High Octane Faith

God is good to us even when we don’t deserve it.

I’ve recently been looking to change jobs. I won’t go into the details why but I will say I am looking for something different than what I do now.

I was given an offer to work 2nd shift with a company as a warehouse manager. I accepted the offer because the 2nd shift differential bumped my salary up to where I needed it to be. I gave glory to God and was so excited for this opportunity.

But God, He wasn’t finished yet. I received a message today asking me if I would be willing to accept a higher level position and work on day shift.

What!! Now You’re just showing off God.

He knows what we want and what we need. I was perfectly happy with the first offer but He decided to bless this undeserving man with abundance.

Praise be to God!

Hellfighters motorcycle ministry. Great organization.

Eternal Urgency

Our time on earth is short, and the older I get, the more I feel that clock tightening. As a masculine man, admitting weakness never comes easy. But when I stop and think about the end of my time here… there’s a weight to it. Even knowing I’ve accepted Jesus as my Savior, there’s still a flicker of fear.

Not the kind that paralyzes —
the kind that pushes.

That fear should drive us with eternal urgency. Because while we’re counting down our days, there are countless people who are perishing without Christ. That reality isn’t soft. It isn’t comfortable. It’s a battlefield truth.

And here’s mine:
I’m not an extroverted man. I don’t naturally step into the spotlight. It takes the boldness of the Holy Spirit inside me to open my mouth and speak. But that’s the entire point.

God will give you the strength.
God will provide the words.
God will use you — if you let Him.

You don’t need to be loud.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be willing.

Time is short. Eternity is long.
And the gospel is worth every ounce of courage you can muster.

THE FIGHT YOU’RE ALREADY WINNING

Isaiah 54:17

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Weapons will be formed.
People will talk.
The world will judge.
The battle will come straight at you.

But here’s the part we miss:

The existence of the weapon proves the existence of the fight
but the outcome of the fight was decided before the weapon was ever built.

You’re not fighting for victory.
You’re fighting from victory.

Because in Christ, the war is already won.
Not might be.
Not could be.
Not hopefully someday.

Already. Won.

So when they run their mouths…
When they swing their fists…
When the enemy tries to drag your name, your faith, your calling through the mud…

Stand your ground.

Because:

• The weapon may form — but it cannot finish.
• The judgment may rise — but it cannot stand.
• The enemy may attack — but he cannot win.

You move forward even when you stumble.
You serve Him even when you’re tired.
You rise even when you fall.

Why?

Because if the Lord is on your side, who can stop you?
Who can silence you?
Who can derail what God Himself has established?

You are already victorious.
Already covered.
Already secured by the blood of the One who conquered death itself.

Walk like a warrior who knows the score.
Fight like a believer who knows the ending.
Stand like a son of God who refuses to bow to fear.

No weapon.
No tongue.
No enemy.
No attack.
No judgment.
No darkness.

Nothing formed against you will prosper — because the Victor lives in you.

REAL BELIEVERS DON’T RUN SILENT

The Bible doesn’t call us to be silent Christians.
It calls us to go, to shine, to carry the Gospel into a world drowning in darkness.

It never said, “Sit in a pew and keep your faith private.”
It never said, “Praise on Sunday and disappear Monday.”
It never said, “Blend in so nobody notices you’re different.”

Here’s the hard truth — the kind that wakes men up:

Your life is preaching even when your mouth isn’t.
People are watching how you handle pressure.
They’re watching how you celebrate blessings.
They’re watching how you walk through storms without losing your footing.

That’s where the Gospel hits hardest.
Not just in words — but in example.

• Kindness that interrupts someone’s bad day.
• Generosity that makes no sense to the world.
• Compassion that shows up when everyone else walks away.
• Strength that doesn’t come from you — but from Christ in you.

Every act becomes a seed.
Every seed becomes a moment.
And one day — when their heart finally cracks open — that moment becomes salvation.

That’s High Octane Faith.
Not quiet.
Not hidden.
Not passive.

It’s faith that lives loud, even when you never say a word.

I’m out here at Sturgis today. Sturgis, MS that is. Fishing for souls is what Christ called us to do. The harvest is great but the workers are few. All walks of life need Him. Where are you called? You can’t go where you’re not called or the anointing will not be with you. It will be a man made manufactured effort. But when you’re called and the anointing is with you, the power of the Spirit will lead people to you. It’s a Devine appointment. Not by chance do the people intersect with you. Open your mouth and speak. The Spirit of God will guide your words.

ABIDE IN EVERY SEASON

John 15:4
“Abide in Me, and I in you.”

It’s easy to lean on Jesus when life is throwing punches.
When the waters are rough…
When the mountain is too steep…
When the storm is overpowering…
We grab the handlebars tight and cry out for help.

But what about when life is smooth?

When the weather is fair…
When the road is flat…
When the water is calm…
Do we still abide in Him — or do we throw the bike on cruise control and coast?

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m guilty as charged.
I press into Him hard when I’m struggling…
but when everything is going right, I get comfortable.
Complacent.
Distracted.

Today, if your life is in a steady state —
if the blessings are flowing,
if the pressure is light,
if the road is straight —
thank Him.
Praise Him.
Remember the storm He carried you through.

And ask yourself honestly:
Have I been abiding… or just coasting?

I’m no theological expert, but I can’t help but wonder:
Does God allow struggles because we’ve grown complacent?
Does He let the road get rough so we’ll seek Him more deeply?

I don’t know the full answer — but I know this:
Pressing into Him is always easier than the struggle.
And abiding in Him during the good times prepares you for the hard ones.

So today…
Don’t wait for the storm.
Don’t wait for the mountain.
Don’t wait for the crisis.

Abide now.
Abide deeply.
Abide intentionally.
Abide in every season.

When the Enemy Won’t Back Off

The wilderness wasn’t a quiet retreat.
It was an all‑out assault.

Jesus was hungry.
Jesus was alone.
Jesus was physically weak — and that’s exactly where the enemy aimed his shots.

Three temptations. Three attacks. Three chances to fold.

• First, the enemy went after His flesh — “Turn these stones into bread.”
Because the enemy always tries to hit you where you’re already hurting.
• Then he pushed Him toward recklessness — “Throw Yourself down, God will catch You.”
Because the enemy loves to twist Scripture into excuses.
• Finally, he dangled power, money, influence — “Bow to me and I’ll give you everything.”
Because the enemy will offer the world if it means stealing your soul.

And every single time — every time — Jesus fought back with the Word.
Not emotion.
Not willpower.
Not self‑help.

Scripture. Truth. Authority.

Three temptations.
Three resistances.
Three victories.

Because the enemy is crafty.
He doesn’t quit after the first punch.
He circles back. He probes the weak spots. He tries again.

But the final temptation shows us the pattern:

“In the name of Jesus — satan, be gone.”

That’s not poetry.
That’s not metaphor.
That’s warfare.

Jesus was fasted up.
Jesus was prayed up.
Jesus was spiritually loaded before the enemy ever showed up.

If the enemy is attacking you today —
if he’s whispering, tempting, pushing, twisting, or trying to get a foothold —

Fast. Pray. Rebuke him in Jesus’ name.

You fight the way Jesus fought.
You resist the way Jesus resisted.
You stand the way Jesus stood.

And hell knows exactly what happens when a believer does that —
the enemy flees.

Matthew 9:1–8 proves three things with absolute clarity:

1. Intercessory faith can carry someone to Jesus when they can’t carry themselves.
2. Christ’s authority reaches deeper than physical healing — it reaches the soul.
3. Jesus sees the heart long before He speaks to the situation.

When you read Matthew 9:1–8, you’re not just reading a miracle — you’re watching Jesus dismantle every false idea about who He is.

1. The Faith of Others Can Bring Someone to Christ.

A paralyzed man couldn’t walk to Jesus… so his friends carried him.
Not with perfect theology.
Not with religious credentials.
Just faith — raw, desperate, determined faith.

They believed Jesus could do what no doctor, no priest, no law, and no ritual could do.

And Jesus responded.

Because sometimes your faith becomes the bridge someone else walks across to meet Christ.

2. Christ Knows the Thoughts and Motives of Every Heart.

Before anyone said a word, Jesus already knew what the teachers of the law were thinking.

They didn’t speak.
They didn’t whisper.
They didn’t write anything down.

But Jesus read their hearts like an open book.

He didn’t ignore their corruption — He confronted it.
Not with rage…
Not with theatrics…
But with truth sharp enough to expose their inward rot.

3. Christ Has Authority to Forgive and Heal.

This is the moment everything shifts.

Jesus doesn’t start with the legs.
He starts with the soul.

“Your sins are forgiven.”

Why?
Because the teachers of the law needed to see who was standing in front of them.
They needed to face the reality that the God they claimed to serve was the very man they were accusing of blasphemy.

Only God can forgive sin.
And God was standing on the beach that day.

Then — to prove His authority — Jesus tells the man to get up and walk.
And he does.

Imagine it:

Crowds packed along the shoreline.
Some curious.
Some skeptical.
Some hungry for truth.
Some just enjoying the beach.

Then Jesus steps off the boat.

The friends push through the crowd, carrying their broken friend.
No hope left except one.

Jesus sees their faith — not the crowd’s opinions, not the teachers’ pride, not the man’s paralysis — their faith.

He forgives.
He exposes.
He heals.
He proves His identity in one moment.

The teachers of the law looked holy on the outside but were corrupted on the inside — driven by power, influence, and pride.
And right in front of them stood the Savior they had prayed for, studied about, and waited centuries to see.

They missed Him because they were too busy protecting their position.

Don’t make the same mistake.

Whatever you’re dealing with today — the fear, the sin, the shame, the paralysis in your spirit — Jesus sees it.
He knows your thoughts.
He knows your heart.
He knows your struggle.

And He has the authority to forgive and to heal.

Don’t stand in doubt like the teachers.
Stand in faith like the friends.

Bring your burden to Jesus.
Bring your people to Jesus.
Bring your whole heart to Jesus.

He still forgives.
He still heals.
He still sees.
He still moves.

Matthew 5:20, the Verse That Used to Shake Me

“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees…”
For years, that verse felt impossible. Terrifying.
How could I ever be more righteous than men who memorized Scripture, lived in the temple, and built their entire identity around religious performance?

But maturity in Christ changes your eyes.
The more I read the Word, the more the truth hit me like a hammer:

The scribes and Pharisees didn’t have righteousness —
they had the appearance of righteousness.

They prayed loud so people would notice.
They fasted publicly so people would applaud.
They quoted Scripture but rejected the Savior standing in front of them.
They performed holiness but never possessed it.

Their righteousness was manufactured.
Mine is blood‑bought.

Their righteousness came from actions.
Mine comes from Christ alone.

They tried to earn their way into God’s favor.
I know I can’t survive a single day without Jesus carrying me.

Their faith pushed people to follow them and their law.
My faith pushes people to follow Christ and His grace.

And when you step back and look at the whole story, you realize something brutal:

The most “religious” people in Jesus’ time were the most unrighteous ones in the room.
Because righteousness isn’t measured by performance —
it’s measured by proximity to Jesus.

That’s why Matthew 5:20 isn’t a threat.
It’s a revelation.

Jesus wasn’t telling us to out‑perform the Pharisees.
He was telling us to stop trying to earn what only His blood can give.

My righteousness surpasses theirs because mine isn’t mine at all —
it’s His.