How to Receive Endurance, Encouragement, and Hope

by Gregory A. Johnson

Amid this worldwide pandemic, please know that God’s promises given to you in Scripture are true and everlasting. Trusting His Word will get us through every day. You can count on it!

Please allow me to share a short devotion with you that I have written and feel led to share with you:

HOW TO RECEIVE ENDURANCE, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND HOPE 

We live at a time when many exist in a seemingly endless state of hopelessness. The news is filled with stories of wars and rumors of wars, terrorism, anarchy, famine, drought, unemployment, economic recession, depression, disease, sickness, and an epidemic of both financial and spiritual bankruptcy. Uncertainty abounds.

In over the thirty years I have served in the ministry, I have noticed a rapid decline in the hunger for Scripture. Many go to church, but few read, study, and memorize the Bible. Some only receive bless-me-and-make-me-feel-good sermons on Sundays that may encourage them for a brief season, but such light teaching does not build endurance. When a crisis hits, they lose hope.

How to Guard Your Mouth Even on Social Media

By Gregory A. Johnson

#GuardYourMouthEvenOnSocialMedia

We are living in strange times. People not only say terrible things, but they also post awful things on social media, attacking others. Attacking others is not Christ-following.

Cursing has become commonplace in the post-Christian culture that we live in, even with people in the Christian faith. I’m shocked at what people say and post on social media.

Under the unction of the Spirit, I feel led to remind you that there is a day coming when each person will give account for every word.

Don’t take my word for it; take Jesus’ word. Jesus said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36 ESV).”

This should be sobering to us all.

How God Prepares Us for Service

by Gregory A. Johnson

We are ALL called to serve God by following Jesus and making a difference in our day for Him. Many confuse attending church with answering that call. Please know that attending church is not fully following Christ, although many who follow Christ attend church. Church will not make us a Christ-follower. To be willing and ready to follow Christ, we have to recognize who He is and what we are not. He is holy; we are not. As we recognize who Jesus is and what we are not, we realize that He must do a work in our lives in order for us to follow and serve Him.

Isaiah had a fresh revelation of God and His holiness that revealed to him his unholy state (Isaiah 6:1-8). Recognizing that God needed to do a work in him before he could serve God, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). God answered Isaiah’s cry for help and sent seraphim from His very presence to cleanse Isaiah. After God cleansed Isaiah, he was willing and ready to go and do whatever God required, in total obedience and service to the Almighty.

How to Seek Good

by Gregory A. Johnson

Many people will be seeking many things today. Some will be seeking that which is good, and some will be seeking evil. Whatever is sought today will be found—whether good or evil.

When we turn on the news at the end of the day, or we pick up tomorrow’s paper, we will read many accounts of those who sought evil and found it. We will see that the fruit of seeking evil is death and destruction.

Have you noticed that there is not enough news about those who seek to do good? The fruit of seeking good is life-giving; it brings hope and joy. Oh, how I wish our news would be dominated by reports of those seeking good, and not evil.

Life is the fruit of seeking good. May we daily decide to seek good instead of evil; life is there for us and others if we do.

How do we seek good?

Three Choices That Will Start Your Day off Right Every Day

by Gregory A. Johnson

Each one of us has to make lots of choices today and every day. Those choices impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

If you struggle with knowing how to keep your life on the right path, here are three choices you can make every morning that will start your day off right:

1. Choose to trust God, knowing that He loves you and that there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less than He already does. His love for you is complete.
2. Choose to rejoice in the Lord because Jesus rescues you on a daily basis.
3. Choose to praise the Lord for His goodness toward you.

Beloved, make those three choices daily to start your day off right, and you will see your life will unfold as it is meant to, according to His perfect will for you.

Scripture:
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me” (Psalm 13:5-6, NLT).

Prayer:
Father, today I choose to trust in your love for me. I choose to praise you throughout the day for your goodness toward me, knowing that you will reveal it to me many times over. I choose to rejoice in my salvation because Jesus rescues me moment by moment. Thank you for drawing me to Him. Please drive me by your Holy Spirit today to make the right choices based on your Word. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

(The above is excerpted from the book, Be Encouraged: A Daily Devotional, Volume 1 by Pastor Gregory A. Johnson. Copyright © Gregory A. Johnson. All rights reserved.)

Know that you are loved,
gaj

How to Raise Children for God

by Gregory A. Johnson 

Our children are both adults now. They have brought much joy and encouragement to Becky and me. It seems like it was yesterday that they were born—time sure does go fast. Both Austin Gregory and Kelsey Ann have matured to be good and hard-working young adults. I believe they both will have positive impacts upon society, being model citizens of God’s Kingdom.

The best advice I can give to parents today is to raise your children under the influence of the church. With all of its imperfections, the church is still the finest place to raise children. Becky and I raised our children in church. Not only did they grow up in the front row of the sanctuary, but we also included them in the ministry.

Austin was two years old when Kelsey was born, and I was preaching revivals and ministering as a fill-in pastor within the district in which I was credentialed. Many times I would be contacted by the district superintendent to preach at one church Sunday morning and then drive hundreds of miles across the state to preach at another church on Sunday evening. Becky and the children always went with me. Many times we left the house before sunrise to get to the Sunday morning church, drive all afternoon to get to the Sunday evening church, and drive home after the service, arriving after midnight. It was a challenge, but we went together as a family and ministered. Many of the churches were small and could not pay us anything. Many did not have nurseries. From behind the pulpit, I would see Becky in the front row with Austin by her side and Kelsey in her arms. We did this for a couple of years before pastoring our own church.

Kelsey was two and Austin was four years old when we pastored our first little church. On our first Sunday, we had six people in service—four of them were us!

From mission trips and city outreaches to shut-in and hospital visitations, we included our children in point-of-need ministry as they grew. We went to church together, and we ministered together, both inside and outside the walls of the church building and the confines of a church service. I recommend that for all Christian homes.

Let me give you a list of my recommendation to parents:

How to Ignite and Fuel a Justice Revival in Our Day

by Gregory A. Johnson

We can read the book of Acts in the Bible and see that the early church was a powerful church. The message of Christ was proclaimed throughout the land with signs and wonders following the preaching of Christ. People were ministered to in the communities at their point of need. The ministry of Christ continued in the power of the Holy Spirit, resulting in a justice revival driven by faith. The Kingdom was enlarged. 

The early church was a praying church. The Apostle Paul placed emphasis on prayer in his teachings to the church. His teachings on prayer encouraged early followers of Christ to:

The Value of Level Ground

by Gregory A. Johnson

We experience ups and downs throughout our life. The peaks are only fleeting moments. Oh, how I long for level ground. It’s on level ground where we can do our best work for the Lord. We need God to lead us to level ground on a daily basis.

I learned the value of level ground from running marathons. I have run marathons on both hilly and level terrain. Like most runners, I prefer level ground because running uphill expends a lot of energy, and running downhill is hard on the quads, especially in miles 20 through 26.2. It’s hard enough for me to make it on level ground!

Some of the hills we encounter in life are unavoidable, but many are caused by us. When we go our own way and do our own thing, ignoring God as the Lord of our life, we put ourselves on a hilly course.

Something Worth Repeating

by Gregory A. Johnson

I love the Lord’s salvation. The Lord is great!

The Lord’s salvation is not a random act because we sinned. The Lord planned to save us before the foundation of the earth was even formed. In His foreknowledge, He knew that His creation would sin, but He created us anyway. Why? Because we are His inheritance, and He desires to spend eternity with us. The Lord is great!

While we were still sinners, God put His plan into action and sent Jesus to die for our sins. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. He has given us the Holy Spirit to make us holy. The Lord is Great!

Why You Should Never Stop Asking

By Gregory A. Johnson


When my daughter was young, she kept asking me for the same thing over and over again—she wanted a cat. I kept putting her off, but she never gave up. Every year for Christmas, she would ask for a cat. As a ten-year-old, she must have thought that she would never get what she was asking her father for, but she never wavered. Believe me; she was persistent with her asking!

As I was leaving my office one evening, I noticed a sign across the street at the veterinarian’s office. It read, “Kittens for adoption.” It was the first time I had noticed a sign there. As I read the sign, immediately my daughter’s persistent request for a cat came to my mind. I decided I would surprise my daughter that evening with a little kitten. I walked over to the veterinarian’s office and adopted a little calico kitten for my daughter. I took Princess home that evening and gave her to my daughter. Kelsey Ann was so surprised and filled with joy.

The Cure for Oppression and Trouble

by Gregory A. Johnson

At various times throughout our lives, we all find ourselves oppressed. Trouble abounds in our day. May we constantly run to the LORD, for He is our safety!

Beloved, run into the arms of our loving LORD. He will take care of you today and forever.

Scripture: “The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9, NLT).

Top Ten Posts of 2015

by Gregory A. Johnson

Readers from 97 countries read and hopefully was encouraged by what I have written and shared in 2015.

I am always humbled by the number of people who take time to read what I write. I simply share what God lays on my heart, finding that God often allows me to be transparent, writing from a life that has experienced not only joy and peace, but also pain, hardship, hurt, trials, and tribulations on my journey as I follow Christ. I pray for the Spirit of God to encourage and inspire each reader as they read each word.

Please allow me to share with you the top ten posts read in 2015:

How to Walk in Power, Love, and Self-discipline

by Gregory A. Johnson

As we approach the coming of our Lord, we are surrounded by ever-increasing evil. Many are
overwhelmed by fear. What is the Christ-follower to do? We are to overcome evil with love. Jesus has not left his followers powerless until he returns. He has given us his Spirit, which empowers us to live as loving overcomers.

Please allow me to share with you a short devotion that I have written.

God Does Not Discriminate

by Gregory A. Johnson

Because of Jesus, we all have equal access to God. Everyone has access to God's grace and peace, regardless of race, gender, or economic status. Because of His amazing grace, God pours His Spirit into all who will receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. With God's Spirit comes a supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding—peace with God and peace with man.

God loves us so much. Who would not want to receive His grace? Who would not want to receive His peace? Only those who have been blinded by sin and evil would reject God's free gifts. They search the world for peace but will find none. The peace that wars and diplomacy try to bring is costly, fragile, and fleeting. The peace that God gives through His Holy Spirit is free, strong, and eternal.

How Prayer Will Increase Your Faith, Love, and Praise

by Gregory A. Johnson

One of the benefits of being a praying person is being able to look back over your life and see the answers to prayer that God has brought. If you pray, you know what I’m talking about. Reflecting on God’s goodness in answering prayer increases not only our faith, but also our love for the LORD. Out of our increased faith and love comes praise from the heart that articulates through our lips.

If you are a person of prayer, take a moment now and reflect on the answers to prayer that the LORD has brought to you. If you are not a person of prayer, there is no better time than now to begin making prayer a part of your life. Get a spiral notebook to use as a prayer journal. Make a list in the notebook of all the prayer requests that you are going to pray about and trust the LORD to answer. In the left-hand margin, put the date of when you first write the prayer request in your journal. Take time every day to enter your place of prayer with your prayer journal in hand. Pray over each request daily until you feel the Holy Spirit directing you on to the next request. In God’s timing and in God’s ways, you will begin to receive answers to your prayers. As you do, take a highlighter and highlight each prayer request that the LORD has answered. Write the date in the right-hand margin of when the LORD answered the prayer.

Why Does God Not Answer My Prayers?

by Gregory A. Johnson

Being in the ministry for many years, my wife and I have heard the same question over and over again. So many ask, “Why does God not answer my prayers?” They say, “I call out to Him in my time of need, but it’s like He is not even there.”

Please know that we must call on the Lord in truth, which means praying while expecting His promises for you as declared in His Word. It’s not praying for what you want; it’s praying for the promises that God has given you in His Word. So many today call on the Lord in their times of trouble, but they do not know the Word; they do not obey the Word. They ask things of the Lord that are not even in line with His Word. As we learn the Word and obey it, we can call on the Lord in truth.

How to Live With Fearless Confidence

by Gregory A. Johnson

We can live with fearless confidence in these times of terror, turmoil, and uncertainty as we surround our lives with prayer. As we pray, we will receive a holy boldness from the Holy Spirit that enables us to speak and live the Word in these difficult days. Praying will get us through every one of the devil’s attacks against us.

Pray on, Beloved!

SCRIPTURE:
“While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence” (Acts 4:31 MSG).

PRAYER:
Father, I thank you for the privilege of prayer and the supernatural help that we receive through praying. I pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us today with a renewed confidence that displaces all fear. The devil is always scheming against us; he steals, kills, and destroys, but Jesus gives us life. We live in times when fear holds many hostage. As we spend time in prayer, give us a Word to speak along with a fearless confidence to speak it. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Excerpted from the book, Be Encouraged: A Daily Devotional, Volume 1 by Gregory A. Johnson. Copyright © by Gregory A. Johnson. All rights reserved.

The Greatest Characteristic of a Christ-follower

by Gregory A. Johnson

The Christ-follower walks in faith, hope, and love.

Christ-followers have faith in the One they follow. They trust Jesus with their present and their future. They even trust Jesus with their finances, realizing that they are blessed so that they can bless others.

The hope of the Christ-follower is different from the hope of those who don’t follow Christ. The hope of a Christ-follower is surrounded in expectation, while the hope of others is surrounded in wishful thinking. Christ’s followers fully expect the LORD to keep His promises because they serve Him with total abandonment.

The love of Christ’s followers is a supernatural gift that is given to them by the Holy Spirit. With this supernatural gift, they are able to love not only the lovable but also the unlovable. They love as Christ has loved them.

Taken Out of this World

by Gregory A. Johnson

For many years, it has been popular to trace a family’s ancestry back as far as one can go. There are many resources available now, including the Internet, which makes information for genealogical research more readily available.

The genealogy of Noah is given in Genesis 5:1-32 of the Bible and traces all the way back to Adam. It is interesting to note that after stating the name of each ancestor and years of his life, it is always stated that the individual died, except in one instance—Enoch. It does not state that Enoch died, but instead it says “God took him.”

Enoch was close to God, and God enjoyed his company very much. They would walk with each other every day. I imagine God waited for Enoch to awaken each day so they could spend time together. One day, God just took Enoch into His presence to be with Him for all eternity. Enoch bypassed death.

God has made a way for us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ. We can walk with Him every day, and one day He will take us to be with Him forever. God taking Enoch typifies the great gathering in the sky with the LORD that is to come for Christ-followers.

Focusing on a Bright Future

by Gregory A. Johnson

Oftentimes we focus only on what is happening or not happening to us now. Doing so can cause anxiety, discontentment, hopelessness, and depression. What would happen if, instead of focusing on the present, we focused on what our future is in Christ? We would be tremendously encouraged in the midst of it all.

Christ-followers may not have a pleasant present, but they have a marvelous future that is literally out of this world. Christ has prepared the way for them to spend eternity with Him. At the cross, the power of sin was broken. At the resurrection, death was defeated. At the ascension, a promise was given—Jesus will return for His faithful followers, so they can be with Him forever.