Welcome, friend—I’m glad you’ve pulled up a chair on the front porch of my little corner of the internet. My name is Michael Joe Harvell, and I live my life with one simple mission: to glorify God, encourage people, and leave this world a little better than I found it. I’m a husband, father, pastor, writer, Jeep enthusiast, and front-porch thinker who believes that life is best lived on purpose. I serve as pastor of Eureka Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina, where I get the joy of preaching, teaching, and walking with people through the ups and downs of everyday life. Over the years, I’ve discovered that faith isn’t just about Sunday mornings—it’s about living every single day in the presence and power of God. I’m also an author. My books—including The Grace Exchange: How Forgiven People Forgive People and The Word Works—grow out of the sermons, stories, and lessons I’ve learned on this journey. I write in a style that’s conversational, a little front-porch-rocking-chair, and full of stories, quotes, and Scripture that point us back to the goodness of God’s Word. When I’m not writing or preaching, you might find me sitting outside with my Bible and journal, cruising the backroads in my Jeep Gladiator, or sharing a meal and some laughs with the good folks God has put in my life. I love helping people find peace in their spirit, strength in their body, and encouragement in their soul. This blog is simply an extension of that mission. Here you’ll find devotions, encouragement, reflections, and practical insights for living a life of purpose, peace, and joy. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a rocking chair, and stay awhile—I’d be honored to walk this road of faith with you.
God has a plan for your life and He wants you to know it! Most of us believe that God has a plan for our life or at least we hope that God has a plan for our life. Most of us at some time or another have thought about it. But the truth is: It just all seems to hard and mysterious to try and figure out. And often while we are trying to figure out and understand God’s plan, we have family and friends who are all to happy to share the two cents worth, which often just seems to muddy the waters!
Here is what you need to know about God’s plan for your life! He will never force His plan on you! He will never tell you one thing and then change it all around – just to have an “I got cha!” moment. God wants you to know His plan and He is walking step by step with you through this life to try and help you understand, accept and live according to His plan. If you really want to know His plan – He will reveal it to you.
One of the first and great ways that God reveals His plan for our lives is through communication. God communicates with His children through prayer and His Word. Make sure that you have carved some time out of your schedule today to pray, that is to talk with and listen to God. And make sure that before you put your head on your pillow to go to sleep tonight that you have opened up your Bible and read about God and His faithfulness. Take these steps and you will be on your way to discovering God’s plan for your life!
What do you think are the top three spiritual priorities of your life? I would really like to know what and where you are in your journey. What is it that God has taught or is teaching you? I know that most people have some spiritual priorities.
These spiritual priorities are the things that get your attention when nothing else does. What are yours? I am going to use this question to try and have a little running dialogue blog, so I will be sharing a little more about my top three as I respond to your comments. I am not sure that there is a right or wrong answer here – it all kinda depends on where God has you and what God is teaching you, so don’t be afraid to share honestly!
By the way my top three right now as of this moment are: 1.) Quiet Time – which consist of prayer and Scripture meditation, application and journaling. 2.) Study through reading and listening to other teachers/preachers! 3.) Discipleship – sharing what I know with others to try and facilitate growth in their personal relationship with Christ. I have a few others that are on my radar screen and may be coming into the top three – they are Scripture memory, personal witness and more focused discipleship!
Please help me out with this one – what are your top three spiritual priorities and why?
This week the Lord has been speaking to me a lot about faith! I don’t have the time to get into all of the things that He is showing me or teaching me, but there is one thought that I want to share for whoever or whatever.
Faith is about trusting God. Faith is about wanting more than anything – the thing that God wants for and from you. Faith is trusting in God’s will and wisdom above and beyond your own! We mess up faith when we start putting our stuff into it, so be careful!
Many times this week, I have read how God performed extraordinary miracles in ordinary people’s lives. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead and even allowed a hard headed disciple to walk on water. In each situation the miracle of God was performed in response to His people’s faith. When God’s people have faith – God’s power moves in and through their lives.
We must wait on God, but when He speaks, we must be ready to move and we must move.Our moving in response to His speaking is a key that unlocks the miraculous! So there are two things that are important here: 1.) Make sure that you are listening for and to God. Don’t do anything until you are sure that you have heard His voice and received His direction. Once you have heard His voice and received His direction: 2.) Move! Start stepping in whatever direction He is leading! Our movement puts feet to our faith and gets the whole process headed in the right direction!
Michael Joe Harvell 