one step: Matthew 12.7

…the last state of that person is worse than the first.

How many times have you seen an area in your life that needed change and said, “hmmm… how can I make this worse?” I’m willing to bet none. I would say that the average person would see something that needs to change in their life and think, “okay… this needs to change for the better.”

Looking at myself in the mirror, if I’m honest, I probably could lose a few pounds. My body would certainly thank me if I got fit. In seeing this need in myself, I cannot recall a time that I have looked at my excess weight and thought, “okay, how can I make this weight situation worse?”

Can you imagine if the number one most common way to lose weight was to eat as many doughnuts as possible?! That would be nonsense, but what if that was the way that everyone was attempting to achieve their weight-loss goals?

First, I would engage passionately and intentionally into that weight-loss program. I would be the most dedicated and disciplined participant that the “Weight Loss Doughnut Cleanse Program” had ever seen. I would wear the shirts, put the sticker on my car, and tell every friend I know! I would get everyone to sign up under me because I can supply them with doughnuts for a monthly fee, and I would encourage them to get others to sign up under them (it’s not a pyramid scheme… it multi-level marketing… totally different. I promise).

Second, by the end of it, I would be worse off than when I began. I would have very much the complete opposite of the results that I desired. I would be covered in cream and filled with shame and purchasing larger, stretchier clothes, not smaller.

As silly as this sounds, the prevailing way to create change in our culture involves engaging in a nonsense process that leaves individuals worse in the end than in the beginning. It leaves them covered in more chains and filled with more shame and costing them more than they imagined.

In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus describes how many attempt to bring freedom and change in their lives: they apply effort, discipline, and structure to get things in order. From the outside looking in, they have achieved their goals, but in the end they end up worse than before. Every. Single. Time.

How can this be? Like doughnuts, effort, discipline, and structure sound good! They sound good because they are good (yes, doughnuts are good), but they are not enough. When battling against bondage and chaos in our lives, we are not simply dealing with order in our home; we are dealing with spiritual forces that require spiritual work.

When getting our lives in order, we need the Holy Spirit to bring real change. The Holy Spirit may lead us to engage our will, walk in discipline, and set up structure in our lives, but make no mistake. We need the Holy Spirit to bring true, lasting change in our lives that does not result in a worse condition than before. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to evict the enemy from the places in our lives that the enemy thinks he owns. We need the Holy Spirit to fill those spaces that the enemy has enjoyed influencing and controlling in our lives. We need the authority of Jesus to stand guard and protect us.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today God wants you to invite Him to break the power of the enemy in your life in a way that you haven’t been able to. Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to fill vacant places in your life with His Spirit. Perhaps you have been on a long-standing cycle of effort that has resulted in more fear, more lust, and more bondage; and God wants you to be free. Maybe today God wants you to abandon the common ways of this world to bring change and open your heart to Him.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 328-330, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 12:43-45) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 12.6

…they repented at the preaching of Jonah…

Hidden in the original language of these few words, Jesus provides us with a powerful evangelistic tool. The word preaching that Jesus uses refers to the message of an official messenger or a herald. A herald had one job: deliver the message. Unlike the news of our day that sometimes takes things out of context or assigns meaning when convenient, the job of the herald was to deliver the message. No more. No Less. The herald was not to interpret the news as good or bad. The herald was not to add persuasion or emphasis. The herald had to simply deliver the message.

This tells us that the powerful words that turned the hearts of a city as wicked and lost as Nineveh were not words of persuasion, but they were a simple message delivered word-for-word from what God told Jonah. Jonah did not start or end his message with, “I think you guys should…” No. Honestly, what Jonah thought did not matter. Only what God thought mattered; thus, only what God said mattered. Jonah did not hope for repentance for Nineveh. If anything, this reluctant prophet might have delivered the message quite lack-luster. He simply delivered the message as God gave it to him.

What does this mean for you and me? Well, first and foremost, it must show us our posture. The words we speak to bring those to repentance must be the words of God, not of our own. The changing power of the words of the Gospel do not need our embellishment or smooth talk to change the course of people’s lives. In fact, sometimes these things can get in the way of the message. Our posture must be such that we recognize that we must not be heard; God must be heard.

Second, it shows us our pressure… or lack thereof. Sometimes when we feel that we need to share something with someone that God is saying to them from the Bible or as a word of encouragement, we can hesitate for fear of poor delivery. We feel pressure to perform. Jesus would say, “it’s not your delivery that shapes eternity; it’s the words of the Father. Speak those boldly.” The pressure isn’t on the messenger… the message is good enough on its own.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to share the message of love and hope of Jesus with someone you know. Perhaps God wants you to lay down your efforts to change everyone around you and pick up His call to simply share the message. Maybe God wants us to allow Him to be heard.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 323–328, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 12:38-42) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 12.5

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

The suffering, serving Christ came with healing and forgiveness. He also came with a warning that He would one day return as judge. In the economy of justice, there is not a space between good and bad. Good and bad are completely dichotomous islands. Standing with one foot in good and one foot in bad is a deception that can only last until judgment comes. Judgment reveals what is in our hearts and assigns consequences to it. Guys… this is scary stuff.

If you’re like me, you are wondering with some urgency, “am I good or bad?” The beautiful reality is that those who place their faith in Jesus are made good by His redeeming blood. Our efforts cannot achieve this kind of powerful salvation. The dichotomous islands of good and bad sit in an ocean of grace that Jesus invites us to drown in. So what does that mean for us?

The reality is also that we are all works-in-progress in need of restoration, healing, and purification that comes in process (aka sanctification). The small word “make” in the verse above is an opportunity to find change in our lives. Trees can change!

We find a tension between “I am made good by Christ” and “I need to be made good by Christ.” Any of us who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior can attest in times of harshness to ones we love, lack of patience in traffic, or moments of fear that we still have areas that we need Christ to do work in. We need change!

But this question remains: how do we know what areas we need the work of Christ in?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12: good trees produce good fruit; bad trees produce bad fruit. The end.

When we look at (or invite others to look at) the fruit in our lives (words and deeds), it will reveal what is in our hearts. The words and deeds of our lives that come out in times when we aren’t trying tell us what kind of tree we are.*

In this passage Jesus seeks to help us all to know what is in our hearts so that we can submit those parts to Him.

Honestly, negativity comes out of me far too much. What does that say about me as a tree? What does that mean about what is in my heart? I live in an ocean of grace as I drown in its waters, but I need to change.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to take time to examine the fruit in your life. Perhaps God wants you to step out in bravery and invite someone to help you to examine your fruit. Maybe today God wants you to receive His “well done.” Perhaps God wants you to hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit pointing out a place that He wants to work in your heart.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 320-323, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 12:33-37) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 12.4

Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand

Jesus, refuting the Pharisees and questioning their logic in their attack of His character and purpose, paints a picture of a present reality. He illustrates the diametrically opposed kingdoms of God and of satan. Jesus explains in certain terms that those who align with the Kingdom of Heaven align against the kingdom of satan and vice versa. Jesus explains that no in between exists.*

This clarity in kingdom dynamics suggests that when we think that the way we live in secret “doesn’t hurt anyone” or when we think that the decisions we make are “no big deal,” we are deceived. The enemy would love more than anything else to convince us that we have not acted against the Kingdom of Heaven, but that we simply are in a space in between Kingdoms that causes no harm. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Furthermore, it explains to us that to expand the Kingdom of God, we must engage our wills in an intentional effort to invite His will to be done. To fail to engage our will to invite His will to be done, we fail to expand His Kingdom, leaving room for the kingdom of the enemy to expand. There is no void of space. One Kingdom or the other will fill that space.

This question remains: who’s kingdom are you and I expanding? Are our actions making room for and expanding the Kingdom of God? How does the way you live your life intentionally make room for the will of God to be done here on earth as it is in heaven?

In my life, I do not always say things as kindly as I should. I do not always operate the patience that I need to speak gently with my children. I do not always give ear to God’s voice in times of hurt, but I listen to the voice of the accuser (satan). Considering the kingdom implications of each of my life situations can help me to partner better with God in what He wants to accomplish on earth as it is in Heaven.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to adjust an area of your life to align to His Kingdom. Perhaps God would have you close the door and kick out the company in the a space in your life that the enemy has found room to operate and destroy. Maybe today God wants you to invite in His Holy Spirit to fill the spaces where the enemy once operated.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Need prayer? We are happy to pray for you (ask for prayer here).

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 313–318, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 12:22–30) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 12.3

And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known.

If you and I were to approach the mission of changing the world, I can imaging that we would attempt a strategy that included social media, networking with as many powerful and influential people as humanly possible, fundraising for a few commercials during the Super Bowl, and hiring a celebrity brand ambassador or two.

While none of these things are bad in and of themselves, and some if not all of them can be helpful in spreading a message, Jesus chose another path.

Jesus spread the Good News and began the path of changing the world by entering the world as a suffering servant who focused on mainly pouring into just twelve people (though He did minister to the masses too), connected with people who had no power or authority and of whom He had nothing to gain in return, and instructed them not to tell of His healings.*

This seems like the best way to not change the world.

How often do we discount or ignore our ability to bring the Good News into this world? How often do we chase fame, influence, and recognition with the belief that if we achieve these things then we will be able to reach the world for Christ?

What if that’s a lie?

What if Jesus paved the way for ordinary people to focus on twelve people around them, to seek obscurity, and to serve others to the point of suffering? What if the goal of Christ and thus the goal of the believer is to become so small in the eyes of others that only the work of God may be seen?

These are the steps to seeing the world change.

Stop chasing fame. Stop chasing significance. I chased them with all of my being and found nothing. I spent a large portion of my life chasing fame and significance so that I could tell the world about Jesus. I lied to myself. I actually wanted acceptance, respect, and affirmation. I wanted to be known. I failed. I found emptiness. Then, I found Jesus.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to stop chasing significance. Perhaps your desire for fame must end. Maybe today God wants you to receive His identity for you in a way that erases your need to be seen. Perhaps God wants you to take one step into obscurity to help those who have no voice. Maybe God wants you to see the twelve around you rather than chase the masses beyond you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Need prayer? We are happy to pray for you (ask for prayer here).

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

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sign up just below for a daily reminder of the one step devotional. click here to return to devotional list.

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 308–312, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 12:15–21) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).