by Garris Elkins | Jan 5, 2020 | Change, Courage, Deliverance, Discernment, Favor, Future, Mercy, Redemption, Supernatural, Wisdom
Before you change the course of your life, be careful to rightly discern the direction the relational and spiritual winds are blowing. Some of the first indicators of a positive way forward might not be telling you the whole truth. Paul was being transported as a...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 29, 2019 | Family, Grace, Healing, Mercy, Relationships
When my father passed away 30 years ago, I wanted to keep one of his hats. He was from a generation where if a man went outside, he wore a hat. I remember several years after his passing that I picked up one of his hats and held it to my face. I could still smell a...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 28, 2019 | Courage, Forgiveness, Freedom, Grace, Honor, Hope, Humility, Mercy, Obedience, Peace, Reconciliation, Relationships
Those who mock you are mocking from a place of personal sorrow. They are not sure they will ever have what you have, so their defensiveness uses mockery as a form of emotional insulation distancing them from their sad reality. Be willing to look past the mockery into...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 27, 2019 | Deliverance, Favor, Fear, Freedom, Future, Hope, Mercy, Obedience, Trust, Truth
The court of Heaven will always have the last word over the affairs of Earth. Heaven’s court is eternally in session and never takes a recess. There is only one righteous Judge, and He adjudicates the cases of humanity with mercy, grace, and love. Look to...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 22, 2019 | Creativity, Family, Favor, Fear, Jesus, Mercy, Redemption, Trust
A friend of our family shared this painting of the nativity scene by the artist Gari Melcher on her Facebook wall. When I saw the image, I stopped and stared, stunned by its raw beauty. It conveyed to me something more profound and impactful than any other nativity...
by Garris Elkins | Dec 16, 2019 | Courage, Death, Deliverance, Discipline, Justice, Mercy, Peace, Pride, Wisdom
Years ago, in my previous life, I guarded lives as a profession. Once, my team helped guard the President of the United States. I have guarded celebrities as part of their security detail and stood in courtrooms guarding a judge and jury during the trial of...
