Welcome to Battle Drill, a weekday devotional. Join us as we share hope and encouragement as we read and study the Bible together.
Most of the daily devotionals follow on from my preaching on a Sunday. You can find the relevant sermon on the Sermons page. I try to provide positive, practical encouragement from the Bible each week.
I pray that you will enjoy these daily devotionals online and that you are equipped for your daily walk with God as you go through this Battle Drill.
There’s a new episode of Battle Drill Devotional every Monday through Friday.
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Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. Do you have much to worry about? We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis. The financial markets have been in turmoil. There is a war being waged in Ukraine. Sometimes, it seems even our streets are not safe. Most of us h…
Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. How are you at exams? Do you relish the opportunity to show your learning? Or do they make you sick with worry? Are you always the first to finish? Or do you run out of time?
Worship can help us become great students! How? Becau…
Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. How do you know when you’ve been to a good worship meeting or service? Is it when you get to sing your favourite song? Or hear a good piece of music sung or played by a talented group of musicians? Or hear your favourite Bible v…
Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. What does it cost you to be a Christian?
When Nehemiah and God’s people obeyed God and set about rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, they faced much opposition. They were afraid, but they kept going. They also turned to worship.
We ma…
This week we focus on worship, one of the most important ways God uses to transform us.
Read Nehemiah 8:1-11. Where do you worship? I guess most of us who are Christians have been conditioned to answer that question with the name of our church or Sal…
Read Mark 3:31-35. Throughout this week we have reflected on the impact our family have on the way we think and act in the present. But our family’s past does not decide our future. God does!
When we place our faith in Christ and his work on the cros…
Read Mark 3:31-35. When you look back at your family, you may challenge me and suggest that it has not passed on any unhealthy habits or patterns of behaviour. Or you may feel that your family are so messed up, there is no hope of breaking free and m…
Read Mark 3:31-35. Our families teach us so much. If we grew up in a Christian family, then they may have taught us how to pray, how to read the Bible, and how to take part in worship. But they may also have ingrained habits and ways of behaving whic…
Read Mark 3:31-35. What beliefs does your family hold that still have an influence on you today? We often underestimate the deep imprint our families leave on us. But they teach us certain ways of behaving and thinking. These can be hard to break wit…
Following Jesus requires us to break free from the destructive patterns of our past and living out the purpose God has for our lives. Sometimes, we need to go back to move forward. This week, we focus on the part our family plays in our life with God…
Jesus seems to include a very 21st century concept in his command to love God and love others: love others as you love yourself.
Read Matthew 22:34-40. The command to love others as you love yourself is right down our 21st century street! So, some Ch…
The eighties might be the greatest musical decade ever, but I am showing my age this week! But Tina Turner’s question does seem to suggest that today we seem to have strayed so far from what love really is, we don’t really know what it is.
Read Matth…
Even after the recent passing of Olivia Newton-John, you may be showing your age if you get the cultural reference in today’s title! But have you ever been head over heels in love?
Read Matthew 22:34-40. When you are totally in love with someone, the…
What matters most to you in life? Answering that question goes a long way to revealing what it is you worship.
Read Matthew 22:34-40. When Jesus is asked what matters most, his reply is to put God first:
Matthew 22:37–38 NLT
Jesus replied, “‘You must…
This week we go right to the heart of Christian living, as Jesus answers the question, “Which is the most important commandment?”
Read Matthew 22:34-40. Have you ever been asked a tricky question? “How do you grow seedless grapes?” Or “Why do you nev…
Read Luke 15:1-10. Are you glad that God is a God of second chances? I know I am!
What if the shepherd in Jesus’ story had just let the one sheep go? After all, he still had ninety-nine. He didn’t need the one. He could have told himself the silly sh…
Read Luke 15:1-10. What if the sheep had said “no”? They can be stubborn creatures, as anyone who has tried to round them up would tell you. The sheep could have told the shepherd he didn’t want to be rescued. “I’m OK thanks. This grass seems so much…
Read Luke 15:1-10. What do you do when you lose something valuable? You search for it. You keep searching for it, until you find it! I recently helped a colleague search his computer for a lost dissertation that disappeared when his computer crashed….
Read Luke 15:1-10. Without God, you are lost. You are disconnected from God, separated from him, and out of step with him.
In the story of the Lost Sheep, Jesus explains that when we are without God we are not under his protection. We’re on our own. …
This week we learn that our God is one who seeks the lost and returns them to his fold.
Read Luke 15:1-10. Without God, you are lost. To be disconnected from God, to be separated from him, to be out of step with him, is to be lost.
In the story of th…
Read Revelation 21:1-27. The redemption story we have been following this week is not yet over. We are living in it – stretched between the tension of a Kingdom that is both “already here” and “not yet.”
One day, God’s Kingdom will be fully here. Cre…
Read Romans 8:18-30. Many of us know the story from Genesis of the fall of humanity. Adam and Eve were tempted into thinking they could be like God, and as a result they disobeyed God. Ever since, humanity has been plagued by sin and wrong, suffering…
Read John 3:1-21. John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible. You often see it displayed on banners at sporting fixtures or at other large gatherings of people. But we often miss that it’s not just about human beings.
Jesus tells us that God lov…
Read Leviticus 25:1-7. What do you think of when you hear the word, Sabbath? For many of us, it means our Sunday, the chief day of worship in our society. For others, it means a special day of rest for us as an individual.
In Leviticus 25, God radica…
In the northern hemisphere we are in the middle of the harvest season, an opportunity to thank God, the Giver of Life and the Giver of Joy for all he provides for us. As we do so, this week we explore the redemption of creation. Our climate is in “co…
Read Proverbs 21:5. Do you ever wonder where your money goes? As much as I hate to admit it, the only times I have ever thought this is when I have failed to plan my spending.
If you want to decide where your money goes, rather than simply wondering …
Read Matthew 25:14-30. Who owns your money? Some of the more cynical amongst us might answer the tax man! But if we are being serious, I guess many of us would say, I’ve worked for it, I’ve earned it, my money is mine.
That’s not what the Bible says….
Read Luke 16:1-15.What’s the best thing you can spend your money on? In Luke 16:9, which is a verse we don’t focus on very often, Jesus says the best thing we can do is invest in resources that will have an eternal impact.
Jesus tells us to invest in…
Read Luke 16:1-15. Jesus’ story about the Shrewd Manager is problematic. It seems the manager was dishonest, or at the very least wasteful, but Jesus turns him into a hero!
So what did the manager do right? He looked ahead and he made a plan. As soon…
If we’re going to be God’s Future Builders, then we must be financially free. This week, we discover ways to ensure money supports God’s purpose for our lives rather than enslaves us.
Read Luke 16:1-15. If God asked you to sell your house, what would…
Read Galatians 6:1-10. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have spoken to people who have decided to step away from church – either temporarily or permanently – because they are hurting. It might be a bereavement, a job loss, a relationship brea…
Read Ephesians 4:1-16. “I’m not a team player. I’d rather be alone. I’m an outlier”. Have you ever said anything like that?
The Bible tells us that every Christian is a team player. Why? Because that’s the way God designed us! We were never meant to …
Read Ecclesiastes 4:7-12. Have you ever wished you could escape people – especially the ones who wind you up – and be alone? Have you ever thought you’d be a better Christian if it were not for other people? The problem I’ve discovered is this: I can…
Read 1 Peter 2:13-17. The relationships in a church or Salvation Army corps are precious. When they come under attack from those who want to complain about everything, or criticise what’s happening, or hang around with a negative attitude, or cause a…
One of the greatest strengths of a healthy church is the loving relationships between its members. This week we focus on how to cultivate those relationships.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Why do Salvationists wear uniform? One very important re…
Read Mark 10:35-45. The Queen was incredibly gifted. She was gifted a smile that could melt a room. She was gifted the ability to meet people where they were and put them at ease. It is clear that she was a world diplomat. She had wisdom and tact. Sh…
Read Mark 10:35-45. It must be pretty special to be the Queen! The monarch is sovereign in our nation and in many places in the Commonwealth. Everyone looks to you for leadership. You are acclaimed wherever you go. If you are Queen, then you can make…
Read Mark 10:35-45. What makes you happy? I wonder if the Crown Jewels made the Queen happy? Maybe it was her wealth? Perhaps it was the castles and the palaces? Or the acclaim of people around the world?
Whilst Her Majesty may have enjoyed some of t…
Read Mark 10:35-45. “His problem is that he thinks the world revolves around him!” Have you ever said that about anyone? Some people are so self-centred and self-absorbed that they only seem to think about themselves.
The Kingdom of God is different….
This week we are reflecting on the life and Christian service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and what they say about how we should shape our own lives.
Read Mark 10:35-45. What makes a Christian a Christian? It is not just a belief in God. The Bib…
Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. How do you defeat discouragement in your life? You remember that God loves you. And because God loves you, he doesn’t give you what you deserve. He shows you grace and mercy instead.
The people of Judah didn’t “deserve” to have …
Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. What has the most potential to make you feel discouraged? I guess most of us would say the difficult situation we’re in. But consider this for a moment: entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once famously stated…
Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. Do you ever feel like you’ve failed when you’re feeling discouraged? When things don’t seem to be going right, when you haven’t achieved what you had planned it can be easy to feel discouraged and to lose confidence.
When the pe…
Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. Do you get frustrated when you get discouraged? It often feels like your head is too full of “stuff” and you don’t know where to begin.
That’s how the people of Judah felt as they began rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. They looked …
This week we discover that discouragement is curable!
Read Nehemiah 4:1-15. Do you ever get discouraged? I know I do. It can affect me in many ways. We are going to look at four of them this week and some of the cures for discouragement.
When I get d…
Read 1 John 4:7-21. What’s your purpose in life? Jesus says it is to love God and love others.
Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was that God had given his people:
Matthew 22:37–39 NLT
Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your Go…
Read Deuteronomy 33:1-29. When I was a child, I used to love to swim in the sea. But I remember one occasion when a large wave pulled me under, and I really thought I was going to drown!
I just about got my breath back, when another large wave hit an…
Read Romans 8:31-39. Have you ever felt lonely? I can remember times in my life when I’ve sat in a room – in a bedroom, even in an office – and felt all alone. I can even recall times I’ve felt lonely even in a crowd.
Loneliness is a scourge of our a…
Read Psalm 89:1-52. I was seven years old when I fell in love with my first girlfriend. We used to share a chaste kiss in the cloakroom before going home from school each day. I thought it would last forever. It didn’t!
That’s the problem with human …
This week we return to the subject of God’s love, reminding ourselves of the width, length, height, and depth of his love for us, and the power he gives us to love others.
Read Psalm 145:1-21. Do you have an object that makes you feel good about your…