We often confuse “happiness” with “joy.” Happiness is a good feeling based on good things that happen around us. But joy is a gift from God. We can experience joy even when things around us feel out of control. And giving thanks to God releases joy in our lives, which gives us strength to face [...]
Two of the most powerful words in the English Language are “Thank you.” God tells us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4). There is just something about gratitude that changes the atmosphere. The way we approach God and the way we approach everyday life should always be with [...]
Recently the Lord reminded me that the language of the kingdom of God is praise. The language of the kingdom of darkness is complaining. Praise builds faith. Complaining is based in unbelief. There is always something to thank and praise God for. When we enter his presence daily with praise, he enters our lives with [...]
“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” (John Wesley). And always remember, our strength comes from the Lord, “Christ in [...]
“Nothing paralyzes our lives like an attitude that things can never change. We need to remind ourselves that God can change things. Outlook determines outcome. If we only see the problems, we will be defeated; but if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory,” says Warren Wiersbe. “Overwhelming victory is ours [...]
Francis of Assisi once said, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." God says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23). By taking one small step of faith today, we become aligned to fulfill [...]
Martin Luther once said; “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” So whatever we are doing today, let’s do it with excellence “with all of our hearts, as to the Lord.” (Col. 3:23)
Have you ever told yourself, “How could God ever use me? I have too many fears and insecurities. I don’t know the Bible well enough. I need to get my life together first.” If you feel this way, you have a lot of company. Moses told the Lord he could not speak properly. But God [...]
Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was robbed of his wallet. Knowing that the Scriptures teach us to give thanks in everything (I Thess. 5:18), he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following: "Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he [...]
We came back from our two-month sabbatical yesterday. It is great to be back! During the past few months we were privileged to take time to rest and be refreshed, we had good times with the LORD, and we really enjoyed our time with our family! Tomorrow I leave for a ministry trip to Malaysia [...]