Dear Jesus, I begin my day with You. Use me to bring encouragement to everyone I encounter. May my words and actions reflect Your love, wisdom, and compassion in all that I do. Give me strength to be kind, even to those I disagree with, and help me respond with grace instead of pride. May judgment not touch my heart, mind, or lips, but instead fill me with understanding and peace. Use me this day, Oh Lord, as a vessel of Your light and goodness. Guide my steps, order my thoughts, and let everything I do bring glory to You. Amen.
Stay Rooted
Today’s a new day!
Be careful who you listen to and trust—this simple truth carries deep spiritual weight. In a world full of voices, opinions, and influences, not everything that looks good is good for you. Just as salt and sugar can appear nearly identical at a glance, what we hear can sound sweet, wise, or convincing while actually leading us away from truth. The Bible reminds us to test every spirit and to seek discernment, because deception rarely announces itself boldly—it often comes dressed in familiarity and comfort. If we are not grounded in God’s Word, we can easily mistake something harmful for something helpful.
Trust is a precious gift, and it should not be given lightly. As believers, we are called to anchor our trust in God first, allowing His truth to shape how we evaluate everything else. When we rely solely on human wisdom without seeking divine guidance, we risk being misled. Just as consuming salt when expecting sugar would leave a bitter taste, following the wrong voices can leave us spiritually drained and confused. Stay rooted in prayer, immerse yourself in Scripture, and ask God for wisdom to discern what is truly good. Not everything that looks right is right—but God’s truth will never lead you astray. ~OC
Healing…
Today’s a new day!
Life has a way of leaving marks on us—some visible, many hidden deep within the heart. Wounds come in all forms: betrayal, rejection, loss, abuse, disappointment, spoken in anger, or silence where love should have been. And if we’re honest, many of these wounds were never our fault. They were inflicted by others, shaped by circumstances beyond our control, or born out of a broken world.
But while your wound may not be your fault, your healing is your responsibility.
This truth can feel heavy at first. It may even seem unfair. Why should you have to carry the burden of healing something you didn’t break? Yet, within this truth lies a powerful invitation from God—not to carry the pain alone, but to step into freedom through Him.
God Sees Your Pain
Before anything else, you must know this: God is not indifferent to your suffering. Scripture reminds us that He is “close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” He sees every tear, every sleepless night, every silent ache. Your pain matters to Him.
Healing does not begin with pretending you’re fine. It begins with honesty before God.
Healing Is a Choice, Not a Feeling
Healing rarely happens automatically with time. Left unattended, wounds can harden into bitterness, resentment, or fear. Choosing to heal means deciding that your past will not define your future.
It means saying:
- “I will not let what happened to me control who I become.”
- “I will bring my pain to God instead of burying it.”
- “I will pursue wholeness, even when it’s difficult.
This choice is not made once—it’s made daily.
You Are Not Meant to Stay Stuck
Sometimes we unknowingly build a home in our hurt. It becomes familiar. Even our identity can start to form around it: “the rejected one,” “the abandoned one,” “the one who was hurt.”
But God never intended for your wound to become your identity.
Your identity is found in Him—redeemed, chosen, loved, and restored.
Healing requires letting go of the labels your pain has given you and embracing the truth of who God says you are.
Forgiveness Is Part of Freedom
One of the hardest, yet most essential, steps in healing is forgiveness. Forgiveness does not excuse what happened. It does not minimize the pain. It simply releases the hold that offense has on your heart.
When you refuse to forgive, you remain tied to the very thing that hurt you.
When you forgive, you don’t set them free—you set yourself free.
Healing Is a Process with God
Healing is not instant. It’s a journey—sometimes slow, often uncomfortable, but always worthwhile. God walks with you through every step of it.
He heals through:
- His Word, which renews your mind
- His presence, which brings peace
- Community, which provides support and encouragement
- Time, which allows deep restoration
- You don’t have to rush the process. But you do have to participate in it.
Take Responsibility for Your Healing
Taking responsibility doesn’t mean blaming yourself. It means taking ownership of your next step.
It means:
- Seeking God intentionally
- Being willing to confront your pain
- Choosing growth over comfort
- Asking for help when needed
No one else can do this for you.
A Final Encouragement
You may have been wounded in ways that were deeply unfair. But your story doesn’t end there. With God, pain is never wasted. What hurt you does not have to define you—it can refine you.
Healing is possible. Freedom is available. Restoration is real.
And it begins when you decide that, with God’s help, you will no longer live bound by what happened to you—but transformed by what He is doing within you. ~OC
You can listen to this blog post at my YouTube page Todd E. Shoemaker Music.
A Prayer To Live Out What We Profess
Dear Jesus,
We speak Your name easily,
but too often we resist Your way.
You told us to love our enemies,
yet we hold on to anger.
You told us to forgive,
yet we keep score.
You told us to serve the least,
yet we chase comfort and recognition.
Forgive us for the gap between our words and our lives.
Forgive us for using faith as identity instead of obedience.
Forgive us for hearing Your teachings
and admiring them,
but not doing them.
Give us courage to take You seriously.
Not just in what we believe,
but in how we live, speak, spend, and love.
Break our pride when it keeps us from humility.
Interrupt our routines when they ignore the hurting.
Convict us when we justify what You clearly commanded.
Teach us to love when it’s inconvenient.
To give when it costs us.
To forgive when it feels impossible.
To choose truth over comfort,
and mercy over being right.
Make us people who reflect You—not just in church,
but in our homes, our work, our relationships, and our thoughts.
Let our lives become living prayers,
where Your words are not just spoken,
but seen.
We don’t want to only call You Lord—
we want to follow You as Lord
Change us, challenge us, and lead us.
We pray all of this in the powerful and matchless name of Jesus. Amen
No Authority
Today’s a new day!
Fear is a powerful emotion, but as a believer, it does not have authority over your life. Scripture reminds us time and time again that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. When fear tries to creep in—whether it’s fear of the unknown, fear of failure, or fear of loss—you can stand firm knowing that it does not come from God. Instead, it is something you are called to resist through faith. God’s presence in your life is greater than any anxiety that tries to take hold, and His promises are unshakable even when your circumstances feel uncertain.
Walking in freedom from fear requires trust. It means choosing to believe God’s truth over your feelings. Fear may speak loudly, but it does not have the final say—God does. When you anchor your heart in His Word, you begin to see that fear loses its grip. You are not defined by your worries or limited by your doubts; you are defined by who God says you are: chosen, loved, and secure in Him. As you continue to lean into His presence, you’ll find that courage rises, peace settles in, and fear fades into the background where it belongs—powerless and without authority over your life. ~OC
Words Matter
How can you call yourself a leader and use such foul language? Words matter. They reveal what is in the heart, and they shape the tone of entire communities. When those who claim to lead—especially in spaces that influence people of faith—speak with harshness, vulgarity, or cruelty, it creates confusion and disillusionment. How can Christians support such rhetoric like it’s acceptable or even admirable? This tension is deeply troubling, because it sends a message that character is secondary to power, and that witness can be compromised for the sake of loyalty or influence.
This is why I can never call myself an evangelical Christian. The phrase, once rooted in the proclamation of good news, is sadly an embarrassment to God since it has become associated with behavior that contradicts Christ’s teachings. Jesus modeled humility, compassion, and truth spoken in love—not insults, not degradation, not prideful speech.
How can a lost world look to the Christian community for help, for hope, for love, when so many within it appear to endorse language and attitudes that push people away rather than draw them in? If we are to reflect Christ, then our words must align with His heart, and our witness must be one that invites, heals, and restores rather than divides and wounds. ~OC
Holy Week Journal- Resurrection Sunday
Happy Resurrection Sunday! It has been a full week of reflection and preparing ourselves for this day. I pray everyone has a wonderful Easter. ~OC
Sunday: Resurrection & New Life
Scripture: Matthew 28:1–10
Lesson:
The resurrection changes everything. Jesus conquers sin and death, offering hope, restoration, and eternal life. This is the foundation of our faith—He is risen!
Questions:
What does new life in Christ look like for me?
Where do I need resurrection hope today?
How can I share this hope with others?
Prayer:
Risen Lord, thank You for the victory of the resurrection. Fill me with hope and joy. Help me live as a reflection of Your new life. Amen.
Holy Week Journal: Saturday
Good morning. Just one more day until Easter. I pray you will take some time today to reflect on all that God has taught you this week and spend some time just being silent. I pray everyone has a wonderful day. ~OC
Saturday: Faith in the Silence
Scripture Reading: Luke Chapter 23:50–56
Lesson: Everything seems lost. The disciples are grieving, confused, and afraid. God’s greatest work often happens when He seems most silent.
Question of the Day: Can I remain faithful when I don’t feel God’s presence?
Prayer of the Day: Dear Jesus, I pray You allow me to just sit in silence with You for a few minutes today. Allow my heart to be open to hear Your voice. Amen.
Through The Eyes Of A Thief
The sky darkens in a way I’ve never seen before, though I’ve spent my life in the shadows. I hang here, condemned, my body wracked with pain, my past heavier than the crossbeam upon my shoulders. I deserve this, I know it. Every selfish choice, every hardened moment has led me to this hill. Beside me, another man curses, demanding rescue, demanding proof. But I have no demands left—only the bitter clarity that comes when there is nothing left to lose. And then I look at Him.
There is something different about the man in the middle. He does not spit back insults. He does not fight for breath with rage, but with mercy. I hear Him pray—not for Himself, but for those who have nailed Him here. “Father, forgive them.” Forgive them? In that moment, the weight of my own guilt presses deeper, yet strangely, hope flickers where despair once lived. If He can ask forgiveness for them, could there be mercy even for me?
With what strength I have left, I speak—not to mock, but to confess. I deserve this. He does not. And then, with a trembling voice, I ask the unthinkable: “Remember me.” Not save me from this cross, not erase my past—but remember me. It is a small plea from a broken man. Yet His reply is immediate, certain, and filled with a grace I have never known: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” In the shadow of death, I find life. On a cross meant for punishment, I receive a promise.
As the darkness deepens, fear loosens its grip. My circumstances have not changed, but everything else has. The man beside me is not just another condemned soul—He is a King whose kingdom begins where mine ends. And somehow, by His mercy, I am invited in. This is Good Friday through my eyes: not the end of a life, but the beginning of eternity. ~OC
Last Days Serving
In the quiet, weighty hours leading up to the cross, Jesus knew exactly what lay before Him. There was no uncertainty, no illusion about the suffering, betrayal, and death that were imminent. And yet, how did He choose to spend those final days? Not rallying crowds for rescue, not retreating into isolation, but kneeling on the floor, wrapping a towel around His waist, and washing the feet of His disciples. It is a striking picture of humility—God in the flesh performing the task of the lowest servant. In a moment where He could have demanded honor, He instead demonstrated love through service.
This act wasn’t just symbolic; it was deeply instructive. Jesus was showing that true greatness in God’s kingdom is not found in power or recognition, but in selfless, sacrificial love. Even knowing Judas would betray Him and Peter would deny Him, He washed their feet anyway. That kind of love challenges us. It calls us to serve not only those who are easy to love, but also those who hurt, disappoint, or misunderstand us. In a world that often urges us to seek status and self-preservation, Jesus invites us into a different way—a life marked by humility, grace, and quiet acts of service. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 