LifeLink Devotions for Friday, July 31, 2026

In 1972, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox starred in a movie that is still a classic. It was called Deliverance. The stars play the roles of four city men who decide to leave their golf clubs behind for a weekend and take a canoe trip down a rushing river. They weren’t prepared for who they would meet along the river. After a series of encounters with wildlife and wild men which result in two murders, their nightmare is finally over, or so they thought. They may have been physically delivered from their enemies, but the mental terror of what happened will be with them forever, as depicted in the last scene of the movie. We are left with the notion that there is no real deliverance from evil.

Many Christians still live with that notion firmly fixed in their minds. They believe there is a day coming when we will be delivered from evil when we reach the glorious presence of God in Heaven. But for today we must live with it. However, the Scripture speaks of a deliverance today.

2 Corinthians 1:10   “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” 

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray for deliverance. “And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER us from evil.” 

That doesn’t mean that there won’t be evil around us. It does mean, however, that there can be no evil in us. That means both physically and mentally. The spiritual deliverance from sin found in Jesus Christ can overcome both the flesh and the mind with the deliverance from evil through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The word deliver or one of its forms is used 195 times in the Bible. 53 of those times are in the Psalms alone. Probably my favorite use is in Psalm 91, because it was my mom’s favorite Psalm. It says, “’Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’” Now that’s deliverance. God is with us in our trouble. He will deliver us from our trouble. He will honor us and satisfy us in this life. He will bring us to the completion of our salvation in eternal life. All this because we choose to love Him and acknowledge His Name.

The Apostle Paul had experienced terrible and tragic circumstances. He tells the people in Corinth, “I have been in prison, been flogged severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” But through it all he continued to trust in the deliverance of God.

Paul remembered how the Lord had delivered him in the past. He was convinced that the Lord would deliver him in the present. He had set his hope – his certainty – on the faithfulness of God to deliver him in the future. No current physical circumstance could change his emotional state because his mind was convinced that God would deliver him because of his spiritual condition.

That is a powerful statement worthy of remembrance and application to our own lives. No current physical circumstance can change your emotional state if your mind is convinced that God will deliver you because of your spiritual relationship with Him. If you are in Christ and have surrendered your life to Him for salvation, you have been delivered from sin. As a result, the Holy Spirit of God lives in you and is constantly delivering you from the influence of sin upon your mind and your emotions. Even though sin is around you, it does not need to affect you. You can choose to listen to the sin or the Spirit. Daily deliverance comes from listening and surrendering to the Spirit of God. You are being delivered from sin and its influence today. Then one day, maybe soon, we who are in Christ will all be delivered from the presence of sin around us when we meet Jesus face to face in God’s glorious presence.

God’s deliverance is complete. Start trusting it, and in case you aren’t already – start living like you have been delivered.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, July 30, 2026

C is for CANCELLED

Here’s a word that elicits emotions ranging from disappointment to delight. Cancelled. It all depends on expectations. The cancellation of events and activities that had expectations of benefit brings disappointment. Disappointment may even become anger when the weekend getaway is cancelled because of sickness, or the ski trip is canceled because of lack of snow, or when any anticipated escape from the stress of normal life is cancelled for any reason. We mope around and pout like little kids when the golfing or fishing day is ruined by thunderstorms, or the shopping trip is interrupted by car trouble. We hate cancellations of things that we anticipate will benefit us. We wish we would have heard the word postponed instead of cancelled, because that would at least leave us with the hope that our expectations will be realized at a later time.

But we love cancellations of things that hurt us or that we are just plain tired of. Teachers and students wake up after a snow storm hoping for the cancellation of school. What if – boy this is a stretch – as a part of the economic stimulus package all taxes due for 2022 were cancelled? The cancellation of things that contribute to our stress or hurt us in some way is seen as good, and we respond with delight. We don’t ever want to hear the word postponed in these situations. We want the cancellation to be final.

The Bible speaks of both cancellations and postponements. For those of us who are in Christ, the cancellations are delightful. For those who are not in Christ, the postponements are destructive. Let’s look at the postponements first.

We have been told in Scripture that the wrath of God is coming on all those who think they are getting away with their lives of sin (Colossians 3:5-6).  People will be going about their normal lifestyles thinking all is well, when in reality the judgment of their sin by God is just being postponed (Luke 17:26-30).  Rich people who trust in their wealth may seem satisfied and secure today, but their destruction is only being postponed (James 5:1-3). It may seem like the wicked are succeeding, but their day is coming (Psalm 37:10-13).

For those living according to the flesh, seeking to satisfy the desires of their sinful heart, the ultimate consequences of their choices are only being postponed. Why? Because God is providing them additional opportunities to connect with Him and repent of their sins. Then, just as is true for us, when they come to Christ, their debt to God will be cancelled.

Christ’s cancellations are delightful. Let’s spend a few moments rejoicing in what God has cancelled because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

1. The law that made us guilty of sin has been cancelled! “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled  the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-15)
2. The first covenant of sacrifice was cancelled so that we could be made holy in Christ by His sacrifice once and for all! “He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.” (Hebrews 10:9-10)
3. Death has been cancelled so that we might have eternal life! “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed…Your covenant with death will be cancelled.” (Isaiah 28:16-18)
4. The debt of sin has been cancelled so that we can be made heirs in the family of God! “Like a will that takes effect when someone dies, the new covenant was put into action at Jesus’ death. His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, cancelling the old obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the eternal inheritance that was promised them. He brought together God and his people in this new way.” (Hebrews 9:16-17, The Message)

How delightful! Everything that kept me from a fully restored relationship with Almighty God has been cancelled. Sin is forgiven. Its debt of death has been fully paid by Another. Eternal life has been granted. Christ’s cancellations at the cross have confirmed me as a child of God forever. Hallelujah! Let’s celebrate cancellations!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, July 29, 2026

B is for BLESSING

Ephesians 1:3   “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.“

Here’s a list of the blessings the Apostle Paul lists in the book of Ephesians:

• He chose us
• He made us holy and blameless in his sight
• In love He adopted as his sons
• He redeemed us
• He forgave us
• He revealed His purpose to us
• He planned for us to bring Him glory
• He sealed us forever with the Holy Spirit

Are you feeling blessed yet? Need more? Here you go. We have been blessed with…

• A heart to know God – “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD.” (Jeremiah 24:7)
• Everything we need to serve Him – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
• Rest and contentment – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
• Peace – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27)

I’m going to have a serious time and space issue here if I don’t stop right now. Did you know that there are over 500 verses in the Bible that refer to the blessings of God that He gives us? So why are we so bummed most of the time? If you tried really hard could you come up with 500 reasons why life is a burden? I think not! In the words of Psalm 42 – “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  Why not take a good Bible concordance today and look up the words “bless”, “blessing”, and “blessed”. Then look up the phrase “give you”. You’ll discover for yourself that the life of Christ in you has brought every spiritual blessing to you. It’s time to start counting your blessings.

It’s a whole lot more fun to focus on blessings than burdens. Every day is the right day to celebrate the blessings of your spiritual life in Christ.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, July 28, 2026

My wife is an amazing teacher. After retiring she did daycare for our grandkids. Every Monday was letter day, and she would create crafts and worksheets and activities to teach a different word representing every letter.

I have an idea – let’s do our own letter days. Each day let’s study a subject from God’s Word that starts with the letters of the alphabet. Obviously, we’ll start at the beginning, with the letter “a”. I’ve chosen Abundance as our subject.

John 10:10   “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.“

It seems that abundance is being taken from us – at least from a cultural and governmental standpoint. Unemployment, debt, and prices are on the rise while spendable income shrinks. Fear is captivating the hearts of people who placed their hope for the future in the financial markets. Discouragement degenerates into despair. When seen through the lenses of personal liberties and prosperity, the picture of America looks bleak.

But the Bible speaks of unlimited abundance that cannot be taken away. It is an abundance that provides hope when all seems hopeless. It produces peace when all is in turmoil. It offers security that overcomes fear. It brings spiritual prosperity that satisfies more deeply than financial prosperity. It is the abundance of life in Christ Jesus.

Our problem isn’t that abundance is being taken from us – our problem is that we are looking for it in the wrong places. Physical and financial abundance never produce peace and joy. They don’t motivate perseverance and self-control. They can’t, because all those things are fruits of the Spirit of God in our lives. All attempts to use physical and financial abundance to bring security will fail, because everything physical and financial will eventually fail. Only the abundance of the life of Christ in us will never fail. Jesus warned us about this when He said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

However, just take a look at the abundance that is promised us in Christ.

• An Abundance of Grace, Faith, and Love – “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:14)
• An Abundance of Mercy – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
• An Abundance of Peace – “…peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2)
• An Abundance of Joy – “Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” (John 16:24)
• An Abundance of Comfort – “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:5)
• An Abundance of Supply – “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
• An Abundance of Knowledge – “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”  (Matthew 13:11-12)
• An Abundance of Answers and Power – “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
• An Abundance of Acceptance – “For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:11)
• An Abundance of the Holy Spirit – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6)

That’s a lot of abundance! That should change some attitudes about life. Hey, that would have been a great word to study today – attitude. Maybe another day.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Monday, July 27, 2026

Certain responses we make to varying situations have become so overused that they have lost their significance.

“How are you?” “Fine.” But are you?

“How’s your food?” “Very good.” But is it?

“I’m really troubled and hurting?” “I will pray for you.” But will you?

Our responses to questions have become trite. They are meaningless. We should call them lies, but we justify them as polite.

In the previous five chapters of the Gospel of John, Jesus informed His disciples that they were going to experience pain and hardship as His followers. He knew they were confused. He knows they would soon be hurting. So what does He do? He prays for them.

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father…”

In the face of impending personal suffering, Jesus prays for His disciples to be unified, strong, courageous, faithful, and united. He prays the same for all of us. When it seemed to the disciples like all was lost, Jesus gave them the greatest gift He could have given – the Father’s heart.

When you are faced with hardships and hurts, do what Jesus did – PRAY.

When your friends and family are suffering, do what Jesus did – PRAY FOR THEM.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1-2

“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! ²  Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.”  Psalm 123:1-2

Don’t let your promise to pray become meaningless.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Friday, July 24, 2026

Recently a news story caught my attention. Video captured by a Border Patrol officer shows a young boy, tears streaming down his face, who had apparently been abandoned alone in the desert in Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border. The boy was seen in the video walking down an empty dirt road. 

“I came with a group, they dumped me, and I don’t know where they are,” the minor said between sobs to a motorist who was in the area. The boy told an off-duty Border Patrol officer, “They can rob me, kidnap me. I am afraid.”

The world is filled with the tragedy of human abandonment. Fathers and mothers abandon their children to pursue their own dreams. Husbands abandon their wives in search of a better life with someone else. Wives do it too. Employees abandon their posts to follow their impulses and seek immediate gratification. Even in the church there is abandonment, as shepherds leave their sheep for a presumed better flock, and sheep leave their shepherds for possible greener pastures.

Jesus understood abandonment through experience. He was abandoned by the people He came to save. He was abandoned by those who had one time followed Him. He was preparing to be abandoned by the Father to the point of death so He would cry out, “Why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus knew what it meant to be abandoned, so He compassionately reached out to those who would soon feel the same abandonment. He has told the disciples that He is leaving them, so now He assures them that it is not abandonment.

John 14:18-19   “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

This statement of Jesus is packed with truth. When we choose to believe in Jesus, we are never left alone. His promise to us is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has come to us as He promised by sending His Spirit to permanently dwell in us. We are not orphans. The love of God is being constantly lavished upon us because we are His eternal children.

Yet the world does not see Him or know Him. Those who do not believe in Jesus are orphans by choice. We who believe are promised life because He who dwells in us is alive. Not so for unbelievers. How sad. If only their spiritual eyes were opened so they could see Jesus, then they too could live. If we who are alive would abandon our worldly pursuits and give them a view of life as a child of God, maybe they would abandon their unbelief and turn to Jesus.

We who know we will never be abandoned must choose to abandon everything that contradicts the life of Christ in us. When we do, we become the living evidence of the resurrected life of Christ. We are surrounded by people who are ready to meet Jesus. Show them that they can.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Thursday, July 23, 2026

Forever is a long time.

We have probably heard and used that statement many times, but it is not a true statement. In fact, a long time is the exact opposite of forever. Forever is the absence of time. Eternity is not measured in time. Forever will never feel like a long time, because the past and the future are all wrapped up in the present. My mind cannot comprehend that because I am confined to a space/time continuum.

God is eternal. He is not limited by time or space. When we enter eternity, and everyone does in either heaven or hell, our existence will no longer be measured by time. We will not have a past to remember or a future to anticipate. Everything about us will be realized in the immediate, and it will never end.

Jesus gave us a glimpse of what eternity will be like in His discussion with the disciples in John 14. Here’s what He said.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…”

Those who have received the forgiveness of God through faith in Jesus Christ are immediately given a Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Eternal God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, comes to us in the Spirit of Christ and dwells in us. Not just for this life, but forever in eternity. It is the Holy Spirit who brings to us the life of Christ, and when these mortal bodies are transformed into immortality, the Holy Spirit will fully glorify the life of Christ in us. It is because we have the eternal presence of Jesus in us today that we can look forward with certainty to the time when time shall be no more, and we experience the eternal glory of God.

Those who are not in Christ have no such hope. They are without the present life of Jesus in them. By their own unbelief they have chosen to not participate in the eternal glory of God. Every unbeliever, with no exceptions, will also become an eternal being, but without the life of Jesus it will be eternal suffering. Today’s rejection of God results in eternal death and separation from God.

Those of us who have eternal life in Christ should be grieving the hopeless state of unbelievers. Yet we are empowered by the life of Jesus in us to be His witnesses to the lost and dying. We have been commissioned by Jesus Christ to go to the lost, make disciples of the lost, baptize them in the Name of Jesus Christ, teach them to obey the commands of Jesus, and then send them out to make even more disciples.

The world is overflowing with death. Our lives are to be overflowing with life so those in death can see the hope we have and turn from death to life. The question of the hour then is this – “Do those in death see the living presence of Jesus Christ in me so that they can find life?”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Wednesday, July 22, 2026

In the 1970’s an investment company marketed their services by promoting their leader as someone who spoke with knowledge, wisdom, and authority. The theme of every television commercial was this: “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.”

I’m usually not at a loss for words. However, when the Word of God speaks, I listen. Jesus made a statement in John 16:33 that needs no explanation, just validation from other verses of Scripture. Let the Word of God speak…and listen to it.

Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

(John 16:33 ; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:4-5; Romans 8:35-39; Galatians 1:3-5)

Now, go and overcome the world. The victory is already yours.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Tuesday, July 21, 2026

It didn’t happen often, but it didn’t need to for me to learn that my brother had more pull with dad than I did. My next younger brother had a way with dad. I would see him push limits and get out of punishments, all because of his sense of humor. He had an in with our father that I didn’t. If I wanted something, I had a better chance of getting it if my brother was my mediator.

Jesus has been teaching His disciples that they could pray and ask for anything in His Name and He would do it for them. The validation for prayer is that Jesus and the Father are one, so what they ask of Jesus they receive from Jesus because He and the Father are always in agreement.

Now, to give them the full understanding of prayer, Jesus helps the disciples understand that when they pray they are talking directly to the Father and the Father is the One answering the prayer on behalf of Jesus.  

John 16:23  “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

There is much theological depth in what Jesus says. But here is a simple truth that encourages me: I no longer need a brother to help me get what I want from the Father.

Jesus is my eternal mediator based on His death and resurrection. He has redeemed me and reconciled me to God.

The Holy Spirit is my eternal Mentor. When I pray, the Holy Spirit initiates my requests so they are in agreement with Jesus.

I can make my requests directly to the Father. My requests will agree with Jesus because I ask according to the desires given to me by the Holy Spirit. The Father hears the requests through the Son who sits next to Him on the throne.  The Father answers my prayers for His own glory and the glory of His Son.

As the Father answers, the Holy Spirit fills me with joy.

It is thrilling to pray with an understanding that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in perfect agreement in accomplishing their will in my life. And when I pray in this way, I am overwhelmed with joy knowing that I am in agreement with Them.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Monday, July 20, 2026

I had a lot of time to prepare, but it didn’t help. When the day finally came, I was overwhelmed with sorrow.

It was the summer of 1967, and my parents informed us that we had to pack all our belongings and move into a small cabin beside a lake. That part was fun, but nothing else about what was happening provided any pleasure for me. I was told we would be living in that cabin until my dad could find another job.

When September came, and school started, we were still in the cabin. It was not heated, and it was getting cold, especially at night. Then the day arrived that I was informed that we were moving in two weeks.  The next day I had to tell all my friends at school that I was leaving. I will never forget the pain of those days.

I cried myself to sleep the night before we got in the car for the long drive from Oscoda, Michigan to St. Paul, Minnesota. If not for time and a backward look at what happened later, I might never have recovered emotionally. But now, looking back, I can see the things God did in my life. And with social media, I am reconnected with many of those friends.

But when it was happening, I was so overwhelmed with sorrow that I couldn’t see anything else. I should have asked more questions about the decisions that were being made. I especially wish I would have asked the why and where questions. But sorrow clouded my judgment.

As He discusses the future with His disciples, Jesus seems a little surprised that they are not asking Him more questions about what He is telling them. He recognizes that sorrow has filled their hearts. In John sixteen Jesus says, “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”(John 16:5-6)

The sorrows of life can be overwhelming. They can limit or even eliminate our ability to see the good that God has designed to come from them.

People leaving and leaving people causes heartache that keeps us from seeing the potential for personal growth through new relationships.

Terminal illnesses overwhelm us with grief so we lose sight of the eternal healing that is ahead.

Personal failures drive us into depression and self-condemnation, keeping us from embracing the power of recovery and future success.

When we focus only on the loss we are experiencing, we are desperately sad. But when we see past the sorrow by asking the right questions, we begin to hope again, and hope brings healing.

If the disciples had only asked Jesus why He was leaving and where He was going, He would have told them. But they didn’t, and their hearts were overwhelmed with sorrow. It is not wrong to ask Jesus questions. He wants to provide you the comfort and hope you need to keep going.

Pastor John