All posts by mjharvell

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.
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Change Is Coming!

     We are living in a world that is constantly changing!  And if we are honest with ourselves and one another, we have to admit that while we like and embrace some of the changes, there are many that we do not care for!

-We do not care for rising gas prices and a falling 401k!

-We do not like increased government and diminishing service!

-We do not want higher prices and less for our money!

     In fact, much of the change that comes our way in a lifetime is change that we spend a good deal of our time and energy fighting against, only to discover that our fight is wasted because change is coming and some change cannot be stopped!

     During the past year we have heard a lot about change and we have experienced much change as a country and as individuals.  And while most Americans want change, very few want it for themselves and for their families!

     Many of you know first hand and in a very personal way – that change fought against and resisted has not been a friend! 

-The change that you experienced may have come in the form of some physical sickness, disease or the death of one that you loved and care for!

-The change that came knocking at your door may have been a lay-off, down-sizing or unexpected firing!

-The change that you have done battle with may have been within your family, where the unexpected and unplanned happened and you are still having a hard time accepting it!

     Whatever the shape and content of the change that has come your way, you know that while it may have hurt, it did not kill you!  There may have been moments when you thought that it was going to take you out, but you are still ALIVE!

     You are still alive right now in this moment and this is a part of the thing that gives you your strength and your purpose.  Because while you and I cannot stop change from coming, we can learn from it and be made stronger by it!

 

 

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Ephesians 3:14-20

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I am praying for you and asking that God will strengthen you with His power through His Spirit in your inner being!  I don’t want you to be dependent upon your limited human power, which really shouldn’t be called power at all!  I want you to live by, in and with the supernatural strength of God.  Power that flows through His Spirit into your life.  Power that fills you from the inside-out!

I am praying that Jesus will dwell in your heart through faith!  I know that Jesus came to not just make a difference, He came to make the difference!  I am asking God to help you to make your heart the “home dwelling place” for a Savior that loves you with a love that is so amazing!  I am praying that especially when life does not make sense – that you take it on faith and that as your faith in Jesus grows, you become empowered to do great and mighty things that cannot be explained!

I am praying that love will be your foundation and that you will be rooted and established in the love of Christ!  The love of God is the great foundation on which we should build our lives.  Keep love as your foundation and everything that is grown out of your life will  bring glory to God and blessings to yourself and others!

I am praying that we might have power to grasp how wide, long, high and deep is the love of Jesus!  When I begin to get His love, I can’t help but share His love!  I know that I am getting it – when I am sharing it!  Power to be and do flows through my relationship of love!  What we need and what our world needs is for us to really get and give the love of Jesus!

I am praying that we might be filled with the fullness of God!  It is hard to stay full of yourself!  And when you are full of yourself, it is impossible to accomplish the supernatural things that God has called and gifted you to accomplish!  God is our everything and when we fill our lives with Him, we always have more than enough of whatever it is that we might need to live this life that we are living n the way that He has called us to live it!

I am praying this prayer to God, who is able to do more than we can measure, more than we can ask and more than we can imagine!  I am praying according to His power at work in us and so that all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through men, women, boys and girls of all ages might bring glory to Him with our lives lived in His strength!