:17-18

Godly leaders need…

  • …ears consecrated to hear God’s voice and the voice of the people
  • …hands dedicated to ministering in love and obedience
  • …feet that only walk in God-directed paths

Godly leaders don’t minister to please people, but to lead people to God. So godly leaders are ever aware that in all they do, they must hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Prepared To Pass The Test

February 19, 2024 — 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. 

The prayer that Jesus taught His follower is a prayer for citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. These are not just some magical words to pray whenever we don’t know what to pray. 

We come to a part of the prayer that has confused some people. Jesus instructed us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). 

So some people have asked, “Does God tempt us?” 

No, He doesn’t! The temptations flare up when the ungodly desires within us are given an opportunity to seize what we think will make us happy (see James 1:13-15). 

All three of the synoptic Gospels tell us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the place where the devil would tempt Him (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-2). 

Jesus went through all of this so that He would be assured that He was fully equipped for the intense scrutiny He was going to undergo for the next 3+ years. At the end of that time neither the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, nor Herod Antipas could find any semblance of sin in His life. 

The word Jesus uses for temptation in Matthew 6:13 comes from the root word peirazo, which means to assay. We don’t use that word too often today, but it means a testing, an experiment, or a trial, to prove something’s fidelity, integrity, or virtue. 

Just like an assayer would test a rock for the quality and quantity of a precious metal found in it, so we are tested to determine our fitness for what God has in store for us. Remember that the beginning of this prayer is a desire for God’s name to be hallowed and His Kingdom to be made visible through our lives. 

Jesus endured His intense time of testing for you and me. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus underwent every temptation we would ever face, without once giving in and sinning. He did all of this so He could be the perfect High Priest that knows how to intercede for us in our time of testing (Hebrews 2:14; 4:15; 2:10, 18; 5:7-9, 4:16). 

Hebrews 5:9 says that Jesus was perfected (the Greek word is telios), which is exactly what Jesus wants for us—Be prefect [telios] even as your Heavenly Father is perfect [telios] (Matthew 5:48).

In order to know this perfecting process, we have to be tested and assayed (James 1:12, 2-4). 

Temptations reveal hidden sins in our lived, and temptations keep us humbly reliant on God (Psalm 19:12; 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; James 4:1-7). 

Like all of the other phrases in this prayer, this one is both an acknowledgment (I will face temptations) and a petition (I need Your help to overcome the temptation). This is not necessarily a prayer to keep us from temptation, but to keep us through the temptation. We want to be empowered to pass the test. 

A loving teacher prepares us for the test, gives us the test, and then gives us the results so that we know we are prepared for the next level. So remember that this prayer is addressed to our loving Heavenly Father. He prepares us for the test so that we can pass the test. We never walk an unknown path—we never are given a test unless He has fully prepared us for it. 

So let me give you four thoughts to consider:

  1. Don’t rush ahead because that’s pride. Jesus went when the Holy Spirit led Him.
  2. Don’t lag behind because that’s fear. Think of the Israelites who fearful of the “giants” in the land and wouldn’t move forward. 
  3. Don’t be discouraged by a temporary failure. The phrase immediately before this says, “Forgive us our debts.” If you fall short, ask for forgiveness and move forward again. 
  4. Do give in to the righteousness Jesus has made available for you. This is what will help you stand firm in your time of testing (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Just like Jesus, our Father wants to perfect you and lead you up to higher levels. 

If you’ve missed any of the previous messages in this series looking at the model prayer Jesus taught us, you can find them all here. 

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

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Shut The Door On The Devil’s Lies

February 15, 2024 — 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. 

There is a way we can keep the door cracked open for the devil to whisper his slander to us, and there is a way to slam the door shut! Jesus said one of the best ways to shut the door on the slanderous lies of the devil is to forgive people who have injured us.

The verses I reference in this clip are John 10:10; John 8:44; Revelation 12:10; Luke 17:-5; Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21.

The full sermon that this clip comes from is Faith to Forgive. 

And check out this post where I talk about the Security we have in standing on God’s promises of forgiveness.  

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

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The Words Of Jesus

February 14, 2024 — 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. 

After Jesus drove the merchants out of the temple, He began to teach those who gathered around Him. Luke records that “all the people hung on His words” (Luke 19:48). 

I believe that one of the main reasons His words had such authority and power to capture people’s attention was because He was so immersed in Scripture. As Jesus cleared the temple, He quoted from two Old Testament prophets. As He told a parable to the crowd in the temple—a parable that the religious leaders knew “He had spoken…against them”—He made a passage from Psalm 118 the foundational piece of His story. 

The words of Jesus are…

  • Scriptural 
  • authoritative 
  • loving
  • unswervingly truthful
  • practical
  • challenging 
  • unconventional (according to human standards) 
  • God-glorifying 
  • paradigm challenging
  • life changing

I want others to say of me what Charles Spurgeon said of John Bunyan, “Why, this man is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere—his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God.” 

Wouldn’t you want that said of your life too? I sure would!

Our first step is to read the Word of God. Next, we need to allow the God of the Word to transform our minds. And then we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us apply the Bible to everything we say and do. 

Heavenly Father, I pray that people may hear the words of Jesus in all the words I speak. Holy Spirit, bring all of the Word I have read back to my mind (John 14:26; Mark 13:11) so that it is not my words that I am speaking but Yours. In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen! 

(To go a little deeper on this topic, check out Whose Words Have Weight? and The Timeliest of Words.) 

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

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What To Do With Complainers

February 7, 2024 — 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. 

As Christians, how are we supposed to handle those who complain about Christianity or things in the Bible? 

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Some resources from this episode:

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

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

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The Path Ahead Of Me

February 6, 2024 — 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. 

I think it’s safe to say that most of us would feel much more secure if we knew exactly where life was taking us. That way, perhaps we could be ready for what lies ahead. It would certainly help to decrease our anxiety if we knew we were ready for what was coming next. 

In Luke 19, Jesus is on the path toward Jerusalem and Calvary. And in just a 5-verse section, the word “ahead” is used three times.

First, we read that Jesus “went on ahead” toward Jerusalem (v. 28). He knew exactly what was awaiting Him there; in fact, He had told His disciples numerous times the precise details of what was ahead. Even though His experience was going to be excruciating, for the joy that was even further ahead (see Hebrews 12:2), Jesus persevered. 

Next we read that Jesus sent two of His disciples “to the village ahead of you” to retrieve the donkey colt that was awaiting Him (v. 30). What is unspoken here is that Jesus had obviously spoken to the colt’s owners ahead of time about what He would require.

Finally, we read that those two disciples “who were sent ahead” found everything just as Jesus had said it would be (v. 32). 

I find this to be so comforting! What all of this means is:

I never walk an unknown path! 

  1. Jesus has already walked this path, and is fully aware of all that is ahead of me. 
  2. Jesus has prepared me ahead of time to walk this path. He doesn’t prepare the path for me, but He prepares me for the path. 
  3. Jesus has already spoken to others ahead of time to help resource me along this path. 

Phillip Keller pointed out, “Sheep are notorious creatures of habit. If left to themselves, they will follow the same trails until they become ruts; graze the same hills until they turn to desert wastes; pollute their own ground until it is corrupt with disease and parasites. … No other class of livestock requires more careful handling, more detail direction, than do sheep.” So Keller explains how good shepherds visit paths and pasturing areas ahead of time to make sure they know how to lead their sheep. 

David gives us these reassuring words about our Good Shepherd: “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). 

Let me say it again: You and I never walk an unknown path. But as we obediently and confidently walk ahead with our Good Shepherd, every single step is doing God’s will on earth as it has already been done in Heaven! 

With those thoughts in mind, may you walk confidently today, my friend! 

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

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The Danger In Plenty

February 5, 2024 — 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. 

Jesus is teaching us to pray as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and each phrase of this prayer is a reminder of how we interact with the King of Heaven—Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  

We all have a desire to feel secure—to feel our needs are going to be met. In fact, our anxiety level is usually tied directly to how insecure we may feel. The problem for many of us, however, is that we have mistaken wants for needs, and when those aren’t met as we think they should be, we again experience increasing levels of anxiety. 

We see this on full display in Luke 12. First, Jesus addresses a man who is greedily desiring his share of his father’s inheritance. Jesus says, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 

To illustrate this point, Jesus tells a parable of a rich landowner who harvested more crops than he knew what to do with—a harvest which he calls “plenty.” His solution was to build bigger barns for his abundant harvest, to which God announced, “You fool” (Luke 12:13-21). 

This man was not called a fool because he was successful. He was not called a fool because he had plenty. Rather, he was called a fool because his “plenty” caused him to forget his heavenly Father.   

This is an invaluable lesson. Sadly, we tend to be a very forgetful people! 

After God delivered His people from their bondage in Egypt, and they almost immediately start worrying and then complaining about whether their needs will be supplied. God tells them that He will supply every day exactly what they need (Exodus 16:1-35). 

This provision of manna every single morning when they got up was intended to keep them reliant on God and thankful for His provision. But after a while they thought they deserved more—they wanted plenty (Numbers 11:4-6). Later on, Asaph would pinpoints the main culprit of the Israelites’ stumbled throughout their history: forgetfulness (Psalm 78:11, 22-25). 

Jesus taught us to come to God in prayer as Our Father. Just as Jesus was daily dependent on His Father, so He teaches us to have that same level of daily abiding. 

Jesus reminds us what the daily supply of manna really signified; namely, that He would be our Bread from Heaven for all of eternity (John 6:28-40)! 

So that’s why we pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” Once again, this is an acknowledgement that no one else can provide for us, and it is a request that we would stay daily dependent on Him. It’s not, “Give us today our weekly bread.” Or, “Give us today our daily wants.” Or even, “Give us today plenty of things.” 

We need our Father for daily bread so that we never, ever forget or vital, indispensable connection to Him!  

Even when we don’t have plenty, we are told not to worry but instead to look to our Heavenly Father for His daily supply (Luke 12:22; Philippians 4:6-7).

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series on prayer, you can check them all out here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. Like some exclusive quotes from a book I just reviewed. ◀︎◀︎

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Held Back By Comparisons

February 2, 2024 — 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. 

There’s one important thing that could be holding us back from living the way that God wants us to. 

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Some resources from this episode:

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. Like some exclusive quotes from a book I just reviewed. ◀︎◀︎

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Becoming Childlike

January 29, 2024 — 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. 

I hope you’ve noticed so far that the parts of Christ’s model prayer that we’ve looked at so far are both an acknowledgement of the holiness of God and the greatness of His Kingdom, and also a request for us to be empowered to live in a way that makes those things known to Earthlings. 

One of the ways we live to make these things seen is found in the next phrase: Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). 

In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens shows us a scene where the Ghost of Christmas Present has taken Scrooge to his nephew’s home. After dinner, these young adults begin playing games. Dickens says, “For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” 

Jesus loved children! Being around “the littles” lately at on our school campus, I have a whole new appreciation for this. Because Jesus loved children, their parents wanted them around Him, and He wanted them around too (see Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:14-16; Luke 18:15-17).

Children are loud, busy, adventurous, and easily distracted. But they are also loving, trusting, curious, innocent, and easily comforted. And Jesus loved to bless them!   

What does this have to do with “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”? Jesus taught us to address our praying to “Our Father.” That means we are to interact with Him as His children.  

Jesus wants us to be childlike not childish. 

  • trusting not posturing—Matthew 6:7-8 
  • honest not hypocritical—Luke 18:9-14 
  • persistent not whining—Luke 11:9-13 
  • humbly dependent not scheming—Matthew 18:1-4 

[Check out these passages here] 

Children love to do the will of their parents. They’re not trying to earn their approval, but joyfully obeying out of innocence. When we obey God as loving children, we are doing His will on earth as it is done in Heaven! 

So once again, this is both an acknowledgement and a request. 

In Psalm 131, David uses this same picture of a contented child for us. 

Childlike is lovingly dependent. Childish is selfishly independent. Childlike is trusting someone wiser. Childish is believing I know best. 

Our prayer request should always be, “Father, may I trust You and obey You as an innocent child.” 

This is part 4 of our series on prayer called Kingdom Praying. You can check out all of the other messages in this series here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. Like some exclusive quotes from a book I just reviewed. ◀︎◀︎

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