Being Taught by God; January 20, 2026

Posted on January 21, 2026 by jgarrott

Job 32:8 But it is the spirit in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.

This immediately brings to mind what Jesus said in the Upper Room: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) Likewise, John said in his first letter: “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2:27) God wants to teach us, and His Spirit is up to the job, but we’ve got to be willing to listen and learn. Sadly, there are also many lying spirits running around, and they can do real damage to those who listen to them, and to others through them. That’s why John cautions us: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) That’s why not everyone who seems very “spiritual” is to be trusted or believed. In recent years such spirits have often masqueraded as “science,” “psychology,” or “logic.” None of those things are necessarily bad in their pure form, but the devil loves to twist them and use them to deceive. We’ve got to remember that Jesus Himself is the truth, (John 14:6) and so judge everything by Him. That’s not always easy, because we encounter many situations we don’t find in the Bible, but familiarity with the Bible will give us the right frame of reference.

As a pastor, I am constantly dealing with people who have listened to lying spirits, and it can be heartbreaking. Only the Holy Spirit is to be listened to and believed! That should teach me to seek more and more of God’s Spirit myself, so that, filled with Him, I may accurately represent my Lord to the people around me. I have listened to lying spirits from time to time myself, and the result is never good. In my case, the devil always tries to push me toward pride, and spiritual pride is the worst kind. I must operate in humility, or I will deceive myself and hurt others. I have recently been given a responsibility for which I feel quite inadequate. I am to thank God and learn to ask for the help I need. My biggest problems for the task are in reading, and especially writing, Japanese. The job is an important one and I’m not to run away from it, but I’ve got to have God’s guidance to be able to do it properly. That said, He is faithful, and His Spirit will indeed teach and guide me.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Thank You for pushing me out of my comfort zone! Help me not avoid anything You have for me to do, but rather submit everything to You and apply everything You have placed in me, for the blessing of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Learning; January 19, 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by jgarrott

Job 12:7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.”

Here Job is responding to the intellectual conceit of his friends, but this verse and those following express an important truth that Paul expressed to the Romans: “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) Yogi Berra put it another way: “You can observe a lot by looking.” God is constantly teaching us, if we have hearts to learn, and His “teaching tools” surround us. This is a major part of being a disciple. I like the fact that the Japanese word for disciple also means apprentice, because apprentices should be constantly learning, even if not in formal teaching situations. Too often our attitude is, “My mind is made up; don’t confuse me with the facts.” That is said as a joke, but we see examples all around us, sadly with tragic consequences. It’s not that we can’t learn things that are absolutely true, it’s just that there’s always more to learn. We shouldn’t let that paralyze us; we have to operate on the basis of what we know at any given moment. However, we must operate in humility, or the pride of Satan will be our downfall. As Paul said, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) If we have that fundamental awareness, we will not only keep learning ourselves, we will be useful to God in leading others into His truth as well.

As someone with Teacher gifting, this is very close to my heart. I desire to learn and generally delight in doing so, but I have noticed that sometimes I get tired of learning, and that is risky. I want to stay sharp, to keep learning for as long as I’m in this body, so I must never think that I know enough, much less everything. I’m delighted when my children express constant curiosity, and I’m inspired by my biochemist uncle, who was still learning when he graduated to heaven at 93. Some of the most tragic situations I run into are people who have believed a lie of the devil and are too proud to accept anything that counters that. There is of course a difference between information and truth, though there is overlap. I have seen people who have been so obsessed with information that they lost sight of truth, and I have been in that boat myself. That’s what Paul was talking about when he said, “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) Jesus is both love (1 John 4:8) and truth (John 14:6). I’ve got to operate in His love and truth if I am to keep learning as He intends.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the events of yesterday that laid the foundation for this. Thank You that I could teach the first session on Motivational Gifts, and for how it was received. I pray that my gifting would be exercised as You intend, building others up for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Application; January 18, 2026

Posted on January 19, 2026 by jgarrott

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Ezra was a teacher’s teacher, someone who was totally focused on what he saw as his calling. That said, I think the most important line in this verse is where it says, “observance.” (Other translations render that, “to do it,” or “put it into practice.”) The point is, it wasn’t just an academic, theoretical study for Ezra, and that made all the difference. The theme of our readings is discipleship training, and follow-through is one of the most important parts of that. We can get a perfect score on a “paper test” about something, but if we don’t, or can’t, apply that knowledge, it essentially means nothing. This is why James 1:22 is so important: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” It’s also the point of the A section, Application, of the SOAP system of devotional Bible reading (that I’ll be preaching on this morning). It’s also the resolution of the perennial conflict between “faith” and “works.” As has been said many times, real faith works! As Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Ezra didn’t know Jesus, but he was determined to do everything he believed God had said to him. That made him a teacher worthy of the name.

As someone with Teacher gifting, this is of immense relevance to me. I tend to feel that just getting the truth out there should be sufficient, but I need to walk alongside people to show them how to put it into practice. The biggest problem in that is that I’m not perfect in my own application of the truth I know. Also, truth without love is meaningless, as Paul expounded on in 1 Corinthians 13. I don’t think I’ve taught much if any heresy, but I have certainly dumped truth on people without having enough love to soften the blow. Telling someone they’re immature – which I have done – seldom if ever really helps them. Doing such things demonstrates my own immaturity! Right now we’re trying to recover from just such a mistake of mine, and I won’t even venture a guess as to how many times this sort of thing has happened in the past. It’s very important that Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) I’ve got to filter everything I say and do through the love of God in Christ Jesus. Only if I do that will I accurately present and teach His truth, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that You can, do, and will use even my mistakes for good. May all of Your plans be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Teaching; January 17, 2026

Posted on January 18, 2026 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 17:7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah.

Jehoshaphat had the authority and he knew what needed to be done, so he delegated. He started with trusted officials, named here, and added to their number “professional staff,” so to speak, Levites and priests who were very familiar with the Law of the Lord they were assigned to teach. I know that names are seldom unique to specific individuals, but Obadiah and Zechariah jump out at me as the names of two of the prophets who have books in the Bible. It seems improbable that they were the same individuals, but not impossible. In any case, Jehoshaphat recognized the need for his people to know the Word of the Lord, and he did all he could to enable that to happen. We tend to forget that it would be well over a thousand years before the printing press would be invented, so even if the people could read, they couldn’t exactly have their own personal copy of the Bible. These days, we have no excuse! Today we don’t have a government requiring us to know the Bible, but we do have a God who says we need to! So from this passage we have the two lessons of needing to know the Bible, and delegation to get it done widely.

As a pastor with Teacher gifting, I would fit into this either as a Levite or a priest, but the question comes in the people’s reception of the information. It is exciting to me to teach when people are hungry to learn, but that isn’t always the case. Tomorrow we will be having the first class on Motivational Gifts, as previously taught by Don and Katie Fortune. I interpreted for their teaching many times, but I don’t know how much appetite the believers here have for it. All I can do is be faithful in presenting the material accurately and as interestingly as possible, and pray that the Holy Spirit will take that and work it into the hearts and lives of the believers. My desire, and, I believe, God’s desire, is that each person would recognize how God has gifted them and then actively submit their gifts to Him, to be used by Him to build up the Body of Christ. If that happens, it will be glorious indeed!

Father, You know the problems I’ve had with delegation over the years, and for the drag it has been on this church. I pray that tomorrow would be a point of breakthrough, with people rejoicing to discover their gifting and delighting to find ways to exercise that gifting in Your service, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Obeying God; January 16, 2026

Posted on January 17, 2026 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

I once heard a recorded sermon on this passage that mostly focused on verse 2, and it made a real and good impact on me. Sometimes God tells us complicated things, but most often they are simple; they just need to be followed. This is where James 1:22 comes into play. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” As we follow God’s directions He will flesh them out, making them as specific as necessary, but we have to obey what we know now in order to get the next step. He rarely if ever gives us a detailed course of action in advance! In this particular prophecy, Asa wasn’t given details of what he was to do, but he was warned of the consequences of doing nothing, and here he is assured of the reward of obedience. I think that, like most of us, Asa already knew what he should be doing, but he needed a kick in the backside to get moving. The devil is a master at giving us excuses for disobedience, and we are all too ready to accept them and try to make them our own. However, that doesn’t cut it with God, who knows the motives of our heart and sees through every excuse. To go back to James, the only people we deceive are ourselves! God has good plans for us, but to follow them, the first requirement is commitment. If we make up our minds and hearts to follow Him no matter what, there is no limit to what He can do with us.

This is a very timely Word for me, because of recent events that have been discouraging. I need to remember that God can use even my mistakes and failures for good, if I fully release them to Him, and move forward as this verse says. Today I will be recording three 10-minute messages for CGN-TV Japan. He has shown me what messages I’m to share, and I need to be fully obedient, expecting His guidance and anointing, so that the Body of Christ may be built up. I have recorded such messages several times in the past, and I’ve been surprised to run into people in other parts of Japan who have thanked me for them, but it’s been a few years since they last called on me. God knows His plans for me, and I honestly don’t. I need to be expectant and obedient, not trying to make things follow my scenario but following Him faithfully, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. I do pray that all that is done here today would bless many, drawing them into closer, more obedient fellowship with You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; January 15, 2026

Posted on January 16, 2026 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 22:36 You make your saving help my shield;
    your help has made me great.

Different translations render this verse in a variety of ways, with varying impact to the reader. However, the point is that the omnipotent Creator cares incredibly about His seemingly insignificant creatures. That awareness blew David out of the water, and was a major key to why and how David accomplished all he did. No human individual is the center of the universe, but God cares about us as though we were. The latest version of the NIV, quoted above, is perhaps the most watered-down of all the translations I’ve seen of this verse, and that’s sad. Where the NIV says, “saving help,” other translations almost universally say, “salvation.” It’s like the very idea of salvation is fading! Salvation indeed means many different things to different people, but the Bible as a whole makes it clear that in the final analysis, it is eternity with our Creator. We can be “saved” in many different ways throughout our lives, all the way down to receiving an umbrella on a rainy day, but we must never forget the eternal salvation that far outweighs everything else. The other major thought in this verse was expressed in an earlier NIV edition as “You stoop down to make me great.” The Japanese here goes so far as to say, “Your humility made me great.” That brings to mind what Paul wrote of Jesus, in Philippians 2:5-11. We have no full grasp of how great a thing it was that the Creator took the form and weakness of one of His creatures, in order to take the penalty for our sins on Himself, thereby providing the ultimate salvation. The better we grasp this, the more total will be our own love and devotion to the One who loves us so much.

This awareness is, naturally enough, something that has grown in me over the years. I still can’t appreciate it fully, and I was far less able to appreciate it years ago. Like everyone else, I still have the tendency to treat salvation like an umbrella in the rain, and that’s a huge mistake. Sometimes I need to get rained on! I need to trust that God always knows exactly what I need, and I don’t. He very graciously tells me to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-8) but that is to teach me to focus on Him, because as Jesus said just before He said that, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) I am to pray earnestly, just as I have recently been praying for my brothers and sisters in Iran, but know that my God is greater than everything, and my mind simply can’t grasp it all. I am to trust Him enough that I can genuinely rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do, whatever is going on around me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You’ve recently been allowing me to go through here, and for reminding me how ultimately insignificant it is. Help me do what You want me to do, for that is indeed significant, even if I don’t see that significance myself. May I be Your agent to draw many to Your eternal salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Choice; January 14, 2026

Posted on January 15, 2026 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 7:8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.'”

God’s timing is perfect. Just yesterday, a friend of mine sent me a short video message that said, “When God chose David as king, He didn’t give him a crown, He gave him Goliath.” David was chosen from the most humble of circumstances, the youngest of his brothers, and forged by immense difficulties into the great king of Israel, the progenitor of the Messiah. God chooses different people for different reasons, but none of them are perfect for the task at the time God chooses them. God uses the circumstances of this world, the “trouble” Jesus referred to, (John 16:33) to shape and grow them into what they need to be for His purposes. It’s kind of like a man choosing a sapling, cutting it down, peeling the bark, drying it out, cutting it to length, and making a bow out of it. At the point he found it, that sapling wasn’t much use to anyone, but by the time he was through with it, it was a weapon to be reckoned with. I don’t think a sapling has feelings, but if it did, how do you think it would feel about that process? Our lives are much the same way. How we respond to our circumstances has a great impact on how effective they are in shaping us into what we need to be, and how much emotional suffering we endure in the process. Two people can go through essentially the same circumstances and one come out embittered and miserable, and the other come out peaceful and victorious. That choice is up to us. Going back to David, not all of the choices he made were good, by any means, but his general guiding principle was seeking and following God. That’s the attitude we need to have. In a sense we are all chosen by God, in that He knows us from the moment of our conception, but whether we fulfill all that He has planned for us depends on our submission and obedience to Him.

This is extremely timely, because of recent events in my life. A friend yesterday was very encouraging to me, and I’m grateful. My legacy, my fruit, depends on God, because I certainly can’t generate it in my own strength and wisdom. I have had countless confirmations that God has chosen me for His purposes. Sometimes my choices and actions have run counter to that, but sometimes I have cooperated. I want and need to cooperate fully! God’s plans are better than anything I could dream up, so just as He has told me, I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for all You’ve brought me through, not just recently, but all my life. I want to end up as a vessel You are genuinely pleased with. Everything that doesn’t fit that description, take from me. Everything that does fit that description, polish and strengthen, so that I may be fully useful in Your hands, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faithfulness; January 13, 2026

Posted on January 14, 2026 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 12:23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”

There will always be friction between leaders and those being led. Samuel felt personally rejected, I think, by the people’s demand for a king. He knew full well the trials they were inviting, but he couldn’t change their minds. Still, that didn’t excuse him from praying for and teaching the people. The people’s actions had a lot to do with Samuel’s sons, who weren’t genuinely walking in the ways of the Lord, so in some ways you could say this situation was Samuel’s fault. I have a feeling he was acutely aware of that, but he still had to be faithful to his own calling, and not throw in the towel. Here he is acknowledging that doing that would be sinning against God, so he won’t do it. Every leader has moments like this, I think, and the call is always to faithfulness.

This couldn’t be any more spot-on for me at this very moment. My own recent words and actions have caused people to turn away from me and this church, and to say that it’s painful is an understatement. However, I am called to teach, and as I have written many times, prayer has always been as natural as breathing. If I were to stop doing those things, I would stop living! I am acutely aware that we are in spiritual warfare, and I’ve got to remember that I’m on the winning side. I’m hopeless in myself, but I need to remember that in Christ, I can do everything He asks of me. (Philippians 4:13) I needn’t be anxious about my legacy, either, because I, and this church, and everyone to whom I’ve ministered, belong not to me, but to my Lord. I’m not to be flippant, as though things don’t matter, but I’ve got to keep things in proper perspective, understanding what matters for eternity and what doesn’t. I am to focus on daily faithfulness, and leave the results up to God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all I’m going through. Help me indeed be faithful to pray and to teach, since that is precisely the calling You have placed on me, to build up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Digesting the Word; January 12, 2026

Posted on January 13, 2026 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The only thing that seems strange about this to us today is the idea of physically tying Scripture to our hands/arms or foreheads, but the rest of it is both practical and blessed. There’s a sneaky little truth about teaching truth to your children: teaching something is one of the best ways to learn it!  And in teaching children, you have to break it down so they can understand it, which makes you think about what it really means. Families that practice this are blessed indeed! Reading bedside Bible stories to your children fits this perfectly, as does reading a Bible verse, or passage, at the breakfast table. God’s truth should be reflected in our conversations, in our homes or out in town (walking on the road). It is sadly true that very few Christians, even, have very much of the Bible internalized, “carved on their heart and soul,” as the Japanese puts it. My seminary professor grandfather sometimes asked his students, “How big is your Bible?” They would respond something in relation to the physical Bible they would bring to class, but he would say, “No, I’m talking about what’s in your heart.” If more families did what Moses says here, many more people would have much bigger Bibles!

Thinking about it, even my parents could have done better about this, and I could certainly have done better with my children. That said, I think in both generations we did much better than average. I had read through the Bible by the time I was 10, but I don’t remember talking about it that much with my parents or siblings, much less my friends. We need to talk about truth to “digest” it, really, just as Moses is emphasizing here. I have had a lot of Biblical information in my head from childhood, but the digesting, making it part of me, has been a lifelong project. The SOAP method of personal devotions, that I’ve been following ever since I learned it from Wayne Cordeiro around 20 years ago, has been very helpful in this, since it forces me to think about what a passage is really saying, and how I’m to apply it in my own life. Writing that, I realize that I’m to share the SOAP method in one of the messages I’m to record for TV this Friday. The more people actually do that, the more people will experience victory over the devil and the world, and the more people will genuinely walk as children of God. That’s an exciting prospect!

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Thank You for the sister yesterday, who, when I told her of someone whose New Year’s resolution was to do SOAP every day, said, “You mean she’s not already been doing it?” Thank You for teaching it to Wayne, and for his sharing it with so many. May more and more of those who learn of it actually put it into practice, so that Your rule and reign may be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Obedience; January 11, 2026

Posted on January 12, 2026 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 11:1 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

Reading this today, I think we feel something of a disconnect between Moses telling the people to love God, and then doubling down on the obedience aspect. However, Jesus’ words in the Upper Room come to mind: “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) In verses 23 and 24 right after that, He went further in connecting love and obedience. We focus on God’s love and grace so much that sometimes the idea of obedience seems to go out the window! However, in the verses after this, Moses focuses on the consequences of disobeying God, including the matter of Dathan and Abiram, who were swallowed up by a fissure in the ground, along with their whole households. (verse 6, Numbers 16) That story doesn’t seem to relate to love to us! However, we’ve got to realize that actions have consequences, and love isn’t just a matter of nice words. This is a struggle for everyone at some point. I think it really hits home when we become parents. Insecure parents try to make their children love them, primarily by giving them things. However, there’s a reason we call that spoiling. A person who has been raised like that generally ends up as a miserable human being. The current fad of “gentle parenting” is downright tragic! We all need discipline to be secure and happy, and a total lack of boundaries destroys that. John put it succinctly: “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) We call John “the apostle of love,” and not without reason, but he made no bones about obedience being part of the package. However, as he said, God’s commands are not to weigh us down, but to liberate us. The better we understand that, the happier we will be.

My parents went fairly easy on the commands, but I don’t think I lacked for boundaries. There are areas in which I think they could have been stricter, but I did learn that actions have consequences, and I don’t think I ever doubted that they loved me. One of my grandsons gave me a beautiful illustration of this point, that in recent years I have used almost every time I have talked about parenting. He was a very happy child, and at 14 months, when he was not yet talking, he did something quite deliberately for which he had previously been punished. His mother noticed, but was busy in the kitchen, so she said to my wife, “Mom, could you slap his hand for me?” He suddenly looked very sheepish, and then stuck out his left hand, and then slapped it himself with his right hand! That was very “cute,” but it showed why he was such a happy child: he had firm boundaries, and was secure in the assurance that he was loved. I tell that story, but my flesh would still like to be pampered! Right now I’m in the middle of some things that I wish were not going on, but I’ve got to remember that God never allows anything He can’t use for my good, (Romans 8:28) and walk in trusting obedience. His plans are always for good, whatever they feel like in the moment.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me rejoice in Your love, even when it feels like punishment, so that I may in turn love You accurately, in full obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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