The Upside Down Way of God

Oct 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Singing “I Exalt Thee” With Granny’s Tears

The raw joy of worship transcends generations. A man recalls childhood moments singing hymns beside parents and grandparents, their voices weaving faith into his bones. Tears flow not from weakness but from the overwhelming weight of God’s unchanging goodness. These memories become living testimonies, proving that heartfelt praise plants seeds deeper than sermons. Children learn to worship not by instruction but by witnessing parents lift hands, bow heads, and surrender voices. [30:34]

I will rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: What childhood memory of faith still stirs gratitude in you? How might your worship today plant seeds in someone watching?

Day 2: Training Tiny Hands to Clap for Glory

Worship is caught, not taught. Children imprint faith by seeing parents sing through hardship, raise hands in surrender, and whisper “Amen” amid chaos. Every Sunday side-by-side hymn becomes a classroom where little eyes learn to seek God’s face rather than entertainment. The act isn’t about perfect behavior but showing that encountering God matters more than quiet pews. [31:41]

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6, ESV)

Reflection: What unspoken lesson about God’s worth does your daily life teach those who watch you?

Day 3: The $100 Bill Hidden Too Safely

Forgotten blessings still belong to us. Like misplacing cash in an overzealous “safe spot,” believers often lose sight of inherited spiritual riches—healing, deliverance, joy—by treating them as distant concepts rather than daily provisions. David’s command to “forget not all His benefits” rebukes our spiritual amnesia. Mercy isn’t a relic but a renewable resource, as daily as sunrise. [58:48]

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2, ESV)

Reflection: Which of God’s benefits have you “misplaced” through disuse? How would today change if you carried His forgiveness like wallet cash?

Day 4: Yesterday’s Finish Line, Today’s Starting Block

Broken backs and broken vows don’t define tomorrow. Each dawn resets the race, not by erasing scars but by unleashing new mercies. Lamentations’ promise of daily renewal turns calendars into altars—every sunrise a fresh invitation to receive grace, not recycle shame. The man who broke his body now breaks lies by declaring: “Yesterday’s pain funds today’s praise.” [40:12]

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: What expired failure still haunts you? How might declaring “new mercies” today alter your stride?

Day 5: Walking Billboards of the Invisible Kingdom

Believers aren’t subtle. Our lives scream, “God was here,” through love that disarms critics and peace that baffles chaos. Like salt irritating wounds to heal them, Christians disrupt despair simply by carrying Christ’s presence. The confession “I am a place where lives change” isn’t arrogance—it’s the humbling reality of being a walking revival. [01:32:54]

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: When others “read” your life today, what headlines about God will they write?

Sermon Summary

God’s goodness gives weight to the words believers say together: “This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118 does not point backward to yesterday or forward to tomorrow. It points to today. Yesterday’s finish line becomes today’s starting line, and yesterday’s problems do not get to determine today’s possibilities. God’s mercies are new every morning, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Rejoicing is not a reaction to circumstances. Rejoicing is a response to the goodness of God. Habakkuk could look at empty fields and still rejoice in the Lord because circumstances do not determine whether God is good. God’s goodness determines how believers face circumstances. The flesh may have to get out of the way daily, but the righteousness of Christ inside gives reason to rejoice.

“This is my receiving day” rests on what Jesus has already accomplished, not on something believers must earn. Christ gives the right to become children of God. The Father has blessed, qualified, delivered, and transferred His children into the kingdom of His Son. God has given all things pertaining to life and godliness, yet faith cannot receive what it does not know has been given. Psalm 103 therefore says, “Forget not all His benefits.” Forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, lovingkindness, tender mercies, good things, and renewed strength are not benefits to set on a shelf and forget.

Faith does not deny what the eyes see. Faith refuses to let what is seen have final authority. Facts are real, but facts do not override the truth of God’s Word. Abraham did not ignore his age or Sarah’s age, but he became fully persuaded that God could perform what He promised. Faith is not just words said on Sunday. Faith is a life lived every day that ends in today.

The confession then moves in order: reach up, reach in, and reach out. Reaching up means coming boldly to the throne of grace, staying connected to the Vine, and knowing where help comes from. Reaching in means recognizing Christ in believers, the Holy Spirit dwelling within, and the gifts God has placed there. The victorious One lives inside, so victory is not something believers fight for but a place in which they stand. Reaching out means letting rivers of living water flow to others as light, salt, ambassadors, servants, and good stewards of grace.

A believer is a place where God is seen, love is felt, and lives are changed in Jesus’ name. Confession does not convince God to be faithful. Confession agrees with what Jesus has already accomplished.

Key Takeaways

1. Today starts with God’s fresh mercy. Psalm 118 and Lamentations place faith in today, not in the wreckage of yesterday or the fear of tomorrow. Yesterday may have held pain, failure, or even victory, but it does not get to define the next step. God’s faithfulness meets believers in the present with fresh mercy and fresh opportunity. [40:12]
2. Rejoicing answers God’s unchanging goodness. Joy cannot be built on everything outside being right, because circumstances change fast. God’s goodness, righteousness, and faithfulness do not change. Rejoicing becomes a settled response to the One living inside, even when the fig tree does not blossom. [44:25]
3. Christ has already given access. “This is my receiving day” is not a demand for every want or an attempt to control the day. It is faith receiving what Christ has already made available: grace, righteousness, wisdom, peace, strength, and direction. The Father has qualified His children for an inheritance, so believers should not live like they were cut out of the will. [50:54]
4. Faith gives God’s Word final authority. Faith does not pretend facts are not there. Faith refuses to let temporary sight speak louder than eternal truth. Abraham stood fully persuaded because God’s promise outweighed the natural impossibility in front of him. [1:18:36]
5. Reach up, reach in, reach out. Reaching up keeps the heart connected to the true source. Reaching in recognizes Christ, the Holy Spirit, power, love, and spiritual gifts already at work within. Reaching out releases that life so others encounter love, peace, and the kingdom of God through believers. [1:30:58]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:54] - Children Learning to Worship
[32:08] - Why the Confession Matters
[38:25] - This Is the Day
[42:45] - Choosing Joy in Every Circumstance
[46:08] - This Is My Receiving Day
[57:41] - Forget Not All His Benefits
[1:12:32] - Walking by Faith, Not Sight
[1:20:15] - Reaching Up to God
[1:24:55] - Reaching In to What God Placed Within
[1:28:38] - Reaching Out to Others
[1:32:27] - A Place Where God Is Seen
[1:36:38] - Knowing Who and Whose Believers Are
[1:38:58] - Agreeing With Christ’s Finished Work

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 118:24
“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” [38:48]

2 Corinthians 5:7
“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [08:26]

Psalm 103:2
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” [57:49]

Observation questions

In Psalm 118:24, what two responses are connected to recognizing that the Lord has made this day? [38:48]
According to Psalm 103:2 and the surrounding verses discussed, what benefits are believers urged not to forget? [59:42]
In 2 Corinthians 5:7, what contrast is made between walking by faith and walking by sight? [01:12:41]
What three movements are included in the confession, and how are they described: reaching up, reaching in, and reaching out? [01:30:58]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 118:24 focuses on “this day.” How does that focus help believers face both yesterday’s failures and yesterday’s victories without allowing either one to define today? [40:12]
What does it mean that rejoicing is a response to God’s goodness rather than a reaction to favorable circumstances? How does Habakkuk’s example help explain this? [44:25]
Psalm 103:2 calls believers to remember God’s benefits. Why is remembering what God has given important for receiving grace, peace, wisdom, strength, and direction by faith? [52:16]
How can believers acknowledge difficult facts without allowing those facts to have greater authority than God’s Word? What does Abraham’s example show about being fully persuaded? [01:18:26]

Application questions

Is there something from yesterday—a failure, disappointment, pain, or even a past success—that has been shaping how you approach today? What would it look like to let God’s fresh mercy give you a new starting place? [39:12]
When circumstances are not going well, what usually happens to your joy? What truth about God’s goodness can you intentionally bring to mind this week? [43:20]
Which of God’s benefits do you most need to remember right now—forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness, mercy, good things, or renewed strength? How could you keep that truth in your heart rather than forget it? [01:00:15]
What visible situation in your life is trying to speak louder than God’s promises? What is one specific Scripture truth you can return to when that situation feels overwhelming? [01:18:36]
Where do you most need to reach up this week by coming to God first instead of depending on your own strength, emotions, or answers? [01:20:44]
What gift, strength, or work of the Holy Spirit within you may need to be recognized and stirred up? How might that change the way you face fear or uncertainty? [01:27:09]
Who around you needs to experience God’s love, peace, or life through you this week? What could “reaching out” look like in one practical conversation, act of service, or encouragement? [01:31:14]

Sermon Clips

60s

#TruthOverFacts

“Don't ignore the facts. I I I understand facts. Don't ignore the facts. Don't ignore. But refuse to allow the facts to make me forget the truth of God's word. Don't don't don't allow that fact to speak louder than the truth. The fact does not override truth. The truth is what sets you free. I can sit here and give you so many examples, but I don't need to give you my examples. Just look into your life, and you can see what the world says was fact, but then the light will shine on it. Jesus Christ and the truth that came. That's the truth. That's the truth.”

49s

#VictoryWithin

“Do you hear what the scripture continually says? The Holy Spirit dwells inside of you. The power of God works in you. Christ is in you. would I live defeated when the victorious one lives inside of me? I don't. That's why I say you do not have to fight for victory. You gotta stand in the place of victory. it. You don't gotta believe for victory. You don't gotta say, I'm gonna be victory. No. I'm already victorious because a victorious one where? Lives inside of me. I stand in the place of victory.”

56s

#RejoiceAlways

“Rejoice in the Lord. Here's something, you grab a hold of it, it's powerful. My circumstances don't determine whether God is good. Your circum... It doesn't determine where God is good. God's goodness determines how I face my circumstances. That's that's that's how it determines that God's God's goodness is good. I don't rejoice because everything around me is right. I don't. I rejoice because the one living inside me is what? Righteous. I don't have to worry about the things that's right or wrong outside of me. All I gotta be is focus on what the righteousness of God is inside of me. Because that's what makes it right.”

41s

#PowerLoveSoundMind

“Why would I allow fear to lead me when I know God has given me power, love, and a sound mind? God hasn't given me a spear. I know God is not the author of what? Confusion. He is the author of peace. Reach in. Don't depend on your own street. Don't depend on the things around you, but recognize the one who lives lives in you. The last one, today I will what? Reach out. Why do we say that? Allow what God has placed in you to flow to others.”

49s

#HeirsOfGod

“You don't have to live you don't have to live thinking. How do I say it? You don't have to live as though you have no inheritance in him. You don't have to you don't have to live that way. How many times have we lived in a way where we think I have no inheritance in him? He cut me out of his will. He has nothing for me. I'm here to tell you, that's a lie from the pit of hell.”

31s

#AllThingsArePossible

“Today's a better day. Why? Because I know God. I know what his word says. Yesterday's problems don't have to determine today's possibilities. Yesterday's problems does not have to determine yesterday's possibilities. Why? Because I know God all things are possible. He will make a way where there seems like there is no way. So when I grab that, yesterday's victory doesn't have to be the greatest victory you ever experienced.”

36s

#WalkByFaith

“Faith isn't just something that you talk. Faith isn't something that you just confess on Sunday mornings before the service starts, that I walk by faith and not my sight. Faith is something that you live. You live in faith by faith. It is who you are. I like to say it this way, you walk in faith every day that ends in what? You got it. That's it.”

27s

#PlantTheWord

“And the best way not to forget is you remind yourself over and over and over and over. And you just can continue to plant that seed, and that seed will take root, and that root will become a fruit. And it is there. It is established. It is rooted. And then whenever you're bumped, whenever you're squeezed, whenever you're just going, it is gonna just come out.”

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