As we embrace our present season of life, we are being prepared for the next season. God gives us grace, His undeserved favor, for each season if we ask Him, and receive it by faith. Genesis 8:22 tells us, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, [...]
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6). I love this verse! The word “all” means all. If we want divine guidance in our life, we must acknowledge Him again and again. No [...]
After I gave my life to Christ in my late teens, every day I wrote on an index card a verse of Scripture that seemed to have special significance to me. Throughout the day, I pulled out the card to memorize it and meditate on its meaning. I literally meditated on God’s Word until it [...]
Prayer and perseverance are often both needed to see our circumstances change. God showed Elijah that He would send rain to end a drought (1 Kings 18). Elijah prayed for the rain, but it did not come. Seven times Elijah sent his servant to look at the sky to see if rain clouds were forming. [...]
Almost everyone can name one or more books that have changed their lives. I am no exception. I grew up in an Anabaptist church. But I learned how to lead people to Christ from a book written by a Baptist. I learned about the work of the Holy Spirit from a book written by an [...]
I don’t always feel like praising God. But praising the Lord is not dependent upon my emotions; it’s a decision I make. As we come to the Lord in faith each day, we are offering to Him a sacrifice of praise. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise…” (Heb. [...]
How has the Lord wired you? Stop trying to be someone you are not. Genesis 4:20-22 tells us that Jabal was the father of those who raised cattle. His brother Jubal was the father of all the musicians who played the lyre and pipe. His half-brother Tubal-Cain forged instruments made of bronze and iron. They [...]
If we only listen to those who teach the Bible from our own camp or denomination or local church, we may not receive the whole counsel of God. Pastors who frown on those within their local churches receiving Bible teaching from the Body of Christ at large are hindering them from receiving all the Lord [...]
God wires all of us differently. We each have unique gifts or “bents” from God according to the way He has made us. The Scriptures tell us to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it” (Prov. 22:6). The “way he should go” [...]
The Lord is faithful, and He will direct our path one step at a time. Let’s tune our ears to hear His voice without preconceived ideas as to how He will speak. Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the [...]