Prodigal Pastor

Good morning!

Devo 4/18/26…

If I could separate me from myself, I'd stay away from me.
If you decide I'm wrong, and you can wait that long, maybe it's not too late.
(Ashes Divide: Too Late)

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10ESV

First of all, if you’re still breathing it’s never too late. It’s never too late to either come to God or return to God. We learn this in Luke chapter 15 in both parables. The story of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one and obviously the story of the Prodigal Son. God is always searching and coming after you. Furthermore, He is always waiting for you to come back home.

But also, let’s look at that first line: If I could separate me from myself, I’d stay away from me. How many times have you said this to yourself? Yes, how many of you out there have felt this way about yourself? How many of you may have said this to your spouse or any other loved one in your family?

This is how we feel after, what a good friend of mine and pastor calls “a big piece of stupid”. After we may have fallen off the wagon and back into sin. Which we know can happen and will happen but that’s the reason we have Jesus. That’s the reason why we have a “relationship” with Jesus. He already knows that mistakes in your life are going to happen. Why do you think He went to the cross? He went so He could be there to pick you back up when you do fall. It is because of His sacrifice that you are able to get back up after you fall and continue to walk with Him again. It’s crazy how we want to separate ourselves from ourselves, from everyone else and from God, whenever we mess up. Jesus died so that we wouldn’t be separated from Him. Before that our sin did separate us from Him (Is. 59:2 & Romans 3:23) but Jesus paid the cost so that it wouldn’t. But yet, when we mess up the first thing we do is separate ourselves when we don’t have to. However, it instinctively shows us that we know how destructive sin is. If we didn’t then we wouldn’t have that type of reaction afterwards. We feel so down that we make sure that we don’t affect anyone else with whatever it is that we’re dealing with. But again, Jesus made it so that we don’t have to do that. How often do we forget that? (Hebrews 10:1-18 & John 3:16-17)

Do not separate yourself from the Lord in these times. These are the times you are to run to the Lord, not away from Lord. His compassion is here for you always (Luke 15:20) In light of those lyrics, He decided that we are wrong and He didn’t wait, He saved us immediately. (Matt. 14:31a) His actions of compassion and love have shown us that it is not too late.

Let's stand firm in our faith!

Stand Firm, Is. 7:9ESV Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” Is. 7:9bNLT If you[a] are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all...

Good morning all! Have a blessed day!

Relationship, John 3:16NIV Devo 4/10/26… For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal...

FHMCC Metal Morning Double Shot
~1 John 4:4~

Devo 4/16/26…

Unless your faith is firm,
I cannot make you stand firm.” Is. 7:9bNLT

If you[a] are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’” Is. 7:9bESV

We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you don’t stand for something then you’ll fall for anything”. Well, it is true. You need to stand for something. You need to have some sort of purpose, goal or vision for your life. As believers we must stand on our faith. Standing on our faith means that there may be times where we may be put into uncomfortable positions in which we are to stand. There also may be times where, when we stand on our faith we may make others feel uncomfortable or we might put ourselves into volatile situations. No matter the situation or the reason, there will be many occasions throughout our lives where we will be called to do so.

When those times arise we must be firm in our faith. We must be immovable and strong in our faith. Our faith in Jesus must be solid. The two most common ways that we can actively build our faith is by reading and studying the Word. And, by the hearing of the Word: preaching or teaching (Romans 10:17 & 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Building our faith must be done everyday if we are to stand on it firmly. If we are to defend ourselves against the world. The world will throw anything and everything at us to try to take us down everyday.

Matt. 7:24-27NLT, Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Which is why the scripture Is. 7:9 speaks volumes: If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. So, if you don’t know your Word, apply it, live it and walk in it, you will not be firm at all. You won’t be able to stand because you’ll have nothing to stand on. Without the Word as your foundation all other ground is sinking sand. God’s Word is the solid rock. He cannot make you stand firm unless your faith in Him is firm, and your faith in Him is cemented by you following and listening to His teachings.

FHMCC Dallas TX, Prodigal Pastor

Coming Sunday April 12…

B-sides are always the deeper cuts on an album. The “A-side” feels polished, accessible, immediate—the songs everyone knows and sings along to. The “B-side,” by contrast, is moodier, stranger, more personal—often where the soul is hiding. These are the tracks that don’t get much radio play or headlines, but devoted listeners treasure them. Originally, the “B-side” was literally the flip side of a vinyl single, where artists would include songs that were more experimental, personal, or overlooked. Over time, the term has come to describe those hidden gems in an artist’s catalog—songs you only discover if you take the time to go beyond the hits.

My new series, B-Side, explores the deep cuts of grace—the overlooked, often unheard aspects of God’s love that don’t always make the highlight reel but carry transformative power. Like a B-side track, these truths may feel unexpected or even strange at first, but when we lean in and really listen, we discover that this is where beauty, intimacy, and freedom often shine the brightest.