(The following is the May 18 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Acts 9 and pay close attention to verse 31.) After Saul’s Damascus road encounter with Christ, the church was initially wary of him because of his previous persecution of believers. Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” took him …
Tag: Fear
Never Fear What Christ Has Conquered
(The following is the April 26 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read John 16 and pay close attention to verses 25-33.) Jesus warned his disciples about difficult days ahead. In John 15-16, he warned that the world would hate believers just as it hated him. He talked about the sorrow disciples …
Is Jesus Ashamed of You?
(The following is the February 21 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Mark 8 and pay close attention to verses 34-38.) Have you ever been ashamed of someone? Perhaps a family member did something publicly humiliating, and you wanted to distance yourself from that person or the public for a time. …
Building a Wall of Faith
(The following is the December 19 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Revelation 14 and pay close attention to verses 6-7.) The beast from the sea in Revelation 13 was “given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation” (13:7). In chapter 14, John describes “another angel flying overhead, with the …
Are You Ashamed of Christ?
(The following is the October 3 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read 2 Timothy 1 and pay close attention to verses 7-12.) Three times in 2 Timothy 1-2, Paul warns against being ashamed of the gospel (1:8, 12; 2:15). Several other New Testament passages echo the sentiment: “For …
