Most of us hate to be criticized. I know I do. But receiving criticism is a part of life. I have discovered that I can choose from five different responses toward any criticism that I receive. 1 - Disregard the criticism, and never think of it again. Assume the person criticizing me has some personal issues [...]
One word from God will change your life forever! God desires to speak to us. The real issue is whether or not we have learned to hear Him when He speaks. The Bible is filled with stories of people just like you and me who heard God speak to them, and their lives were changed. [...]
There are ten subtle progressive steps the devil tries to lead us through to eventually destroy us. I call these the Ten "D's" of the Devil. And it all starts with experiencing disappointment. Have you ever wondered why Christians sometimes fall into deception and make shocking decisions? I am convinced that it’s directly related to [...]
Twenty years ago I served as senior pastor of a mega-church. I often felt insecure and struggled with knowing how to make decisions and lead effectively, especially when there were differing viewpoints. One day one of our team members said, “Go find a leader you trust and ask him to mentor you.” I took his [...]
I meet many people who feel condemned and live in shame. I completely understand. I have been there many times. But God does not condemn. He has come to give us freedom from shame and condemnation. The battle is in our minds. Many confuse conviction with condemnation, but they are polar opposites. The devil condemns. [...]
The older I get, the more I realize how powerful my words are. We must be careful how we speak. Matthew 12:34 says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” In other words, we believe with our heart, and what we speak is often what we really believe. Life and death [...]
One of the chief obstacles to surrendering to the Lord is our fear of losing control. A few years ago, a squad of police in our county entered a home to confiscate a computer that was being used for illegal activity. One of the men living in the home, in a state of fear and [...]
If you’ve seen the movie "What About Bob?" you will remember that a therapy patient, who fears everything and anything, is initially advised by his therapist to take “baby steps” to learn to function normally. The comical story takes us through the many antics of Bob as he learns to take those first steps. When [...]
A few months ago Time Magazine’s cover story focused on a Latino Reformation in America. It documented stories of churches in America that were doubling in size every few years. Their common denominator: Latino Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. The reporter, after visiting various Latino churches said, "All were fervent believers—they sang with hands high, and [...]
Mark Rutland, former president of Oral Roberts University, recently wrote that at age 21 he was in an Amish kitchen in Bird-in-Hand, PA. This is about sixteen miles from our house. He said he saw a sign that he’ll never forget: “Too soon old, too late smart.” “When I saw it,” he said, “I thought [...]
