O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord…. Search…
Forgiveness Makes a Difference
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. — Colossians 3:13 The Bible doesn’t tell us if Daniel struggled with forgiving those who inflicted pain in his life: betrayal, injustice, unfairness, slander, accusations, and even persecution. The list would have been a lengthy…
Comfort in God Alone
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. — James 5:13 The day I met Rebecca, she invited me over to her house for egg salad and raspberries. We were coworkers, the only two squeezed into a ten-foot-by-ten-foot office like two college roommates. Within hours…
Pray Together ~ Be Awesome
Taking Spiritual Responsibility in Your Marriage Paul and Sarah were young and newly married. We began their premarital counseling a couple of months before the wedding. I told them that if we did not get everything covered before their wedding day, we would pick back up when they returned from their honeymoon. Today was pickup…
Your Greatest Skill: Love in Practice
Having been married for eighteen years, I may not be able to wholly define every aspect of love, but I can tell you with confidence there is one skill above every other that causes love to grow. All the other stuff — like picking up my dirty socks, going out on dates together, keeping romance…
Why Your Prayers Need to Be Dangerous
Hey, Craig, do you believe God still does miracles?” “Of course,” I said. “Good — because your prayers are so lame.” I tried to laugh with him, but my friend’s joke stung — mostly because he was right. We had just left a prayer service together, back when I started working in ministry. My buddy…
Loving Those Who Hate
Dear Jesus, Sometimes it’s really hard to love people, particularly when You ask me to love those who hate You and do evil things. Please show me. How can I hate evil and still love the haters? Isn’t that what Paul did when he was in prison? In the worst of circumstances, he hated evil…
Daily Nourishment
When you submit your life to Christ, your spirit comes to life. You are born anew, and your spirit is connected to God’s Spirit. From that moment on, there is a war going on within you. Paul calls it a battle between your flesh and your spirit. By flesh, he’s not talking about your skin.…
5 Bible Stories, 5 Prayers
The Best Answer to Prayer The word of the Lord came to [Abraham]… “A son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars — if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall…
The Daniel Prayer: Promises That Are Conditional
Editor’s Note: Enjoy this excerpt from beloved author Anne Graham Lotz (called the “best preacher in the family” by her father Reverend Billy Graham). The Daniel Prayer is based off the prayer of Daniel, who prayed on behalf of his nation, Judah, which had come under God’s judgment. Today, Lotz continues to utilize the Daniel prayer model to…