Blues musician B.B. King sang, “I’ve been downhearted, baby, ever since the day...” Do you have downhearted days? “The day we found out my spouse has cancer”; “The day I lost my job, with three kids to support”; “The day my uncle began to abuse me”; “The day we learned our son was addicted to drugs
In the beginning, we’re told that God put man in the garden and said that, in some mysterious way, he would be like God—not equal but “like”—and bear God’s image. “‘Let us make man in our own image and in our own likeness.’ So God shaped man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into him” (
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work…. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made… For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” -Psalm 33:6, 9 (ESV). Jesus speaks to nothingness, and it bursts with abounding substance. Void becomes fullness. Emptiness now sprawls with newly created forms. He splits the darkness
Our culture is full of who’s-who and who knows whom, who’s wearing what brands. More and more, though, our younger generations are becoming sick of it. They want something authentic.
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, NKJV, my emphasis). We have been predestined to a
In times of darkness, it’s easy to forget God is always at work in mighty ways. Right now, as things seem hopeless, he is calling his people to live zealously.
If we understand that we’re born into a battle, as the Bible shows, we’ll accept that we’re engaged in warfare and that it has a purpose. Without this understanding, we won’t see the victories that are a part of God’s plan for us.
You’re going to face your own Jordan River. God wants to part those waters for you.
You’ve heard it said that God is more than enough to deliver us from our difficulties. He doesn’t lack power or authority and has more than enough wisdom, mercy and grace for our needs. God simply has no insufficiency. So if he is more than enough to deliver us, do we believe he can deliver the lukewarm church? Can he deliver our troubled nation?
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ in purity, justice, holiness and love. In turn, their pure walk produces in them a great boldness for God.
It is one thing to suffer through times of darkness when we bring it on ourselves through a lifestyle of sinful behaviors. In that case, we should expect arrows to come. For the upright in heart, however, endlessly suffering in the dark is troubling to the soul.
You remember the story of Elijah. On Mount Carmel, he faced 850 false prophets in a life-or-death showdown over whose God would prevail. He simply called on the Lord, and supernatural fire fell from heaven.
If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you have known Jesus’s healing and restoring power through your griefs and losses. When you faced the end of your world as you knew it, Jesus opened your eyes to a new world beginning, and it blessed you.
I know all about the restraining hand of the Lord. He allows his children to go only so far but no further. In my early days of ministry, he restrained me when I was ready to quit during times of awful discouragement. At times, I felt overwhelmed by all the financial responsibilities. I felt like a failure as a husband and father as well. I would get so low about my overwhelming obligations that I thought my faith would shatter completely.
First Corinthians 12 is all about the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating within the body of Christ. In this glowing chapter, the apostle Paul laid out how vital it is for Christ’s body to operate in his gifts, functioning as one body. To fulfill our calling, the church needs evangelists, teachers, preachers and people with gifts of prophecy, healing, miracles, tongues, administration and helping.
From Adam to this present day, God has been searching for a people who will entrust their lives totally to him. He desires a body of faithful believers who give him their complete trust and confidence and commit themselves wholly to his keeping.
Christ distinguished between the world’s way of doing things and his way. As his followers, we are to be different from the world, loving, serving and forgiving; and we can be sure this will offend a darkened world.
It is clear the Lord loves his church and desires to bless it. So why does Revelation 2 present such a fearsome picture of Christ as he appears to his people?
The Trait that May Transform the World “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility” (1 Peter 5:5, ESV). In seven straightforward words, Peter envisioned what may bring a transformative makeover to the church of Jesus Christ. His simple command raises the question “What if every member of Christ’s
After Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, his listeners sat in awe. Scripture says, “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29, NKJV). The Greek word for authority in this verse means “with mastery, power, liberty; as one in control.” Jesus’ listeners were saying, in essence, “This man knows what he’s talking about.”
He wants us to ask him anything. He knows we need to. James understood suffering. In Jerusalem, persecution of the early Christians was rampant. Many of Jesus’ followers were martyred, causing others to flee across the region. What did James say to encourage the church? He wrote, “Is anyone among
His answer to your prayer is coming. Our ministry receives letters from many Christians who have somehow lost heart. These are followers of Christ who have truly been saved. They’ve tasted the mercy and goodness of the Lord and experienced joy, peace, hope and gladness of heart. Then something
Allowing Our Troubles to Bring Him Glory In the span of a mere ten verses, David expressed all the pains of life. Psalm 6 contains a revealing glimpse into the agonies that our spiritual ancestor endured all at one time, sufferings that would stretch any person beyond their limits. We see David
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work…. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12, NKJV, my emphasis). We have been predestined to a
You’re going to face your own Jordan River. God wants to part those waters for you.
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ in purity, justice, holiness and love. In turn, their pure walk produces in them a great boldness for God.
You remember the story of Elijah. On Mount Carmel, he faced 850 false prophets in a life-or-death showdown over whose God would prevail. He simply called on the Lord, and supernatural fire fell from heaven.
I know all about the restraining hand of the Lord. He allows his children to go only so far but no further. In my early days of ministry, he restrained me when I was ready to quit during times of awful discouragement. At times, I felt overwhelmed by all the financial responsibilities. I felt like a failure as a husband and father as well. I would get so low about my overwhelming obligations that I thought my faith would shatter completely.
From Adam to this present day, God has been searching for a people who will entrust their lives totally to him. He desires a body of faithful believers who give him their complete trust and confidence and commit themselves wholly to his keeping.
It is clear the Lord loves his church and desires to bless it. So why does Revelation 2 present such a fearsome picture of Christ as he appears to his people?
After Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, his listeners sat in awe. Scripture says, “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29, NKJV). The Greek word for authority in this verse means “with mastery, power, liberty; as one in control.” Jesus’ listeners were saying, in essence, “This man knows what he’s talking about.”
His answer to your prayer is coming. Our ministry receives letters from many Christians who have somehow lost heart. These are followers of Christ who have truly been saved. They’ve tasted the mercy and goodness of the Lord and experienced joy, peace, hope and gladness of heart. Then something
Learning Triumphant Praise for Our Victorious King “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered” (Psalm 68:1, NKJV). In every generation, God is rising to scatter his enemies. He puts to chase all demonic principalities, driving them from his people. The very words of this verse, in fact, were
In all our trials, we are to cling to the Savior. When Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6, NKJV), he issued a powerful proclamation to his church. Tragically, we have not fully understood the power behind his words here. I believe if the church today truly grasped the simple statement that Jesus
The Holy Ministry of Reconciliation Most Christians I know are kind, loving, considerate, caring and helpful. I believe very few in the church think of themselves as unkind. I don’t think you can be a true Christian and be unkind. When we think of kind people, our image is of quiet, soft-spoken men
Meeting Our Deepest Need through His Desire I believe the church will never understand the importance of prayer until we grasp one foundational truth. Simply put, prayer is not just for our own benefit or relief but rather for the delight of the Lord. We often go to the Lord only to unburden our
I don’t believe there ever has been a time like the present with so many devoted Christians worldwide being so incredibly tested. God is allowing his children to be tried by fire, and many are going through the test of their lives.
Clinging to God’s Name in Our Anguish Every child of God suffers disappointments. At times we can feel totally defeated, despairing and dead inside because all our hopes, dreams and visions have gone wrong. We may hope for something, seeking God for it and waiting for it expectantly, but we never
Assurance about Fast-Moving Global Events Believers everywhere wonder, “Are we in the very last years of human history?” Any thoughts on this subject are mere speculation. One thing is sure, however: World events are accelerating. According to what Isaiah saw, the earth was not headed for
He is never closer than in our trials I want to share with you two verses from Helen Spurrell’s translation of the original Hebrew text: “When designing pursuers approached me, who are far from thy law; then thou, O Jehovah, wast near, with all thy faithful commandments” (Psalm 119:150-151)
Listening to the Cross Instead of the Accuser Who told you that you’re unworthy, no good, useless, unusable to God? Who keeps reminding you that you’re weak, helpless, a total failure? Who told you that you’ll never measure up to God’s standard? We all know where this voice comes from. It’s the
Know that He is Completing a Good Work in You “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12, NKJV). In this verse, Paul tells the Christians in Philippi not to worry about all the things they’d
In Jeremiah 32, the prophet describes a dire scene. Jerusalem was surrounded by Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army. Outside the city, the enemy was building large mounts to send their troops over the walls. Any Israelite who looked down on this scene was surely filled with a sense of doom
If anyone ever needed to hear a word from God, it was Job. You remember Job’s story: God had taken down the protective hedge around him and given Satan permission to try Job’s faith. Immediately, chaos broke out in Job’s life. All ten of his children were killed when a tornado struck. All his
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). What does it mean to confess or deny Christ before men? The Greek word
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:19–20, 22). There are two sides to Christ’s work at Calvary
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