❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼💔🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼 Miracles Along the Way Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. Acts 28:8–9, NLT The apostle Paul had God’s promise that he would stand before Caesar in Rome, but on the journey there he had to survive a huge storm, being shipwrecked, and being bitten by a venomous snake. The islanders witnessed Paul miraculously not being harmed by the poison. Then Paul prayed for the healing of the father of the leading official of the island as well as anyone else on the island who was sick. Not surprisingly, many of the islanders came to faith. Sometimes God will take you on what feels like a detour on your way to your destiny. He said you’re going to Rome, but you find yourself on an island with a snake bite, thinking, “This doesn’t make sense.” But it’s not just about you; it’s about the people whom God wants you to impact. There are people who need your love and healing touch. There’s healing in your words. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our plans that we miss the miracles along the way. It’s a divine detour. As you help others, that’s a seed God will use to help you. Prayer For Today “Father, thank You that the storms and shipwrecks I face today cannot stop Your plan for my life. Thank You that my purpose is firmly and securely in Your hands. I believe and declare that what seem like detours cannot defeat me and are pushing me into my destiny. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Woke up today? Say it. Had water in your cup? Say it. Able to pee without pain? Say it. Able to walk? Say it. Able to see? Say it. Have a coffee maker? Say it. Felt the morning sun? Say it. Read your daily Devo? Say it. Kissed your family? Say it. Had breakfast? Say it. Car started? Say it. Got to work safe? Say it. Saw some birds? Say it. Felt happy? Say it. Felt sad? Say it. Someone noticed you? Say it. You noticed so done? Say it. My friends. Say it. The more reasons you recognize how good God is, the less you’ll recognize how bad life is. There is way more good than bad. Train yourself to see it. And when you do, say it. “THANK YOU GOD”

So… who’s coming to the first BSC Retreat?

Not everything that gets removed is a setback. Sometimes it’s God making the path so clear that when things work out, you know it wasn’t you. It was Him… I was reading Book of Judges 6 and 7, and it hit me in a way I didn’t expect. Gideon wasn’t some big time leader. He was a regular guy, hiding, trying to stay safe, when God called him. And he didn’t just jump up ready to go. He questioned it. He asked God to prove it. More than once. And God kept meeting him right where he was. Then God tells Gideon to go fight the Midianites. This wasn’t a fair fight. Their army was huge. It filled the whole valley. So Gideon builds his own army. 32,000 men. Now it feels like he at least has a shot. And then God says, “That’s too many.” Not what you expect to hear. So people start leaving. 22,000 gone. Now 10,000. Still too many. God cuts it again. Now Gideon has 300 men. Three hundred… against an army that looked endless. At that point, there’s no plan that makes sense. Nothing to rely on but God. And when they finally go in, it’s not even a real battle. They show up at night with torches and trumpets. The enemy panics, turns on each other, and runs. God handles it. Just like that. When I read that, I didn’t just think about Gideon. I thought about my own life. I’ve never had a big safety net. Never had that feeling of being fully set. No big savings account sitting there giving me peace. And when I hear people talk about having six figures saved, I’ll be honest, it gets to me. It makes me feel behind. Like I messed something up. Like I’m not doing enough. But then I zoom out and look at everything. God has always provided for me. Every time I needed something, it showed up. Not always early. Not always how I expected. But it came. And the truth is, I’ve never been able to say, “Yeah, I did that on my own.” That used to bother me. I used to wonder why it always felt like I was right on the edge, needing God to come through again. But reading this story changed that for me.

I recently paid $3 for a pineapple from Costa Rica, which means somebody did the hard work of planting, watering, waiting, and eventually harvesting. Then, I assume it made its way to my neck of woods by truck-some 3,700 miles. Not bad for $1.49, right? Did you know there was a time when pineapples used to be so expensive and highly sought after that only the extraordinarily wealthy could stand a chance of having one? At its peak, a pineapple sold for as much as $8,000 in today's currency. Instead of eating it, people would display the fruit at viewing parties until it rotted. So, what has changed between the $8,000 pineapple and the one I bought for $1.49? Simply put, they are now easy to come by. I think we sometimes have the same attitude toward God: Because we have such easy access to him, we forget the value of what we have. The next time you "approach the throne of God boldly" (Heb. 4:16), take a moment and thank God for this wonderful, beautiful life, and understand because of Jesus the Vail has been torn and we have direct access to God.