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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OUCH!

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Ouch! That Hurts!

This Morning! I was spending a little time in the book of James this morning.  James is one of those books in the Bible where almost every verse just nails me and the work that I need to allow God to do in and through my life.  I can convince myself that I am doing pretty good spiritually and then read James and realize that I have much work to do in the spiritual arena!

 

Small And Powerful! Take for example this little verse located in James 1:26  “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”  “OUCH!”  Can I say it again?  “OUCH!”  Can we say it together?  “OUCH!”

A Few Quick Thoughts: It does not really matter what you think!  Religion can be good or bad – you make the choice with the way that you live your life!  If your Religion does not enable and strengthen you to control your tongue, then your religion is worthless!  It is possible to deceive your own heart!

Think ABout It! I challenge us all to think about it and then do something about it.  I’ve got work to do – how about you?  Press On!

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A Question For God!

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Serving Others Is A Great Way To Serve God!

I want to be an extension of God! I want to be able to share Him and the difference that He can make with others.  I am not God and I can never be God, but I can share Him and the difference that He has made in my life.  God has so challenged and changed my life, that I want to share that challenge and change with others.  He really does make a difference today and in eternity!

I am not in control! That is hard to admit.  Sometimes I think that I would like to be in control, but it really does not matter how much I want to be in control or how in control I think I might be, the truth is:  I am not in control!  I have a set amount of time, the same as everybody else, but I never seem to have enough.  I have some amazing talents that God has blessed me with, but I fail to use them to their full potential.  God has given me many treasures in my life and I have taken way to many of them for granted by wasting when I should have been sharing.

I accept His calling to join Him in His Kingdom’s work! I am willing to do whatever He ask, whenever He ask, however He might ask!  My new question for God:  “How may I serve you today?”

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A Restless Spirit!

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Hope Is Restless - But Has A Great Spirit!

 

Do you ever have a “restless spirit?” You know – It’s that feeling that there is something just not quiet right.  You can’t always identify the reason or where it is coming from, but you have a sense somewhere deep inside that something is just not right.

What Do You Do? When I get a restless spirit, then I can’t rest until I hear from God.  When I get a restless spirit, I have to hear from God, so that I can move on.  When I get a restless spirit, then I know that God is trying to tell me something and I need to listen close, so I look, listen and lean!  I look in His Word, listen for His voice and lean in His direction!

Don’t ignore your restless spirit! Pay attention to what you are not hearing or feeling, so that you can and will hear from God.  A restless spirit is not a bad thing, it is actually a good thing, because it helps you to get your focus where it needs to be if you are paying attention and that is off of self and onto the things of God.

Being Thankful! I am learning to be thankful for a restful spirit by learning to respond to it in the right way, the way that God intends – with an open heart, mind and attitude and a willingness to be led by whatever God shows me!