I recently saw someone at church I hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as we had a chance to greet one another, I made a bee line to him to say hi and give him a hug. He was obviously uncomfortable and a little shy of looking anyone in the eyes, but he hugged me back as others ...
It’s so easy to get in a routine and forget that faith still pleases God. For example, I recently woke up early to write my blog but accidentally dozed back off for 45 minutes. Although the extra rest was nice, the problem was my schedule wasn’t going to be very lenient and I lost some valuable time. But in my ...
The only thing worse than your past is a future that’s bound by the past. In three short words, Jesus gave us a visual of this when He said, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Another translation says, “Don’t forget the example of Lot’s wife and what happened to her when she turned back” (TPT). If you don’t know the story, ...
Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning. Why am I here? How did I get here? What am I doing? Am I making a difference? These are natural human questions pointed directly toward the only One who can answer them. For some, it leads to salvation. I know it did for me. Or at least the first three ...
I have a sweet friend who used to teach kindergarten. She told me about a discussion some of her students once had about Easter. She said one particular little girl told the others, “It’s just so sad that Jesus has to die every year.” I laughed when I heard this story. The innocence of children always makes me smile. Obviously, ...
I woke up this morning with this rolling around in my spirit: The anointing of God precedes you, prepares you, and propels you. As I laid in bed considering this thought, each word reminded me of seasons in my life. The Bible describes the anointing as a priestly portion in the Old Testament and a communication and reception of the ...
What is it about January that makes us want to start fresh (or for some, start over)? I know the obvious answer, but honestly, we could start anew anytime we want— there isn’t any magical fairy dust that transforms us at midnight as one year rolls out and a new year rolls in. It’s a mindset. God tells us, “Do ...
There’s a song entitled, “Mary’s Prayer” by Bebo Norman that is one of my favorites. It is definitely an appropriate meditation these few days before Christmas, but I sometimes listen to it year-round as a reminder of the gift God gave us. It says: “Sleep baby Jesus, close your weary eyes; hide yourself in faithful dreams before you live your life. Slip away to ...
Did you know the first promise God ever made was about Christmas? You actually know the story. It didn’t happen in Bethlehem. It happened in the Garden. Sin caused man to fall and God responded with a promise: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network Can you judge a book by its cover? I’m an author so I understand the necessity of a great book title, graphics, and description, long before anyone actually opens the book. So, for this reason I know there are probably hundreds upon hundreds of amazing books that get overlooked simply because ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network My family says I have nine lives. I say, God has rescued me more times than I can count. Even before I knew God, He was in the business of watching over me. In the second grade, I was hit by a car. In high school, my head went through a ...
The greatest oxymoron to ever exist is the phrase defeated Christian. It’s heartbreaking to think most believers are living with masks on, hiding what’s behind their facade. They overcome, but never seem to conquer… They’re frustrated, but don’t know why… They’re saved from hell, but living in some form of it every day. THIS HAS TO CHANGE. The three major ...
Dan Mohler said, “Jesus didn’t die because you have sin. He died because you have destiny.” The truth is, the devil stole man’s destiny from him in the Garden of Eden. But when darkness became our common enemy, Jesus came to forgive all sin and restore what was lost. In Luke 10:17-19, the bible says seventy disciples returned from ministering ...
The past few weeks we’ve been talking about FACING THE ENEMY. So let me make this statement: If righteousness (by definition) is the ability to stand before God without inferiority (or fear), then God wants us to stand before the devil that way too (no cowering). In other words, Christians do not need to be hiding from or avoiding their enemy. ...
I recently used a chess board as an analogy of how the world around us works and how God uses our position in Christ to His advantage to hold ground. So picture this with me: Like a chessboard, you’re standing on a square holding your ground. But your opponent (the enemy) wants to move you out of his way. So ...
In my last post, I said we would talk about boot camp because I made the comment that it would be nice if every believer had to go through some kind of special training before sending them out into the world. Most of our Christian walk is about conforming to the image of Christ while operating in a world that ...
The last prayer of Jesus before His crucifixion tells us a lot. It’s recorded in John 17 and mentions our world nineteen times. It’s obvious Jesus knew the world we live in is the seat of Satan’s power and that every man, woman, and child rescued from the kingdom of darkness would have to remain here in this world controlled ...
I think I love teaching because I love to understand. 1 John 5:20 says, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” This scripture ...