God

God’s Top Ten

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
TV host standing next to a screen showing a humorous top ten list about cats
A TV host presents a funny top ten list about why his cat is smarter than a boss, generated via AI.

A lot of people may think that Dave Letterman was the originator of “Top Ten” lists. Truth is, he wasn’t. God wrote his at least a couple of thousand years earlier. Below is the original list with a modern translation.

1. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Put ultimate trust in what is truly worthy.
Don’t let money, politics, celebrity culture, or your own ego become the thing you revolve your life around.

2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” (Exodus 20:4)

Don’t worship what you created.
Technology, brands, influencers, and institutions are tools — not deities. Don’t let them define your identity.

3. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord.” (Exodus 20:7)

Use sacred things with respect.
Don’t weaponize faith, truth, or moral language to manipulate, shame, or score points.

4. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

Protect real rest.
Unplug. Stop grinding. Let your mind and body breathe. Rest isn’t laziness — it’s obedience to your design.

5. “Honor your father and mother.” (Exodus 20:12)

Honor the people who raised, taught, or supported you.
Show gratitude. Break cycles of bitterness. Build relationships that heal rather than repeat harm.

6. “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)

Protect life and dignity.
Reject violence, cruelty, and dehumanization — in speech, in systems, and in action.

7. “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)

Be faithful to your commitments.
Whether in marriage, partnership, or community, treat trust as sacred and intimacy as something not to be exploited.

8. “You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)

Respect what belongs to others.
Not just possessions — but ideas, labor, credit, boundaries, and time.

9. “You shall not bear false witness.” (Exodus 20:16)

Tell the truth, especially when it’s inconvenient.
Don’t distort, exaggerate, or spread misinformation. Integrity matters more than winning.

10. “You shall not covet.” (Exodus 20:17)

Celebrate others without resenting them.
Comparison is a thief. Gratitude is freedom. Want less, appreciate more.

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Can You Relate?

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I heard the other day about a conversation in which people who do know God believe they shouldn’t bother Him with what they would consider a trivial request. One lady felt it was wrong to ask God for a parking space near a store’s door when it is raining.

If you have read these blogs for very long, then you know how I feel about this subject. If it matters to you, then it matters to God. No matter how minuscule your concern may be to you. I have asked God to help me move, fix, heal, lift, and do various other things, and He has. I have asked him to keep me safe, and He has. I have personally had God perform many miracles in my life and have received several loving and thoughtful gifts after another.

God loves us so much. I wish people would realize that and act as if they believed it. I keep my awe and respect for God, but I communicate with Him like I would a good friend. I don’t think of God as an “In Case of Emergency Break the Glass” God. He’s not a personal “Jeannie” either! But I have no issues with making my request known. It’s up to Him and His wisdom to answer or not. God is relatable. He knows what you are going through, and He actually cares about it.

I challenge you to go deeper with God. Give Him a chance to demonstrate who He really is. Study the names of God, and believe they are more than just a title. Now that I think about them, a lot of them are more like “verbs!” Jehovah-Rapha means, “God who heals.” Jehovah-Jireh means, “The Lord will provide.” Palet means, “Deliverer.”

God is everything you need! The sooner you agree to that and accept it, the better off you will be.

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

What Size is the Box?

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But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God. Mat. 19:26 (AMPC)

I grew up in church. I heard all of the great testimonies of what God did, like the time He parted the Red Sea and the children of Israel walked across it on dry ground when Pharaoh’s army in Egypt was chasing them. That is just one of hundreds shared with us in the Bible.

I have no problem believing every one of them. Perhaps I have the gift of faith. Yet others try to minimize or explain them. It’s as if they try to use their own intellect to understand God. That never works! God cannot be minimized or reduced to fit within the limits of our minds! Honestly, it seems like a feeble attempt to minimize the power and importance of God. I think doing that helps them reduce the reason they should accept him and his Son, Jesus.

That kind of thinking, for those who have accepted God and his Son, Jesus, hurts them from believing God can do anything to help them in their own time of need. The times when they need a “walk across on dry ground” miracle in their own lives.

Recently, this topic came up in my men’s Bible study group. The gentleman sitting next to me turned and said, “Mark, your God box is bigger than most.” I looked at him and said, “Are you kidding me? I don’t put God in a box at all!”

Believing in God, as I do, has allowed me to see so many miracles in my own life. Sometimes, I’ll share them in some of the blogs I write. I’m not special, but when I read in the Bible that “with God, all things are possible,” I simply believe it. Doing so allows me to ask God in prayer for anything, even miracles. Does He always answer? No, or at least in the way I want Him to, or by the deadline I try to impose, but I trust God to do things His way.

I challenge you, today, to take God out of the box. Allow Him to roam free in your life. To stop imposing your own limits on Him. Then, take him at his word. Ask for dry ground. Ask him for directions and guidance. Ask, and believe for that miracle that only God can do. If you do, you will be amazed at what He does. And then, the next time you need anything, you will turn to the God who can do anything!

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Coincidence?

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I once heard that a “coincidence” is a small miracle where God insists on remaining anonymous. Maybe, but I’m not sure, because He wants to be known. For the devout follower of God, one who has a great relationship with Him, their steps are ordained (officially ordered by God).

It still amazes me, to this day, how God does such a thing. Especially, if your path is to cross with someone else’s. If left to your decisions, would you be too early, or too late for your assignment? But when you yield to God, you are always on time! That kind of relationship takes trust and faith in the God who runs the universe.

This happened to me yesterday. I was going to get out the door and run my errands before it got too hot. I also wanted to mow the lawn. Lately, the grass has been wet from a heavy dew until as late as 2 – 3 PM. I looked out the window and saw that the dew wasn’t too bad and there was a strong breeze. I heard a soft prompting in my spirit, “Go mow.”

I did, and I have to say, for the middle of summer, it wasn’t too bad. After finishing, I was glad I got it done. I came in, showered to help cool down, ate lunch, and then headed out to deal with the errands.

On my second stop, I encountered a young man. Through a thread of conversation, we wound up talking about church. It seemed as if he wasn’t going or wasn’t happy where he was going. I invited him to the church that April and I are going to. I shared with him why we like it so much. I am excited because I believe he will come. Then, on my last stop, I had a serious conversation with another young man about the importance of a trusting faith in God.

 I could not dismiss what had taken place and knew that if I had run my errands earlier in the day as I was planning on, I probably would have missed both of them. I love being led by God and having my steps officially ordered. I have learned to trust him in knowing what to say to people and how much. I am humbled that God would allow me to take part in conducting his business. Of course, I won’t know the outcome until I get to heaven, and I’m okay with that, because I know that God’s words never return to him void.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Prov. 3: 5-6 (MSG)

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Is. 30:21 (NLT)

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Prov. 16:9 (NLT)

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Ps. 37:23 (NLT)

God wants to be known:

To you it was shown, that you might realize and have personal knowledge that the Lord is God
Deut. 4:35a (AMPC)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

I See You!

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I watched a movie today, where a son was bitter against his father. His dad was a world-renowned photographer, and he didn’t think his father was around enough or even saw him. The father learned that the last company in Kansas doing so was going to stop developing film. He had some, according to him, important photos that had never been developed earlier in time. He wanted his son to drive him halfway across the country to Kansas. As well, he hoped to reconnect with his estranged son one more time. The father was also very sick and dying of cancer.

The movie played out a lot like real life, where when someone is around long enough, their true feelings about them have a way of coming out. Words, hurtful ones but sometimes true ones, are spoken.

They make it to Kansas just in time, and if you are like me, you will guess (sorry, spoiler alert) that the father dies the night before the slides are made, preventing him from ever seeing what he considered his best work.

Some people may think or feel as though God doesn’t see them. Or perhaps he isn’t around enough. They might believe this because life isn’t going the way “they” want it to. I assure you, God has never taken his eye off of you. And He is always right there with you.

Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. Ps. 33:18-19 (MSG)

God would say, “I see you!” There have been times when I felt God’s presence so strong that I knew He not only sees me and what I am going through, but is right there with me in the moment. Faith helps you know that God is there and that He sees you.

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deu. 31:6 (MSG)

At the end of the movie, the son loads a slide carousel projector to view what his father claimed was so important that he had to deliver it to the developer himself, rather than trust a shipping company to handle it. Turns out, the photos were of him as he was growing up. Yes, his dad was there, and yes, he saw him!

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

God Will Provide

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I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of and forecast our household budget and expenses. Sometime last year, I started declaring at the top of each month’s sheet, “GOD WILL PROVIDE!” Then I list our income and expenses by date. You know how a budget works.

After I balance each month with my bank statement, am I the only one who still does that? I make the following declaration: GOD DID PROVIDE!

I admit that our budget has tightened with the current expenses of remodeling our house and buying some new furniture. So when God started whispering to April and me to be benevolent for a particular cause, my first thought was, “Ouch!” That is going to make life a little more uncomfortable for a bit. It’s kind of like putting on an old pair of jeans after months of not wearing them, and you realize you have gained ten pounds or so! “Ouch!”

Now, April and I can do our part and not eat out like we did last month, and we can do what we can to keep our utility bills down, but that is only going to help so much. But here’s the thing: I know God. I know how He works, and if we continue to tithe and live in a way pleasing to him, God will provide! I don’t know how, but He always does!

I don’t have to know how He is going to do it, but I know that He knows what we need, and our heavenly Father, who loves us, will take care of our needs.

The exciting part of where the money went is it has the potential to change a person’s life for eternity. And their changed life may very well change the lives of countless others. I feel honored that God would speak to our hearts and allow us to be a part of his plan and the great love story that He is writing in that individual’s life.

That individual had a need, and at some point, they probably had no clue as to how God would provide for them. I hope they never forget that He came through in the last hour.

I tell you the truth: living with God and for God is the most fun you will ever have and the greatest adventure of your life. I hope, if you never have, you will accept him and his Son, Jesus, into your life and start down the road of faith. Faith pleases God.

April and I have faith that God will provide!

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. Heb. 11:6 (AMPC)

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Mat. 6:30-33 (MSG)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

God Is Kind, but Not Soft

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Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done.

You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!

If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you’re from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.

If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, that’s a different story entirely. Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.

When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God’s yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences. Rom. 2:1-18 (MSG)

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Do You Really Believe I Don’t Exist?

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Have you ever noticed how easily people are persuaded to believe one thing over another? They hear someone who comes across as halfway intelligent, and they think they must know what they are talking about! Just because someone uses big words or overwhelms you with “so-called facts” doesn’t mean they are right! There are a lot of smart people out there, but the problem is they define “truth” their way. They will try to convince you that how “they” live is the right way to live. Then, some yell and scream to be heard over the crowd. Are they right?

“Who talked you into the pursuit of this nonsense,
    leaving me high and dry,
    forgetting you ever knew me?
Because I don’t yell and make a scene,
    do you think I don’t exist?
I’ll go over, detail by detail, all your ‘righteous’ attempts at religion,
    and expose the absurdity of it all.
Go ahead, cry for help to your collection of no-gods:
    A good wind will blow them away.
    They’re smoke, nothing but smoke.

“But anyone who runs to me for help
    will inherit the land,
    will end up owning my holy mountain!” Is. 57:11-13 (MSG)

It’s challenging to convince someone that God’s way to live
is the best way if they have never tried it!

They will often vomit their objections, and the truth is that they are sick. In fact, they are so sick they are dying. For not accepting God’s gift of salvation via his Son, Jesus is eternal death. So what do we do as those who have been enlightened? We keep praying for them, and we live our best lives with God in front of them. Almost obnoxiously so they can see how much better our life is with God than their life is without. Not that our lives are perfect, but we walk through it with God in front of us. Perhaps they will become jealous and give in. Then, they will say:

All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Him, I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

All to Jesus, I surrender
Humbly at His feet, I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now

All to Jesus, I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour
I surrender all

Song – “I Surrender All” by Don Moen

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

God is AMAZING!

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I have written in many posts that God knows what we are going through and cares, no matter how insignificant it may seem compared to everything else going on in the world. It matters to me; therefore, it matters to God. I have testified that He knows every answer to every question and loves to help us find a solution to our issue if we only ask him. In this post, I will show you.

I am currently working on remodeling the upstairs of our house. Turning it into a small apartment. The floorplan of our home makes this work without interruption to anyone living on the first floor. Why? So, after I leave this Earth, April can rent it out as another stream of income. Until then, we are hoping to use it to minister to people in need. A missionary home for a month or two, a woman who needs a safe place to stay to escape an abusive relationship, etc.

Yesterday, I was trying to screw a shower control to a backer board. The issue is this; you have to put the screws in from the bathroom side. The distance to the holes where the screw goes into is about 4 inches away in the room behind the shower. I was by myself. I got very frustrated after every failed attempt. Nothing was working. I needed someone to help, but there was only God. I stopped trying and mentioned it to April, but she is currently working overtime and was very tired. I understood.

I laid there in bed last night thinking, “How am I going to do this by myself?” Then, I asked God for help. Seconds later, I saw an image of a screw sticking out of a plastic straw. (See photos below.) Then I saw the screwdriver sliding into the straw and turning the screw. I realized the straw would hold the screw and keep it from falling.

Today, I tried it, and of course, it worked! In a couple of minutes, I got both screws put in. I laughed and cried out, “God, you are so amazing!” Then, in full disclosure, I started crying. I know I am not perfect, and I mess up a lot! I don’t deserve his help, his concern, his love, or his Son, Jesus. But if you know God, then you know there is no stopping him from loving us. Some may say, “Why didn’t you use a magnetic screwdriver?” Like Gene Kranz told his team in the movie “Apollo 13”, “We can only use the equipment they have up there.” In other words, I don’t have a magnetic screwdriver.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39 (NLT)

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb. 4:16 (NIV)

What do you need help with? Have you asked God? Go ahead. I dare you! And be prepared to be amazed.

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

God on Yelp*

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Do you know God for yourself, or do you listen to other’s reviews of God? Do you look to see if He got five out of five stars? When it comes to restaurants, I tend to shy away from reviews. Unless the testimonial comes from someone I know and trust. I have learned that people tend to write reviews if they have a bad experience. Especially when it comes to places of business that offer a service. For all I know, a good write up for a business could have been written by the owner!

There are as many reasons why someone rejects God as there are people. One man I know feels as if he would have to change how he is currently living, and he doesn’t want to. Another man stays away from God because he was assaulted (I was led to believe, sexually) by his minister when he was young. Some people even judge how those who “go to church” or call themselves, “Christians” live and decide they are just as good as them if not better and they may be. One lady told me God didn’t answer her prayer when she was a little girl and to her that meant there was no God. I had a family member who said he didn’t want to be told how to live his life. In other words, he thought accepting God meant you had to live by a church’s set of rules.

I could go on and list more reasons I have heard but the bottom line is the same. These individuals are rejecting God and His Son, Jesus Christ. What they fail to realize is this; when they stand before God, he will only be interested in them and if they know Him. They may try to list their grievances, but it won’t matter. You either accept God or reject him. God means life eternal, and no God means death for eternity.

When it comes to God, people will share their opinion totally based on their experience, much like leaving a review on Yelp*. If you base your decision to accept God or not on one’s opinion, then you very well could get mislead. So where does that leave you? The one true thing you can do to help you decide if you want to accept God or not is to read what He says about himself.

But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way,
    who can’t see where they’re going.
I’ll be a personal guide to them,
    directing them through unknown country.
I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take,
    make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.
These are the things I’ll be doing for them—
    sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.”
17 But those who invested in the no-gods
    are bankrupt—dead broke. Isa. 41:15-16 (MSG)

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
    When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
    it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God, Isa. 43:2? (MSG)

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.
    Expect love, love, and more love! Jer. 31:3 (MSG)

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16-18 (MSG)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.