Promise for Today - No Grapes

Guest Author - Christopher Glotzbach

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Thank God He doesn’t always say “Yes.”

This morning when I opened the refrigerator, the dogs came running and sat really nicely — they were expecting a treat.

We call this the cheese tax.

Every once in a while I’ll give them some cheese, and each time the door opens it’s like Pavlov's dogs.

This morning it got me thinking, though, about the biggest mistake I ever made with our pups.

One evening before dinner, I was washing grapes and Munsee, our Blue Merle, was sitting at my feet.

This is his way of asking for something.

"Look — I’m good — now give me a reward."

And being honest, it’s sometimes how we treat the Lord, right?

“God, look at me!”

“Look at how well I’m behaving” — “How well I am doing.”

“Where’s my reward!?”

And I’m so thankful God doesn’t work this way.

Because in my foolishness, because I love my dog and because he was behaving well — I tossed Munsee a grape.

I know (Well, I didn’t know then), but Brittany did.

Panic set in — we were convinced in the moment I had killed our dog.

Thankfully — He was okay.

But, as I’ve reflected on the moment, no matter how well Munsee behaves while I’m washing grapes — no matter how badly he wants it. The answer will always be, “No”

Because I love him.

And I’m so thankful that the Lord loves me infinitely more than I could ever love anyone or anything. And even though I’m begging the Lord for the thing I think will be best for me in the moment. The answer will always be, “No,” because God loves me. And God loves you.

It’s changed a lot for me.

That I’m so thankful looking back on all the things I so desperately wanted and asked the Lord for that he said “No.” Because he knew what I didn’t— that it wouldn’t be good for me.

How many grapes do we ask for? — when God has something so much better for us.

Here’s my prayer today:

God, help me trust this section of Scripture. Help me rest in this, knowing You are a Good Father who knows what I need better than I ever could.

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬-‭34‬

Your will be done in my life just as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Promise for Today - Getting Over

My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. 

Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV)

Is your life overflowing? If you’re like most people, it may be overflowing—but not with goodness. So many people have overbooked their calendars, overspent their money, overdrawn their credit, overloaded their emotions, overworked their bodies, overcrowded their days, and overvalued the approval of others. As a result, they wind up overstressed, overanxious, and overwhelmed—and they’re over it! They are far from experiencing the goodness of God.

Why do we do let ourselves get overextended? Often the fear of missing out motivates us to do more. But the truth is you’re not missing out on anything when you rest in the goodness and provision of God.

God wants to move you from being overwhelmed to overflowing. He wants to meet all your needs—and he can! First, you need to recognize two fundamentally different approaches to life that either keep you from God’s abundance or bring you into God’s abundance: a shortage mindset and a surplus mindset.

With a shortage mindset, you constantly think, “I don’t have enough time. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough energy or contacts or opportunities or knowledge or education.” It’s the sense that you’re always a day late and a dollar short. A shortage mindset focuses on your limited resources, and the result is an overwhelmed life.

A surplus mindset focuses on God’s limitless resources, and the result is an overflowing life.

Have you ever worried that the person breathing next to you is stealing your air? Of course not. You know that God created more than enough air for everybody to have all they need.

The Bible includes words like abundance, plentiful, abounding, and bountiful to describe what God has to offer you. God has more than enough to meet all your needs and everybody else’s needs at the same time.

The Message paraphrase tells us what Jesus said: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10).

You don’t have to worry about running short of anything, because God is the source of your life. He wants to fill you with an endless supply of his goodness, joy, blessing, hope, and peace, so you’re able to say, “My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:5-6 NIV).

Talk It Over

What perspectives or emotions reflect a shortage mindset?

How does a surplus mindset produce peace in your life?

Why do we so often worry about how much others have instead of focusing on God’s abundant provision in our own lives?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          In the middle of all the noise, pressure, and concerns around us, we need Your peace. Our hearts long for calm and our minds long for quiet. Please fill our thoughts with Your presence. Replace stress with stillness and worry with trust. Help us remember that You are near in every moment. When we start to feel overwhelmed again, remind us to return to You in prayer. Help us release our burdens instead of trying to carry them alone. Your peace is greater than every problem we face. Let that peace guard our hearts and guide our decisions today. No matter what challenges appear, help us walk forward with confidence that You are beside us. Thank You for being our Refuge and our Strength. In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen.

Promise for Today - Wanna Wrestle?

I will not let you go unless you bless me.

Genesis 32:26 (NIV)

When God blessed Jacob, he promised to give him land, multiply his family, make him a mighty nation, and use him to bless the world. He made Jacob and his family God’s chosen people.

But just like he does with you today, God gave Jacob a promise and then tested his faith in that promise.

In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestled with God all night long in a struggle that tested his patience, faith, and trust. Then God touched Jacob’s hip and injured it, putting him at a serious disadvantage. Jacob was hurt and exhausted, and yet at dawn he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me”.

Isn't that an interesting thing to say to somebody you're wrestling with? At some point during that all-night struggle, Jacob became aware that this was no ordinary opponent. He was wrestling with God. And so, Jacob refused to let go, knowing that God could bless him.

Maybe you feel like you’re wrestling with God right now, and the struggle is lasting way too long. Maybe you don’t want to do the things God has told you to do, like be generous or obey his rules for sex or be kind to your enemies.

The very God you’re wrestling with is the one who gives you your dream for your life. He's the one who will make it happen! God’s not trying to thwart your dream—he’s getting you ready for it. Your struggle will build your stamina, deepen your patience, and increase your resilience.

Your wrestling match will also bring you to the point of commitment. At the very moment when you think it’s time to give up, you need to turn to God and say, “I’m in this struggle as long as it takes for you to do your good work in me and bless me.”

That kind of response to God’s test shows you’re ready for his anointing on your life.

Talk It Over

What things in your life do you think God wants to bless? What things are keeping you from his blessing?

How does God help you when you commit to his work in your life, even when it is painful?

Do you want God’s anointing on your life? Why or why not?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

         We confess to You that sometimes our worries seem too big. We don’t see an end to our current situation, and Your timing seems different than what we would have chosen. But we know and believe that no matter how much we’ve struggled, You alone can see the big picture. And we praise You, that You are with us in it all. Help us to hear Your voice through the difficult days. Help us to set our eyes on You alone. Help us to keep moving in the direction You are leading us. Thank You for Your reminders that through every weakness and hard place, Your strength is displayed in beautiful ways through our lives. We can’t do it on our own, Lord. We’re so freshly aware of that. But You can work Your great miracles in us, and through us.
         Thank You that this battle will never have the final say over our lives. And that because of Your power and compassion, we will come through to the other side, with greater perseverance, stronger faith, and deeper awareness of Your presence with us. Thank You that You are fighting for us, and will bring us out as gold. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Impossible Possibles

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NIV)

God never tells you to do something without providing what you need to do it. Anointing is a sign that he is equipping and empowering you to fulfill an assignment he’s given you.

Do you want God’s resurrection power to work through your life? Then you need to understand what it means to have his anointing. To understand God’s anointing, you need to keep a few things in mind.

1. When God says to do it, you can count on his anointing. Jesus’ last assignment to his disciples was impossible. There was no way they could take the gospel to the ends of the earth—except through his power. God will often give you an assignment that looks physically impossible, but he will make it possible.

“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV).

2. God’s anointing makes difficult tasks easier. Your resources, energy, knowledge, wisdom, and talent are all limited—but God is not. With God’s anointing, you can handle things better, last longer, and go farther.

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources [God] will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16 NLT).

3. God’s anointing makes the impossible possible. In your business, marriage, health, and relationships, you’re going to come up against seemingly insurmountable problems. God is a competent Father. No problem is beyond his ability to provide.

“What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NIV).

4. God anoints your life to bless others. Jesus came to comfort the afflicted, broken-hearted, and those who are enslaved to bad habits. And he anoints you to comfort others as well.

Acts 10:38 is paraphrased in The Message this way: “Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.”

5. For every new challenge, you need renewed power from God. Anointing by the Holy Spirit can’t be stored up. You can’t handle today’s problems with yesterday’s anointing.

Stay in touch with God so that he can constantly fill you with his grace, love, and power. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (NIV). Ask for God’s anointing again!

Talk It Over

If you believed God wanted to bless your life, what would you ask of him?

Do you try to accomplish your tasks based on your own power or God’s power? What difference does it make?

In what ways do you see how God has anointed you, or equipped you, to fulfill whatever assignment he has given you?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         We come humbly, yet boldly to Your throne of Grace seeking fresh anointing to cleanse, refill, and align us with Your will for our lives. Let the anointing oil break off the spiritual dryness and dullness that has crept in. Lord, we need Your anointing to operate with Your power and boldness so that we may fulfill our assignments with excellence. Let Your anointing separate us from every distraction and empty pursuit, and draw us deeper into Your presence and purpose. Renew the gifts You have placed inside of us, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Powerful Weakness

Guest author - Christopher Glotzbach 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

You need help.

Those are words I have a hard time believing… and an even harder time receiving.

But something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is this:
When I receive help, I’m not just allowing someone to help me — I’m giving them an opportunity to bless. And when I refuse help, sometimes I unintentionally hinder someone else from living out the way God created them. 

The other day during a workout, I was on the ground (yes, on purpose ) trying to get a weight onto my lap so I could do some glute bridges. I was struggling. Like… really struggling. Before I knew it, a woman from the gym came over and offered to help me lift the plate into position.

Now, I’m pretty hardheaded… I mean, determined … so I was still fighting to get it myself.
She offered again and I looked at her and said: “No, I’m okay.”  She walked away, and I could tell she looked a little confused. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I wondered if my refusal didn’t only communicate, “I don’t need help,” but maybe even, “I don’t need you.” And that bothered me.

After my workout, I found her and apologized. But honestly, the whole thing felt awkward.
And the reality is… it didn’t have to be.
How much harder would it have been to simply say, “Yes, thank you”?
I could have humbled myself, accepted help and given someone else the opportunity to serve...

But

The reason I said no wasn’t because I didn’t need help. It was because of pride. 

And that moment has had me thinking: 

How often do I refuse help from people who genuinely want to help me? 

Over the last week, I’ve challenged myself to say yes more often. And you know what I’ve discovered? Something really beautiful happens when we allow people to lean in. We give people the opportunity to live out the way God created them. Because we weren’t created to live independently from one another. We were created to serve, encourage, carry burdens, to give ourselves away, practice hospitality.  It’s the mission of Christ through us. 

That’s part of what it means to die to ourselves.
And sometimes my refusal to receive isn’t humility — it’s actually pride. Because when I refuse help, I’m not only trying to prove I can do it on my own… I may be keeping someone else from experiencing the joy of serving.

And I wonder how often we do the same thing with God. How often is the Lord offering us help — giving us peace, wisdom, strength, or direction — and we respond: “No, I’m okay.” How often do we rely on our own strength instead of receiving His?

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Then Paul says: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Maybe weakness isn’t something we need to hide.
Maybe weakness is an invitation to experience God’s power — and the blessing of others.
Because when people are generous with their time, talent and treasure, it makes us want to be generous in the same way. Right?!

 
So today my prayer is this:
Lord, 

       Help me stay humble and open to receive help. Remind me that when I accept help, I’m not just receiving a blessing — I’m allowing someone else to be a blessing. Help me stop trying to prove I can do everything on my own. Help me boast in my weakness, knowing that Your power is made perfect in my need. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Banquet On the Battlefield

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

King David knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but Saul was still king and decided to kill him. David had to hide from Saul in caves while lies were being told about him across the kingdom. Yet David never retaliated, because God was preparing him to be a king who followed God’s heart.

David said of God, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5 NIV). Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself, because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to trust God and rest when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, and when rumors are spreading about you. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it. 

How do you handle people who attack you? You don’t. You let God handle them. Trust God to be your defender.

Not only does God want to defend you, but he also wants to fellowship with you. The Message paraphrases Psalm 5:11 this way: “You’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration.”

Both Psalm 23 and Psalm 5 paint the picture of a banquet, or a party, at an unlikely time—not just when good times are happening but when you’re under attack.

If you’re in the heat of the battle right now, God knows about it. Maybe you’re fighting for your job, your health, your sanity, or your dignity. While the battle is going on, God wants to throw a banquet for you to offer just a little encouragement.

God wants to host a banquet on a battlefield. That kind of encouragement is available to you today when you surrender your worry, pain, and control to Jesus and rest in his promises to you.

If you’re a child of God, your heavenly Father is proud of you. Critics may spite you, slander you, ignore you, ridicule you, or libel you, but they can’t stop God’s blessing on your life.

As the Bible says, “He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me” 

Song of Solomon 2:4 GNT.

Talk It Over

What battle are you in right now? What opposition is staring you down?

What will you have to let go of in order to surrender your defense to God?

How does resting during a battle help you fight better?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

         Arise, O Lord, and defend Your people. Lead us swiftly through the valley of the shadow of death. Come as a pillar of fire and illuminate our path to make it away from hostility and lead us into Your land of promise. Shield us from the plots of the wicked who would cut us off from Your life-giving grace. Instead, let us dwell in Your courts and grow in our holiness through Christ. 
     Keep our souls pure and washed clean by the blood of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Guard the doors of our hearts that nothing unclean can enter into us or have any influence over us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Where Are You?

The Lord is nearer to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

What if you’re exactly where you need to be?

In 2026, it feels like we’re constantly being told what will make us happy. A bigger house. A nicer car. A better job. More influence. More success. That promotion. That relationship. Better neighbors. While there’s pressure from all sides, the message is always the same: “The grass is always greener...”

Monday night, a storm rolled through our house, and it hit our little garden pretty hard. Especially our jalapeños. (My favorite thing we grow.)  The wind snapped branches, flattened the plants, and, sadly, we had to remove a large section. Months of growth…Gone in one night. 
Disappointing.

It wasn’t all bad. In the next bed over, we had recently planted green beans. They hadn’t even broken through the soil yet. While the jalapeños were taking the full force of the storm, the beans rested safely beneath the surface—hidden, protected and completely out of harm's way from the wind.

As I stood there looking at both beds, I couldn’t help but wonder…

What if we spent less time wishing we were somewhere else and more time trusting God with where we are? Content.

 
Sometimes life feels like the jalapeños. The winds come. Things break. Dreams fall apart. We feel crushed by life: Devastated. When that happens, I cling to these words:
"The Lord is nearer to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)

The reality?
God draws nearer to us in our brokenness. Regardless of how we feel, He’s not absent in the storm. He’s especially present there.

But, man, there are other times that life feels more like the green beans. Hidden. Unseen. Waiting. Expecting. Wondering when it’s finally going to be our turn. Questions like: “Does God care about me!?” “Does God see me!?”

Maybe—just maybe—that hidden season isn’t God holding us back.
Maybe it’s His loving kindness.
Maybe He knows we’re still developing roots.
Maybe He’s protecting us from pressures we’re not ready to carry yet.

Praise God in the moments I so desperately wanted to get out of the developing season, He was kind enough to say “not yet.”

The truth is, neither season is wasted. Both are good. And maybe you’re exactly where you need to be.

 
Whether you’re weathering the storm or waiting beneath the surface — God is still at work in you. Not every season looks like it’s producing fruit. But what if the fruit it’s producing is not seen, but felt?
Like: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Written by Christopher Glotzbach, Muncie, Indiana

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
                          Whether I’m waiting for breakthrough, enjoying seasons of peace, standing in the middle of a storm, or picking up the pieces afterward, help me remain in You. Teach me to be content where You’ve planted me. Exactly where I am. Exactly how I am. Knowing I won’t be here forever.
Increase my trust that Your timing is better than mine. Keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, because You are worthy of it all. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.