Tag Archives: encouragement

Don’t Dabble with the Details

🚶‍♀️ Walking Through The Word™ Project 2025

📅 July 01, 2025 – Acts 10:1–23

🪶 “DON’T DABBLE WITH THE DETAILS”

God gives Cornelius specific directions:

Send men to get Simon Peter, who is staying with Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.

Let’s back up a bit …

Before God gives Cornelius directions. He also gave Peter instructions.

Peter was told to stay with Simon the tanner.

📜 Then God shows Peter a vision — not once, but THREE TIMES — and tells him:

👉 “Don’t call unclean what I have made clean.”

⏳ At that same moment, Three men show up at the tanner’s house asking for Peter.

Peter is told by the Spirit to go with them — because GOD sent them.

Why Does God tell Peter to go? Let’s break this down a little further.

Peter is still contemplating his vision of seeing Three blankets come down from heaven, full of clean and unclean animals.

God says: “EAT.”

Peter nearly rebukes Him: “I’ve never eaten anything unclean.”

God says: “What I SAY is clean, IS clean. Don’t argue.”

And then — boom — three “unclean” men show up.

Yes the Gentile men coming for him, a Jew, were unclean. However God was showing Peter in the vision that all three men He now called clean.

Instead of rebuking the men, he invites them in, lets them stay the night, and he leaves with them the next morning.

🧭 THESE WERE THE INSTRUCTIONS:

Stay with Simon the tanner.

Not Simon the blacksmith.

Not Simon the fisherman.

SIMON. THE. TANNER

Next…

The Gentiles were told go to the Simon the tanner’s house.

Ask for Simon the one they also call Peter.

And Last,

Peter GO with them.

📣 THIS WAS HUGE.

Jews didn’t eat with Gentiles — let alone travel with them or invite them into their homes.

God was setting the stage for people like YOU and ME to eventually be included in God’s plan for salvation.

🌪️ BUT WHAT IF…

Peter had said,

“Yeah, no thanks. I think I’ll go stay with Simon the fisherman instead. That just makes more sense to me.”

The three men show up at the Simon the tanner’s house and… well, there’s only one Simon. So it must be him.

They convince this Simon to go back with them to Caesarea.

He thinks he’s off to teach a leather-working workshop.

The servants of Cornelius are super confused, but just go with the plan.

A couple of days later, the men arrive with Simon the tanner at the home of Cornelius.

Now Cornelius is confused, “…wait, what?” Is this even related to what I was praying? He assumes everything is going as planned.

The next day Simon ends up giving a full-on TED Talk about hide-stretching techniques.

Cornelius starts a Vocational school and they name it:

👜 HOLY HIDES™ – “Leatherwork with Legacy.”

🏛️ Caesarea becomes famous for its handcrafted goods.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is standing outside, like: “Uhh… this is not what I had in mind.”😳

This is where a previous pastor would say, “ARE YOU WITH ME NOW?”

And I’d be sitting there thinking:

“Umm… actually no. What are you even talking about?”

And that’s the point. If you’re confused — GOOD.

That’s what I WANT you to feel right now.

Because …

🚫 ONE DETOUR from God’s instructions…

🚫 ONE “I think I know better”…

…and suddenly the whole mission turns into something completely different. In this case, from discipleship to craftsmanship.

📌 If God has told you to do something specific —

➡️Even if it doesn’t make sense.

➡️Even if no one has done it before.

➡️Even if it breaks religious tradition…

✨It’s probably Him.✨

✅ DON’T DABBLE WITH THE DETAILS.

✅ Follow His instructions closely.

✅ Don’t circle back and say, “Well, God said this, but I figured I’d do that instead.”

You could end up leading people down a path they were never meant to travel.

Remember to always:

📝 Follow God’s instructions.

🎯 Stay on God’s Path.

🙏 Trust Him on the journey.

Selling Trust for Silver.

Walking Through The Word™

Luke 22:1-30

Selling Trust for Silver

We’ve all experienced being sold out.

And if we’re honest, sometimes we’ve been guilty of it too—choosing profit over people, convenience over character.

If it happened to Jesus, it can happen to us.

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.” (Luke 22:3)

Pride, jealousy, offense, contempt, and unhealed resentment—these are all ways the enemy slips into a situation.

Sometimes it’s not even loud or obvious. A “harmless” comment or a loaded look can be a red flag of incoming betrayal.

Jesus saw it coming… and it still broke His heart.

I believe if we’re paying attention, God gives us insight. That quiet drop in your spirit? The emotional “ouch”? Your body and soul trying to say: Something’s not right here.

And let’s talk about that little phrase: “I’m just kidding.”

Sometimes that’s not a joke. It means, “Oops, I crossed a line and almost exposed myself—let me cover it up.”

God’s Word tells us not to make close friends with those who are unstable or untrustworthy. Love them? Yes. Minister to them? Absolutely. But don’t hand them the keys to your soul and dreams.

An honest conversation can bring clarity. A real friend will lean in and work it out.

A fake one? They’ll get mad, flip it on you, gaslight you, or make you feel crazy for wanting honesty. Not because they care—but because they’ve been exposed.

Here’s the good news: God can still use it.

He doesn’t cause betrayal—but He’ll use it to grow you stronger, wiser, and more aware of both your strengths and your blind spots.

And remember—loneliness is never a reason to accept toxic behavior.

You’re not alone.

God is always near, waiting for you to bring Him your hurt and your hope. He wants to anchor you in the storm so you’re not tossed around in an emotional ocean.

He will never leave you, forsake you, or abandon you.

And He will never—never—sell your trust for silver.

21 Days of Fasting and Prayer.

When you think about the distractions in life, what seems to hinder or pull you away the most from your daily Bible study and Prayer?  Is it a certain website that seems to draw you away from life because you might miss out on something someone has said or done?

Maybe it’s just runaway thoughts. A certain person crosses your mind and you rehearse what you wish you would have said and stir up those old emotions again.   Some times I think Satan sits back and takes notes on how we allow one event to continue bringing distress.  He doesn’t have to do anything but sit back and watch us defeat ourselves.

Or if the truth be told, you’ve heard so many basically say “I don’t know what happened, but I’m going to blame it all on God and tell everyone He’s using the devil and how he kills, steals, and destroys for his glory.”  So you don’t trust God or even believe that He Loves you or wants to help.    Rest assured God takes the wrap and unfortunately a lot of saints have left the earth too soon because of a lot of false doctrine. Which is why it is so important to read the word yourself.  If you don’t know His word and have only heard rumors, you don’t know that you should fight or how to fight against a real attack.


If you’re looking for an answer for why your prayer didn’t get answered or why something didn’t happen, satan is there willing and ready to tell you that Jesus IS NOT the same yesterday, today, and forever.  And he’ll use whoever he can to spread that rumor.


This type of thinking or whatever else it is that pulls you away from God, I challenge you to let it go and put it aside for 21 days.

If there is something in your life that you are using to seek comfort instead of going to God, It might be an idol.   Anything that you just can’t say “no” to or it seems to defeat you no matter how hard you try.  Fasting can help you gain control.   For more information on Fasting and the types of fasts check out  Fasting resources at Church of the Highlands  and for more information on the upcoming #21DaysOfPrayer  check out their website.   Church of the Highlands 21 Days of Prayer

Various churches throughout the country will be kicking off 21DaysOfPrayer this Sunday.

Monday January 8th set the alarm a little earlier and be there or join in on the online services at 6:00 am CST Monday January 8th, 2018    Online Services

Thank You Church of the Highlands and all the other participating churches across the US for providing this opportunity for corporate fasting, prayer and worship.

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Come As You Are

I remember as a child the song  “Just as I am”.   The day I headed forward to the altar was the day I realized that no matter what had happened to me, God Loved me as I was at the time.

I know that sometimes it’s not so easy to feel worthy of all the good things that the Bible says God has to offer.  Just remember this.  God knew you before you were formed and he sent His son to die for you so that you might live.

I LOVE this song.   Whatever you have going on in your life.  Take a moment and let the Father love on you during this song.   And as always… Come as you are.

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We must wear Faith, Love, and Hope of salvation.

There is no need to write you, friends, about the times and occasions when these things will happen. For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night. When people say, “Everything is quiet and safe,” then suddenly destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and people will not escape.

But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief. All of you are people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, we should not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober. It is at night when people sleep; it is at night when they get drunk. But we belong to the day, and we should be sober.

We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet. God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us in order that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.

And so encourage one another and help one another, just as you are now doing. We beg you, our friends, to pay proper respect to those who work among you, who guide and instruct you in the Christian life. Treat them with the greatest respect and love because of the work they do. Be at peace among yourselves.

We urge you, our friends, to warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but at all times make it your aim to do good to one another and to all people. Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances.

This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus. Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages.


Put all things to the test: keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil.


May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.

Pray also for us, friends. Greet all the believers with the kiss of peace. I urge you by the authority of the Lord to read this letter to all the believers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-28 GNB)

Sometimes no commentary or explanation is needed. The Bible really is a straight forward letter of instructions for today.  #ForeverTrue #ForeverApplicable

Random acts of Kindness

The other day I was searching for a new resource for teaching.  I like to listening to scriptural teachings and not fluff or doctrinal rumors and wives tales.

I wanted to listen to a lady minister because, sorry guys, sometimes a girl just needs to hear another girl talk.  There are some things that only another girl understands.

I went to a favorite website that is easy to search for ministries.  My approach was scientific… well maybe not.  I went through the alphabet looking for feminine names.  Not an easy task as many names have become transgendered.

I did find a name with a teaching title that caught my attention.  I listened to the message and it was great.    I dropped the minister a line and left a thank you.    Just a small thank you for a message that inspired me and was helpful.

Now here is the amazing thing.   In the back of my mind I had a challenge that was interfering with a certain situation. Believe it or not but that “out of the blue”  Thank you to a perfect stranger actually led to them fixing the challenge that I had.  I didn’t ask them a thing.  God just put it on their heart to share with me the exact thing I needed.

Talk about a random act of Kindness.  Only God could have done that.  Just a simple encouragement or a simple gesture of kindness because it seemed like the right thing to do.   And Voila, God is on the scene and does something that only He can do.

I’m still a little awestruck.  Just to think out of all the people in the world with all the issues in the world.  God would bless me just because he loves me.  Now that’s amazing.

I’m nobody any more special than anyone else but, my heavenly Father thinks I ROCK!   He thinks you rock too.   The next time you feel inspired to encourage someone or show a random act of Kindness, don’t think it’s silly and skip out on a blessing.   Do it anyway and be obedient.  Then be quick to recognize what God does on your behalf and praise Him for it.