Joe Barnett

Encourage one another and build each other up.  —1 Thessalonians 5:11 Every person you encounter today will be different as a result of crossing paths with you. She will leave up in the clouds or down in the dumps; he will leave pumped up or pulled down; they will leave encouraged or discouraged, blessed or

Go and sin no more.       —John 8:11 Two fiendish tools that can derail your spiritual journey are temptation and condemnation. Temptation minimizes sin. It messes with your mind and writes it off as not so bad: “It’s no big deal! Everybody does it!” Condemnation maximizes sin. It messes with your mind and

Your life is shaped by your thoughts.                  —Proverbs 4:23 TEV During your last physical, the doctor probably asked about your eating habits because your physical health is related to what you eat. Some dietary changes may be called for. Likewise, your spiritual health is related to your

You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.                                 —Isaiah 26:3 TEV Do you know why you do what you do? There are two qualities within your control that are

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.                    —Romans 4:3 On America’s 250th birthday (July 4, 2026), several descendants of the nation’s founders were asked how they thought their forebears would view where America is today. Consensus was that they would be disappointed.

Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.      —Proverbs 4:23 Today won’t leave you as it found you. It will leave you better or worse: more congenial or more cantankerous, more caring or more insensitive, more judgmental or more tolerant. It will leave you with faith, hope, and love enlarged or

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.                                  —Matthew 6:33 Matthew 6:25–34 is Jesus’ brief homily about worry. Nix it, he says. His prohibition of worry about material things is not a forbiddance of forethought, but of anxious thought. Don’t

Envy rots the bones.    —Proverbs 14:30 Paul’s list of sins in Galatians 5:19–21 specifies sexual sins, impurity, idolatry, and sorcery. The New Century Version calls them “The wrong things the sinful self does.” But Paul’s list goes on to include jealousy, selfish ambition, and envy. James said, “Where you have envy and selfish ambition,

You will always reap what you sow.                   —Galatians 6:7 NLT Conflict. Bickering. Divorce. War. The fruits of selfishness. “Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you” (Jas 4:1 NCV). Self-centeredness is a noxious seed

Be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt!     —Joshua 1:9 TLB Don’t doubt that God has a plan for your life. “One who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (Jas 1:6–7). God won’t give