Anthony Diaz 10/17/25 Anthony Diaz 10/17/25

Leaping Over Walls

By You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:29.

Extreme sports, like snowboarding and rock climbing, are difficult and risky. Athletes do tricks in midair or climb steep, smooth rock formations and count on their skills to help them survive. They wouldn’t be able to take on the challenges of their sport if it weren’t for all the time they’ve spent practicing and all the help they’ve received from coaches. In one of his psalms, King David wrote, “By my God I can leap over a wall.” We all can jump over some barriers in life by our own efforts. But some “walls” we face are higher and more challenging. There are some people who have serious health problems or disabilities. Some deal with anger or anxiety. Others lose jobs, or worse, a loved one. We try to jump over these walls but repeatedly fail. Can we overcome our anger or losses, instead of constantly being overcome by them? Yes! With God’s help, we can overcome. Scripture reveals that even the apostles dealt with defeat, but they became “over-comers” when they began living life under the power of God (1 John 2:13). Jesus can give us power to overcome every sin and habit that besets us. He can break the ropes that bind us, but we must repent, confess, commit, and surrender to Him. When we put Him first, He fills us with joy.

Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : Daily Devotions to Renew Your Mind and Inspire Your Soul (a 365-Day Devotional), Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-10-16 17:19:00.

Anthony Diaz 10/16/25 Anthony Diaz 10/16/25

Not Just Another Great Book

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28.

Simply put, the Bible is the source of all knowledge. It says, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NLT). The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit, and God Himself has provided His truth to mankind. He has given us His precious Word because He wants us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Most of all, He gave it to us to convict us of our sin against Him and repent and receive Him as Lord. The Bible isn’t just another great book. The Bible interprets the Bible. It tells how it came to be written—and it has stood the test of time. The Bible is actually a library of books—sixty-six in all. Behind each one, however, was the Author, the Spirit of God. Someone has written, “Sin will keep you from God’s Word—or God’s Word will keep you from sin!” Which will we choose? While people today are searching for answers to life’s problems, only the Bible has the answer to the deepest needs of men, women, and children. The secret of the power of Christianity is not in its ethics. It is not in Christian ideas or philosophy; the secret is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and His truth.

Anthony Diaz 10/15/25 Anthony Diaz 10/15/25

Reflexive Action

“You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12.

We’ve all had a doctor take a little rubber hammer and tap it on our knee to test our reflex. The lower leg gives a gentle kick, showing the reflex is good. It is a reflexive action that occurs automatically, and it is the same every time that nerve gets hit. It’s often the same when troubles come our way. Trials strike a nerve within us and our inner self comes forth. Our reflexive action tends to follow the pattern we’ve nourished. Many panic, react with anger, express confusion. Others react with an assurance that God is leading and giving a spirit of calmness. The Bible writer James reminded us of what our reflexive action should be when trouble strikes. He wrote, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. . . . The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:13, 16 NIV). Prayer is an acknowledgment of our helplessness. Prayer is also an acknowledgment of God’s power and love. We are not trying to manipulate God when we pray; but we are looking for Him to help us according to His perfect will. When troubles come, may prayer be our automatic response. For those who follow Christ daily, our attitudes and actions in seasons of difficulty show a watching world that we truly believe the promises given to us in Scripture.

Anthony Diaz 10/13/25 Anthony Diaz 10/13/25

Doing Good

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV.

Dr. Alan Redpath was pastor at the great Moody Church in Chicago. On the wall of his office, he had this inscription: “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” There is always something to do. We can do good things, but we can also do better things. Often the answer to our dilemma is right in front of us—doing the better thing may solve a conflict. It could be that those who attend activities at church would be willing to move the activity to a person’s house to minister in ways that reflect their desire to be used of the Lord. Today, many people are looking for ways to comfort others, and this is commendable. There are shut-ins who need to see a smile. There are lonely people who long to hear a knock at the door. There are hospitals and nursing centers filled with long-term patients who could flourish if they only had someone who cared. And then there are many people looking for ways to reach out to others, providing the warmth of a handshake, a word of comfort, a message of hope. This can lead to one-on-one evangelism; it can also provide Christian fellowship. And as believers, we must reflect on wisdom from Scripture: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds . . . encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV).

Anthony Diaz 10/12/25 Anthony Diaz 10/12/25

Rest In The Lord

The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. Joshua 21:44.

For those who belong to Christ and have Him at the center of life, God is near. When we struggle, fight, and strive for our way, we are not “resting” in the Lord. “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret” (Psalm 37:7). We must let go of inner tensions that life sends our way, trusting in God moment by moment. A victorious Christian is confident that God is in control. Reliance on the Holy Spirit gives us physical and emotional rest as we set our minds on Christ. The Bible tells us: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him . . . because they are spiritually discerned. . . . But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:14–16). We are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that God the Father would send His Spirit to help us in all things. We must admit our weakness so that we can ask Him to take over. Standing with Christ means that we stand aside and let Him have His way in our hearts and minds. What a comfort to know that our Savior is constantly praying for us. “[There is] no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). This should be a tremendous encouragement to every follower of Christ.

Anthony Diaz 10/11/25 Anthony Diaz 10/11/25

The Converted Will

God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NLT

Thousands of people speak of having some form of emotional experience that they refer to as conversion, but they have never been truly converted to Christ. If a life does not conform to the Word of God, then there are reasons to doubt possessing true salvation in Jesus Christ. Certainly, there will be a change in the elements that make up emotion when a person receives Christ as Savior. Someone who has been converted begins to hate sin and love righteousness. Personal affections will undergo a revolutionary change, and devotion to the Lord will know no bounds, and love and faithfulness will begin to grow. Intellectual acceptance of Christ or an emotional experience is not enough. There must be the conversion of the will! There must be that determination to obey and follow Christ. Self must be nailed to the cross. Our main desire must be to please Him. When a person is convicted of sin, the Holy Spirit sheds His truth in the heart and the face of sin is dealt with. When mankind opens its heart, a miracle of the new birth takes place and a new creation replaces the old creation, bringing to each redeemed soul a new beginning. Believers partake of God’s own life, and Jesus Christ, when the Spirit of God takes up residence in the human heart.

Anthony Diaz 10/10/25 Anthony Diaz 10/10/25

Freedom To Choose

When you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will. Leviticus 22:29.

God set us apart for fellowship with Him. But He also gave us free will that was put to the test. One tree in the luscious Garden of Eden symbolized the knowledge of good and evil, and God said, “You shall not eat.” Adam and Eve ate and violated what they knew to be God’s will (see Romans 5:12–19; Genesis 3:1–8; 1 Timothy 2:13–14). God could have created human robots who would respond mechanically to His direction. But instead, God created us in His image, and He desires that the creature worship the Creator as a response of love. This can be accomplished when “free will” is exercised. Love and obedience which are forced do not satisfy. God wants obedient followers, not machines. A pastor friend once told of his son who was attending a state university and becoming “very wise.” “Dad,” he said to his father one day, “I’m not sure that when I get out of school I will be able to follow you in your Christian faith.” The father looked at him with compassion and replied, “Son, that is your freedom—your terrible freedom.” Freedom to choose results in God’s blessing or the consequences of disobedience to His will. We can exercise our freedom to love God with our obedience or we can rebel and build our lives without Him. Choose to follow Christ.

Anthony Diaz 10/9/25 Anthony Diaz 10/9/25

The Lord’s Ministering Spirits

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Psalm 34:7.

The operation of angelic glory eclipses the world of demonic powers, as the sun does the candle’s light. Throughout Scripture, God uses angels, and the Bible says, “Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (Psalm 103:20). It is God Himself who empowers angels to do His will. Angels speak. They appear and reappear. While angels may become visible, our eyes are not constructed to see them ordinarily any more than we can see the dimensions of a nuclear field, the structure of atoms, or the electricity that flows through copper wiring. Demonic activity and Satan worship are on the increase in all parts of the world. The devil’s demonic influence can turn many away from true faith; but we can still say that his evil activities are countered for the people of God by the Lord’s ministering spirits, the holy ones of the angelic order. Angels have been endowed with authority by virtue of their relationship to God through creation and continuing obedience. People are not yet perfect and therefore need what the Holy Spirit alone can give. We can be thankful for God’s care over those who belong to Him, and we must always give the glory not to the angels but to Him who empowers them.

Anthony Diaz 10/8/25 Anthony Diaz 10/8/25

The Antichrist

You have heard that the Antichrist is coming. 1 John 2:18.

The term Antichrist is found several times in the Bible and refers to a person who will come in the days just before Christ returns to establish His kingdom. This person is not Satan, but he will use every evil device of Satan to oppose the work of God. The apostle Paul used the term “the man of lawlessness” to describe this individual (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NIV). He will be the embodiment of evil and will have great power to deceive those who choose to follow him. When he is revealed, it will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing (2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). The time will come when someone who is totally opposed to Christ will rise to world dominance and achieve great influence. However, in the end, he will be defeated by the Lord Jesus. At the same time, the Bible warns that there are many in the world who have the same spirit as the Antichrist and oppose the work of God. This means we need to be discerning and not be misled by those who oppose God’s truth. How can we avoid being led astray into falsehood? The most important thing is to yield our lives to Jesus Christ and then to know the truth God has given us in His Word.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : Daily Devotions to Renew Your Mind and Inspire Your Soul (a 365-Day Devotional), Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-10-06 15:32:54.

Anthony Diaz 10/7/25 Anthony Diaz 10/7/25

The Power Of The Christian Faith

No one has ever seen God, but [Jesus] . . . has made him known. John 1:18 NIV.

Careful study of world religions reveals extreme contradictions and how impossible it is to take various ideas and draw them together into an intelligent system. There is a problem to consider. Who would be the judge of which ideas to keep or throw out? Without a standard, the process would quickly fall apart. Many religions in the world have developed because people have had various ideas about God. The Bible makes it clear that we don’t have to guess what God is like. The Bible tells us. All we have to do is read it and by faith receive the salvation He offers. He transforms the sinner and brings new life. This is the tremendous distinctive of the Christian faith: Jesus died for the sins of man and stands ready to forgive. The Christian life is not an idea—it’s God’s sacrificial gift of salvation to mankind. The power of the Christian faith is not in its ethics, ideas, or philosophies. It’s found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many have tried searching the religions of the world to find peace but it ends in failure. But Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). God isn’t an object to be studied and analyzed, like a butterfly or a chemical solution. He is almighty God who created us and loves us. And all people can know Him personally through His great salvation.

Anthony Diaz 10/6/25 Anthony Diaz 10/6/25

Gifts And Talents

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men . . . for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23–24.

We may never know how God uses the talents that He gives to mankind. While many are acclaimed for the music they compose or canvas art or books penned, there are many testimonies unheard by the throngs but impact one soul at a time for eternity. We are responsible to be faithful in our witness for Jesus Christ, and it is He who blesses the work, though many will never know the outcome this side of Heaven. In the twenty-first century, throngs of people acclaimed the newly discovered Leonardo da Vinci fifteenth-century painting entitled Savior of the World. The piece had been lost for five hundred years, disguised by layers of overpainting, and was painstakingly restored before going on exhibit in London in 2001. Whatever we do in word or deed, the Bible says, do all to the glory of God. Our gratitude to Him can find expression in our service for others, but ultimately we use our gifts and talents to glorify His name, and He sees all that is done by human hands. There is a powerful verse found in Genesis 50:20 that says, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good . . . to save many people.” We never know how God blesses the works of our hands when we leave it in His capable hands.

Anthony Diaz 10/1/25 Anthony Diaz 10/1/25

Obedient Channels

Beloved, let us love one another. 1 John 4:7.

Visualize a triangle with God at the highest point and the two lower points are “You” and “Others.” This is a diagram of a relationship with God and man. Our lives before accepting Christ as Savior are represented by a single dot of self-centeredness, but in salvation, we now make contact with two worlds. Truth flows from God to the believer and out to others who cross our paths. We become obedient channels of His truth and love. To say we love God but care nothing for others is to deny God’s Word. Personal faith in Jesus Christ is what makes us able to reach out to others and become a testimony for Him. Once a cartoonist depicted a man rowing a boat toward a golden shore labeled “Heaven.” All around him were people struggling in vain to reach the shore, but he was heedless of their peril. He was singing, “I am bound for Heaven, hallelujah!” This is not an adequate picture of the Christian life. When we have the Lord in our hearts, He gives us peace with Him and with our fellow man. This is our calling, to be His light in a dark world. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:8–9).

Anthony Diaz 9/29/25 Anthony Diaz 9/29/25

God’s View Of Humanity

The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God. Romans 8:7.

Humans view life from a personal point of time and space, but God views us from His heavenly throne in the light of eternity. We see ourselves as self-sufficient, self-important, and self-sustaining; God sees us as dependent, self-centered, and self-deceived. Our worldly wisdom has made us calloused and hard. Our natural wisdom, as the Scriptures teach, comes not from God but is earthly, sensual, and devilish (James 3:15). There is the person you think you are. There is the person others think you are. And there is the person God knows you are and what you can become through Christ. All truth is from God, and He wants us to believe His truth, which points us to the cross. It is there that we find forgiveness of the sins of “self,” and we also find the solution to dilemmas and problems. It is impossible for the “natural man” (the one who does not know Jesus Christ as personal Savior) to understand how God, in His grace and mercy, can forgive sinners and transform lives. It is also impossible for the natural man to comprehend how these changed lives can affect society. Those with their worldly wisdom do not understand the workings of God. But you can know the Lord Jesus today if you will receive Him by faith.

Anthony Diaz 9/28/25 Anthony Diaz 9/28/25

New Rejection

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. Psalm 145:8.

One reason many Christians aren’t sure of their salvation is because they still sin, and they fear God may reject them because of it. But even when we sin, the Bible tells us that the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He’s slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8). Suppose someone is given the gift of a computer. The giver says, “This is my gift to you.” The recipient would be delighted. Then they would become discouraged to hear the giver say, “If you make one mistake, I am going to take it back. You can only keep it if you operate it perfectly!” Many people assume God’s like that, giving us the gift of salvation—then taking it back if we aren’t perfect. But this isn’t true. When we’re saved, Christ begins the work of transformation. The story’s told of a sculpture artist who was chipping away at a chunk of stone. A man asked, “What are you doing?” The artist replied, “I’m sculpting an elephant.” The man responded, “How do you know what to chip away?” The sculptor smiled and replied, “I chip away anything that doesn’t look like an elephant.” This is what God desires to do with our lives. When we place our lives in His care, He will chip away at whatever keeps us apart from Him.

Anthony Diaz 9/27/25 Anthony Diaz 9/27/25

A New Purpose

“Ask . . . where the good way is, and walk in it.” Jeremiah 6:16.

Some people are focused on using all their energies to reach their goals. Others drift through life with little purpose or direction, living for the moment and never thinking about where they are headed. Most people probably live somewhere in between. But they all have this in common: they are living only for themselves and their own happiness. Down inside we all sense that this was not the way life was meant to be, and we want something better—and we search for it. We suspect there must be another way, a different path from the one we’ve been traveling. But why do so few people seem to find it? Can life be any different? The answer is yes! No matter what our lives have been, the rest of the journey can be different. When we come to Christ, God gives us a new purpose. He helps us begin again. He helps us confront our problems and deal with them, and this helps us avoid life’s pitfalls and detours. More than that, God can help us make an impact on our world. When we begin to live according to His purpose, and not our own purposes, we see other people differently—not for what they can do for us but what we can do for them. Ask God for the good way—the better way—and walk in it.

Anthony Diaz 9/26/25 Anthony Diaz 9/26/25

The Perfect Love Of God

The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 103:17 ESV.

Behind every dealing God has with us is His perfect love. It was love that made Him create us, and it was love that caused Him to send His Son to redeem us. His love pursues us and draws us to Himself, and His love will someday take His children into His presence forever. As with other aspects of His nature, we have a difficult time fully understanding God’s love. For one thing, the word love has come to mean almost anything today. We say we “love” ice cream or the color of a car, or we say we “love” entertainers or celebrities. But God’s love is far deeper than this. His love is not a passing fancy or superficial emotion; it is a profound and unshakable commitment that seeks what is best for us. Human love may change or fade; God’s love never will. He says to us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love . . . with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3). We must not sentimentalize God’s love; it isn’t a warm, fuzzy feeling that ignores sin or shuns judgment. God’s holiness demands that sin be punished—but God’s love has provided the way of redemption through Christ. If it weren’t for God’s love, we would have no hope, in either this life or the life to come. But there is hope, because He loves us!

Anthony Diaz 9/25/25 Anthony Diaz 9/25/25

Leap Of Faith

The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.

The Saturday Evening Post once published a landmark interview with the great physicist and mathematician Albert Einstein. His response to questions of Jesus as a historical figure are breathtaking. He stated, “I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. . . . No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” No one knows whether Einstein ever received Christ as Savior, but near the end of life he said, “If you ask me to prove what I believe, I can’t. . . . The mind can proceed only so far upon what it knows and can prove. There comes a point where the mind takes a leap . . . and comes out upon a higher plane of knowledge, but can never prove how it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a leap.” But we can’t rely on the testimony of others over the testimony of Christ Himself, who said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). This leap of faith is given when we speak the name of Jesus in sincere truth, realizing that we’re bound to a dark eternity without His forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Regardless of the knowledge gathered, no one can know Jesus without taking the certain leap of faith that salvation comes only from Him.

Anthony Diaz 9/24/25 Anthony Diaz 9/24/25

Information Overload

Lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. Deuteronomy 11:18.

Think about the incredible number of messages that surround us every day. Information that comes to us through television, radio, websites, magazines, song lyrics, movies, conversations with friends—the list is almost endless. This is sometimes called “information overload,” and it goes into the mind and remains. Images, words, and persuasions become part of who we are, and much of it is harmful. The mind is the devil’s favorite avenue of attack. Our minds are molded in many different ways—often in ways we are not aware of at the time. What the world calls valuable, God calls worthless. What the world looks down on, God praises. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). When we fill our minds with the things of God, it begins to affect our thinking and our decisions in the right way. The very practice of reading the Bible will have a purifying effect upon the mind and heart. The truth is, God wants our minds to be shaped by Him so that our thoughts and actions reflect Christ. The Scripture goes on to instruct us to dwell on His words when we rise up and when we go to bed at night, and when we walk along the way of life (Deuteronomy 11:19). It simply means to think of these things continually. His words are truth and they will shape us.

Anthony Diaz 9/23/25 Anthony Diaz 9/23/25

Assurance Of His Presence

“The wind blows where it wishes.” John 3:8.

On a windy day, a boy went out to fly his kite. The sky was filled with puffy clouds and a gentle breeze. As the boy lengthened the string, the kite went up and up, until it was hidden by the clouds. “What are you doing?” a man asked the boy. “I’m flying my kite,” the boy replied. “Flying a kite?” asked the man. “How can you be sure? You can’t see the kite.” “No,” the boy said. “I can’t see it, but I can feel it tug, so I know for sure it’s there!” God is real. We must not let other people’s doubts cast a shadow of disbelief over us. His presence is just as sure as the tug on the boy’s kite. And His love is just like the wind that carries the kite high into the sky. You can’t see the wind, but you know for sure it is there. When we invite the Lord Jesus into our lives, He gives us assurance His ever-present Spirit is with us to guide and direct our steps. The Bible tells us that God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16). But we must seek Him every day, asking for His help. This happens when we pray and listen to Him speak to us through His Word. The warm tug on our hearts brings peace that He truly watches over those who belong to Him.

Anthony Diaz 9/22/25 Anthony Diaz 9/22/25

Where Our Hearts Are

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7.

There are many compassionate organizations reaching out to those in need, and people often ask the question, “What can my little amount do when the needs are so great? Why bother to give?” God looks at our finances differently than we do. He knows that our giving is a measure of something far more important. When we reach out to others with gifts of compassion, we demonstrate God’s compassion. We should not give to impress others, but we should give because it expresses concern and compassion. Responsible giving is important, and it is important to ask God to help us make the right choices in our giving. The Bible tells us to give joyfully and not out of a grudging obligation; God loves a cheerful giver. God does not need our money, but He wants us to discover where our hearts are, and when we give to bless others, it pleases the heart of God. God is able to take what we give and use it in ways we never could imagine. The extra dollar, when given in His name, is multiplied in ways we will never know. What a testimony it is when someone receives a gift knowing that God has put it on our hearts to give it. By His hand, He gives the increase.