#117 COUNT THE COST 9-11-26

There is a cost to following Jesus. Jesus never tried to hide that from us. He said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Christianity is not merely adding Jesus to the life we already wanted to live. It means surrendering that life to Him. There will be sacrifices. There will be temptations we must resist, pleasures we must refuse, and sometimes people will not understand why we have chosen to follow Christ. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?” (Luke 14:28).

So count the cost.

But we must also consider the alternative. What does it cost to reject Christ? Sin promises freedom but produces bondage. It promises pleasure but leaves emptiness. It promises life on our own terms, but “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We can spend our lives protecting ourselves from the cost of discipleship only to discover that we paid an even greater price by living without God. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Following Jesus may cost us something—but rejecting Him costs us everything that ultimately matters.

Then we must continue in faith. The Christian life is not merely about beginning well; it is about remaining with Jesus. Paul said, “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast” (Colossians 1:23). There will be days when following Christ is difficult. There will be prayers that seem unanswered, burdens that feel heavy, and moments when the old life looks attractive again. But we keep going. We abide in Christ. We trust His wisdom. We remember His promises. We fix our eyes upon Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

And remember what we are paying for: not salvation—for salvation is God’s gift of grace—but the privilege of faithfully following the One who gave Himself for us. Whatever we surrender to Christ is small compared with what we receive in Him. The cross came before the crown, but the crown is coming. So count the cost. Consider the alternative. And then, by the grace of God, continue in faith.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Friday, September 11, 2026

5:30 AM

“Raised for Our Justification”

(Romans 4:25)

8:30 AM

“The Talking Serpent”

(Genesis 3:1-5)

10:00 AM

“Pure Religion”

(James 1:27)

5:00 pm

“The Goodness of God”

(Romans 2:4)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#116 OPEN THE DOOR OF YOUR HEART 9-10-26

Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks. He does not force His way in. He waits for you to open the door. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20). The Lord wants fellowship with you, but fellowship begins when we are willing to let Him in.

Sometimes we keep the door closed because we are afraid of what Jesus might ask us to surrender. We hold onto our worries, our bitterness, our plans, or our sins. But Jesus does not come to take life from us. He comes to give us life. He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

So open the door. Let Him into the places you have kept hidden. Let Him speak to your heart through God’s word. Let Him change what needs to be changed and heal what needs to be healed. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The greatest guest you could ever welcome is already standing at your door.

BDD

#115 DENYING SELF 9-10-26

Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow Him must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). To deny yourself means to say “no” to the part of you that wants to live independently of God. Even when we love the Lord, the flesh still pulls us toward our own desires, our own understanding, and our own way (Romans 7:18–20; Galatians 5:17).

I am often my own worst enemy. The Bible speaks of three powerful influences that pull us away from God: the world, the flesh, and the devil (1 John 2:16; Ephesians 2:2–3). The world pressures us from the outside. The devil deceives and tempts us. And the flesh pulls at us from within. It can be especially dangerous because its desires can feel so natural that we mistake them for what we truly want.

Paul understood this struggle. He described wanting to do what was right while finding another influence pulling him toward sin. Finally, he cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Then came the answer: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). The answer to our inward struggle is not greater confidence in ourselves. It is greater dependence upon Christ.

But following Christ requires a decision. Jesus did not say, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him follow his heart.” He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Christ supplies the strength, but we must surrender our will to Him.

Think about Peter. On the night before Jesus was crucified, Peter was absolutely certain that he would remain faithful. When Jesus warned His disciples that they would stumble, Peter boldly declared, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, yet I will never be made to stumble” (Matthew 26:33). Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny Him three times (Matthew 26:34). Peter could not imagine that he was capable of such a thing.

Yet later that night, after Jesus was arrested, Peter stood in the courtyard of the high priest. A servant girl recognized him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” Peter answered, “I do not know what you are saying” (Matthew 26:69–70). Another person recognized him, and Peter denied Jesus again. Finally, those standing nearby said that his speech gave him away. Peter began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” (Matthew 26:73–74).

Then the rooster crowed.

Luke tells us something that breaks the heart: “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter” (Luke 22:61). Peter remembered the words of Jesus, went out, and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75).

Peter had denied Jesus by saying, in effect, “I have nothing to do with Him. I do not know Him.” And there is a remarkable lesson for us in that painful moment. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves in much the same decisive way. We are to say to the old way of living, “I have nothing to do with you anymore. I belong to Jesus.” Paul said, “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). We are to “reckon” ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

This does not mean that temptation disappears. Every day, the old desires can try to rise again. They whisper, “Take care of yourself first. Get what you want. Do what feels right. You know what is best.” But Jesus calls us to answer those voices with a simple “no.” We deny ourselves by choosing the will of God over the desires of the flesh.

Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what was before Him. He knew the suffering, rejection, and cross that awaited Him. Yet He prayed, “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Earlier, Luke tells us that Jesus “steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). He knew where obedience would lead Him, and He went anyway.

That is what denying yourself looks like. It is saying, “Lord, not my will, but Yours.” You choose His way when your way seems easier. You forgive when you would rather hold a grudge. You tell the truth when lying would benefit you. You resist temptation when nobody else would know. You stop trusting in your own understanding and lean upon the Lord (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Denying yourself is not self-hatred. It is not thinking that you have no value. Quite the opposite. You deny yourself because you have found Someone greater than yourself. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The Christian life is not about making ourselves stronger so that we can live without Christ. It is about becoming more dependent upon Christ every day.

So perhaps our prayer should be simple:

“Lord Jesus, teach me to deny myself. Teach me to say no to sin and yes to You. Help me to take up my cross daily. When my will fights against Yours, teach me to surrender. Help me to follow You wherever You lead.”

The cross may look like death, but Jesus said, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). That is the paradox of the Christian life. We lose the life we were trying to control, and we find the life God intended us to have.

Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Jesus. The doorway may look like death, but on the other side is real life.

(Luke 9:23; Romans 7:18–25; 1 John 2:16; Ephesians 2:2–3; Galatians 5:17; Matthew 26:33–75; Luke 22:61; Romans 6:6–11; Luke 9:51; Luke 22:42; Proverbs 3:5–6; Galatians 2:20; Matthew 16:24–25)

BDD

#114 JEZEBEL: A LESSON IN WICKEDNESS 9-10-26

Jezebel has become almost synonymous with wickedness. Her name has come to represent manipulation, idolatry, cruelty, and rebellion against God. But Jezebel was not evil because she was a woman. She was evil because she chose evil.

The Bible never teaches us to fear women or distrust women. It teaches us to recognize wickedness wherever it appears. And if we are going to understand Jezebel correctly, we must also understand Ahab. He was not an innocent man who happened to marry a bad woman. Ahab was himself a wicked king who repeatedly chose what was wrong. “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up” (1 Kings 21:25). Jezebel was wicked, but Ahab was responsible for his own choices.

HER PROBLEM

Jezebel’s greatest problem was that she had no reverence for the God of Israel. She brought the worship of Baal into the royal house and used her position to attack the worshipers of the true God. She did not merely practice idolatry privately; she used influence and power to promote it. The prophets of the LORD were hunted, and Elijah stood almost alone against the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:4, 17-19).

Sin becomes especially dangerous when we stop being satisfied with doing wrong ourselves and begin trying to convince everybody else to do wrong with us. Jezebel’s heart was turned away from God, and Ahab allowed his heart to follow hers. “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). There is a warning here for every one of us: never allow another person’s influence to become an excuse for your disobedience.

HER PLANS

Jezebel’s wickedness became especially visible in what she did to Naboth. Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard because it was near the palace, but Naboth refused to give away the inheritance of his fathers. Ahab went home miserable, but Jezebel stepped in. She arranged for false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy, and Naboth was taken out and killed. Then Ahab took possession of the vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16).

What a picture of how sin works. Covetousness wanted the vineyard. Weakness refused to do what was right. Manipulation devised a plan. Lies provided the excuse. And an innocent man died. Yet Ahab cannot escape responsibility. He may not have written the letters, but he benefited from the crime. He may not have spoken the false accusations, but he accepted the vineyard afterward. Sometimes we imagine that we are innocent because we did not personally carry out the evil. But God sees the heart, the consent, the silence, and the benefit we receive from another person’s wrongdoing.

HER PUNISHMENT

Jezebel may have appeared powerful, but her power was temporary. Ahab may have appeared to get away with his wickedness, but God had not forgotten. Elijah came with a message of judgment: “Thus says the LORD: ‘In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours’” (1 Kings 21:19). Ahab eventually died, and later Jezebel met the terrible end God had pronounced against her. She was thrown down from the window, and the prophecy concerning her was fulfilled (2 Kings 9:30-37).

The lesson is not that God delights in punishment. The lesson is that wickedness cannot win. Evil may sit on a throne. It may wear a crown. It may have money, influence, political power, and people willing to obey it. But none of those things can protect a person from the judgment of God. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Jezebel proves that influence is a serious responsibility. A person can use influence to bring people toward God or away from Him. Ahab reminds us that weakness is not an excuse for wickedness. We are responsible for what we choose, even when somebody else is encouraging us to choose it. And together they remind us that sin rarely remains contained. One person’s rebellion can influence a family. One person’s compromise can influence a kingdom. One person’s silence can give evil room to grow.

We should also remember that the opposite is true. Righteousness is contagious too. Courage can strengthen courage. Faith can strengthen faith. Kindness can awaken kindness. One person who refuses to compromise can influence an entire generation. Elijah stood against the prophets of Baal, and though he felt alone, he was not forgotten by God. “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18).

Jezebel’s story is not ultimately a lesson about women. It is a lesson about wickedness. It is a lesson about what happens when people reject God, abuse influence, manipulate others, tolerate injustice, and refuse to repent. Ahab shows us that evil does not always look like aggression. Sometimes evil looks like weakness, passivity, compromise, and simply allowing someone else to do what we know is wrong. God calls both the powerful and the weak to righteousness.

There is still a throne above every earthly throne. There is still a Judge above every earthly judge. And there is still a God who sees what happens when the innocent are mistreated and the wicked seem to prosper.

We do not have to become like Jezebel, and we must not become like Ahab. We must stand with the Lord, obey His Word, refuse to compromise, and remember that every road of rebellion eventually leads to judgment. The world may admire power, but God looks for righteousness.

Our problem is sin, our plans must be surrendered to God, and our ultimate destiny is determined by whether we will turn from wickedness and follow the Lord.

BDD

#113 THE ROAD OF GRACE 9-10-26

Life is a journey, and every journey has a road. Some roads are straight, and some are winding. Some are smooth, while others are filled with potholes, construction, and unexpected turns. Sometimes the sun is shining, and sometimes the fog is so thick we can hardly see what is ahead. But the wonderful thing about walking with God is that we do not have to see the whole road to take the next step. God does. He knows where the road leads. He knows every turn before we reach it. And He has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The road of grace is not a road without trouble. Grace does not promise that we will never struggle, stumble, hurt, or become confused. Grace promises that God will meet us in those places. When Joshua stood before an unknown future, God told him, “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). That is the secret of courage. We may not know what is around the next bend, but we know who walks with us.

And we have to learn to stay in our lane. One of the easiest ways to become discouraged is to spend our lives looking at somebody else’s journey. We compare their blessings with ours, their opportunities with ours, their progress with ours. But God did not call me to drive somebody else’s road. He called me to follow Him on mine. “But let each one examine his own work” (Galatians 6:4). Jesus told Peter, after Peter became concerned about another disciple, “What is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22). That is still good advice. Stop looking over into somebody else’s lane and keep your eyes on Jesus.

The road also has signs, and God has given us His Word to guide us. Sometimes His Word tells us to stop. Sometimes it tells us to wait. Sometimes it tells us to turn around because we are going in the wrong direction. His commandments are not roadblocks designed to keep us from enjoying life; they are loving directions from the One who knows where the road leads. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We may not always understand His directions, but we can trust His wisdom.

Then there are those dark stretches of road when we wonder where God is. But the Bible never promises that we will avoid every valley. It promises that God will walk through the valley with us. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). Notice the little word through. The valley is not our permanent address. We walk through it. The storm passes. The night gives way to morning. The road continues.

And we need to learn to travel light. Some of us have been carrying yesterday for far too long. We have filled the trunk with guilt, regret, bitterness, disappointment, and things people said years ago. But Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Grace teaches us that we do not have to carry what Christ is willing to carry for us. We can learn from yesterday without living there. We can repent of yesterday without being imprisoned by it. We can forgive and release what needs to be released. There is still road ahead.

Paul understood this. He wrote, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal” (Philippians 3:13-14). A driver cannot safely move forward while constantly staring into the rearview mirror. The past has a place, but it does not belong behind the steering wheel. Look ahead. There are still people to love, souls to reach, good works to do, prayers to pray, burdens to carry, and opportunities to serve Christ.

So keep moving. You do not have to understand every turn. You do not have to know everything that is waiting beyond the next hill. You simply have to stay close to Jesus. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD” (Psalm 37:23). The road may twist. The weather may change. You may stumble along the way. But the grace of God is greater than the difficulties of the road. You are not traveling alone. Keep your eyes on Christ, trust His direction, leave yesterday behind, and take the next step.

The road may be long, but His grace is sufficient for every mile.

BDD

#112 THE LIMITS OF SELF-DETERMINATION 9-10-26

There are limits to self-determination. There are limits to willpower. We can make up our minds to do better, try harder, be stronger, and turn our lives around, and those things have their place. But eventually we discover something important: we were never meant to live the Christian life by our own strength. The Christian life is not simply a matter of trying harder. It is a matter of trusting deeper. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

First, we must REST in Christ. Rest does not mean laziness or inactivity. It means we stop pretending that everything depends upon us. We can obey, work, serve, pray, and fight the good fight while knowing that Christ is our strength. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Our confidence is not in how strong we are but in how faithful He is.

Second, we must RELY on Christ. There will be moments when our determination runs out, our courage becomes weak, and our wisdom is not enough. That is when we remember, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). We don’t have to carry tomorrow today. We don’t have to manufacture strength we don’t possess. We can depend upon the One who does.

Third, we must REMAIN with Christ. Beginning with Jesus is wonderful, but we must continue with Him. “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4). Remain when life is good. Remain when life is hard. Remain when you feel strong and when you feel weak. Remain when the answers come quickly and when heaven seems silent. Our goal is not merely to walk with Christ for a season, but to keep walking with Him until the end.

So perhaps the Christian life can be remembered with three simple words: REST. RELY. REMAIN. Rest in His grace. Rely on His strength. Remain in His presence. We will never be strong enough to live without Him, but we don’t have to be. Jesus never asked us to be sufficient in ourselves. He simply calls us to come to Him, trust Him, and stay with Him.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Thursday, September 10, 2026

5:30 AM

“You Cannot Serve Two Masters”

(Matthew 6:24)

10:00 AM

“The Shield of Faith”

(Ephesians 6:16)

2:00 PM

“The Holy Hill of Zion”

(Psalm 2:6)

5:00 pm

“Measured By God”

(Revelation 11:1-2)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#111 THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT 9-9-26

There is a difference between the Holy Spirit and the human spirit, but the Bible brings them together in a beautiful way. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit. The human spirit is that inward part of us through which we think, feel, choose, worship, and respond to God. Paul said, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). God’s Spirit speaks to our human spirit through His word, and our spirit responds in faith and obedience.

Our human spirit can become troubled, discouraged, joyful, or renewed. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Proverbs says, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?” (Proverbs 18:14). There is something deep within every person that cannot be satisfied merely by possessions, entertainment, success, or the approval of other people. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

But our human spirit needs the influence of God’s Holy Spirit. We are not simply physical creatures trying to make our way through a physical world. Paul reminds us that “the things of God knows no one except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God, teaches us through the word of God, and produces spiritual fruit in those who walk according to God’s will. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

This is why the Christian life is more than changing our outward behavior. God wants to transform us from the inside out. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). When the mind is renewed by God’s truth, the human spirit is strengthened, the heart is redirected, and the life begins to change. We learn to think differently because we have learned to see life differently.

There will be days when our human spirit feels weak. There will be moments when we are discouraged, confused, or weary. But God does not abandon us in those moments. Paul prayed that Christians would be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). That is where we need strength—not merely in our circumstances, but in our inner person. The Holy Spirit strengthens the human spirit so that we can keep walking, keep believing, keep loving, and keep serving.

So let us not neglect the inner man. Take time to listen to God through His word. Take time to pray. Take time to examine your heart. Take time to remember what Christ has done. “Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The body grows tired, circumstances change, and earthly things pass away. But God can renew the spirit within us every single day.

The Holy Spirit is not merely a doctrine to study. He is God’s divine presence working through His truth to accomplish God’s purposes in our lives. And our human spirit is not something to ignore while we concentrate on outward appearances. God desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). When our spirit is surrendered to God and our lives are shaped by His word, something beautiful happens: what God has placed within us begins to show itself through everything we do.

______________

Lord, renew our spirits. Strengthen us in the inner man. Teach us to walk according to Your truth, to follow Your Spirit, and to let the life of Christ be seen in us. Amen.

BDD

#110 CENTERED ON CHRIST 9-9-26

At the heart of the Christian faith is an unwavering call to center our lives entirely around Jesus Christ, deeply understanding the paramount purpose of putting Him first above all worldly distractions and faithfully observing every single task He has entrusted to His followers. We are to be faithful unto death (Revelation 1:10).

The Great Commission handed down to the disciples serves as the foundational cornerstone of the believer's active walkthrough in faith, charging us to carry His message outward while diligently keeping His teachings alive: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).

This enduring promise reassures us that no matter the hardship, cultural shift, or personal trial we encounter, His abiding presence remains actively with us to guide, comfort, and direct our steps until the end of time.

Yet, even after we have poured out our lives in earnest effort and striven relentlessly to obey every word He has spoken, Jesus provides a crucial perspective on human merit and divine grace that guards our hearts against spiritual pride. He reminds us that our righteousness, devotion, and obedience do not place the Almighty under any obligation to us, explicitly framing the heart attitude every true believer ought to hold: "So likewise when you have done all those things which are commanded of you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10).

In other words, God does not owe us favor, health, wealth, or special privilege simply because we have kept His commandments, for we have merely fulfilled the basic expectations of the Creator-creation relationship and done what was rightfully required of us from the very beginning.

What Jesus calls us into is not a transactional arrangement where our good deeds earn credits with God, but rather a transformation of character where doing what is right becomes our natural, joyful responsibility. We want to serve Him because it is right to serve Him.

We are called to embody the selfless pattern of living demonstrated through Christ's own earthly journey, intentionally choosing each day to go about doing good, as recorded in of Him: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38).

When we view our service through this lens of holy obligation, we are freed from the trap of seeking self-righteous recognition or keeping score of our spiritual achievements. Ultimately, all that matters is that Christ be glorified in our life. We seek to do His will because His will matters more than anything.

Ultimately, our highest calling, fundamental duty, and greatest privilege as followers of Christ is to walk in complete humility, continuously seeking to reflect the selfless life, active ministry, and sacrificial love of Jesus in every interaction and circumstance of our daily lives.

BDD

#109 ABIDE IN JESUS 9-9-26

There is so much that I cannot do. I cannot control everything that happens around me. I cannot change the hearts of other people. I cannot see tomorrow, and I cannot carry the burdens of yesterday. But there is something I can do. I can abide in Jesus. I can stay close to my Lord. I can seek Him with all my heart. I can build a relationship with Him in which He becomes the most important person in my life. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4). He did not call us merely to know about Him. He called us to live in fellowship with Him, to walk with Him, to remain in Him, and to draw our very life from Him.

If I truly desire Jesus, I can make Him the first thought of my morning and the last thought of my night. I can talk with Him throughout the day. I can open His Word because I want to hear His voice. I can pray because I want to speak with Him. I can worship because my heart longs to honor Him. David said, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1). The psalmist also said, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). God is not hiding Himself from the person who sincerely seeks Him. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Jesus can become more than a part of our lives. He can become our life. Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). He could say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is the kind of relationship that is possible with Jesus. He can become the One whose approval matters most. Before we make a decision, we can ask, “What would please my Lord?” Before we speak, we can ask whether our words honor Him. Before we choose a direction, we can ask whether that direction will bring glory to His name. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).

The closer we walk with Jesus, the stronger our desire becomes to obey Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Obedience is not a substitute for love. Obedience is one of the expressions of love. We will still listen to godly counsel from others, but Jesus will have the final word. His truth will be greater than our feelings. His will will be more important than our preferences. His approval will matter more than the applause of people. Paul said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

When Jesus becomes the center of our lives, people begin to see the difference. They may not understand everything about us. They may disagree with us. Some may even think we have gone too far. But they should be able to see that we have been with Jesus. When the religious leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John, they recognized that these men were uneducated and untrained, yet they marveled because they realized that “they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). What a testimony! May that be written across our lives. May our words sound different because we have been with Jesus. May our actions look different because we have been with Jesus. May our love be different because we have been with Jesus.

Do not believe the lie that this kind of closeness with Christ is reserved for a special few. You can know Him. You can walk with Him. You can love Him deeply. You can grow in Him. Paul prayed that believers would “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). He counted everything else as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). And he said, “That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). The more we seek Him, the more our hearts are drawn toward Him. The more we surrender to Him, the more completely He becomes the center of our lives. James gives us this wonderful promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

You will never exhaust the riches of knowing Jesus. There will always be more of His love to experience, more of His truth to discover, more of His character to imitate, and more of His grace to receive. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). So seek Him. Abide in Him. Walk with Him. Talk with Him. Obey Him. Love Him. Give Him your first thoughts and your final thoughts. Give Him your plans, your fears, your dreams, your failures, your victories, and your future. There is much that you cannot do, but you can draw near to Jesus. And if your heart truly desires Him, you can know Him more deeply tomorrow than you know Him today.

_________________

Lord Jesus, teach me to abide in You. Give me a heart that hungers for Your presence, loves Your Word, obeys Your voice, and seeks Your approval above everything else. Let my life so reflect You that people can see that I have been with Jesus. Help me to know You, love You, follow You, and walk with You all the days of my life. May You become my greatest treasure, my deepest joy, and the center of everything I am. Amen.

BDD

#108 TAKE TIME TO CONSIDER CHRIST 9-9-26

Take time to consider Christ. In the hurry and noise of life, we can become so occupied with everything around us that we fail to stop and think about the One who matters most. The writer of Hebrews says, “Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1). Think about Him. Think about His goodness. Think about His mercy. Think about all the wonderful things He has done for you. Think about how much you mean to Him.

First, consider His entrance into the world. Jesus walked through this world for us. The eternal Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He entered our world, experienced hunger and weariness, knew sorrow and rejection, and lived among ordinary people. He did not remain distant from our suffering. He came near. He became human, lived a sinless life, and showed us the heart of God. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Second, consider His cross. Jesus did not merely come to teach us. He came to die for us. At Calvary, He bore our guilt and carried our shame. Isaiah looked forward to that moment and declared, “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Peter tells us that Christ “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Think about that. The innocent One suffered for the guilty. The righteous One died for the unrighteous. The One who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Third, consider His victory. The cross was not the end of the story. The tomb could not hold Him. Jesus conquered death, and His resurrection became the great declaration that He truly is the Son of God. Paul says that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). Because He lives, our faith is not empty and our hope is not vain. Christ has won the final victory.

Paul could therefore ask, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). The resurrection changed everything. Death is no longer final for those who belong to Christ. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). His victory becomes the foundation of our hope.

So take time to consider Christ. Consider His coming. Consider His cross. Consider His victory. Consider the love that brought Him from heaven, the sacrifice that took Him to Calvary, and the power that brought Him out of the grave. When you remember who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, the troubles of today begin to look different. The heart finds courage. The soul finds peace. And faith finds something solid upon which to stand.

Do not rush past Christ today. Stop and think about Him. Think about what He has done, what He is doing, and what He has promised to do. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). There is no greater subject for the mind, no greater treasure for the heart, and no other Savior for the soul than Jesus Christ.

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Lord Jesus, help us to slow down and consider You. Help us remember Your coming, Your cross, and Your resurrection victory. Never let us become so busy with this life that we forget the One who gave His life for us. Fill our hearts with gratitude, strengthen our faith, and help us live every day looking unto You. Amen.

BDD

#107 THE CALL OF AUTUMN 9-9-26

The late summer breeze seems to whisper something to the soul. There is a change coming. The days begin to shorten, the evenings become cooler, and before long the leaves will begin to change. Soon we will be able to sing with Nat King Cole about autumn. It is beautiful to watch the seasons change because God Himself reminds us that “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). But autumn reminds us of something more important than a change in the weather. It reminds us that change is a part of life.

God wants to change more than the season around us. He wants to change the spirit within us. The gospel calls us to come to Christ and become new people. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We do not come to Jesus merely to add something religious to our lives. We come to Him because we need Him to transform us. We need Him to take the old life and give us a new one. We need the kind of change that only God can produce.

We need a change of heart. David understood this when he cried out to God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Our greatest need is not merely to change our circumstances. Our greatest need is to let God change us. Jesus calls us to repentance. He calls us to turn from sin, turn toward God, and surrender our hearts to Him. When the heart changes, everything else begins to change.

We need a change in conduct. A changed heart eventually produces a changed life. Paul told the Christians at Ephesus to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” and to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Christianity is not simply about what we say we believe. It is about allowing Christ to change the way we live.

We need a change in holiness. Peter reminds us that we are called to be holy because the One who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Our speech should change. Our attitudes should change. Our relationships should change. Our priorities should change. The things we love should change. The things we refuse should change. When Jesus becomes Lord of our lives, holiness is no longer merely an idea we talk about. It becomes a life we seek to live.

And then Jesus gives us a change in destination. Without Christ, sin leads us toward death, but Jesus came so that we might have life. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He went to the cross for our sins, rose from the grave, and promised His followers, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). The greatest change Jesus gives us is not merely a better life for a few years. He gives us the hope of eternal life with Him.

The leaves will change. The weather will change. The seasons will change. Our circumstances will change, and eventually this earthly life will change. But there is one change we should never postpone. Come to Christ. Let Him change your heart. Let Him change your conduct. Let Him lead you into holiness. Let Him change your eternal destination. Let us, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The autumn leaves will eventually fall, but the life Jesus gives will never end.

Perhaps the first cool breeze of autumn can become a call to your soul. Perhaps when you see the leaves changing, you can remember that God is still in the business of changing lives. The world changes around us, but Jesus changes us within. He takes sinners and gives them grace. He takes broken hearts and gives them hope. He takes wandering lives and gives them direction. And He takes those who come to Him in faith and leads them toward an eternal home. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19).

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Father, as the seasons change around us, change us within. Give us clean hearts, holy lives, and steadfast faith. Help us leave behind the things that dishonor You and walk faithfully with Jesus. May our lives show the world that Christ still changes people. And when our earthly season is finished, bring us safely home to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Wednesday, September 9, 2026

5:30 AM

“The Joy of Faith”

(Philippians 1:25)

10:30 AM

“The Battle Within”

(Romans 7:21-25)

2:00 PM

“The Temple of God”

(1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

5:00 pm

“Does God Really Exist?”

(Psalm 14:1)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST

#106 GRACE TO HELP 9-8-26

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Because Jesus understands our weakness, we can come boldly to His throne and receive grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Grace is not merely God’s favor toward us. Grace is God’s gift, God’s guidance, and God’s goal for our lives.

The gift of grace is what God freely gives us through Jesus Christ. We do not earn it. We do not deserve it. We receive it because He is gracious.

The guidance of grace teaches us how to live. Grace does not give us permission to wander away from God. It teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).

The goal of grace is to bring us safely home to God. Grace meets us where we are, but it does not leave us where it found us. It strengthens us, changes us, and leads us toward Christlikeness.

When temptation comes, there is grace. When weakness comes, there is grace. When sorrow comes, there is grace. When we do not know what to do, there is grace. There is grace to help.

BDD

#105 CAN MEN LIVE WITHOUT GOD? 9-8-26

Can men live without God? We may try, but we cannot truly live without Him. God is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Guide, and our Hope. Every breath we breathe is a gift from His hand, and every moment we possess exists because He continues to give us life. We did not create ourselves, and we cannot sustain ourselves. We may convince ourselves that we are independent, but dependence upon God is written into the very fabric of our existence.

There is nowhere we can go from His presence. David asked, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). We can run from God in our hearts. We can ignore Him with our minds. We can reject Him with our choices. But we cannot escape Him. He is before us, behind us, above us, and beneath us. He sees what we cannot see, knows what we cannot know, and holds the world together by His power.

Everything we truly know about the meaning and purpose of life comes to us through revelation. We cannot look at ourselves and discover the whole truth about ourselves. We cannot look at the world and determine by human wisdom why we are here, where we came from, what is right and wrong, or where we are going. God must speak, and He has spoken. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants” (Revelation 1:1). Those words introduce not merely a book, but a truth that runs through the entire Bible. God reveals Himself to humanity.

And the greatest revelation of God is Jesus Christ. God has not left us wandering in the darkness, trying to find our way to Him. He came to us in the person of His Son. Jesus is the One through whom we see the Father, understand salvation, and discover the purpose for which we were created. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). If we want to know what God is like, we must look at Jesus.

God is the center of everything. He is not merely a part of our lives to be considered alongside everything else. He is the reason life exists. He is the source of truth. He is the foundation of righteousness. He is the giver of salvation. When God is removed from the center, everything else eventually loses its proper place. We may gain possessions, positions, popularity, and accomplishments, but none of these things can tell us why we are here or save our souls.

We cannot make it without Him. We need God when we are strong, and we need Him when we are weak. We need Him when the road is smooth, and we need Him when the valley is dark. We need Him in life, and we will need Him when we come to the end of life. Jesus said, “For without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is not merely a statement about religion. It is a statement about reality.

Therefore, look to God. Look to Christ. Look away from yourself and toward the One who created you, sustains you, loves you, and offers you salvation. The world will tell you to trust yourself. God tells you to trust Him. The world tells you that you can find your own way. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Can men live without God? We can exist while ignoring Him, but we cannot truly live apart from Him. Our lives begin in His hands, our lives are sustained by His power, and our eternal hope is found in Jesus Christ. God is the center of all things. When we put Him at the center of our lives, we finally begin to understand what life is really about.

BDD

#104 JESUS IS EVERYTHING WE NEED 9-8-26

Jesus is everything that we need. John tells us in Revelation 1:5 that Jesus is three things to us, and each one reveals something wonderful about who He is and what He has done for us.

First, He is the Faithful Witness. His Word is truth, His promises are dependable, and everything He has spoken can be trusted. Jesus said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He came into the world to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37), and because He is faithful, we can build our lives upon His Word.

He is also the Fighting Warrior, the One who rules over the kings of the earth. Jesus is not a defeated Savior sitting helplessly on the sidelines of history. He is the conquering King who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). The kings of the earth may have authority for a season, but their authority is beneath His. God has exalted Him and given Him “the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus fights for His people, reigns over His kingdom, and ultimately every enemy will be placed beneath His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

He is the Firstborn Winner, the firstborn from the dead. Death could not hold Him. The grave could not defeat Him. Jesus walked into death, conquered death, and came out of the grave in resurrection victory. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and Paul declared that Christ “has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

But the greatest truth of Revelation 1:5 is not simply that He witnessed the truth, won the battle, and rules as King. It is that He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. His love took Him to the cross, His blood provided the cleansing we could never provide for ourselves, and His resurrection gives us hope beyond the grave. He is our Faithful Witness, our Fighting Warrior, and our Firstborn Winner. He is everything we need.

BDD

#103 OUR OWN RACE TO RUN 9–8-26

All of us have our own race to run. God has given each of us a path, a purpose, and a calling that is uniquely ours. We should not spend our lives measuring our journey by someone else’s. The important question is not how far someone else has gone, but whether we are faithfully following Jesus where He has called us to go. Our race is not about impressing people. It is about being faithful to God.

There will be days when the road is difficult, days when our strength is small, and days when we wonder how much farther we can go. But the Lord who called us to the race will give us grace to continue. Paul could look back over his life and say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). That is the goal. Keep running. Keep believing. Keep praying. Keep your eyes on Jesus and your heart faithful to God.

Your race may be different from everyone else’s, but it is the race God has entrusted to you. Do not become discouraged because your journey does not look like someone else’s. Run your race with faithfulness, endure the difficult places, and keep moving toward the finish line. One day, when the race is over, what will matter is that you remained faithful to the One who called you. Run well, finish strong, and keep your eyes on Jesus.

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Lord, help me to run the race You have given me with faith, endurance, and faithfulness. Keep my eyes on Jesus, strengthen me when I am weary, and help me finish well. Amen.

BDD

#102 WALKING BY FAITH 9-8-26

There is a way God has called us to walk, and that way must be walked every day of our lives. We are not called to follow God only when the road is easy, nor only when the answers are clear. We are called to walk in His ways when the morning is bright and when the night is long. We are called to take our stand for truth, to stand for righteousness, and to do what God has called us to do in the way He has called us to do it. Faithfulness is not simply something we practice on certain days. It is a way of life.

There will be times when we wonder what to do next. There will be moments when the answer seems beyond our reach. But Jesus has invited us to ask. James reminds us that there are things we do not have because we do not ask. We must never allow uncertainty to silence our prayers. We can bring our needs, our burdens, our questions, and our desires before God, trusting that He hears us and that His wisdom is greater than ours. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Prayer is one of the ways faith continues to walk when sight cannot see the road ahead.

And faith gives us something the world cannot manufacture. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To be justified by faith is to stand before God accepted and declared righteous because of what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. We do not walk through this life trying to earn the right to belong to Him. We walk because, through Christ, He has made peace with us. That peace gives courage to the heart and strength to the feet.

Faith itself looks beyond what the eyes can see. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The world tells us to believe only what we can touch, measure, and prove with our eyes. Faith teaches us to trust the God who sees what we cannot see. There are promises we have not yet experienced, blessings we have not yet received, and destinations we have not yet reached. But God is already there. Faith does not require us to see everything. Faith requires us to trust the One who sees everything.

That is why Paul tells us to fix our attention on things that are eternal rather than things that are temporary. “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18). What we see around us is passing away. Circumstances change. Possessions disappear. Human applause fades. Bodies grow older. But the things of God remain. When our eyes become fixed on eternity, the temporary troubles of today lose some of their power over us.

And as we walk this race, our eyes must remain fixed upon Jesus. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We do not run this race by staring at the failures behind us or becoming consumed with the difficulties around us. We look to Jesus. He is our example, our strength, our hope, and our destination. When our feet become tired, we look to Jesus. When the road becomes difficult, we look to Jesus. When we cannot understand what God is doing, we look to Jesus.

And somehow, through every step, God sustains His children. His favor strengthens us. His blessings encourage us. His grace carries us farther than our own strength ever could. We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. We may not see the entire road, but we know the One who has promised to walk with us. So we keep walking. We keep praying. We keep believing. We keep standing for truth. We keep our eyes upon Jesus. And we continue in faith, knowing that the God who brought us this far will not abandon us now.

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Father, help us to walk in Your ways every day of our lives. Give us courage to stand for truth and righteousness, wisdom to know what You have called us to do, and faith to do it faithfully. Teach us to pray when we have needs, to trust You when we cannot see, and to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus. Sustain us by Your grace and strengthen us by Your favor until our earthly race is finished and we stand in Your presence forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

BDD

Livestream Preaching Times for Tuesday, September 8, 2026

5:30 AM

“Unshakable Ground in Uncertain Times”
(Hebrews 12:28)

10:00 AM

“The Power of Standing Still”
(Exodus 14:14)

2:00 PM

“Beauty from the Ashes”
(Isaiah 61:3)

4:00 pm

“Strength Beyond Strength”
(2 Corinthians 12:9)

TikTok: @dewaynedunawayministries

All times CST