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No One Is Self-Made

James Floyd — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:07:41 GMT

At twenty-two, parking Ferraris for ‘powerful self-made people’ I thought mattered; I was already being discipled by an image, which was a lie.

Make something of yourself.
Build your name.
Become somebody.

It sounded normal.
But it quickly turned into worship. I was forming idols instead of character.

I remember asking a ‘self-made billionaire,’ with insecurity all over me, “Can I grab lunch with you and ask you questions about your success?”

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, responded kindly, “I really wish I could. I have a book coming out soon. Maybe you can find that helpful.”

Her kindness helped.
But my young mind was already being tempted by something deeper.

Money.
Power.
Status.
The myth of the self-made life.

That labeling and language that started in high school haunted me.

What are you doing with your life?
How much money are you making?
You will not be happy unless you make something of yourself.

Maybe you know those voices too.

And self-made is not just about money.

A poor man can be self-made in his heart.
A pastor can be self-made in ministry.
A mother can be self-made in control.
A father can be self-made in career.
An athlete can be self-made in discipline.
An influencer can be self-made in image.

Here is the truth my twenty-two-year-old valet brain needed to hear.

NO ONE IS SELF-MADE.

Until we realize that, we will stay trapped in a race that leads nowhere. Worse than a hamster wheel, it becomes worship. We start bowing to gifts and forgetting the Giver.

The world loves self-made stories because they leave no need for God.
Scripture does not.

Scripture says every breath, every gift, every open door, every relationship, every ability, and every ounce of sustaining strength comes from Him.

No one is self-made.
We are God-made, God-sustained, and accountable to God.

What Does God Say?

Paul asks the question that self-made people hate:
“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

James says it plainly:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).

Your breath?
From God.

Your strength?
From God.

Your opportunities?
From God.

Your abilities?
From God.

And if you are in Christ, even your salvation is not your achievement. It is the gift of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not your own doing (Ephesians 2:8 to 9).

Sometimes people get confused when they see unbelievers flourishing.

But Jesus speaks there too. The Father “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

God gives real gifts even to people who do not honor Him.

That means no one gets to brag as if they made themselves.
The gift still came from God.

And that is why Hannah matters here.

Hannah’s Story

In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah was barren. In that world, barrenness carried deep grief, public shame, and the crushing feeling that her life could not become what she hoped it would be. Peninnah was not barren. Not only did she have plenty of children, but she also provoked Hannah. The pain was public. The ache was personal.

Hannah knew what it felt like to be stripped of control.

And yet her emptiness became the place where she sought God, not the place where she defined herself.

That is the defining moment.

Because when God answered her prayer and gave her Samuel, Hannah did not write a speech about grit, strategy, or self-belief.

She praised the Source, God.

Read her song in 1 Samuel 2.
She does not exalt self or the miraculous gift of a Baby boy.
She exalts the Lord.

She says the Lord is the One who brings low and lifts up.
The One who makes poor and makes rich.
The One who raises the needy from the dust.
The One who guards His faithful ones.

Hannah saw what our world hates to admit.

Life is not self-made.
It is God-ruled.

Yes, effort matters.
Yes, discipline matters.
Yes, responsibility matters.

But even our strength to labor is not self-created. It is received.

That is why the self-made story is not just incomplete.
It is spiritually blinding.

If all you have built is a life that can be explained without God, you have not become powerful.
You have become blind.

And the deepest place this truth confronts us is not money, work, image, or influence.

It is salvation.

No one saves himself.

We do not climb our way to God.
We do not build a ladder out of discipline, morality, money, or success.
The gospel is that God came down to us in Jesus Christ.

Jesus lived the life we could not live.
He died for our sin.
He rose in victory.
And He gives life as a gift to all who trust in Him.

So no, you are not self-made.
And that is not bad news.
That is mercy.

Because if you were self-made, you would have to sustain yourself.
You would have to save yourself.
You would have to carry the crushing weight of being your own god.

You were never built for that.

Never Finished Challenge

I am asking you, and me, to ask God this:

Where am I living like I am self-made?
Where am I treating a gift like it came from me?
Where am I trusting my discipline more than His grace?
Where am I building something that makes God look unnecessary?

Bring that place into the light.

Thank Him for every good gift.
Name what you have received.
Open His Word.
Sit with Him before you start building, posting, performing, leading, parenting, or grinding.

I have not stopped asking successful leaders to lunch.
But I have stopped looking at them like they are gods.

Scripture is clear.
There is none like Him.

So when you wake up tomorrow, meet with Him first.
Before the world tells you who you need to become, let Jesus remind you whose you already are.
Let His Word retrain your vision.
Let the Holy Spirit sift through the noise.
Let Jesus re-center your heart before the world starts naming success for you.

Next, I want to talk about what dependence really looks like.

Until then, have Jesus for breakfast.

How To Become A Christian.

Foreigner to Sojourner

James Floyd — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:08:28 GMT

There I was, coming back to finish Bible time.

My Bible time got interrupted this morning. Life did what life does. But I have learned not to rush the presence of God, because nothing in my day gets better when I leave Him too quickly.

I refuse to rush His presence because a filled-up cup as a son of God is better than an empty cup as a son of God.

Nothing has ever burned down because I stayed with Him longer.
Nothing has ever been worse off because I did more Bible time.
Nothing has ever been neglected because I chose His presence first.

And that is where Ruth stopped feeling like an old story and started feeling like my story.

From ages nine to fourteen, I lived in three different homes. I bounced around homes in college, too. In many ways, I have always felt like an outsider.

And here is one strange mercy of getting closer to God. As He pulls you nearer, He also makes this world feel less like home.

There is a real wrestling between flesh and spirit. Some of you (and me) need to hear this; that is not strange. That is normal in the Christian walk.

So if you feel like an outsider right now, and you are in a season of wrestling, look at the God behind Ruth.

The Chosen Outsider

Ruth drops into the days of the judges.

In other words, chaos.

There was no king. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So the story begins with tension.

Naomi, her husband, and her sons leave Bethlehem during a famine. Instead of staying in the place God had given His people, they go to Moab, a land marked by idolatry and long hostility toward Israel. Even the name Bethlehem, house of bread, makes their leaving feel heavier.

Then Naomi’s sons marry Moabite women.

The text does not explain every detail, but the silence matters. We are meant to feel the tension. From what we know, this was not a wise direction. God’s covenant people were not meant to bind themselves to the worship of false gods.

Then the losses come fast.

Naomi loses her husband.
Then she loses her sons.

Now Ruth and Orpah have a choice.

Go back to Bethlehem with Naomi into uncertainty.
Or return to Moab, to what is familiar and comfortable, to the gods they grew up with, and to better odds of remarriage and survival.

We know what Ruth does.

Out of deep love for Naomi, Ruth stays. But more than that, Ruth turns.

Your people will be my people.
Your God will be my God.

That is not a small decision made in isolation. That is a turning of allegiance motivated by someone outside of Ruth.

That is the mercy of God entering the story.

An outsider from a pagan people, a Gentile woman from a clan with a broken history (started by incest with Lot and his oldest daughter), is brought into the storyline that will one day lead to Jesus.

She chooses a long road, uncertainty, hardship, and possible lifelong widowhood. Yet when they return to Bethlehem, there is a small sign of mercy waiting for them.

The barley harvest was beginning.

That line is a glimmer of hope.

A Much-Needed Glimmer of Hope

And that is what I felt this morning.

When I read God’s Word and obey, I get a glimmer of hope even in a difficult season.

The ache underneath that outsider feeling ran deeper than unstable homes.

It was the ache of living outside the enjoyment of my heavenly Father.

The Ache That Still Rises

And that ache still tries to speak when pressure rises.

When medical issues flare up, when ministry growth has question marks, when family burdens pile up, when life feels heavy, the old outsider temptations start whispering again.

You are not valuable.
You are not good enough.
Your life does not matter.
You are behind.
You are on the outside.

This morning, God reminded me to release those lies and replace them with truth.

I was an outsider, but He brought me in.
I was orphaned, but He called me son.
I was empty, but He filled me up.
I was bitter, but He turned bitterness into praise.
I was helpless, but He gave me rest.

And God does not stay outside our famine, death, and sorrow.

He entered it.

At Calvary, Jesus stepped into the full weight of sin, judgment, curse, and death. He bore my sin on Himself so that by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, I would not stay outside.

So the pressure I feel today, from medical questions, ministry burdens, family issues, and the weight of many responsibilities, is not proof that God has left me.

It is a call to remember what is true and to replace what is a lie.

Many things remain outside my control.
But God never moves outside His.

Yes, this world is still fallen.
Yes, the curse still touches this present age.
But the deepest curse I bore was answered in Christ.
The deepest outsider problem I had has been settled by grace.

Never Finished Challenge

Remember and Replace.

Like Ruth, I was an outsider.
By the grace of God, through faith in Christ, I have been brought near.

I do not have answers to all my problems today. But I do have hope.

And I can continue this day with the answer to my biggest problem already secured.

Jesus is for me.
His Spirit dwells in me.
And He is making me more like Him every day.

So, Replace.
How do you take captive thoughts that are swirling in your head? Not by dwelling on those thoughts or trying to eliminate them.

You replace it with truth.
You put new thoughts in your mind.
Thoughts He wants you to dwell on.
Thoughts from His Word.

And as you dwell on the Light, the darkness becomes less dark every day.

So take inventory of what you are dwelling on, and, most importantly, dwell on things that speak of God, starting with His word.

What Does Today Say About God?

It says that He redeems outsiders.
It says that He meets bitter people with mercy.
It says that He plants signs of mercy in the middle of hard stories.
It says that His Word is not dry, outdated, or a joke.

It is life.

I recently tried watching a show that parodied Old Testament themes, and it made me sad. Because that is how so many people see the Old Testament. Strange, distant, or laughable.

But Ruth 1 was not a joke to me this morning.

It was life.

And that is my hope for you.

Give the God of Life more time.
Turn your eyes toward the God who redeems.
He is still bringing outsiders near through Jesus.
And He is not finished with your story.

Become a Christian!

I want to become a Christian!

Pressure is Real

James Floyd — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 09:37:32 GMT

There I was.

Wondering why my mind was spinning and my reactions were dimming.

The weight of this season has felt heavy, so I knew one place to start was inventory.

What was I carrying without Christ?

Because what I carried without Christ did not start with the thing itself. It started with a thought I agreed with. And that thought led to pressure.

Pressure led to shame.

Shame made me feel behind.

Feeling behind left me stuck.

After I took inventory of what was on my plate, I learned a few things about what God says about pressure and what I sensed Him guiding me to do. If you want freedom from pressure, this might be for you.

What Does Scripture Say?

Scripture does not pretend pressure is fake.

Paul wrote, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed” (2 Corinthians 4:8). Jesus in Gethsemane was in such agony that His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Martha was distracted, anxious, and troubled by many things (Luke 10:40–41).

Pressure is real.

But pressure is a terrible lord.

The Martha story

Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His teaching (Luke 10:39).

That is not cozy passivity.

That is the posture of a disciple.

Paul later said he was educated at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Mary is not being lazy while Martha works. Mary is receiving from the Lord as a learner. She is sitting at the feet of the Lord.

And Martha starts going in three directions.

Toward Mary.
Toward herself.
Toward Jesus.

You can hear it:

“My sister has left me to serve alone.”
“Tell her then to help me.”
“Lord, do You not care?”

That is one of the quiet temptations of anxiety. It can pull you from burden to self-pity, from self-pity to comparison, and from comparison to subtle accusation against God.

It gets more revealing.

Martha does not stop to honestly ask for help. She tries to manage the room herself. She tells Jesus how to solve the problem.

I am all for remembering who I am in Christ. But sometimes I do not need a slogan first. I need Jesus to tell the truth about what is happening in me.

And He does.

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41).

In Scripture, when a name is repeated, it often carries both tenderness and weight. Abraham. Samuel. Simon. And here, Martha.

Jesus is not shaming her.

He is naming her condition with love.

The Word cuts through the noise and does what only He can do. He diagnoses with hope.

You can be faithful.
Capable.
Hospitable.
Sacrificial.
Productive.

And still be inwardly pulled apart.

Jesus is not rebuking service itself. He is exposing distracted service that has lost sight of Him. Martha is not wrong for serving. She is wrong for letting a good thing crowd out the necessary thing.

Like Martha, good things on my plate were crowding out the best thing.

My cup was getting filled in the morning. But because of the number of things on my plate, the light was competing with the noise. I was overwhelmed. Stuck. Pulled in too many directions.

And as God slowed me down at His feet, I learned a few things.

He wants you to be before you do.

Not everything needs to be done in every season.

There are seasons for doing. There are seasons for pruning. There are seasons where faithfulness looks less like expansion and more like staying close to God while you carry what He actually assigned.

For me, handling my dad’s estate for eight people has taken up real space. That matters. It is grief. It is stewardship. It is love. And it means I cannot pretend I can carry every other good thing at full speed too. I need room to mourn missing him, steward what is in front of me, and still be a present son of my Father, husband to my wife, and dad to my children.

He also wants a wise yes and no, with Him included in the deciding.

So before you take on another promotion, life change, platform, or role, be with God. Open His Word. Ask Him if this next thing belongs in this season. He does not want you carrying it alone.

Yes, He may lead you to serve.
Yes, He may lead you to step up.

But not every opportunity is an assignment.
And not every need is yours to meet.

Even serving at church can become noise if it is done at the expense of your walk with God, your marriage, or your family.

The good news is not that you finally learn how to manage pressure perfectly.

The good news is that Jesus welcomes burdened people to Himself. He speaks truth to anxious hearts. He does not break bruised reeds. He calls us to come, sit, listen, trust, and walk with Him.

Grace alone.
Faith alone.
Christ alone.

The answer to pressure is not a more efficient version of you.

It is a closer Christ.

Never Finished Challenge

Write down everything you are carrying right now.

Then ask two questions before God:

What did You actually give me in this season?
What have I picked up without You?

Then sit with Luke 10:38–42 and ask Him to show you the one thing that must not be crowded out.

What Does Today Say About God?

We are made to know Him.

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

And the Lord does not leave us guessing on the way there. He gives us Himself.

When we pursue God to know Him, the pressures of life do not disappear overnight. But they do begin to lose their rule.

May He give you grace to wait at His feet, hold fast to His Word, and live near enough to Jesus that the noise no longer gets the final word.

How do I Become a Christian?

The Weight of Hidden Sin and The Mercy of God

James Floyd — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:51:51 GMT

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash: There is unimaginable freedom in confession.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4

I have always known hidden sin creates weight in a home.

Especially through me.

It may stay hidden from the eye for a moment, but it does not stay hidden in its effects. It leaks into my tone, my presence, my patience, my tenderness, my reactions. The home feels what the heart is hiding.

And if hiding lingers, I turn into a controlling maniac.

And that is why Ephesians 6:4 hits me so hard.

God does not merely tell fathers to avoid public failure. He tells us, “do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” That means a father is either shepherding peace, trust, humility, and truth in the home, or he is feeding something else.

Hidden Sin Feeds Something Else

It stirs what I was called to calm. It weakens what I was called to strengthen. It makes it harder for my wife and children to breathe deeply around me, trust the leadership of Christ in me, and receive the love I claim to give.

Scripture is clear. My children are not eternally condemned for my sin. “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). Each person stands before God for his own sin. Praise God for that mercy.

But Scripture is just as clear that the sin of a father affects the home.

Not because I have ultimate authority.
I do not.

No husband, father, pastor, or king has ultimate authority in Scripture.

Romans 13:1 says there is no authority except from God.
Psalm 24:1 says the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.
Matthew 28:18 says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.

So Jesus is first the Head.
Jesus is first the Authority.
Jesus is first the Shepherd of my wife, my children, and me.

Then what am I?

I am a steward.

In Genesis 2, Adam is formed first, given God’s command, and placed in the garden before Eve is created as a helper fit for him. In the New Testament, that headship is not fleshed out as control, force, or self-importance. It is fleshed out in Christ. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Fathers are called not to provoke their children, but to raise them in the Lord.

So whatever authority I have is delegated.
It is under God.
It is for the good of others.
It must be expressed through love, sacrifice, repentance, and truth.
It is never permission to control, intimidate, neglect, or hide in darkness.

That means I am accountable to lead, protect, provide, disciple, repent, and love in a way that makes it easier for my wife and children to trust Christ, not harder.

That is why hidden sin is so serious.

Because it works directly against the calling of Ephesians 6:4.

A father cannot bring his children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord while privately feeding what is dark, false, or corrupt. Hidden sin may not always explode publicly at first, but it often shows up in irritation, inconsistency, defensiveness, distance, passivity, harshness, and spiritual hypocrisy.

The father says one thing and carries another spirit into the room.
The father speaks of truth but avoids truth himself.
The father wants peace in the home while protecting what keeps stealing peace from his own heart.

Scripture consistently shows that leaders' choices affect the people around them.

Achan’s hidden sin brought trouble on Israel and judgment on his house.
David’s sexual sin and deceit brought devastation into his family.
Eli’s failure to restrain evil in his household brought judgment.
Manasseh’s wickedness helped drag Judah deeper into corruption.

Different covenants. Different settings. Same pattern.

Sin in leadership multiplies damage.

Now I want to be careful here.

I am not saying every struggle in a home can be traced back to one private sin of the father. Scripture does not give us permission to speak that carelessly. And I am not saying my children are doomed because of my failures. They are not. God is merciful, just, and able to work powerfully even in broken homes.

But I am saying this.

My hidden sin is never small.
And it is never just mine.

If I am called by God not to provoke my children, then I cannot pretend the condition of my own heart is disconnected from the atmosphere of my home.

Jesus presses this even deeper in Matthew 7:5.

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Every time I get quick to judge someone else while leaving my own heart untouched, something in me feels sick. My spirit feels off. I know it. I can feel it.

So the challenge for me is simple and searching.

Never Finished Challenge: me first

Before I correct.
Before I lead.
Before I speak hard truth to others.
Before I step into public.

Me first with God.

Daily.

My daily time with the Lord is not a religious box to check. It is where the Heart Surgeon cuts, heals, convicts, and restores. It is where the law exposes me and the gospel meets me. It is where I stop trying to manage appearances and start walking in the light.

Because I have seen this in myself too.

Sometimes I can take up public acts of righteousness while still soothing private sin. I can move quickly to address what is wrong out there so I do not have to deal honestly with what is still rotting in here.

That is a dangerous trade.

Are there people in your life you judge more than your own heart?

Are there sins you are confronting in others while quietly protecting your own?

Are you calling something private that your home is already feeling?

Scripture does not call us to hide in shame.
Scripture calls us into the light.

James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession is not ruin.
It is one of God’s gifts of healing.

The law tells me my sin is serious.
The gospel tells me I do not have to keep hiding.

Jesus Christ lived without hidden sin.
Jesus Christ died for hidden sin.
Jesus Christ rose so men who have lived in darkness can come into the light, be cleansed, and learn to walk in truth.

By grace alone.
Through faith alone.
In Christ alone.

What Does Today Say About God?

Grace.

As a father, I am now experiencing lying in my own home. And deep down, I know why truth matters so much. On the other side of truth there is discipline, yes, but also growth, peace, and restored trust. On the other side of lying there is shame, fear, distance, and confusion.

If the Holy Spirit did not convict, if God did not restrain evil, if His mercy did not interrupt our sin, our homes would collapse under the weight of what we keep trying to hide.

Praise God for His abounding grace.

Not cheap grace.
Saving grace.
Cleansing grace.
Strengthening grace.

So join me in pursuing God daily and becoming quick confessors.

Not because confession earns grace.
Because grace is already held out to us in Jesus.

May the grace of God taste sweet to you today.
And may He make us men who confess quickly, repent deeply, tell the truth, and lead our homes under the loving authority of Christ.

Never Finished Discipling!

What You Tolerate Will Trap You

James Floyd — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:23:31 GMT

Let go. And always let God.

Partial obedience is tolerated compromise dressed up as faithfulness.

I have often given myself boundaries. With good intentions, no doubt.

Only 20 minutes a day on social media.
Only three beers.
I have time to reconcile.

I could probably list you a 150-page book of partial obedience moments from my life. And none of them ended well. They all led to failure, sadness, or regret.

If you’re interested in how to be fully alive and stop hitting dead end after dead end, this might be the read you need today.

An Inheritance Mismanaged

Joshua 16:10 says,

“However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day, but have been made to do forced labor.”

What’s happening in context?

Joshua, the chosen leader after Moses, is now distributing the inheritance in the Promised Land. Not because he has the authority in himself, but because God promised this land to Israel.

Ephraim receives their inheritance. But instead of fully obeying God’s command to drive out the Canaanites, they allow them to remain.

They put them to forced labor.

Humanly speaking, it probably looked wise. Efficient. Even productive.

This next line is inference.

Perhaps they thought it was smart strategy. Maybe they saw economic advantage. Maybe they believed partial obedience was good enough.

But it was never God’s intention.

The Canaanite nations were not simply neighboring cultures. They were deeply wicked societies known for violence and child sacrifice. God’s command to remove them was an act of judgment from a holy God and protection for His people (Genesis 15:16).

Instead of obedience, Israel chose compromise.

What looked like a good idea in the moment became spiritual suicide.

Later generations would be trapped in cycles of idolatry, oppression, and captivity. What they refused to remove would eventually rule over them.

Partial obedience always plants seeds we will eventually have to harvest.

What Does Jesus Say About Partial Obedience?

Jesus addresses this directly.

In Matthew 5:29–30 He says it is better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation. The point is not physical harm. The point is radical separation from sin.

If something leads you toward sin, cut it off.

Deal with it decisively.

Not manage it.
Not negotiate with it.
Remove it.

For me, that meant realizing something.

What I needed was not 20 minutes a day on social media.

What I needed was to eliminate it completely.

And when I did that, the next four or five years became massively formative for my walk with God.

Another example.

I delayed reconciliation with my birth father. Not out of hatred, but out of what felt like good intentions. I had a family to steward and responsibilities to carry.

Then, a year and a half ago, he suddenly died.

Now there are questions I will never be able to ask.

By God’s mercy, He has given me peace. Because I worship the Answer. That is Jesus.

But delay still has consequences.

Another example.

When I returned from Afghanistan after combat, I created a boundary. Three beers.

But my flesh got creative.

I maximized the three beers by choosing ones with very high alcohol content.

Which led to missed mornings with God.

Which led to lust.

You see where this goes.

Every time I have gotten creative with my sin and created boundaries without God, it has led to failure, sadness, and regret.

But when I have fully obeyed with Him, by His power and His strength, and with community around me, it has led to deep formation in my life.

Never Finished Challenge

What are you delaying in obedience?

What do you need to cut out of your life?

That habit, system, or boundary you created may actually be the trigger that leads you to the final sin.

It needs to be cut off at the head.

Swiftly.

Deliberately.

Scripture says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

And Jesus says something about us as well.

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41

So ask Him for help.

Cut it off with Him.

Not by willpower alone, but by dependence on Him.

What Does Today Say About God?

Freedom.

When I was a young Christian, I believed a deadly lie.

The lie was this:

Fully surrendering to God would lead to restriction instead of life.

But the opposite is true.

Jesus says,

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32

And Hebrews says the Word of God is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12).

When you come to Him, truth begins cutting away what destroys you.

And Jesus says something else to the weary and burdened.

He does not say start with better systems, routines, or disciplines.

He says,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

Come first.

Then He shows you the way.

May God give you the humility to see that your grit, systems, and willpower will never be enough.

But Christ is.

Grace alone.
Faith alone.
Christ alone.

And not just enough.

More than enough.

What a Father.

What a King.

What a Friend.

Thank you Jesus.

I Want to Be a Christian!

The Next Faithful Step

James Floyd — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:53:29 GMT

Photo by Decio Berti Jr on Unsplash: Because of Christ, you are never alone.

Recently, I have struggled as a leader not to manufacture what only grace can do, rush sanctification, and try to control results. I know I am not alone.

And reading Joshua 6 reminded me of one of the Bible's common themes so far. Israel struggles with the same thing.

But God.

In His unending mercy and grace, He reminds His people that the results are His and faithfulness is theirs. And if we can get this as believers, striving and burnout will be less common.

The Story

Jericho.

Genesis 15:16 reminds us why Israel is there. The iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. God delayed judgment. That alone is mercy.

And then there is Rahab.

Rahab had heard about the God of Israel, and by faith she and her family were spared. So even in a story of judgment, we still see mercy. We still see grace. Mercy is available through faith.

But there is something else significant that Jericho shows us.

If I were Joshua, and had already been in many battles, I would think I needed force, strategy, and military strength. Go all in. Knock the city down. Then say God is with us.

But Israel’s assignment was the opposite.

Walk.
Play the trumpets.
Raise their voices.

Walk, wait, trust.

The Walls Were God’s Responsibility

This shows us that you cannot manufacture a breakthrough.

Your role is to stay aligned with God’s instructions. To obey Him. To trust Him. He is the One who brings walls down, in His way and in His time.

This pattern appears all over Scripture.

Gideon’s army reduced to 300 in Judges 7.
David defeating Goliath with a sling in 1 Samuel 17.
Jehoshaphat winning as Judah worshiped in 2 Chronicles 20.

Why does God do this?

Because He often chooses methods that look weak to human beings, so His glory is unmistakable.

Israel would have heard this and remembered that God’s covenant promises remain secure. He does not waver. He does not forget. He does not fail.

So trust Him.

Never Finished Challenge

Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him, and He will act.”

That is easier said than done. But that is exactly why now matters.

Lift your hands and trust Him.

Practically:

Spend daily time with Him.
Learn about Him in His Word.
Grow in your relationship with Him.
Read the Bible every day and find out who He is.

Then ask a better question.

Not, what is the next big step?
Not, how can I execute this?
Not, how can I control the outcome?

Ask, what is the next faithful step?

With what I know about God from His Word, His character, His plan, and His ways, what is the next faithful step?

Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that God’s Word is alive and active. And 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that Scripture is breathed out by God. His Word is not dead ink on a page. The Holy Spirit uses it to search us, steady us, correct us, and train us.

Psalm 24:1 reminds us that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.

So the challenge for you and me today is not first to ask for a better plan.

It is to surrender to the faithful next step.

A little prayer for you:

Lord, help me act faithfully with what You have entrusted to me, and release the results to You.

What Does Today Say About God?

Sovereign.

Could you imagine if I were in charge?

I would be controlling, domineering, quick to anger, and wise in my own eyes.

Basically, Thanos.

A self-centered brute.

But good news. I am not God. And neither are you.

So we get to be His children, His vessels, His friends, and His empowered sojourners for His glory in the world.

What a Father.
What a Friend.
What a King.

Thank You, Jesus.

I want to become a Christian.

Prostitute to Promise

James Floyd — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:25:28 GMT

Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash: He has an endless supply of grace. What are you holding on to today?

I was talking to my firstborn daughter, Sophia. She’s five. Sophia and her little sisters have been doing something since they were tiny. All three of my girls put on dresses and use their incredible imaginations to pretend to be fancy.

We have not implemented TV time in our home. Except the occasional Jesus story. The occasional Minno Kids episode. So when I heard Sophia say she wanted to be like Elsa, I didn’t condemn her school, which is where it came from. I didn’t even say no.

I simply asked her why.

She said, “Because they’re pretty.”

So I gently stepped into the conversation.

I told her God thinks what is most beautiful is the heart.

I kept it simple. I told her beauty is not defined by appearance. I also told her God and I celebrate that she is beautiful, because I do not want to shame her for being pretty.

But I ultimately concluded, emphatically and gently.

He and I care most about your character.

Then I gave her an easy picture.

I told her about a girl I saw today with braces. She looked different. But I noticed how beautiful she was for looking different, and she treated somebody kindly. I asked Sophia, “Is she less beautiful because she looks different?”

Sophia sweetly answered, “No.”

With that little impartation, she ran away, excited to continue her imagination.

As a father of three daughters, I am responsible for the direction of their hearts.

Some of you need to hear this. I am responsible for their hearts and what goes in, not their salvation. That is Jesus.

I cannot always prevent what the outside world celebrates. But I can guide, protect, pray, and be first on what is going on inside my home.

I do not want my girls to look up to beauty that is unattainable and make that an identity goal.

I want them to look up to Jesus.

And I want them to see that God loves to use the most unexpected people, like Rahab.

Who was Rahab?

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. And her life was about to change forever.

First, a little context from Joshua 2.

Joshua is leading Israel after Moses. God is bringing His people into the land He promised them. Jericho is the first major city standing in their way.

So Joshua sends spies into Jericho.

They end up in Rahab’s house.

The king hears about it and sends men to find them. Rahab could have handed the spies over. She could have saved her own skin by proving loyalty to her city.

Instead, she hides them.

She risks everything.

And Scripture tells us why.

Rahab had heard what the LORD, Yahweh, had done. The Red Sea. The victories. The way God fights for His people. Fear fell on the land, but in Rahab, fear turned into faith. She confesses that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

Then faith moves.

She asks the spies to treat her family kindly. The word she uses is hesed, covenant love. Steady love. Loyal love. Not a casual favor. A mercy rooted in promise.

She could have negotiated only for herself.

Instead, she pleads for her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them.

And the spies promise her protection if she gathers her household into her home.

Then they give her a sign.

A scarlet cord in the window.

That cord was not magic. It was a marker. A visible line between judgment and mercy.

And there is a detail that was powerful to discover. The Hebrew word used for “cord” is also used elsewhere for “hope.” That might be intentional wordplay, or it might simply be a straightforward word. Either way, the picture holds.

Hope hung in the window.

Scarlet is not accidental in the Bible. Scarlet shows up in Israel’s worship and cleansing imagery. And it makes me think of this simple truth.

God saves through a sign.

In Exodus, blood marked the doorposts. In Joshua, a cord marked the window. In the gospel, the blood of Jesus marks a people.

Rahab’s home became a place of rescue because she trusted the LORD’s word and clung to the sign she was given.

And later, God does something only He could do.

He writes Rahab into the family line of Jesus.

A Canaanite. A prostitute. A woman with a past.

Grace does not ask permission to be scandalous.

So what does that have to do with my daughters?

Everything.

Because my girls are growing up in a world that disciples them daily.

It tells them what “pretty” means.

It tells them what matters.

It tells them who is worth becoming.

And I want to be first to tell them the truth.

Not that they are ugly.

Not that beauty is bad.

But that the deepest beauty is a heart made alive by God.

And that Jesus is the Hero.

Rahab is not the Savior. Rahab is a billboard.

She is proof that faith is a gift from God, and God delights to save the one nobody would pick.

Rahab was a hero, yes.

But not because of leadership ability.

Not because of courage.

Not because of beauty or identity.

Because God.

Because she believed His word. And her faith showed up in action.

That is the kind of story I want to live in front of my girls.

Not “look at me.”

Look at Jesus.

So where does that leave us?

Never Finished challenge:

Idolize, worship, and prioritize the right things.

Ask God to search what is shaping you and your home.

What is playing on your TV?

What is in your headphones?

What are you feeding your mind with podcasts, music, YouTube, and social media?

What are your kids hearing at school that is quietly becoming truth to them?

Then make swift changes.

We are inundated with information, but constipated when it comes to reading the Word.

If you do not open the Bible, the loudest voices around you will shape your faith.

And Sunday will not be your quick fix.

So keep it practical.

Turn off one thing at a time each week.

Turn on one more verse at a time each week.

Slowly, steadily, watch Jesus re-order your loves.

What does today say about God?

Equipped

God does not call the equipped.

He equips the called.

I’m often reminded by well-meaning older adults how they feel “so bad” for me that I have three daughters and one on the way.

I don’t think they mean harm. But those statements are degrading, especially when said with my daughters listening.

So I respond quickly.

“No, I’m blessed. My daughters are incredible. They are a gift from God.”

But on the inside, I know this.

Without Jesus, I would be a miserable leader, husband, and father.

I would fall short.

I would repeat patterns I learned as a child.

I would drift.

That might sound drastic, but it’s true.

By the grace of God, I want Rahab’s faith.

I want that decisive clinging to the LORD when everything around me is loud, fearful, and compromised.

And as Jesus changes me, the little piece of me that becomes more like Him becomes a clearer pointer for my girls.

And it will be for you too.

May God bless you with His presence and a life that is centered on Jesus.

What a Father.

What a Friend.

What a King.

Thank You, Jesus.

Go deeper with Never Finished Coaching!

Ordinary Men, Serious Word

James Floyd — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 13:13:49 GMT

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash: If you have Jesus, you have all you need to do His will!

A recent call inspired this challenge.

Go to seminary.

Whether you go to school or not is not the point.

The point is discipleship—to learn the Word, have a trusting relationship with the Author, and live a life of faithfulness and fruit, obeying and living fully.

It is to go deeper in the Word, not only for knowledge and understanding, but for the increase of relationship. When relationship becomes stronger with the King of kings, obedience becomes more important. When obedience and surrender become a normal part of daily life with God, life becomes fuller and more purposeful.

To start this short series, let’s look at a verse that is widely misunderstood.

Acts 4:13

Luke is writing narrative, a true account. Peter and John are standing before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious court in Israel. They have been preaching Jesus, and now the leaders are trying to stop them.

“And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

The word “uneducated” (agrammatoi) does not mean stupid. It means “unschooled,” not formally trained in the recognized academic track of their day.1

The word “common” (idiotai) does not mean “idiots.” It means ordinary, untrained, laymen. Not professional religious elites.2

So yes, the leaders were right on one thing.

Peter and John were not formally credentialed men.

John 7:15 shows the same kind of reaction people had toward Jesus. They were shocked at His learning because He did not come through their system.

Yet they were educated in two more important ways.

They knew the Scriptures.
And they had been with Jesus.

That is the line that should grab our attention.

They recognized they had been with Jesus.

Quick side note. It is fascinating that the religious elite did not refute Peter and John about the resurrection of Jesus. “Had it seemed possible to refute them on this point, how readily would the Sanhedrin have seized the opportunity. Had they succeeded, how quickly and completely the new movement would have collapsed.” Bruce points out that if the Sanhedrin could have refuted the resurrection, the movement would have collapsed fast.3

But they could not.

No questions. They saw the boldness, the parresia, of Peter and John. Not arrogance. Not vibes. Spirit-powered courage to speak clearly, publicly, and without flinching.4

And notice what the early believers prayed for. They did not pray for comfort. They prayed for boldness to keep speaking His Word. (Acts 4:29–31)

Back to these “untrained” men.

They Were Not Rabbinnic Graduates, But They Were Torah-Formed

This is where modern readers miss the world Peter and John grew up in.

Deuteronomy was clear. God’s people were to have His words in their hearts, then teach and talk about them constantly. In the home. On the road. Morning and night. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9) They were also commanded to explain the story of redemption to their children, especially the Exodus, so the next generation would fear the Lord and walk with Him. (Deuteronomy 6:20–25)

The law, life, and love of God were meant to be central to Jewish life.

Now, I know this sounds scholarly-like attachment to their identity.

That does not mean every Jewish man was a scholar.

It means the covenant community was designed to form people in Scripture, even outside formal schooling.

Josephus, writing in the first century, brags about Jewish upbringing like this: children are taught to read and to learn the laws and the deeds of their fathers, so they can imitate what is good and have no excuse for ignorance.5

Is Josephus idealizing his people in an apologetic defense? Possibly.

But even as an ideal, it tells you something about what Jews valued, what they aimed at, and what the culture was built around.

And here is another key nuance.

Literacy in the ancient world was not like today. Many people could not read well, sometimes at all. Some scholars argue literacy could have been under 10 percent in a pre-industrial society, maybe even closer to 5 percent in certain contexts.6

So how could Scripture still shape a people?

Because Scripture was not only read privately. It was heard publicly. Repeated. Sung. Memorized. Spoken at home. Carried in the bones of daily life—meals, celebrations, and the like.

So when Acts 4 calls Peter and John “unschooled,” do not hear “Scripture-starved.”

I understand it this way.

Not credentialed by the elite.
Still formed by the Word.
Now filled with the Spirit.
And marked by time with Jesus.

And you can see it in the text.

Standing on trial, Peter quotes Scripture with accuracy and force. “The stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” (Acts 4:11, quoting Psalm 118:22)

That is not shallow.

That is a man whose mind has been furnished by God’s Word, and whose courage has been lit on fire by the risen Christ.

The Other Danger, Religion Without Relationship

Scripture also shows what happens when the law becomes a god.

When people turn commandments into pride and performance, religious systems form that create elites who end up following each other more than following God. Jesus confronted this. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. They elevated tradition over the Word of God. (Mark 7:6–13)

So...

I am not saying “study makes you holy.”

And I am not saying “seminary equals intimacy.”

I am saying this.

You cannot claim you want Jesus while refusing His voice.

And His primary voice is His Word.

So, Where Does That Leave Us?

Here is where it has left me.

I went to a Christian high school, grew up in the church, and went to an incredible seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary.

Through my experiences with life being enveloped with Bible, I did not always hear much about surrender, dependence, and relationship with God. I heard a lot of knowledge. I learned a lot of information.

But relationship is the point.

I averaged a very low B at seminary because I wanted my personal time with God to flourish more than my grades.

And honestly, I am glad I did. (More on that next article).

Never Finished Challenge: Become Students

Back to Peter and John, and you.

Do not use Acts 4:13, or anyone’s comments about it, as an excuse to avoid seminary, avoid depth, or avoid the real meaning and context of the text.

Become students.

Not for knowledge's sake, for relationship's sake.

Does a child trust Mom and Dad because they are never present? No.

A child with present parents who pour into their child with love and truth will be better equipped outside the home when Mom and Dad are not around, because trust has been formed.

Grow your trust with the Lord.

Let Him show you, through His Word, who He is, what His will is, and who you are.

And bring other trusted believers along on the journey. Discipleship is not isolation. It is following Jesus together.

Lastly, make sure you are under faithful teaching. Go to a church where the Bible is opened and explained in context, centered on Jesus. Test what you hear by Scripture. (Acts 17:11)

LAW AND GOSPEL, CLEARLY

The law exposes how easily we drift into laziness, pride, and surface religion. It shows our need.

The gospel announces that Jesus Christ lived the obedience we failed to live, died for our sins, rose again, and saves us by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. When we are His, obedience becomes fruit, not payment. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

If you want help learning how to read the Bible in context, dm me. I will also be writing about this to help guide.

Prayer

Jesus, make me a man who has been with You. Forgive my laziness and my pride. Give me hunger for Your Word, not to impress anyone, but to know You. Fill me with Your Spirit so obedience flows from love. Thank You that You save me by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Amen.

How to Become A Christian!

How to Become A Christian

Bill Mounce, Greek Dictionary, “ἀγράμματος (agrammatos).

Bill Mounce, Greek Dictionary, “ἰδιώτης (idiotes).

F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts (NICNT), Eerdmans, 1988, note on Acts 4 (often cited around p. 103 in older references).

Bill Mounce, Greek Dictionary, “παρρησία (parresia).

Josephus, Against Apion 2.204.

Meir Bar-Ilan, “Illiteracy in the Land of Israel in the First Centuries C.E.(discussion of pre-industrial literacy estimates).

How to Come to the Person in Every Season

James Floyd — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 12:29:01 GMT

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash: Start here.

Whoever you look up to, you naturally begin to imitate.

When I was nine years old, my birth dad was given court orders restraining him from seeing his seven kids until we turned eighteen. When I finally saw him at eighteen, it was anticlimactic. At least the first conversation was.

But it was a start.

As we began talking more, I noticed something surprising. A lot of my mannerisms reflected his.

When I was a boy, my mom and dad were my heroes. What they said mattered. What they modeled shaped me. Their example in private and in public became my instinct.

We become like what we behold.

But it was not until I came to Christ that imitation became transformation. Before Christ, I could copy behavior. After Christ, I was given new life.

Now I did not just have Someone I read about. I did not just have Someone my parents told me about. I had the Holy Spirit living in me.

That changes everything.

He is Here!

For every season, Christian, this is your reminder: you are not trying to reach God from a distance. If you belong to Christ, He has already come near.

In Deuteronomy 23, Moses instructs Israel to keep the camp clean. No uncleanness. No hidden evil. Why? Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp.

Under the Mosaic covenant, God’s dwelling among His people was tied to covenant faithfulness. The law exposed impurity and demanded holiness because He is holy.

But move forward.

Paul tells believers in 1 Corinthians that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. God is not merely walking through a camp. He dwells within His people.

This is not because we finally cleaned ourselves up.

This is grace.

Christ fulfilled the law we could not keep. He bore our uncleanness. Through faith alone in Him, we are brought near. The Spirit is given, not earned.

Now obedience flows from belonging.

Now holiness flows from indwelling.

How to Come to the Person in Every Season

So how do you come to the Person in every season?

Here are tools for your tool belt.

Come tired.

Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden.” You do not come polished. You come weary. Name your burden. Bring it to Him honestly.

Come thirsty.

If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Identify what you have been using to satisfy your soul. Comfort? Control? Approval? Then say plainly, “Jesus, be my water.”

Come empty-handed.

The tax collector did not perform. He cried for mercy. Drop spiritual performance. Come with confession.

Come confessing.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive. Confession is not punishment. It is returning to light.

Come believing.

Jesus said whoever comes to Him He will never cast out. Take Him at His word. Believe the promise, not your mood.

Come abiding.

Abide in Me, and you will bear fruit. This is not about intensity. It is about constancy. Read a paragraph. Pray one honest sentence. Obey one clear step.

Come boldly.

Because of His blood, we draw near with confidence. Not arrogance. Not fear. Sonship.

For every season, Christian.

In suffering, come tired.
In temptation, come confessing.
In dryness, come thirsty.
In success, come empty-handed.
In leadership, come abiding.

The presence of God is secured in Christ. He does not leave when you stumble. But because He dwells within you, cleanse what grieves Him. Not to earn Him. But because you belong to Him.

Transformation is no longer imitation from a distance.

It is formation from within.

Never Finished Challenge

Abide. Receive. Obey.

Abide
Spend time with Him in the Word daily, even if it’s just two minutes. Consistency over intensity.

Receive
Let the Word reveal who He is and what He desires. Don’t force it to say what you want. Receive what it says.

Obey
Take one clear truth and apply it today. Obedience is not earning His love. It is responding to it.

What Does Today Say About God?

Nothing.

No, I mean nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When I feel far, He is near.
When I am hungry, He fills.
When I am anxious, He sustains.

Not because I performed well.
Not because I held it together.
But because Christ has held me.

What a Father.
What a Friend.
What a King.

Thank You, Jesus.

How do I become a Christian?

The Place or the Person?

James Floyd — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:29:17 GMT

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash: From place to person—Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4 that the hour was coming when worship would not be tied to this mountain or Jerusalem. True worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth.

I remember when Avatar came out. It was the first of its kind. The director had to wait nearly ten years for technology to catch up just to finish the film. The world was buzzing. All I heard from everyone was, “You have to go see it!”

I waited.

Why?

Because I’ve never been much of a follow-the-world kind of guy. That can be a strength. It can also be pride disguised as independence. But this time, it exposed something deeper.

There’s a church in Atlanta that has been buzzing lately. 2819. The question keeps coming: Have you seen him? Have you been there?

I watched a few clips. I tried to resonate.

Nothing.

Not because I am above it. But because I have learned something about crowds. The world can get caught up in a place or a personality and miss the Source.

And I don’t want to miss the Source.

I don’t want surface-level excitement directing my time. I want to discern my time. Steward it. Let God direct it, because it is His.

My hope is that when you read this, you will be reminded of a Person, not a place. Not a director. Not a preacher. Jesus.

From the Beginning, He Chose

In Deuteronomy 16:5–6, Moses tells Israel they may not offer the Passover sacrifice in any of their towns, but only at the place the Lord their God will choose to make His name dwell.

This is covenant language. Moses is speaking under the Mosaic covenant to a people about to enter the promised land. And one thing is clear: God chooses the place of worship. Israel does not.

Why?

Because worship is not consumer-driven. It is covenant-governed.

Throughout the Torah, God centralizes worship. He protects His holiness. He guards His people from creating religion in their own image.

Now fast forward to the Gospels.

Jesus sends His disciples to prepare the Passover.

You will find a man carrying a jar.
You will find a furnished upper room.
You will find a prepared place.

He does not ask their opinion. He directs.

Under the Mosaic covenant, Yahweh chose the place where His name would dwell.

Now Jesus chooses the place of Passover.

That is not incidental detail. It is theological declaration.

Jesus is exercising the authority of Yahweh.

Let’s Go Further

In John 2, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John tells us He was speaking about the temple of His body.

Under the old covenant, worship was tied to geography. A chosen place. A sacred location.

Under the new covenant, worship is tied to a Person.

Jesus is the true Temple. The dwelling place of God among men.

And at Passover, He becomes the Lamb.

Never Finished Challenge: The Passover Test

Passover remembered deliverance from Egypt. The lamb’s blood marked the doorposts so judgment would pass over the firstborn.

That lamb was substitution.

John the Baptist sees Jesus and says emphatically, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Grace alone.
Faith alone.
Christ alone.

Jesus is not merely the new location of worship. He is the sacrifice that makes worship possible.

He is the place.

So here is the test.

When you go to worship, what do you leave remembering?

The personality?
The production?
The charisma?

Or the holiness of God and the cost of your redemption?

Do people walk away remembering you more, or Jesus more?

Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4 that the hour was coming when worship would not be tied to this mountain or Jerusalem. True worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth.

The shift is not from sacred to casual.
It is from place to Person.

What Does Today Say About God?

For the past thirty days, I’ve had unsettling health scares. Headaches nearly every day. Breathing that has not felt normal. A new mental weight.

(I will receive your prayers).]

But one thing has remained constant. Time with Him.

Recently, after struggling just to open Deuteronomy, God reminded me of something simple and profound.

I do not have to move my body to a building to meet Him.

The Temple has already come.
The Lamb has already been slain.
The veil has already been torn.

Today, I met Him.

And He met me.

Despite my physical weakness, there is peace.

Despite your past, present, and future—because of Christ—there is a place for you.

What a Father.
What a Friend.
What a King.

Go deeper with Never Finished Coaching!

Are You Chained to the World?

James Floyd — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:21:24 GMT

Photo by Hazwan Kosni on Unsplash: We often chain ourselves to the world, thinking that God will not satisfy. Let Him unlock you. There is an endless horizon to explore.

The newly freed slaves of Egypt were grumbling against Moses.

Numbers is narrative. It is history written to shape worship, memory, and trust. And in Numbers 16, the wilderness exposes what is really going on.

“You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards.” (Numbers 16:13–14)

Their grumbling sparked an unreal thread of God’s justice and mercy that no movie could picture—not even Lord of the Rings.

Their lack of contentment reminded me of Paul’s secret to contentment.

We fix our gaze on things that produce life, or we fix our gaze on things that lead to death.

$16,000 Cash

I remember a significant moment when I was a real estate agent.

My broker, who was not a believer (but I still respected him), advised me to cash my $16,000 check and “feel” the money.

I hesitated because my bank account needed it more than my hands.

But I did what he said because he was successful.

So there the money sat on my bed. Sixteen thousand dollars. For three minutes.

Then I left to deposit it.

Then something interesting happened. Bringing a box of cash to the bank upgraded the teller’s treatment of me despite being a young adult.

They seemed to give me a lot more respect.

However, that respect was not love. It was a glimpse of how the world crowns what looks powerful.

And it showed me something about my heart.

I like feeling secure.

I like feeling seen.

I like feeling like I have “enough.”

Paul’s Secret to Contentment

One of the most misquoted and misunderstood verses for me as an athlete was Philippians 4:13.

“I can do all things” gets quoted like a vibe. Like a hype slogan for climbing the mountain.

In reality, Paul is explaining something to the church in Philippi.

He is thankful for their gift, but his joy is not tied to it.

He uses learned language to say his secret is trained. It is not a personality trait.

He learned contentment.

Paul’s joy has been rooted through suffering, through loss, through hunger, through abundance, and through lack.

So Philippians 4:13 is more like a battle cry that, with Christ and because of Christ, he can endure every circumstance faithfully without being owned by it.

Not owned by money. Not owned by comfort. Not owned by applause. Not owned by lack.

(Philippians 4:11–13)

The Wilderness Is the Truth Teller

Sin, pressure, and wilderness do not just test us. They edit memory and manipulate it.

The wilderness is not absent of God. It is absent of safety.

When you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out. Pressure and danger reveal the heart.

What comes out when you are squeezed? God’s chosen people were being squeezed.

And though they grumbled about leadership, what they were really grumbling about was self-centered desire.

They were so stuck in their own narrative that Egypt, a palace of slavery, became a haven to return to.

That is what idolatry does.

It makes bondage look like home.

And it makes God’s timing feel like betrayal.

Numbers 16 says, “If we do not get the land now, God failed.”

Philippians 4 says, “Even if I do not get what I want now, Christ has not failed.”

If life is fields and vineyards, we grumble when we do not have them.

If life is God Himself, we endure lack without losing worship.

And here is where I do not want to miss Jesus.

In Numbers 16, judgment falls, and mercy shows up in the middle of it.

A plague breaks out, and Aaron runs with incense and stands between the dead and the living, and the plague stops. (Numbers 16:46–50)

That is a shadow of a greater reality.

We need a better Mediator than Aaron.

We need Someone who does not just stop a plague.

We need Someone who absorbs judgment.

We need Jesus.

He lived the content life I refuse to live.

He died for my grumbling, my unbelief, and my “God, You failed me” thoughts.

He rose to free me from being owned by what I have, what I lack, and what I crave.

Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone.

God was manifest in cloud and fire, remaining central to His people every day in the wilderness.

So when God is near, why do we still crave the fields and vineyards as if they are real life?

Never Finished Challenge

Name your “vineyard.”

Finish this sentence in prayer:

“Father, I have been acting like I cannot be okay without ________.”

Practice contentment as warfare.

Do one concrete act that says, “Jesus is enough” today.

Examples: generosity while you feel tight, gratitude journaling before planning, Sabbath-like stopping when you want to push.

What Does Today Say About Jesus?

You are not from here.

Scripture says we are sojourners and exiles. (1 Peter 2:11)

It says our citizenship is in Heaven. (Philippians 3:20)

C.S. Lewis famously wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

This understanding exposes the mercy of God.

To create a people to be satisfied in Him alone, knowing we would turn from Him, tells me He loves with a profound love.

Words cannot articulate His love for you.

If you find yourself lacking something, do not rush to panic.

Do not rush to numb it.

Do not rush to blame God.

Let it drive you to Him.

Run as fast as you can to Him.

What a Father.

What a King.

What a Friend.

Thank You, Jesus.

The Shocking Truth Jesus Would Say About a 40-Hour Workweek

James Floyd — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:59:18 GMT

We GET to work today because we are working with Him and for Him. Fill your cup with Him this morning so you can fully live.

John says, “All things were made through Him” (John 1:3).
Paul says creation exists “through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

And then the world looked at Him and said, “Is not this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3).

Let that sink in.

Jesus is not distant from real life. He is not a “spiritual elite” floating above ordinary people. He stepped into ordinary life on purpose. He is recorded as a working man with calloused hands. The King of Kings worked with wood and tools. He lived in quiet faithfulness. He obeyed perfectly. He went all the way to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). He was tempted like us, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

So What Does That Say About Work?

First, Jesus never gives a weekly hour limit. But He does reveal the purpose of work, and it starts in Genesis.

Work was given before sin

Genesis is narrative. It is telling us what God designed, not just what happened.

Before the fall, God placed Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Work was not a curse. Work was a gift inside relationship. Adam’s assignment flowed out of being with God.

I see this with my daughters.

When I give them an assignment, I speak to how God wired them. One needs clear tasks and a time limit. Another needs music and a fun challenge, and then she stuffs things where they do not go.

But they both do the same thing when they finish. They run to mom and dad and say, “LOOK!”

That is a picture of the garden. Work is meant to rise out of love and return in love. Not to earn a father, but to please the Father.

And that is why Paul can say, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Not because work saves you, but because Jesus has you.

Question 1: Are you working from love, with a desire to please the Father?

Jesus gets very direct about work and money

“You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

Jesus is not anti-work. He is anti-idolatry. Money can become a master. Work can become a false god.

He presses the question that our hustle avoids.

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Question 2: Is your work bolstering your identity, or pointing back to the Father?

Doesn’t He care that I am working hard?

Yes. He cares. He sees the bills. He sees the pressure. He sees the single mom trying to hold it all together. He sees the man carrying the weight of responsibility. He is not shaming provision.

But He does put guardrails around hard work because He loves you.

In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus speaks to the treadmill of worry about provision, status, and tomorrow. He calls us back to the Father’s care.

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He taught daily bread. Not daily trophies. Not daily proof that you matter.

And the wilderness story foreshadowed this.

In Exodus, God gave manna and commanded His people to gather enough for the day (Exodus 16:4, 16–20). If they stockpiled, it rotted. God was not being harsh. He was training their hearts.

Manna from heaven (Exodus 16).
Water from the rock (Exodus 17:6).

And all of it points forward.

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
He says the one who comes to Him will not thirst like before (John 4:14).

Question 3: Are you controlling your life by providing, or are you walking with the Provider?

Sabbath is not weakness; it is love

Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Sabbath is a gift. It is a declaration that you are not God.

And Jesus lived what He taught.

“He would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16).
He told His disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

So if your schedule never lets you be present with God and present with your family, Jesus would not congratulate the hustle. He would call you back to a human pace under the Father.

This is not a call to laziness. This is a call to ordered love.

Question 4: What is first right now: work, family, or Him?

One more thing, and this is everything

If you are in Christ, your identity is not earned. It is received.

The gospel is not “work harder and God will love you.” The gospel is that Jesus lived the life you could not live, died the death you deserved, and rose again. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, you are forgiven, adopted, and secure (Ephesians 2:8–9). That changes why you work.

You do not work for acceptance. You work from acceptance.

So what would Jesus say about work?

I cannot put words in His mouth like I have a private recording. But from His Word and His life, here is the direction I might suggest He gives.

Work is a good gift from My Father, given before sin.
Work is a place of stewarding My Father’s world with love.
Work is not your master, because you belong to the true Master.
Do not trade your soul for a paycheck.
Abide in Me, and your labor will bear fruit that lasts (John 15:5).

Never Finished Challenge: BE

Go and be.

Be His son or daughter.
Be His vessel.
Be His friend.
Be His.

How?

You cannot live what you do not know.

Read His Word daily and ask, What does this show me about God, His nature, and His ways? As your relationship strengthens, your identity strengthens. And clarity comes.

Your calling is not a mystery.

Love God and love others (Matthew 22:37–39).
Glorify God in all things (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20).

What Does Today Say About God?

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

He is Adonai, Master and Lord.

A prayer for you

Father, Adonai, today is Yours. The earth is Yours and everything in it. My breath is sustained by You. Teach me to number my days (Psalm 90:12). Set my life in order. You first, then everything else. Free me from serving money. Teach me to work from love, not fear. Help me abide in Jesus, because apart from Him I can do nothing. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What a Father.
What a King.
What a Friend.

Thank You, Jesus.

Join His Family as New Believer!

Church Is NOT A Gym Membership

James Floyd — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:27:08 GMT

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash: In Christ, you are chosen. In Christ, you are His. In Christ, you belong to His Body for eternity.

How are your New Year’s resolutions going?

Today, reading Ephesians 4, I got reminded again of the power of unified believers. Not because we are impressive—trust me, we all fail—but because Jesus is the Head, and He loves to display His life through His people.

Here is the picture that keeps coming to mind.

I have been a gym member on and off for over a decade.

When I miss a day, nobody calls.
When I miss a week, nobody checks in.
No one really cares as long as the payment keeps going through.

But if I train with a person, it is different.
Someone notices.
Someone asks where I am.
Someone cares because we are connected.

And I wonder if many of us are treating the Western church like the gym.

Not because we hate God.
Not because we want to rebel.
But because we have quietly been discipled by consumer culture.

If I miss a Sunday, will anyone notice?
If I disappear for a month, will anyone reach out?
If I only show up when it fits my schedule, does anything in my life actually change?

Depending on the size and structure of your church, you may not get a text if you miss.
You may not get a phone call for months.

Programs can start to feel like extras.
Groups can start to feel optional.
Discipleship can start to feel like something for “serious Christians.”

So what is going on?
Is the church supposed to be like this?
Am I just another cog in the wheel?

One Calling. One Mission. One Family.

Ephesians is a New Testament letter from Paul to real believers learning how to live as God’s new people in a divided world.

When you get to Ephesians 4, Paul does not treat church like an event.
He talks like church is a body.

He says there is “one body and one Spirit… one hope… one Lord… one faith… one baptism… one God and Father of all.” (Ephesians 4:4–6)

That is not subscription language.
That is family language.

In the New Testament, the local church is described as a people, a household, a temple, and a body.
A body does not work like a spiritual gym membership.
A body works like belonging.

“You are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25)
“When each part is working properly… the body grows.” (Ephesians 4:16)

If you are in Christ, you belong to a body of believers.

Let me say this clearly so nobody misunderstands me.

You are not saved by church attendance.
You are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

But if you are saved, you are saved into something.
Jesus does not only forgive you. He adopts you.
He does not only rescue you. He places you.
He makes you part of His people.

Ephesians 1–3 is the foundation.
God chose.
Jesus redeemed.
The Spirit sealed.
Those who were far were brought near.
Enemies became family because of the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2)

So when we drift into “I’ll pop in when it works,” we are not just skipping a meeting.
We are forgetting who we are.

Two Dangers I Want to Avoid

First danger: treating church like a product.
I show up, I consume, I leave.
If it does not match my preferences, I shop.
If it becomes inconvenient, I disappear.

Second danger: proud criticism.
I see what is wrong, then I stand at a distance and judge.
I become a commentator instead of a contributor.
I talk about the Bride of Christ like she is mine to mock.

Jesus loves His church.
He gave Himself for her. (Ephesians 5:25)

So if we are going to speak truth, it has to be truth in love, under Jesus, with humility, and with clean hands.

So where do we start?

Not with complaining.
Not with hot takes.
Not with building a whole new thing out of frustration.

We start with Jesus.

Never Finished Challenge: Start in your closet.

Yes, I mean that.

Opportunity One:
Before you judge people outside your home, ask the harder question.
Is my private life with God real right now?

Behind closed doors, where no one sees, is most important.
It is where your motives get exposed.
It is where bitterness gets named.
It is where pride dies.
It is where love gets refilled.

Jesus says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

If your relationship with God is lacking, your church expectations will increase.
You will want the church to give you what only Jesus can give you.

Start simple.

Start with prayer.
Lord, help me know You. Help me love what You love. Help me see clearly.

Continue in the Word.
Ask, what does this say about God.
What does this expose in me.
What does obedience look like today.

Continue in worship.
Worship is not only music. Worship is what you give your attention, affection, and trust to.
Your phone can disciple you.
Your enetertainment can disciple you.
So can Jesus.

Then go practice what you learn.
Not to earn God’s love.
But because you already have it in Christ.

Opportunity Two:
BRING UNREST TO GOD FIRST, THEN TO WISE COUNSEL

If you still feel unrest about your church, do not ignore it.
Bring it to God first.
Ask Him to search you and lead you. (Psalm 139:23–24)

Then bring it to wise counsel.
Not to the friend who stays mad with you.
Not to the person who feeds cynicism.

Bitterness loves company.
Wisdom loves the light.

If a church is truly unhealthy, there may be a time to leave and be rooted elsewhere.
But do not make that decision in isolation, emotion, or pride.

Opportunity Three:
STAY LONG ENOUGH TO LEARN THE LESSON

This part is humbling.

Maybe leadership needs growth.
Maybe the structure makes shepherding harder.
Maybe there are blind spots.

And also, maybe I am part of the problem.

It is easy to critique a body you refuse to join.

So I want to ask you straight.
Have you made it easy to know you?
Have you pursued people, or only waited to be pursued?
Have you committed, or stayed on the edges?

Ken Boa challenged me this week with a line that stuck.
“You become in practice who you are in position.”

If position is unclear, practice becomes optional.
If practice becomes optional, the heart cools.
And when the heart cools, people start hunting for purpose in career, family, or adventure because it feels more concrete.

Opportunity Four:
DO, BUT DO IT AS A SON OR DAUGHTER

Notice the last opportunity is action.
Not reaction.
Not ego.
Not “I’ll fix it because nobody else will.”

Action with Jesus.
Action under authority.
Action in love.

I am naturally a shoot-first, aim-later kind of guy.
God has taught me to wait, to pray, to check my heart, and to honor Him with my words.
I even waited before posting this because my flesh can be biased, I have much to learn, and I do not want to unite people around frustration. I want to unite people around Jesus.

So if your church feels too big, here are some practical moves.

Become a member if that is available.
Membership is not a magic badge, but it is often a clear way to say, I am in. Shepherd me. Use me.
Volunteer somewhere faithful.
Serving shrinks the room.
You stop being a face and start becoming family.
Commit to a smaller community.
A group, a table, a discipleship circle.
Not to be trendy, but to be known and to know others.
Start with prayer before you start with plans.
If God is not building it, you are just busy. (Psalm 127:1)
Be a builder, not a divider.
If you see a need, ask, “How can I help?”
Ask, “Who can I serve?”
Ask, “How can I protect unity and strengthen love?”

What Does Today Say About God?

ONE PICTURE AND ONE WARNING TO KEEP IT SIMPLE

Your private time with God is the fire.
The gathered church is the wind that strengthens the flame.
Committed community is the wood that keeps it burning steady.

You need all three.

And praise God, you are not trying to qualify yourself to belong.
If you are in Christ, you are already in.
Because of Jesus.

So here is my question.

Are your thoughts pushing you toward prayer or bitterness?
Toward Jesus or toward the world?
Toward building or toward mocking?

You can love Jesus and still drift from His people. That drift is quiet, and it is dangerous. Ephesians 4 will not let us stay casual about the church.

Keep showing up.
Not as a consumer.
As family.

What a Father.
What a Friend.
What a King.

Thank you, Jesus.

I Just Want To Be Alone

James Floyd — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:31:47 GMT

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash: Even when you escape to the furthest point of the earth to be alone, He will be there.

Ephesians 2

God put something on my heart about two words in Ephesians 2.

We
Us

Paul keeps saying them on purpose.

Here’s why.

Salvation is personal, but not private.

God does not just save a person. He saves a people.

And God does not play favorites. He welcomes anyone who comes to Him through Jesus (Romans 2:11).

In Ephesians 2, Paul also puts an end to the idea of division.

Jew and Gentile.
Insider and outsider.
Near and far.

Jesus brings people together into one family (Ephesians 2:14–16).

And the ‘we’ and ‘us’ language also kills pride.

Because nobody can boast.

We are saved by grace, through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9).

God’s Nature

Ephesians 2 shows me God cares for people, not just a person.

He calls us into a family.

He draws near with love that feels personal. Like you are the only one on earth.

But when you meet Him, you don’t become isolated.

You become connected with Him and others.

His love makes you love.

So Where Does That Leave Us?

Here is a picture that helps me.

Private time with Jesus is the fire.

The church is the wind. It gives oxygen.

A small group of believers is the wood. It keeps the fire burning.

All three matter.

You can feel when one is missing.

What I see today is that many people leave the fire unattended.

So when the church hurts them, their faith collapses.

Or they try to live off other people’s faith by attending multiple small groups.

That will never last.

Jesus did not die to make you a casual friend, church shopper, or small group couch surfer.

He died to make you alive. And to make us one (Ephesians 2:4–6, 14).

Never Finished Challenge

First, meet Jesus every morning.

Same seat.
Same place.
Same simple routine.

This will take a lot of the guesswork out of location, time, and place, keeping you focused on Him.

Not to earn His love.

But because you already have His love in Christ.

Second, commit to a local church.

Not a perfect one. A healthy one.

Don’t leave the moment you feel disappointed.

Grow there. Serve there. Be known there (Hebrews 10:24–25).

Finally, find a small circle of believers.

A place to be honest.
A place to be challenged.
A place to pray and grow (James 5:16).

We and us is wired into us.

You are not meant to do life alone.

What Does Today Say About God?

God is not lonely.

God is love.

And God brings lonely people into His family.

Jesus did not just forgive you.

He brought you home.

What a Father.
What a King.
What a Friend.

Thank You, Jesus.

JESUS IS NOT YOUR CASUAL FRIEND

James Floyd — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:20:42 GMT

Photo by Hoi An and Da Nang Photographer on Unsplash: @KenBoa says, “Relationships are the currency of heaven.” Where do you spend most of your time?

John 15:14
“You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

Friendship is an interesting thing to observe.

Some people have small circles they remain in for the rest of their lives. Others crave a small circle of friends they can do life with. Some intentionally reach out, sit down, pray, and pour out. Some do not. From what I have witnessed as a thirty-seven-year-old, most do not.

Part of the reason is geography. I live in Atlanta, and these days, seeing a friend can mean a forty-five minute drive with a high likelihood of death on the highways. Another reason is time.

“Sorry, man. Been so busy.”

No matter the desire or the excuse, here is the truth we must understand.

We are wired for relationship and community.
Isolation kills.
Admiration is easy.
Devotion is costly.

A quick glance back to 2020 makes that plain. Loneliness rose. Anxiety rose. People tried to numb the ache in a thousand ways.

I do not believe we, as a society, take friendship seriously. We live in a world of convenience and low intentionality. That drift does not stay horizontal. It leaks upward.

If we treat friendship casually with people, we will eventually treat Jesus casually, too.

And John 15:14 does not leave room for casual.

Jesus ties friendship to obedience. Not because obedience earns His love, but because real love always moves. Real love listens. Real love follows. Grace saves us, and grace trains us to obey.

So when Jesus becomes a casual friend, the world around us becomes a playground of pleasure seeking, and our hearts become a desolate wasteland.
We stay uncommitted.
We stay cheap.
We stay distracted.

Casual friendship produces casual disciples.
Covenant friendship with Jesus produces courageous obedience, deep joy, and lasting fruit. (John 15:8, 11)

John 15 Sits Inside a Bigger Picture

Old Testament friendship is real, but rare and costly

God is Creator and King. Covenant comes first. Friendship never makes God our equal.

Abraham is called God’s friend because he believed God, and that faith showed itself in obedience, even when it cost him. (Genesis 15, Genesis 22, 2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23)

Moses spoke with the Lord “face to face” like a man speaks to his friend, yet the nearness stayed holy. Friendship never cancels the fear of the Lord. (Exodus 33:11)

Proverbs ties friendship to loyalty, truth, and sharpening, not casual hanging out.
(Proverbs 17:17, 27:6, 27:17)

And the Old Testament warns that some friendships are counterfeit. Companions can slowly pull you from covenant faithfulness. (Psalm 1, Proverbs 13:20)

The New Testament raises the bar and opens the door wider

Jesus does not lower holiness. He brings you into it.

John 15 is not mainly about your affection for Jesus. It is about Jesus choosing you, loving you first, and forming you into someone who abides and bears fruit. (John 15:9, 15:16)

The shift is massive. Jesus calls His disciples friends because He shares the Father’s heart with them. Friendship includes revelation and trust. “I have made known to you” is not surface-level language. (John 15:15)

Still, it is not casual. Obedience is the evidence of love, and love is defined by Jesus, not by anything the world can conjure up. (John 14:15, John 15:10)

And the cross proves what Jesus means by friend. He means blood, not surface-level inconvenience. (John 15:13)

Friendship in scripture has a clear shape.

Friendship is chosen, not assumed.
Friendship is covenantal, not convenient.
Friendship is loyal under pressure, not seasonal.
Friendship tells the truth with love, not flattery.
Friendship is purpose-driven. It helps each other walk toward God, not toward self.

So where does that leave you and me?

Never Finished Challenge
New friend. Who dis?

The more you read Scripture, the more you know God.
The more you know God, the more you reflect Him to your friends.

So, where are you spending most of your time?

Working to keep up your “lifestyle.”
Working to not go bankrupt in your lifestyle.
Working to keep up with surface-level friends.
Searching for an identity that fulfills you by shopping, scrolling, and dreaming.

Noise.

Jesus is not meant to orbit your life.
Your life is meant to orbit Jesus.

All of it is noise. Or as Jesus puts it, a house built on sand. (Matthew 7:26)

So build your house on the Rock.

How?

Ask.

“Father, help me prioritize you. Search my heart. Empower me to remove what does not glorify you.”

And when you feel the tension to make a change, do it swiftly. Small acts of obedience become a new pattern. A new pattern becomes a new life.

Does my life look like I am abiding, or drifting? (John 15:4–5)

***WARNING

Watch out for excuses. You become brilliant at defending what you think you need. It is just noise wearing a mask.

A life committed to Christ is a life of eternal impact on earth.

WHAT DOES TODAY SAY ABOUT GOD?

Eternal.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” (Psalm 42:1)

David had tasted God’s presence, and you can hear it. It was not casual. Out of everything David could have chased, God’s presence was what he wanted.

God can give you the same hunger.

May He give you a heart of zeal to show up. He has an eternal nature that never ends. And He means to share it with you every time you draw near.

What a Father.
What a King.
What a Friend.

Thank you, Jesus

Become His Friend!

I Beat Bryan Johnson Stats on Age

James Floyd — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:32:08 GMT

This is me in front of Thrive coworking space. My buddy captured the moment. Excited. Ready to risk it all. For His glory.

Romans 8:5–17
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:16–17

Bryan Johnson is known for extreme, data-driven anti-aging. Biomarkers. Protocols. Numbers.

But there is a kind of “younger” he cannot measure (not saying he is not a believer because I don’t know him, so hang with me).

From that place.
From the place of a child.

A child is often most vulnerable, trusting, and curious. Jesus tells us that childlike posture matters. “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3. And when His disciples tried to keep children away, He said, “Let the children come to me… for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14.

I have been gifted five incredible years of being a father of three girls, so those words have become more alive than ever.

No matter where my girls try to run or what mistakes they make, they will always be God’s children first and then ours to shepherd and point to Him.

And I can already see what will inevitably happen. The noise of the world will set out to drown their identity in Christ. It will also attack their identity as loved daughters.

Without trying to live in a bubble, here is what God has been teaching me. This will help you stand strong in your identity in Him and fight shame without hiding.

Paul says in Romans 8:5–17 to set your mind on the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit. How do you do that?

In a way, like my children do with me.

They live in my house.
They spend time with me, and I take time to notice and love them.
Not just passing time, but intentional time, in the way they are wired.

And as a result, they learn two critical things.

First, my love for them is not predicated on what they do.
Second, they learn who they are. Their gifts, their gaps, their strengths, their limits.

This is why Romans 8 is so freeing. If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation for you. Romans 8:1. You are not being tolerated by God. You have been adopted—like you were His blood child. You belong. “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Romans 8:15.

You are a child of God. So the more time you spend with your heavenly Father, the more you will receive His love for you, and the more you will love Him back and love others well. And you will start learning your own internal wiring too. The same categories. Shortcomings, gifts, and abilities.

I feel like, because we are constricted with time, we forget that growing up takes time. In a healthy home, a child is shaped across years, not moments. God is a perfect Father. So be encouraged about your mistakes. Sanctification is real growth over real time. He is patient. He finishes what He starts. Philippians 1:6.

So how do you approach the throne when shame is screaming at you?

You do what children do.

You come to your Father.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.

Never Finished Challenge: ASK

Jesus gave you a simple pattern. Matthew 7:7.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.

Today, do it like this.

Ask God for help, and in the process, stop shaming yourself for asking.
Do I shame my kids when they ask for help?

Seek God in His Word in the valley and on the mountaintops.
God, speak truth to me. Show me the next step.

Knock with obedience, not delay.
God, strengthen me to do the next right thing today.

I love hearing my generation, or older people, say, “I’m getting old.”

Every birthday, God has been reminding me of something different.

In a strange way, I am getting younger and younger.

Not like Bryan Johnson.

But because of God’s redeeming hand in my life, trauma has been used to produce triumph in Him. Trials have become places where I can see His steady love at work. And shame has been losing its grip.

I am growing from a scarred and timid adult into a more curious adult. More childlike. And I will take that kind of “younger” over anything my bloodwork could ever say.

Something else I do that has changed my life forever. Every day I pray these words:

God, give me zeal, not fleeting emotion, to pursue you and your Word, to receive you and your truth.

And when you get that nudge to open the Bible, go find a church, strengthen your community, change your music, change what you watch, or just turn it off, obey quickly.

Do not delay.
He has much in store.

What Does Today Say About God?

Elohim

God is Creator.

The world offers shame and isolation. God did not create us to live that way. Sin brought hiding. Genesis 3. But God moved toward sinners, not away from them. He exposed the lie, covered the shame, and promised redemption.

God’s covenant love stands.
A life was lost.
And a way was made for you and me to receive conviction without condemnation, and to walk toward fullness of joy.

Like a father loves a son, so the Lord disciplines His children. Not to shame them, but to restore them. Hebrews 12:6.

What a joy it is to be in a family where the Father does not kick me out when I mess up. He does not condemn me or shame me. He draws me in, cleans me, and empowers me to walk in new ways. New mind pathways. New heart pathways. New soul pathways.

Are you sick of creating chaos, or living inside chaos you helped build?

Give Elohim your life.
Return to the Father.
Walk with Him today.

Become His Child!

I want to go to Jesus Forever!

The Fall Gave Our Flesh a Priority—Self.

James Floyd — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:42:08 GMT

Photo by Alberto Bigoni on Unsplash: We strive to control the flock that isn’t ours. It is His. When we learn how to be stewards of what He gave us, we will start to live free and on purpose.

In Day 1 of How to Stop Running From God After You Fail, we exposed the foundation of Romans 8:1 and made pivotal observations.

The question is not, do I feel condemned?

The question is, did Jesus finish the payment?

Today, let’s look at the central figure of Romans 8:1.

Jesus.

Today, I was reminded of three stories among thousands.

“Go, sell all you have, and follow me…”

Jesus said this to the rich young ruler, and it shows us what life with Him looks like.

Not that every believer must sell everything.

But that Jesus will always put His finger on what owns you.

He loves us too much to leave idols untouched.

Life with Jesus is a life where “never enough” gets exposed.

Where greed and pride are confronted.

Not to shame you, but to free you.

In Mark 10, the disciples tried to keep the children away.

Jesus was indignant and said, “Let the children come to me.”

Then He says the kingdom is received like a child.

Life with Jesus is pursued like a child.

Curious.

Hungry.

Open-handed.

Not posturing.

Not performing.

Not pretending you have it all together.

Then a blind man named Bartimaeus cries out twice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

He calls Him Rabbi and asks to see again.

Life with Jesus is a life of vision.

Seeing for the first time.

He opens the eyes of the heart.

He gives a new heart when ours is hard. Ezekiel 36:26.

He turns stone into flesh.

He changes us from the inside out, day by day.

Your safety is not in your performance.

Your identity is in your position.

In Christ.

Romans 8:1 is not a mood or an excuse to sin.

It is a verdict.

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Two heads. Two families.

In Adam, there is condemnation.

In Christ, there is righteousness and life. Romans 5:18–19.

And how do you get into Christ?

Not by cleaning yourself up.

Not by promising God you will never fail again.

By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Right before Mark highlights the lowly, children and a blind man, seeing Jesus clearly, the disciples are still arguing about who will be the greatest.

The fall gave our flesh a priority.

Self.

But Jesus, God in the flesh, redeems our self-centeredness and offers Himself.

He turns self-centeredness into Jesus-centeredness.

Consequently, death into life.

Insignificance into significance.

Blindness into sight.

Never Finished Challenge

When you fail, do not hide.
Confess fast. 1 John 1:9.
Run to God, not from Him.
Agree with God about your sin, and agree with God about your Savior.

What Does Today Say About God?

Life.

Have you been experiencing sadness, death, hurt, or pain?

There is one place I will encourage you to go.

Go to Jesus.

Not later.

Not after you feel better.

Not after you prove yourself.

Go now.

In Him, you have life.

Life to the full. John 10:10.

What a Father.
What a King.
What a Friend.

Thank you, Jesus.

You Messed Up And You Are Still His Child

James Floyd — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:54:02 GMT

Photo by Stephanie Hau on Unsplash: Draw near to God, and He has promised to draw near to us. When you feel the pull to open the word, pray, confess, do it quickly.

The loudest voice after you sin will shape your next step.

I remember a drive toward Atlanta to meet two guys I was mentoring. Early morning. Coffee shop.

The day before, I had sinned. I messed up. I felt conviction, and I knew I needed to tell them the truth.

Two lies hit my mind.

You are a fraud.
You are going to cause them to sin too.

But after I briefly gazed at the glorious sunrise in the rearview mirror, the Holy Spirit gave me the courage to confess to them quickly. God used that obedience. I kept mentoring those guys, and I watched God help them walk in freedom, too.

Back then, I do not think I understood Romans 8:1.

My childhood did not help. In and out of three homes. Not valued. Always tempted to believe I was condemned.

So when I look at Romans 8:1, I see what I missed for a long time.

Condemnation is the guilty verdict that leads to punishment.

The question is not, do I feel condemned?
The question is, did Jesus finish the payment?

He did.

And in Christ, God the holy Judge declares you not guilty forever.

Paul does not say there is less condemnation.
He says there is no condemnation.

This matters because condemnation is courtroom language. In Greek, the word is katakrima. A legal verdict.

So imagine yourself standing in a courtroom. The judge reads a long list of your sins, past, present, and future.

Then Jesus steps forward. He stands in your place. He says, I will take it all.

And the Judge declares the verdict over you.

“Not guilty.”

That is Romans 8:1.

Conviction and Condemnation

Conviction is the Spirit pulling you toward Jesus.
Condemnation is the enemy pushing you away from Jesus.

Romans 3 helps us understand why this verdict is real.

Romans 3:23 reminds us who we are apart from Christ.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Not some. Everyone.

Then Romans 3:24 to 26 shows us what God did about it.
We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God put Jesus forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

That word propitiation matters.
Jesus did not ignore sin.
Jesus did not pretend sin was small.
Jesus satisfied God’s righteous justice.

So when you sin, you do not run away in shame. Run to your Father.

1 John 1:9 reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

He forgives.
He cleanses.
He does not hold your sin over your head.
He brings you back.

Colossians 2:13-14 puts words to the courtroom picture.
God canceled the record of debt that stood against you.
He set it aside, nailing it to the cross.

Now, hear this.
No condemnation is not a mood.
It is a position.
In Christ.

And no condemnation does not mean no correction.
A Father can discipline a son He loves, without condemning him.

If you are not in Christ, Romans 8:1 is not yours yet.
But it can be.
Turn to Jesus. Trust him. Be saved.

One more thing that helps many people.
Some Bible translations include an extra phrase in Romans 8:1 about walking according to the Spirit. Others place that language in Romans 8:4. Do not turn that into a condition you must earn.

The verdict is based on Jesus.
The Spirit changes how you walk because you are already his.

So here is my Never Finished Challenge for you.

Never Finished Challenge

When you sin, what thoughts enter your mind?
When you mess up, what voice gets loud?

Do those thoughts convict you and pull you toward Jesus?
Or do they shame you and pull you away from Jesus?

Your answer reveals what you believe.
Truth or a lie.

Do this the next time you sin.

• Name the lie.
• Confess fast to God.
• Replace the lie with truth out loud.
• Tell one trusted brother so darkness loses its grip.

Stop arguing with the cross.

If God accepted Jesus, and you are in Jesus, then God accepts you.

When you fail, do not hide. Confess fast. Run to God, not from Him.

Pray like this.

Jesus, teach me to stay in you.
Anchor my identity, stubbornly and gladly, to your finished work.

Ask God to name the lies you believe and help you replace them with truth.

And when you feel weak, remember Hebrews 4:16.
You can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need.

Also, remember Romans 8:38 to 39.
Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God’s love is not conditional.
You cannot earn your way to him.
Salvation is a gift.
Grace alone.
Faith alone.
Christ alone.
So no one can boast.

What Does Today Say About God

Sometimes I struggle with how long it takes me to learn what I should have learned sooner. But the Lord keeps giving me a picture through my kids.

I cannot send my five-year-old out into the world alone right now. She stays close, under my care. I love her. I direct her. I point her to Jesus. And then, Lord willing, one day I will release her to walk in the calling God has for her.

God is like that with me, but perfect.

In my impatience, God is patient.
In my lack of faith, God is faithful.
In my despair, God gives me fuel for hope.
In my mess-ups, God gives me grace and mercy, and He keeps calling me back.

Not with folded arms.
With the love of a Father.
With the arms of a Father.

He is not training me by shame.
He is training me by love.
And love has a name, Jesus.

What a Father.
What a Friend.
What a King.

Thank you, Jesus.

Next, we will talk about how the Spirit empowers this new life, and how to fight shame in real life and live free.