LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 15, 2025

Invitations come in all shapes and sizes for all kinds of events, and they are designed by the sender to do three things: first, to appeal to your emotions with the design of the invitation; second, to give you the information of the event and the blessings you will receive by attending; and third, by the design of the invitation, to reveal the personality and/or character of the sender.

In the same way, our enemy, who is called Satan, or the Devil, or the Roaring Lion seeking to devour us, also sends invitations to us. They come in all shapes and sizes, and like junk emails they clog the inbox of our mind all day long. They are very attractive. They are designed to appeal to us and give us exactly the information the sender knows we need to make a spontaneous and emotional decision. But what is different about his invitations when compared to the ones we receive is this – Satan’s do not reveal his personality or his character.

Satan is a deceiver and will use any lie he can to convince you to come to his party. What will appear on the outside to be an opportunity to find pleasure and fulfillment is really an invitation to death and destruction. Ultimately, Satan cannot offer anything else.

One of his most devious invitations is the one that leads us to doubt the character and promises of God. Satan knows that he cannot appeal to Christians with a display of his own character, so his only hope is to diminish our view of the nature and character of God to make himself look better. It’s the same tactic we use when we belittle others to make ourselves look better.

This is demonstrated in today’s portion of the story found in Isaiah 36. The commander of the Assyrian army is sending an invitation to the nation of Israel to make peace with them and join their powerful and prosperous kingdom. He does three things: he paints a word picture in verses 16-17 of the blessing they would receive by joining – “Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”

He also warns them in verse 12 of what will happen if they don’t attend – “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?”

But then came  the main emphasis of his invitation – he destroys the people’s hope in the Lord. He starts in verse 11 by saying that he is actually doing this by the command of the Lord – “Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.” He proceeds to tell them in verse 18 that they can no longer trust the Lord – “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?“

That’s the same invitation Satan sends us every day when he invites us to be married to the world. He appeals to the pleasures of the world. He convinces us that anything less than that is actually ugly and will hurt us. He disguises himself as the Lord so we think we are really obeying, Then he plants seeds of distrust in us so that we begin to think that God isn’t really meeting all of our needs and isn’t even capable of doing so.

Be careful in everything. We receive numerous invitations to be married to the world every day. They are lies. Let’s not be people who just say that we love and trust God. Let’s live like we trust Him.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 14, 2025

Isaiah 36:7 And if you say to me, “We are depending on the LORD our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?

To fully understand the context and the application of today’s devotional, you should read the entire thirty-sixth chapter of Isaiah. Here’s a quick summary.

King Hezekiah is reigning in Judah. The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, has invaded the land and is attacking all the fortified cities. Sennacherib sends his commander with a large army over to Jerusalem. Hezekiah sends a delegation to meet them. The Assyrian commander makes these statements:

• Why are you so confident?
• You claim to have strength, but we see no evidence of it.
• You say you have allies, but they are weak and powerless against us.
• You claim to trust in your God, but you have stopped worshiping Him and have adopted other gods.

It’s this last statement that hits me really hard. Here was the enemy of God, with no faith in the One True God at all, who is attacking God’s chosen people, and they notice a problem of hypocrisy. God’s covenant people have ignored the covenant and rejected their faith in God alone. For the sake of pleasing the people they live with – wives, children, and friends – they have removed what they thought was an obstacle to survival in the world – their faith in Jehovah God. They believed that they would fit into their culture better if they eliminated the one thing that made all other people angry.

David Wilkerson once preached on the subject of anguish and said, “What anguish it must bring to the heart of God when He sees that the Bride He was preparing for marriage to His Son has instead been married to the world.”

It is a sad day when the Bride of Christ has forgotten the upcoming marriage feast and chosen to be married to the world.

My friends, as followers of Christ, why are we so easily persuaded to make friends with the world and adopt its standards? Why do we continue to see our faith in Jesus Christ as an obstacle to acceptance with the world rather than a means of bringing true life to the world? Why have we chosen to become adulterous in our spiritual lives and have a fling with the world? It is time for us to be recognized by our faith and not our positions or our possessions. It is time for us to find pleasure in doing the Lord’s work rather than finding more ways to find pleasure from the world.

Renounce your relationship with the world today, and prepare your heart, soul, mind, and body to be married to Jesus.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Have you ever heard the expression, “Keep your chin up”? Sure you have. My need to know things sent me to the internet to find out where that expression originated. According to one site, the first use of was in the Pennsylvania newspaper The Evening Democrat, October 1900, under the heading Epigrams Upon the Health-giving Qualities of Mirth:

“Keep your chin up. (Don’t hang your head.) Don’t take your troubles to bed with you – hang them on a chair with your trousers or drop them in a glass of water with your teeth.”

The unfortunate thing is that I couldn’t find one reference to this idiom that gave any reason why we should be able to keep our chin up, other than the reference to the possible health-giving benefits of mirth. That’s sad. People know the value of a positive attitude but fail to find the real motivation for one.

As I mentioned yesterday, we are in a section of Isaiah that looks ahead to the promised return of the King and the establishment of His kingdom on the earth. Here is our motivation for releasing worry and fear. Here is the encouragement we need to be strong. God is coming to redeem us and to set the world straight. Peace will reign because the Prince of Peace will be on His throne. That’s sufficient for me to keep my chin up.

Read carefully the rest of this thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah. You will find great encouragement to press on. You will find the hope you need to be determined to finish the race of life strong. You will discover the joy of knowing that Jesus is coming to save you.

Isaiah 35:1-10
“The desert and the parched land will be glad;  the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;  it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.  The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,  the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;  they will see the glory of the LORD,  the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands,  steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts,  “Be strong, do not fear;  your God will come,  he will come with vengeance;  with divine retribution  he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened  and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like a deer,  and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness  and streams in the desert.  The burning sand will become a pool,  the thirsty ground bubbling springs.  In the haunts where jackals once lay,  grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there;  it will be called the Way of Holiness.  The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.No lion will be there,  nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there.  But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.  They will enter Zion with singing;  everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them,  and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

Now there’s a reason to keep your chin up.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, August 12, 2025

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.” The words of this grand old hymn are ringing in my head. Oh how I long for them to be absolutely true of my life. “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” No matter how sweet and inviting the world looks, it will not last, nor will it satisfy. “On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.” 

As I contemplated the real life application of that truth to my life, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of the additional verses of that song.

“When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.”

No matter how dark the world begins to look around me, and how severe the storms of my life become, I know I stand secure in Christ. Why, because His Word NEVER fails. His promises are ALWAYS fulfilled. In Christ our hope is secure!

“His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.” 

Then the final verse came to my mind. It fixed my eyes where they are supposed to be all of the time – on the coming of Jesus to reclaim what is rightfully His. Since I am His, I will be a part of the Lord’s worldwide reclamation project.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

It was then that I discovered the thirty-fourth chapter of Isaiah. It is the beginning of the conclusion of the story for this particular section which describes God’s judgment on man’s sin and rebellion. Isaiah gets our attention in verse one. “Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!.”

He then begins to describe the incredible day of the Lord’s vengeance (verse 8) which culminates in the enemies of God being destroyed and the people of God being restored in a transformed physical world.

As I was reading, a line from verse four jumped off the page at me and reminded me of another song – one that hitchhiked on the previous song still being sung in my spirit. The line is “and the sky rolled up like a scroll.” As a part of God’s judgment of sin and redemption of the physical world, Isaiah describes the transformations of nature that will take place. As the stars of heaven dissolve, and the sky rolls up like a scroll, I am reminded that there’s nothing in this world that I can stand on, but because I stand on the Rock of Jesus Christ it is well with my soul.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, August 11, 2025

Think about a victory you have experienced. Maybe it was a sporting event, or maybe it was something more personal. Now think about how long the feelings of that victory lasted. The heaviness of life eventually returns. No matter how great the victory, it is temporary and does nothing – absolutely nothing – to satisfy the longing of our hearts for meaning and purpose. How sad it is for those who put their hope in man and man’s accomplishments.

But there is a victory coming someday that will satisfy every longing of our human hearts. For many of us the victory is already being experienced in our spirit. Others will discover the truth soon, maybe even today. After winning a Super Bowl, Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers looked up and around at all that was happening and declared in front of a worldwide audience, “Glory to God.” As great as that moment was after such a thrilling victory, it was not to be compared with the awe we have for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Look up and around, for the day of the Lord is coming with greater majesty and splendor than any earthly victory could produce. Jesus is coming, and when He does He will fill the world with the spectacle of His presence. The blessings of His victory will satisfy us for all eternity.

In our study of Isaiah, in chapter 33, here’s what the Lord says the world will be like after His return. This is what we truly long for with all our hearts:

• Peace and Permanence – verse 20 – “a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.”
• Powerful leadership – verse 21 – “There the LORD will be our Mighty One.”
• Protection – verse 21 – “It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.” Broad rivers refers to the borders of the land being uncrossable by any enemy.
• Justice and Righteousness – verse 22 – “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.”
• Complete trust in God alone – verse 23 – “Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread.”
• Plenty of provisions for every person’s needs – verse 23 – “Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.”
• Perfect health and well-being – verse 24 – “No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;”
• The forgiveness of all sin – verse 24 – “and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.” 

Go ahead – celebrate your victories. But don’t let them become more important than the victory that is to come when Jesus returns – a victory you can celebrate every day of your life and one that is eternally more significant.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 8, 2025

Humility.

It is the exact opposite of what the world teaches. Since we were born we have been bombarded with the message that we must excel. We must do everything in our power to become the best that we can be. We must win at all cost. We must get our own way in everything. We must strive with all our might to exceed the popularity, power, and position of everyone close to us. We believe that the true measure of our worth is in the value of our possessions.

Pastor Leith Anderson, in a sermon he preached in 1999 called The Height of Humility, told this story:

“It was a strange bicycle race. According to the story I read, the object of this race in India was to go the shortest distance possible within a specified time. At the start of the race, everyone cued up at the line. When the gun sounded all the bicycles, as best they could, stayed put. Racers were disqualified if they tipped over or one of their feet touched the ground. And so they would inch forward just enough to keep the bike balanced. When the time was up and another gun sounded, the person who had gone the farthest was the loser and the person closest to the starting line was the winner.

“Imagine getting into that race and not understanding how the race works. When the race starts, you pedal as hard and fast as you possibly can. You’re out of breath. You’re sweating. You’re delighted because the other racers are back there at the starting line. You’re going to break the record. You think, This is fantastic. Don’t let up. Push harder and faster and longer and stronger.

“At last you hear the gun that ends the race, and you are delighted because you are unquestionably the winner. Except you are unquestionably the loser because you misunderstood how the race is run.

“Jesus gives us the rules to the eternal race of life. The finish line is painted on the other side of our deaths, right in front of the throne of God himself. There you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. The winning strategy for this life and for all eternity is caring about others and not about ourselves. It is letting others go first and not pushing to the front. It is giving without the expectation of getting in return. It is to be humble, like Jesus.”

Jesus described Himself as humble and meek. He said He came to serve, not to be served. Yet He is the exalted one. He has risen to the throne of heaven because He gave Himself up for us. Isaiah 33:10says,“Now will I arise,” says the LORD. “Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up.” He will arise and bring us with Him when we renounce self and trust Him to be our Provider and Protector. It’s not what we learn from the world, but it is what results in ultimate glory – for Jesus and for us. Remember His words? “The first will be last, and the last will be first. Anyone who loses his life for My sake will find it, but whoever strives to keep his life will lose it.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 7, 2025

Have you ever felt like even when you try to do right you can’t get past the consequences of your past? Frustrating, isn’t it? Our past has a way of catching up with us, and when it does it usually overpowers us.

That was the story of the nation of Assyria. They were a treacherous nation that was despised by the other nations of the world. They not only conquered lands, but terrorized people. They were brutal in their tactics. But it was going to catch up to them.

The day would come when Assyria would try to relax and enjoy the fruit of their conquering. But what they had done to others would be returned unto them no matter how much they announced that their terrorist days were done.

Isaiah is praying that the day would come when the attacks would stop and be reversed. He knows that because of their sin the nation of Israel has deserved the punishment that has been inflicted upon them by the Assyrians. He also knows that their past will overwhelm them and that they have no power to stop it. So he cries out to the LORD YHWH and says, “be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” (Isaiah 33:2)

Like Isaiah, when your past catches up with you, humble yourself and cry out to God. You cannot stop the consequences of your sin. Only Jesus can. His mercy and grace are the only thing that can give you the victory over the past. He is your strength and salvation in time of distress.

Then, after Isaiah asks for grace from the Lord he begins to proclaim the promises of God and declare the Lord’s attributes. By faith he announces what He knows will happen based on who he knows God to be. This is what Isaiah said, and can be a model to us all as we pray and declare the glory of the Lord:

• There is no one greater than the Lord – At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. (verse 3)
• The Lord will restore us and bless us – Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it. (verse 4)
• The Lord will be exalted in the land and bring peace – The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. (verse 5)
• The Lord is faithful and can be trusted – He will be the sure foundation for your times, (verse 6a)
• The Lord will provided everything we need – a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; (verse 6b)

Then Isaiah says one more thing. He gives us the key to victory over our past and the blessings of the future. He says, “the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”

The fear of the Lord can easily be defined this way:

Father Exalted And Revered.

So that leads us to these questions –

• “In my life, is the Father exalted and revered?”
• “Do I believe that I can deliver myself?”
• “Am I expecting God to deliver me from my past and my sin based on my own merit or on the work of Jesus Christ on the cross?”
• “Do I expect God to bless me and believe I deserve it, or do I fear God and trust Him with every part of my life regardless of the blessings promised, just because He is worthy?”

“O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Let me tell you a story that illustrates the point I made yesterday that we are to be a shelter and a refuge for the hurting around us, no matter who they are.

Last Monday evening I was sitting quietly in my living room relaxing when I got a text message from one of my grandsons. This is what it said.

“I just met a homeless guy. He’s been sitting outside the convenience store next to where I live for three days. He flagged me down because he said I looked like an old movie star, so I started talking to him. He told me his name and that he’s been trying to get to Britt, Iowa for the hobo fest. After talking to him for a while, I bought him a sandwich and a beverage. Then I prayed with him and invited him to attend church if and when he returns from Iowa. I hope something comes of it.”

Unfortunately, far too many of us might consider this a waste of time. But not my grandson. He asked me to pray with him for this man so that God would use his expression of God’s grace and love as a means of bringing him to Christ. He was a momentary shelter in a time of storm for this man. He planted a seed that the Holy Spirit can use to grow into faith that brings him to the Rock of salvation. He did exactly what we talked about yesterday.

How many opportunities have we passed by to be the shelter for others because we predetermine a person’s worth? I hope the story of my grandson challenges us all.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, August 5, 2025

One thing is for sure about weather. It can change quickly. This has been a summer of change in Wisconsin. Hot days followed by stormy weather followed by cool temps. Soon it will be winter again. Did I just say that. Shame on me. But weather changes, and everyone needs shelter from the weather.

The nation of Israel sure went through a lot of “weather” changes, if by weather we mean political and spiritual issues. When they obeyed God, He upheld His covenant of blessing with them. When they disobeyed Him, He upheld the consequences stated in the same covenant. God always fulfills His covenants.

In chapter thirty-one of Isaiah, God continues to discipline His people for their rebellion, and also declares the punishment that will fall on the nation of Assyria for rejecting Jehovah. Then in chapter thirty-two God gives a great statement of hope – a King will reign in righteousness.

Isaiah 32:1-2 “See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.”

From a historical perspective, this refers to King Hezekiah, whose reign was one of righteousness and peace. But from a spiritual and prophetic perspective this promise declares the coming of Jesus Christ as King. What joy I find in these words – Jesus is a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, a stream of living water that nourishes and brings life to the desert places, and the rock that provides shade and protection from the scorching sun of sin.

What joy there is in those thoughts. What refreshment of my spirit there is in relationship with Jesus. He stabilizes my life when the winds of adversity blow against me. He protects me from the storms of crisis and gives me peace even in the midst of them. When the thirst of my soul is no longer satisfied with the water of the world and my pursuits have dried up like the sands of the desert, a spring of living water bubbles up from within and satisfies my every longing. And when the stress of life saps my energy like the heat of the noonday sun God invites me into the shade of His presence and I find rest.

Wait…there is a challenge tucked away in the midst of these blessings. Do you see it at the start of the second sentence? These things are to be true of us as well. We are to be shelters from the wind for others who are unstable. We are to be a place of refuge and peace for those around us who are being battered by the storms of life. We are to be like streams of fresh and refreshing water for those who are not finding satisfaction from the ways of the world. We are to be the place of shade and rest for those whose strength has been sapped by the scorching sun of sin.

You and me. We are the representatives of the righteous King to those living in a weary land. Just as Jesus is our shelter in the time of storm, so are we to be a place of protection for our friends and neighbors when they are being pounded by the winds and waves of adversity. But wait, we are to be like the Rock to more than just friends and neighbors. It is the love of God that will transform our enemies, and what better way to show them His love than to offer them help and hope when they are in their greatest need.

How I praise God for being my Rock, my Refuge, my shelter. Yet I am convicted that I am not those same things to others around me. “Lord, make me a servant to others, no matter who they are, that they may see your love and the hope of glory in me, that they may discover the peace they long to know in you and you alone.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, August 4, 2025

Henry Blackaby, in his magnificent study entitled Experiencing God, makes this statement –

“When God speaks, what you do next reveals what you believe about God.”

With brevity and precision that statement dissects our hearts. Here are some profound truths to think about as we start a new week. May they bring initial unrest to our souls followed by the peace of God from knowing our faith has been strengthened.

• God spoke and said, “Whoever calls on my Name shall be saved. Whoever believes on the One and Only Son of God shall have everlasting life. If we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us for those sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So why is it that we still live under the bondage of sin, struggling with it, seeking counseling for it, and in some cases resolving to just live with it? Do we really believe God to be who He said He was and to do what He said He would do?
• God spoke and said, “I have qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For I have rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son I love, in whom you have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” So why is it that we still live with such connections to the worldly kingdom? And why is it that we still struggle to qualify ourselves in the eyes of others, giving them the right to define us and approve us? Do we really believe who God is and what He said He would do?
• God spoke and said, “See, I am coming, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; my lips are full of wrath, and my tongue is a consuming fire. You will sing…your hearts will rejoice…for I come to shatter your enemies and deliver you.” Then why is it that we get so bent out of shape about what’s wrong with our world? What does the grumbling and complaining and critical spirit say about who we believe God to be?
• God spoke and said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So why do we still worry? What does that say about who we really believe God to be?
• God spoke and said, “If you have the faith of a small mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, move from here to there, and it will move.” As far as I know, God has never asked anyone to move a mountain, but He has asked us to do some pretty out-of-the-ordinary things in our lives. You have heard Him speak to you about those things before. They may involve a career choice, a call to ministry, a sacrificial gift to a church, or one of a million other possibilities. The point is you have heard Him speak to you. He gave you His direction and purpose for that time of your life. Did you obey? If not, what does that say about who you really believe God to be?

“When God speaks, what you do next reveals what you believe about God.”

Pastor John