I don’t know what your routine is, but mine looks a little like this: 1. Up early between 5:00 and 6:00 every morning2. Fix a cup of coffee3. Find my glasses (so I can focus)4. Sit in my favorite chair with my Bible and iPad5. Pray6. Read my Bible and/or study book7. Write Simple, huh? That’s what I thought, until ...
I recently read through the story of the man by the pool of Bethesda. It’s an account I have pondered before; an interesting story about a man who had suffered with an infirmity for 38 years when Jesus found him. We aren’t told what his infirmity was, but I can’t help but think about the condition I was in when Jesus ...
Have you ever noticed how certain words will resonate with you, while others don’t? I think it’s different for everyone because of our upbringing, experiences, maturity, education, geography, etc. But as a Christian, I’ve noticed this with God’s Word too. For example, one person will cling to Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the thoughts I think toward you… thoughts of ...
In 2010, we learned first-hand the importance of knowing and praying God’s Word over your situation. In fact, I believe it’s what saved our son’s life. When he was given a 50/50 chance of survival after receiving 2nd and 3rd degree burns while trapped in an upside-down truck, it was God’s Word that rescued us all. First, His Word was ...
How do people live without God? I recently encountered this on two very different levels. My husband and I were asked to minister to a family going through a crisis. When we arrived, it was quickly apparent that most of these were (for a lack of better words) empty. They had no desire for God and therefore the very air ...
This morning, as I sat and prayed, an old song came bubbling up out of my spirit: When I think about the Lord, how He saved me, how He raised me, how He filled me up with the Holy Ghost, How He healed me to the uttermost When I think about the Lord, how He lifted me up and turned ...
What a blasted word. Or a blessed one. Again. To repeat. To mimic a former behavior, instance, or circumstance. Paul said, “In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]” (Galatians 5:1). We have a choice. ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Jesus made it very clear: the SEED is the Word of God and the GROUND is man’s heart. In the parable of the sower, Jesus went on to explain there are four types of heart (or soil) that the Word will land upon, and three of the four produce little or no ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In three different accounts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find Jesus explaining the parable of the sower: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as ...
“In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28). Hold a man’s head under water, and he will fight you to come up for air. It’s in every person to LIVE and not die. This is how God created us… with breath in our lungs, hope in our hearts, and a desire ...
There’s always a lot of discussion about our monetary system, and those who have invested in gold have seemingly made a wise decision because its value continues to increase. But there is one commodity apparently far superior in value– our faith. Hesitant believers will argue that “faith” isn’t going to pay the mortgage or save our country from a fiscal disaster, ...
At any stage of life, our enemy, the devil, loves using the weaknesses of our flesh as a weapon against us; much like the bully who grabs our wrist, swinging it toward our face, yelling, “Quit hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!” Satan targets our insecurities and then laughs at our self-destruction, which is why the Bible says we can fall ...
I wonder if we ever thought about the fact that Jesus didn’t interview the people before He fed them? Yet, as His followers today, we are prone to ask questions like, “Why are you in this condition?” “What did you do wrong?” “Where’s your faith?” The account of Jesus feeding the multitudes is one of the few stories that are ...
With a show of hands, how many of you wish you could know exactly what God wants you to do? Well, I can’t see your hands, but I’m pretty confident 100% of you raised them. How do I know that? Because every person I’ve ever talked with, counseled, or ministered to, has told me so. And I’m with you! But as ...
One of my desires is to run my race with joy. Regardless of good intentions, it’s easy to slip into grumbling and complaining without even realizing it. We fuss about the finances or lack of time to accomplish our goals. Then we justify our complaining by trying to cover it up with “faith” and “prayer” when in reality we’re only ...
Which is easier to say, “O you of little faith” or “O you of great fear”? I think we have failed to fully realize the emphasis Jesus was making when He pointed out the measure of people’s faith. It seems like such a put-down to say someone has little faith, but in reality, Jesus was not only identifying what they ...
Interesting question: Is God for us or against us? I’m assuming you immediately answered that in your heart (or maybe even out loud) with a big YES, of course He’s for us! Isn’t this the core behind John 3:16? “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so ...
The Bible says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). So what happens when the Christian majority is saddened that our nation, as a whole, doesn’t acknowledge or honor God? We recognize it for what it is… Welcome to the End Times. The Apostle Paul warned Timothy ...