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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Are Your Growing?

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When Jesus comes into your heart you are a child in the faith!  You have received knowledge of God and forgiveness of sin.  If you know God, you will seek to be saved and if you are saved, you will seek to know God.  When you accepted Christ, you were forgiven and you are forgiven right now.  Forgiveness is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus and has as it’s purpose making mercy and grace available to those that repent and enter into relationship! 

When we confess our sins, salvation comes into our lives.  Salvation provides us with access to God.  Access to God enables Him to give us power, victory and growth.  When we receive Christ and become a child of faith, we should immediately begin growing.  So HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GROWN LATELY?

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Good Medicine!

Good medicine is medicine that prevents you from getting sick!  This is exactly what the Word of God is!  It is good medicine that will heal us from our hurts and build our resistance to things tha would commonly take us out!  At Northwood, we preach it and teach it, because we believe that it is God’s Word to empower and change our lives!

I hope that you are taking time to get into your Bible and read it everyday!  I hope that as you read, you are thinking about how what you are reading applies to your life and how your life needs to change and adapt to line up with what you are reading.  Especially make sure that you are taking time this month to read through the Ten Commandments.  Think about why God gave you these commands and the difference that they could and should make in your daily living!

I also want to encourage you to come and take advantage of our LIFE classes on Sunday evenings.  We have five different classes that will inspire, encouage and grow you in some incredible and amazing ways!  God gave you some medicine – take it and watch what happens!

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Ten Commands – Not Ten Options!

Yesterday was a great day for me – I was really excited about sharing the message that God had given me about the thrid commandment.  As I was studying this past week, God really helped me to understand in a freah way the purpose of His commands.  Through commands – God is drawing us closer to Him!  When we hear God, respond to what we are hearing by being obedient, God is glorified and we are blessed!

Read through the commandments!  Take some time to think about what they mean for your life!  Make sure that you have God where He belongs – in first place!  Come on and be honest about this one!  If He is not where He belongs – fix it!  Get rid of your distorted and limited image of God and ask Him to help you to see a glimpse of His glory.  When was the last time you let the bigger than life stuff of God blow you away?

We need to stop misusing God’s name!  I think that the greatest misuse of God’s name is not what people say, but what Christians fail to do!  We talk a good game, but that’s it for most – it’s all just a bunch of talk!  If you really love God and if you really believe that He loves you, then it should change your life and the way that you live it!

Hey gang!  We are different than the rest of the world and we are not like all of those people that go to church, but never really do anything about it!  We are followers of Christ!  He has made a real difference in our lives and we are making a real difference in His Kingdom!  I hope this is a great week for you and I pray you get some victory and growth!