Michael D Johnson

The new life

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 What is the new lifeContinue reading “The new life”

God is all sufficient

We are weak: Always in need of the strength of the Lord. We are foolish: Always in need of the wisdom of the Lord. We are unworthy: Always in need of the worthiness of the Lord. We are unrighteous: Always in need of the righteousness of the Lord. We are lost: Always in need ofContinue reading “God is all sufficient”

Things that hinder or release

There are three initial and primary things that either hinder or release the power of the Holy Spirit in an individual’s or church’s life: The thoughts and attitudes of the heart. When our knee-jerk thoughts and attitudes are judgmental, selfish, pious, condemning, bitter or anger we quench the work of the Spirit in us andContinue reading “Things that hinder or release”

What should I invest in?

Invest in what remains. What matters is what remains. In our lives, we invest in many things. What we invest comes in many forms but is covered primarily in four categories: time, energy, money and abilities. We spend these four things on things that matter to us in the moment. And yet if we takeContinue reading “What should I invest in?”

A little time off

You may have noticed my hiatus over the last two months. It probably had something to do with the tiredness and busyness I mentioned in my last post. And yet, the reality is that I dropped the ball on my writing as much because of mis-prioritization as busyness. Isn’t that the way it is sometimes?Continue reading “A little time off”

I am tired, how ’bout you?

What do you do when a wave of fatigue comes over you? You know when sleep doesn’t seem to take the edge off, extra caffeine doesn’t seem to work and neither does getting away into a quiet place of solitude? Is it because of physical fatigue only? Or is it something more? The answer forContinue reading “I am tired, how ’bout you?”

Stealing the future

This world has a nasty habit of stealing things. People have their joy stolen. Thieves love to come in and take your peace. I think that perhaps one of the most devious, evil and devastating thefts is that of the future. Consistently and yes even maliciously people are stealing the future from others. We stealContinue reading “Stealing the future”

I went to my prayer closet…

So, I went to my prayer closet today…and heaven didn’t open with angels ascending and descending on a ladder illuminated by light and heavenly choruses of “hallelujah”. So what now?

Just trying to make it through

Every day we face opportunities, obstacles, situations, circumstance and people. And many times we find ourselves “just trying to make it through”. If we can just get through this… If we can just make it to the other side… I’m just holdin’ on right now, but this will soon be over… This too shall pass…Continue reading “Just trying to make it through”

You won’t ever measure up

We all know how hard we are on ourselves. We don’t cut ourselves much slack, but keep pushing ourselves harder and farther. We expect a lot from ourselves and seek discipline to improve ourselves and sometimes chastise ourselves when we fall short of our own expectations, hopes and dreams. And yet when things really fallContinue reading “You won’t ever measure up”