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2 MINUTE WARNING

WITH DOUG JOHNSON

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508 Independence Day

Nathanael needed just one thing.  And he cried out to God for it not even knowing what it was.  He just knew that he was deficient for everything that he could possibly need without it.

And so he sat, under a fig tree, emptying out all of his concerns to a God who he thought wasn’t listening.

And so he sat.

It wasn’t long after that that he ran into Philip … and Philip had found the one thing.

John 1 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

It is Independence Day.  Let us not forget today about the freedom that all of us have.  

As I sit today in a beautiful cabin nestled in the mountains of Buffalo Creek, I am so grateful for that freedom.

For our country.

For our soldiers.

For a pledge that says “One nation UNDER God”

And as my wife played this song for me today and I watched the lyrics, I couldn’t help but think about Nathanael.  As he sat under that fig tree and cried to God, he was not completely sure that God was even listening to him.

But he found out.

And he found out in an encounter with none other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  And he found out that something good could come Nazareth.  In fact, to let us know that He has walked that road, He chose to be from Nazareth.

Let us not forget today that true freedom comes from Jesus.

Let us not forget that God is listening to us.

Let us not forget that an encounter with Jesus is all that we ever truly need.

Because He … Is Where It Begins.

John 1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God …

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

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503 Sooner Or Later

  • Moses wanted to surrender to inadequacy.

Exodus 2 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 

  • Nathanael just wanted to be noticed.

John 1 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

  • The leper did not want to be broken anymore.

Matthew 8 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 

  • Nicodemus knew at the heart of his ministry that he was misguided.

John 3 3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

And like all of these situations, we are all facing surrender.  Our reality is this:

Sooner Or Later We Are All Going 

To Have To Surrender To Something

Inadequate.

Unnoticed.

Broken.

Misguided.

What is your story?

If you are like me, it is a long laundry list of obstacles.

But the reality for all of us is this:

We can surrender to Jesus or lose to the rest.

And our surrender is not a detriment.

It is the greatest option that we could ever have.

So cry out to the King of the Universe … And give everything you have to Him.  He is worthy.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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502 Running The Race

Running the race is more than just a cliche.

And, in fact, it CAN’T be a cliche.  

Because a race … is a grind.

In a race, you are challenged in every way.

Remember this.

Because if you are looking for easy … or slow … or without struggle … then you are not looking for a race.

Hebrews 12 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

My words are not meant to discourage.  Just the opposite.  They are meant to refocus us … to refine us … to help us to recalibrate.

What does God say?

He says to do at least three things in this passage:

  • Surround.  God tells us to surround ourselves.  With who?  With other believers.  But more than that—we want to be surrounded by, and filled up by, the Holy Spirit.  It is only in His power that we can run this race.
  • Fix.  God tells us to fix.  To fix our eyes on Jesus.  To stand with Him.  To not back down.  And to let our life be not just about what we are doing, but to make it about what He did, and wants to continue to do, through us.
  • Consider.  God wants us to consider, when the race is hard, Jesus.  He stood before evil men and still focused on the prize.  His prize?  The absolute decimation of Satan, sin, and death—so that WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE.  And in one breath He defeated them all.  How hard it must have been to stay nailed to that cross and carry out that mission.  Yet He did.  And because of Him the portals of Hell are closed and the portals of Heaven are OPEN for those who might want to follow Him.

Run the race today.

Run it with clarity and vision and strength.

Run it with gratitude for God.

And run it without apology.

For you see, at just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

He died for you.

Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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501 Treasure It Memorize It Do What It Says

I want to continue on my theme of this awesome Word that God has given us.  I can not emphasize enough that we:

TREASURE IT

MEMORIZE IT

DO WHAT IT SAYS

God has given us a road map, a love letter, an encouragement for our lives … He has given us all that we need to succeed and thrive.

Today, I want to highlight a few things that God would say if I had to ask the question:

  • What Do I Do When I Feel Cornered?
  • How Do I Compete?
  • How Can I Be Made Right?
  • What Does God Want From Me?
  • What Does He Want Me To Remember Today?

As I write each of these, I want to answer with scripture:

What Do I Do When I Feel Cornered?

God Wants Me To Love And Trust Him

Psalm 18 1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

How Do I Compete?

God Wants Me To Run With Perseverance

Hebrews 12 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

How Can I Be Made Right?

God Wants Me To Come To My Senses

Luke 15 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 

What Does God Want From Me?

God Wants Me To Be Trusted

Luke 16 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 

13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” 

What Does He Want Me To Remember Today?

God Wants Me To Remember There Is A World Much Bigger Than Mine Yours Or Ours

Ephesians 6 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

The bottom line is this.  The answers are in our Word.  They are their for us to value and use.  And He desires to do a new thing and to fill us beyond our wildest dreams.

TREASURE IT

MEMORIZE IT

DO WHAT IT SAYS

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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500 The Word Of God

There are few things greater than the power of choice.  We get to CHOOSE.  We can choose what fades away, or we can choose what lasts FOREVER.  We can choose something that FILLS OUR HEARTS and something that FILTERS out the pollutants that we encounter every day.  In our choice, we get PROTECTION, PROVISION, and VISION.

Today … I CHOOSE it.  And I encourage you to CHOOSE it too.

The Word of God gives us CHOICE

Luke 11 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

The Word of God lasts FOREVER

Isaiah 40 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Matthew 24 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Word of God FILLS OUR HEARTS

Colossians 3 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The Word of God FILTERS 

2 Timothy 3 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

John 17 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

The Word of God PROTECTS

Hebrews 4 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Word of God PROVIDES

Matthew 4 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The Word of God SEES

Psalm 119 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The bottom line is this:  Our lifeblood.  Our hope.  Our very existence is tied to this word and this God.

Thank you Jesus.

And as Peter spoke out to you:

“Lord, where would I go?  You ALONE hold the keys to eternal life.”

Amen and Amen.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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499 FCA Longmont High School April 18 2025

  1.  He Was Driven From The Synagogue To Tell You

Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me To …

He Is Beyond Your Idea Of Time

When Jesus uttered “today this prophesy has been fulfilled” He was claiming to be God.  But more than that, Jesus was saying, just as it says in John 1, I was with God in the beginning … the Genesis 1 beginning.  SHOCKING!  Read Isaiah 61 and then Luke 4:16-19.

  1.  He Destroyed The Temple Passover To Tell You

John 2 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 

He Cares About Injustice

In the most tyrannical political system that we could imagine, ONE man started a riot.  In John 2 and Isaiah 61, Jesus begins a ministry that sets in motion his road to a brutal execution.  He knows this, yet STAYS THE COURSE.  Read John 2.

  1.  He Touched A Leper To Tell You

Matthew 8 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” 

He Is Not Afraid Of Your Mess

How can this Royal Official do this?  This is like the president of the United States climbing, in his suit, down into sewer to hug those covered in their mess.

  1.  He Met A Reject At The Well To Tell You

John 4 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

He’s Not In Your Group

In John 4, Jesus shows that He Cares NOTHING About Your Gender, Political Affiliations, Socio Economic Status, Popularity, or any of it.  When you realize this—you won’t want it anymore either!  Read John 4.

  1.  He Said It Is Finished To Tell You

John 19 30 “It is finished.”

He Is Paying Your ENTIRE Bill

The bottom line:  You owe 50 Billion dollars and He is going to pay it off in one swoop.  Unfathomable!  Take an assessment of your life and decide if you need this Jesus.

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498 The Leech or The Savior?

I have been thinking about this verse since the moment I heard it:

Proverbs 30 15 “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: 16 the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’ 

God never ceases to amaze me.

In my rat race of a life I read these things like they are pauses in my life to be eaten like an apple as I go to my next thing.

LORD, forgive me.

Because this word … this Proverbs 30:15-16 advice is a look into the portal of eternity for little ole me … and little ole you.

Number one.  Check out a leech with two mouths.  They suck the life out of you until they cause sickness or even death.  And these bloodthirsty animals can not get enough of it.  When I looked on line, I actually saw a leech with two mouths.  Heck, maybe they all have two mouths.  But for me, it was a great educational moment and a great connection to the word.

And it gets better.

God warns us of three things that are never satisfied:

The Grave

The Barren Womb

The Dry Land

I don’t think that God just meant these literally.  And I think it is necessary for us to think about it.

The Grave.  How many of us live as though dead?  Constantly in a fight to avoid, or not deal with, death.  And yet, we must somehow face it.  But not just death.  Maybe God wants us to rise up and get rid of the emptiness or the feeling of:  “what is this all about?”  As a parent, I must take this into account.  YES–I can teach my children something.  But YES–they, too, have something to teach me too.  And it goes like this:  Get off your butt, dad, and quit looking for the living among the dead.  I mean, come on!  Jesus tells us in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son … I need to get up, celebrate that, and live like I am going to live forever!  Because…I am!

The Barren Womb.  Maybe this pertains to the dreams that we give up on … the idea that we can somehow have life.  Maybe we need to stop sitting like the lonely woman by the window waiting to be visited.  Maybe we need to get up and activate our dreams again … not like Joseph when he initially bragged to his brothers but like Mary—who basically said:  “To God be the glory!”  Amen!  I can dream again because God gets the glory!

The Dry Land.  Jesus told the lady at the well “if you drink the water I have you will never go thirsty again.”  EVER!  Maybe I need to live in contentment, to be grateful, to find the things I DO HAVE and not the things that I DO NOT HAVE and maybe, just maybe, I need to stand up and praise the Lord for what He has given me.

The thing about the Proverbs verse is that I believe it is never ending.  Three goes to Four.  And I believe that God is telling us that perhaps this thing can grow to a point where we are actually crippled.

NO MORE!

Jesus doesn’t have that for us.

Rise up from the dead and dare to dream again.

Rise up from the dead and dare to thank God for all that you have.

Rise up from the dead and dare to challenge your immortality.

After all….Easter is coming.

And us sitting there being harassed by a blood thirsty two mouthed leech is no way to celebrate it … and no way to live.

Be blessed.

Be empowered.

Be the one that cries out to God and actually walks in freedom.

That’s what you are called to do.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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497 Only Jesus

In one of the most radical transformations in human history, Paul goes from:

“Let’s round up these Jesus followers and throw them in prison” (or worse)

To

“I am willing to go to prison for this God who has saved my soul”

Grace is a scandal … and the gospel is a scandal.  But that is not the question we should tell others to ask.  The question we should be asking is:

Is This True?

Because when we ask “Is This True?” we find out that this is the greatest rescue story that has ever been written … and we are the recipients.

We go from destined for the pits of Hell … to a son or daughter of the King of the Universe with immediate access to Him and all that He holds dear.

In today’s journey, I ask you:  What do these verses from Paul have in common?

Philemon 1 9 yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul–an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus– 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.

Ephesians 1 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Philippians 4 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Colossians 1 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

If your answer is that all were written by Paul, you would be correct.

I want to emphasize that they were all written from a prison cell.  Paul is proclaiming freedom over our lives … from a prison cell.  And that, my friends, is the Hand of Jesus.

Only Jesus can give you freedom EVEN in a prison cell.

And really, that’s the answer to every question:

Only Jesus

Only Jesus can convert a bitter and hateful Christian chaser like Paul and convert him to a disciple.

Only Jesus can raise the dead.

And only Jesus can save you … and me.

Only Jesus.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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496 Yelling At God Versus Yelling With God

I have often struggled with justice.  I have read that God is just and that He wants us accountable, but I often view world events and wonder “where is the justice?”.  When I read Revelation 19, it reminds me to stay humble.

God is all about justice.  And He is all about setting things right.  But, thankfully for me and for you, He is also about mercy.  Often times I want others to be judged for their actions while justifying my own with what I intended to do.  But the reality is that we want the scales of justice to tip to our perspective and not to the reality of what we truly are.

As you read Revelation 19, remember that this was written by John.  And John knows how to write in plain communication, as he proved it in the book of John.  This book (Revelation) is written as he sees in the spirit, and it certainly can be hard to understand.  But the fact that he wrote John makes it all the more credible.  His real life testimony is easy to read, and when you read his visions in the spirit, they are more palatable after you consider how well he communicated his eye witness testimony.

Revelation 19 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

We forget that God wants justice.  We forget that God will take His vengeance on the evil that lives in the world.  And we forget that He is not just the Lamb of God … but He is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

The reality is that on ALL issues that we want to yell, we need to remember that we are yelling WITH Him, not AT Him.  He hates injustice.  He is upset by those who perpetrate.  And He wants to hold people accountable for their actions.  Thank God that is not all He is about.  Because that would put us on the wrong side of the Revelation 19 passage.

Thank God that He is a God of mercy, that He is a God who is willing to forgive us for our greatest mistakes, and that He has offered us an exit strategy.

He is everything that we want and need … and so much more. 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

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