JUNE 23, 2025

 “Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.” 

― Napoleon Hill

ESTHER 7-10

 24For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. 25But when the plot came to the king’s attention,^a he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.(9:24-25)

1King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. 2And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? 3Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.(10:1-3)

ACTS 6

8Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

JOURNAL 

There is a powerful truth I’m learning: peace and joy do not come from the structure I was born into—my family, job, or organization. They are not dictated by the environment. Peace and joy are rooted in the soul—nourished and sustained by living in alignment with the gifts God has placed in me. These gifts, empowered by His Spirit, make me not just a member of a team or a family, but a living Outpost of His Kingdom.

Mordecai, Esther, and Stephen each faced impossible circumstances—corrupt systems, unjust accusations, and deadly opposition. Yet they remained firm, not because their environments were stable or affirming, but because their internal resolve and faith in God was. Mordecai didn’t find his peace in the Persian court; Esther didn’t find her joy in royal luxury; Stephen didn’t find his purpose in public approval. Instead, they each lived out their unique calling with courage and clarity, becoming vessels through which God moved.

“Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes… because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.” (Esther 10:3)

“Stephen… full of God’s grace and power… they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.” (Acts 6:8,10)

These weren’t superheroes. They were ordinary people who dared to live from a place of spiritual authority rather than external validation. And because of that, they changed the outcomes of history.

I’m realizing that constantly searching for a better team, a more peaceful family, or a more perfect job is often just a distraction. It stems from a mistaken belief that external change will bring internal peace. But that’s not how God works. He doesn’t call us away from dysfunction so we can rest; He empowers us within it so that we can redeem.

Even when Haman plotted destruction, God flipped the script—“the evil scheme Haman had devised… came back onto his own head” (Esther 9:25). When Stephen was falsely accused, his face radiated peace “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15), because the Kingdom wasn’t something he fought for—it lived within him.

I have spent too much time trying to escape difficulty rather than transforming it. But I am learning that transformation starts not with systems or families changing, but with me stepping into my identity and living from my gifts, right where I am.

Napoleon Hill said it well:

“Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat… More than five hundred of the most successful men... told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.”

That resonates deeply. Most of my growth has happened not in ease, but just past the point of exhaustion and discouragement—when I chose not to quit.

So today, I choose to live from the inner reservoir of peace and joy, because I know whose I am and what I carry. I carry the presence of the King. I am part of God’s team. His Kingdom is not found in the right family or the right organization—it’s found within me. That’s what Jesus said (Luke 17:21), and that’s what I now believe.

Today is not perfect. But it is sacred. And I am showing up in it—not to escape or to endure, but to transform.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

PSALM 118:24