April 17, 2026, 4:00 PM
Hello again, and I pray you've had a good week.
When we think of "habits," we usually think of negative ones. There are, however, some good habits to have.
For the Christ follower, these habits are also known as "spiritual disciplines."
We do not want our worship and devotion to Jesus to become "casual" or "routine." There are times, though, when we have to remain committed, whether we are "feeling it" or not!
When you listen to the Psalmist in Psalms 43:2-5, he sounds "down in the dumps." Psalms 43:2 says: "You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"
He doesn't stop there. He continues. Some negative emotions didn't stop him from going to worship the Lord. Listen to Psalms 43:3-5: "Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
My dear mother gave me some valuable advice. Whenever I wanted to stay home from church, school, or work, she would say, "Why don't you get up and get moving. You'll feel better, and you'll be glad you didn't stay home." Unless I was badly sick, it always worked.
I thought of my mother's wisdom when reading this Psalm. Let us trust the Lord and His goodness, no matter what the situation. What we need in our darkness is the presence of God – and we can trust that is ultimately what we will find!
Let us look to Jesus and trust Him, even when we cannot "feel" His presence.
That's when we turn to the certainty of His word.
Remember Hebrews 13:5, where God said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
The "habit" of reading God's word daily has great benefits. We are feeding our souls and reminding ourselves of the truth.
I'm really excited about an event kicking off tomorrow (Saturday, April 18, 2026) in Washington, DC. "America Reads the Bible" is a weeklong celebration (April 19-25, 2026) that highlights Americans from all walks of life reading scripture – from Genesis to Revelation - in a public forum.
“This is a national call to ignite revival, inspire discipleship, and unite believers through the power of Scripture,” said Christians Engaged Founder Bunni Pounds, who leads the organization behind the event. “We believe the Word of God can transform individuals and nations -- and we’re inviting Americans to participate by listening or reading it aloud together, in a powerful act of unity and faith,” Pounds said.
You can learn more about all of this at www.americareadsthebible.com.
This special event has inspired my new sermon series about the transforming power of God's Word called "Ancient Words!"
This coming Sunday (April 19th), I'll be preaching a message looking at a revival that took place in ancient Israel when Josiah was king. The revival began when God's word was rediscovered after having been ignored and lost for years.
Maybe it's time for us to "rediscover" God's word and "Dust Off" our Bibles! Who knows, it could be the start of a spiritual revival in America!
I hope and pray we'll see you this coming Sunday at FCC. Until then...May God Bless You!
In Him,
Greg Herriford
