Todd Howell

"Happy November, friends! The month of Thanksgiving is upon us, and whether you’ll be prepping to host or visit family and friends or will be spending a quiet month just you and the Lord, I hope you carve out some time to reflect on all that God’s done. After all, His blessings aren’t meant to only be remembered one day a year.  Perhaps your family doesn’t know God, or perhaps even you’ve lost that intimate sense of knowing who He is. Maybe your heart’s been hardened and you believe that He does miracles but you’ve stopped believing He’ll do miracles for you. Maybe you’ve seen Him move, but as the years have passed, the impact of those moments has faded and it no longer feels personal. Take this month as an opportunity to remember what He’s done—to really remember.  God reminds the Israelites in Judges 2:1: “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers” (ESV). God is trying to refresh their memory. He’s saying, “Remember. Remember what I’ve done. Remember who I am. Remember that I kept My word. Remember Egypt. Remember that I brought you here.”  And maybe God is saying the same thing to you: “Remember. Remember the prayer I answered. Remember the door I opened. Remember the provision you couldn’t explain. Remember when you were afraid and I met you there. Remember when you thought you couldn’t survive and somehow you did.”  I’ll echo God’s words and encourage you: Remember. Recount your story and remember all that God has done for you. Tell it to yourself; tell it to your loved ones. Make sure no generation forgets!  Remember the yada—that intimate knowing—of God’s faithfulness. Remember how it felt when He came through. Remember His goodness and His loving heart for you! He did it before, and He’ll do it again.  Thank You, Lord, for all You’ve done and all You will continue to do! Help us to always remember and stay in intimate closeness with You, to trust that You have us covered, no matter what. We are so grateful for this month and this reminder to reflect on who You are." Read @cathelaurie's midweek devotional at hubs.la/Q04DdBlz0

When you become a Christian, something amazing happens: The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you! Jesus promised He would send us a Helper, and that’s exactly who the Holy Spirit is. He seals us, putting His ID tag on us, so to speak. He empowers us, guides us, and leads us. But there’s something else the Holy Spirit does that you may not know about. He gives supernatural gifts to every follower of Jesus Christ! Here’s my question for you: Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? God has given you unique gifts for a specific purpose, and He wants you to discover them and put them to use! In this short video, I’ll share three practical principles to help you discover the spiritual gifts God has given you. Watch and find out!

You don’t have to look hard on social media to find people whose entire lives seem to revolve around materialistic goals. Chasing them won’t satisfy the deepest need of your life. The apostle Paul wrote, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT). He also wrote, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NLT). So, let’s not make possessions or material things our primary purpose in life. Rather, let’s seek God first and foremost in our lives. That way, everything that we need will be provided for us. God will take care of you. He cares about you. He will supply all your needs. How can you focus on God first and foremost in your life?

It’s time to pray BIG prayers! Did you know that God is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”? (Ephesians 3:20) So why settle for small prayers when we serve such a BIG God? Don’t limit what God can do through your unbelief. Pray boldly, trust Him completely, and watch what He can do! Here’s a powerful story from the Bible that illustrates this truth.

Idols come in all shapes and sizes because people come in all shapes and sizes. Many well-meaning believers fall into the trap of making idols out of people they admire. Have you ever heard of a sports hero? How about American Idol? We use the phrases somewhat jokingly: “That person is a sports god” or “I idolize that person. He’s a guitar god.” But the way some people look at certain individuals, it could be that they have made a person their god. We can make idols out of people in the church, too. We can make an idol out of a man or woman of God, someone whom the Lord has used to bless us. We can start to admire them too much. But here’s what we need to remind ourselves: Those people are human just like us. They will be wrong. They will fail us. They will disappoint us. They will give in to temptation. They will struggle in certain areas of their lives. The problem is that people become like the gods they worship. Psalm 115 warns, “Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. . . . And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them” (verses 4, 8 NLT). The only person who deserves that position in our lives is the Lord. He alone is deserving of our worship. How can you keep from elevating people too much in your life?

Too often in our lives, our happiness is not self-contained. Rather, it’s contingent on good things happening. We convince ourselves that if we could just get that raise at work or if we could just meet the right person or if we could just own the object of our desires, then we would be happy. Until those things happen, our happiness is on hold. If something fun or exciting happens, we may experience happiness for a brief time. But when the fun or excitement ends, so does the happiness. In other words, our happiness depends on certain things occurring. But being blessed is a different concept altogether. Blessings depend on God. They don’t ebb and flow based on circumstances or moods. You can experience God’s blessings regardless of what’s happening in your life. You can be blessed in even the worst circumstances. That’s the idea of makarios. The amazing news is that God wants to bless you. Jesus said, “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NLT). What would pursuing God look like in your life?