Partnering with God
You must show faithfulness. And you have to give Him something to bless. You can’t expect God to bless your ministry if the only hard work you do is to keep yourself from hard work. There are no shortcuts in God’s kingdom. Quick works will quickly fail. God gives visions AND plans. The vision is the heart; the plan is the action.
The Hiding Place: Where Power is Cultivated
David was anointed, and that anointing caused him to be hidden for a season. Whatever thought it was that ran through Jesse’s mind, ultimately it was God who kept David hidden. Like a developing baby is protected in the womb, so God will hide his anointed until their time.
Carry Your Cross
But we’ve also been blessed with a cross. We have the honor of sacrificial response. (And I use “sacrificial” hesitantly, for the reality is that we end up being blessed anyway, so there really is no such thing as sacrifice for us – we always come up with more than we put in.)
Your Jordan River
Isn’t that just like us sometimes? We find ourselves in difficult circumstances. But, instead of obeying the wisdom of Heaven, we opt to try to fix things ourselves. We find it difficult to obey God – to wash in the Jordan.
The Power of Impartation: 7 Quotes That Changed Me
I am very intentional about cultivating and preserving, within myself, both a willingness and an ability to learn from others. Everybody knows something that you don’t. So it is wise to glean the good from within people. I have received from people of varying personalities, cultures, mindsets and expressions. Many great men and women of God have spoken mindset-altering words into my life.
“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,” - Proverbs 1:5
Are You Too Spiritual?
There is no such thing as being too spiritual. You can be too emotional. You can be too chaotic. You can be too weird. You can be too strict. But you can never be too spiritual. The essence of spirituality is not strictness, seriousness, silliness or spookiness. Do not equate such characteristics with what should be your highest goal. Being spiritual is simply being aware of and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. And He marks those who spend time in His presence with distinct characteristics.
My Dream of Heaven
As I stood there mesmerized by the lively underwater scene, I felt a breeze move passed me. It was cool enough to be refreshing without causing me any discomfort. At that moment, I looked up at the blue sky filled with white billows of clouds. I can’t really explain this, but the sky seemed so much larger than in real life. And the sky, like the water, was also very clear. Though it was daytime, I could see faint displays of stars, colorful galaxies, shining through the sky. That display, in particular, was so awesome that is was borderline terrifying.
What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Often, this question is asked from the state of fear. Terrified that they have committed the eternally unpardonable sin against the Spirit, some believers live out of a guilt-burdened discouragement. My heart goes out whenever I am met with a correspondence from someone who is filled with a tight and paralyzing anxiety. With panicked speech, they cry out in distress, “Have I committed the sin that cannot be forgiven? Am I forever doomed because of a single action?” While I understand that this topic can be somewhat alarming, it is important to remember that fear doesn’t come from God.
Beholding the Glory
One of the scriptures I consider most often is this beautiful verse: “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” - 2 Corinthians 3:18
The Immortal Mind
Without the existence of an eternal place, there is no purpose other than the delusional purpose we might subjectively embrace for comfort’s sake. All that matters, all that is left, is what we do to affect eternity. Only the life spent for the eternal is a life filled with purpose.
The Surrendered Life
What qualifies one to be a minister of the gospel? What attributes must the believer acquire before he or she can be fit for the Master’s use?
First Love
Jesus is holy – we must love Him more than our sin.
No Other Way
Either we believe Jesus’ claim to exclusivity or we don’t. Christ Himself has told us that there is no other way to God.
Cast Your Net Again
When believing for the salvation of someone who resists the drawing of the Holy Spirit, it’s easy to become discouraged and disappointed. It can seem as though your prayers aren’t making much of a difference.
Impossible Places
When you follow after Jesus, when you walk with Him in life through obedience, He’ll cause you to stand in impossible places. Sometimes those places may scare you.
Keep Dreaming
Have you ever been hated, disliked or disdained because of the dream that God has given to you? Have you ever been misunderstood because of the favor upon your life? People label the passionate as “ambitious”, the faith-filled as “arrogant” and the dreamers as “crazy”.
Divine Prevention
What God doesn’t allow is just as important as what God does allow. What He removes is just as important as what He gives. Paul wanted to go to Asia – it was a desire of his. But the Lord prevented Him from going.
Hell: As Inspired by a Dream
Hell – No amount of regret can appease it. For every moment that passes, a moment is added to the extent of one’s stay. Deep frustration, hopeless turmoil and constant confusion are forever in the soul. Hope is destroyed. After all, there is no mercy past this point.