White Stone Church of the Nazarene

06/17/2026

Day 3

Let Go of the Wheel

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
— Galatians 5:18 (ESV)

There's a real question hiding in this passage. Pastor Rod brought it right out into the open during this message: "Are you walking with Him, or are you still steering?"
That's worth sitting with for a minute.
The second movement Paul describes is being led by the Spirit. The Greek word is "ago" — to lead, to carry, to bring, to guide. It was used of shepherds leading sheep, of teachers guiding students, of officials escorting someone under their authority. The image is clear: you are under the direction and control of another.
That's not passive. That's responsive. There's a difference.
Think about a time the Holy Spirit nudged you. "Go talk to that person." "Slow down. Wait." "Call him — now." That pull you felt? That's "ago." That's what being led looks like in real life. You respond. He guides. You arrive somewhere you wouldn't have gotten to on your own.
Here's the honest part. Surrender doesn't come naturally to most of us. Control is the thing we hold onto last. We'll hand our GPS navigation over to a satellite in the sky without a second thought and follow a voice from the sky without question. But surrender to the Spirit of God — and suddenly we want to steer again.
Pastor Rod pointed this out with some humor and a lot of truth: we follow the voice from a phone without question, but the Voice from heaven? We second-guess every turn.
The good news is this: the Spirit isn't surprised by your resistance. He's patient. He's persistent. And He knows the route.
Your only job today is to stop steering. Let Him lead. You don't have to know where you're going — you just have to trust the One who does.

Declaration
I surrender the wheel today. I trust the Holy Spirit to lead me where I need to go.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, I admit I have control issues. I've been steering when I should have been following. Today I choose to respond to Your lead instead of overriding it. Speak — I'm listening. Direct my steps. I trust You. In Jesus' name, amen.

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06/17/2026

We trust a GPS without hesitation, but surrendering to God? Suddenly we want to take the wheel. 😅 Stop white-knuckling life and start following the One who actually knows the way.

06/16/2026

Day 2

Works vs. Fruit — There's a Difference

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
— Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

Paul doesn't accidentally use two different words in this passage. He's making a deliberate point — and once you see it, you can't unsee it.
The works of the flesh. That's the Greek word "erga." It means manufactured. Chosen. Driven by appetite and effort. You produce it. You push it out. It costs you energy you don't always have. Every item on that list in verses 19–21 is something the flesh does on purpose — it's self-generated, self-directed, and self-defeating.
Then there's the fruit of the Spirit. That's an entirely different Greek word: "karpos." And it works on an entirely different principle.
Nobody commands an apple tree to grow apples. The fruit is the inevitable result of a healthy tree drawing life from the right source — good soil, clean water, sunlight. As Pastor Rod said in this message: "The flesh is a factory. The Spirit is a garden. One grinds out a product. The other grows character."
Read that again. A factory grinds. A garden grows. One produces through pressure; the other produces through life.
Here's what that means for you practically. You can white-knuckle gentleness for a season. You really can. Discipline yourself into patience for a stretch. Manufacture kindness on sheer willpower. But you cannot sustain it. Because you're running it on the wrong fuel.
The fruit of the Spirit isn't something you produce — it's something that grows in you as you stay connected to the One who is the source. Love, joy, peace, patience — these aren't goals to achieve. They're the natural overflow of a life rooted in Him.
You've been trying to grow your own apples. The tree doesn't work that way.
Stop trying to manufacture what only the Spirit can grow. Stay rooted. The fruit will come.

Declaration
I am not a factory. I am a garden. I choose to abide in the Spirit so His fruit can grow in me.

Prayer
Father, I've been grinding when I should have been growing. Forgive me for trying to produce in my own strength what only You can cultivate. Today I choose to stay rooted in You. I want my life to look like Yours — not because I'm trying harder, but because I'm staying closer. In Jesus' name, amen.

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06/15/2026

Walking by the Spirit isn't just Sunday morning faith - it's every step, every decision, every moment of your daily life! 🚶‍♂️✨ Are you truly walking it out?

06/15/2026

STOP STEERING
A Five-Day Devotional
by Pastor Rod Kincaid
White Stone Church of the Nazarene | Based on Galatians 5:16–26 (ESV)

A Note Before You Begin
These five days are drawn from a single message preached by Pastor Rod Kincaid at White Stone Church of the Nazarene. The title was simple: "Stop Steering." The point was even simpler — you can manage your behavior, or you can surrender to the Spirit. One will exhaust you. The other will transform you.
Whether you attend White Stone Church or you've never set foot through our doors, this is for you. Galatians 5 isn't a checklist. It's an invitation. An invitation to stop gripping the wheel and start trusting the One who actually knows the route.
Take one day at a time. Read slowly. Let it simmer. The Spirit is faithful to meet you right where you are.

Day 1

Stop White-Knuckling It

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
— Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

Most of us have been there. You know what's right. You want to do better. So you grip the wheel tighter, try harder, and muscle your way through another day — hoping this time it sticks. And maybe it does. For a little while.
But eventually you run out of steam. The effort becomes exhausting. And you're left wondering why the Christian life feels more like a second job than a life of freedom.
Pastor Rod put it plainly: "You can manage your behavior, or you can surrender to the Spirit. One will exhaust you, but the other one transforms you."
That's not a small difference. That's everything.
Paul opens Galatians 5 not with a rule but with a direction. Walk by the Spirit. The Greek word is "peripateo" — it literally means to order your daily steps. To walk habitually. This isn't a one-time dramatic decision. It's a daily rhythm. A direction. It starts with this morning, not with your whole life figured out.
Here's what makes this so accessible: Paul doesn't start with theology. He starts with Monday morning. He says just start walking toward Him — one step. The Spirit will meet you there.
You don't have to clean yourself up first. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to feel ready. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He doesn't need you to perform. He's asking you to walk.
Whether you've been following Jesus for forty years or you've just started asking questions — the invitation is the same. Stop striving. Stop white-knuckling it. Take one step toward Him today. That's where it starts.

Declaration
I choose to walk by the Spirit today. I release my grip and trust His lead.

Prayer
Lord, I confess I've been trying to manage my way to a better life. Today I choose to walk with You instead of striving on my own. Show me what the next step looks like. I'm not waiting until I have it figured out. I'm starting now. In Jesus' name, amen.

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06/12/2026

Are you walking so close to Jesus that you're covered in His dust? 🚶‍♂️✨ In ancient times, disciples walked so closely behind their rabbi that they were literally covered in the dust from his steps. The goal? To become so much like your teacher that people couldn't tell the difference. When people see you today, do they see Jesus?

06/12/2026

DROP THE NETS
Matthew 4:18-20 & Luke 9:23-27

Day 5: The Invitation Has No Expiration Date
Luke 9:23-24 (ESV)

The invitation Jesus extended on that lakeshore is still standing today.
It hasn't expired. It hasn't been retracted. It is not being held for someone more qualified. It is not waiting for you to clean yourself up first. Jesus is not standing at the door with a clipboard checking credentials.
He already made His decision about you. He came looking. He found you. And He is saying today exactly what He said on that shore: Come after me. Follow me.
Maybe you're a teenager who feels invisible. Jesus saw you then. He sees you now.
Maybe you're an adult who feels behind. Maybe you're someone who quietly set down a dream because life got too heavy. Maybe you've spent years wondering if any of it added up to something that mattered.
It does. You do. And the Rabbi is still in the room. He hasn't left. The nets are still in your hands. The only question that remains — the only one that has ever mattered — is whether you're willing.
He doesn't require credentials. He requires willingness. That's the whole list.

Declaration
The invitation is still open. I am willing. Today, I follow Jesus.

Prayer
Jesus, I am willing. I don't have it all figured out, and I know I don't have to. You didn't ask for perfection — You asked for a willingness. So here I am. I choose to follow You today, and every day You give me. Amen.

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06/11/2026

DROP THE NETS
Matthew 4:18-20 & Luke 9:23-27

Day 4: Drop the Nets
Matthew 4:20 (ESV)

One word stands out in Matthew 4:20. Immediately.
They didn't ask for the weekend to think it over. They didn't request a job description. They didn't negotiate. The moment the right voice called, they dropped everything and went.
It wasn't impulsiveness. It was recognition. When the person you've been waiting to hear from finally speaks — when the one whose opinion actually matters finally says, I choose you — you don't hesitate.
The nets represent more than fishing gear. They represent everything we cling to because we've convinced ourselves it's all we've got. The safe thing. The familiar thing. The thing we picked up after the dream didn't work out.
Jesus isn't asking you to drop your nets because they're bad. He's asking because there's something better. Something He's been preparing you for. Something the system never saw in you — but He always did.
What's still in your hands today? What are you holding onto instead of following?

Declaration
I release what I've been holding onto. Jesus is worth more than any net I could drop.

Prayer
Lord, show me what I'm still holding. Give me the courage to drop it — not because it's worthless, but because You are more. I trust You with what comes next. Amen.

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06/10/2026

DROP THE NETS
Matthew 4:18-20 & Luke 9:23-27

Day 3: Covered in His Dust
Luke 9:23 (ESV)

When a rabbi called a disciple, there was a physical expectation attached: walk close. Not beside him. Not ahead of him. Behind him — close enough to be covered in the dust kicked up by his sandals.
That image is more than poetic. It was the whole point. The goal wasn't to learn facts about the rabbi. It was to become so much like him that people couldn't tell the difference.
Jesus said, "Take up your cross daily and follow me." Daily. Not once. Not when convenient. Every single morning, the same posture — behind Him, watching, imitating, becoming.
The honest question this devotional asks you to sit with today is this: When people see you move through the world — the way you talk, the way you treat people, the way you handle hard days — do they see your Rabbi?
Because that's the whole goal. Not just to know about Jesus. To look like Jesus. To walk so close that His dust is on your shoes.

Declaration
My goal is not just to know about Jesus — it is to look just like Him.

Prayer
Jesus, I want to walk so close to You that Your character rubs off on mine. Forgive me for the days I've walked ahead or wandered away. Teach me the posture of a true disciple — eyes on You, steps close behind. Amen.

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