From start to finish, we must live our lives in God’s grace. Sometimes people say of someone who hurt them, “He really hurt my feelings.” If we allow our hurt feelings to control our lives, we are not living in the realm of God’s grace. Who says everyone should be nice to us? If we [...]
When we understand how grace works in our lives, we will find ourselves living with a new freedom in our daily relationship with Jesus. Every good thing in our lives is a result of the grace of God. You and I really do not deserve anything. If you have good health today, it is because [...]
Years ago, I received a revelation about the grace of God that has literally revolutionized my life. Although I was in love with Jesus, I was still living in a mental prison. It seemed like some things would never change. Then one day someone vividly described the “grace of God” to me in a way [...]
When I was young in the Lord, I thought God owed me. “Look, God,” I remember thinking, “I’ve given you my life. I’ve given you everything. I’ve given you my family. It all belongs to you.” I was working sixty hours on a job in addition to being involved with a full-time youth ministry. I [...]
Faith is our first response to God. We place our trust in Christ by faith and faith alone. We cannot depend on our abilities. We must depend on His abilities. If the world-renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, depended on his own good works to be in right standing with God, he’d never make it, because God’s [...]
During the first few months after I gave my life totally to Christ, I sometimes felt like I wasn’t a Christian. Sometimes I felt close to God and the next time, He seemed a million miles away. I grew depressed and defeated because I thought my feelings reflected my spiritual condition. Then, a wise counselor [...]
Success can be our greatest test. Why? It can produce pride or the feeling that we have done this on our own. We no longer see success as simply pleasing God with our lives, but we believe we had the major part in our own success. Moses cautioned the Israelites against this tendency to take [...]
I have found that healthy people practice self-talk, so don’t be afraid to talk to your self. I talk to myself all the time. The real issue, however, is what do we say when we talk to ourselves? If we speak words based on fear and worry, it becomes harmful. If we speak words of [...]
Your God-given calling is likely to be tested. Yours may be a call in business, education, government, community service, the church, your family, your neighborhood, the arts, entertainment, media, sports or a combination of two or more. No matter what your vocation, it is inevitable that there will come a time when you begin to [...]
I was a young twenty something youth leader hungry to obey the Lord. LaVerne’s father was a Mennonite pastor and he often hosted pastors in his home when they came to speak at his church. I loved sitting with these men of God and asking them questions about the Lord and leadership. One weekend he [...]