Prayer

I’m 16 years into my second marriage. If you and I had some time together in a coffee shop to chat about your hopes for marriage and what I’ve learned from one failed marriage and this one, this is what I’d say: Praying for yourself is the most proactive, effective thing you can do to prepare for a great marriage. …

Recently I read Philippians 2:1-5 with new spiritual eyes as if for the first time with joy in my spirit, yes, but also with deep conviction. Here Paul painted a picture of the consideration and grace we owe one another in God’s family. God pierced my heart and spirit with this passage. If you have any encouragement from being united with …

When I came to faith in Christ back in college, my mind was rough, to say the least.  It was packed with rapid-fire emotions and thoughts of aggression, anxieties, lusts and everything else which vie for the mind of men. I was living in a fraternity house, trying to figure out life as a new follower of Christ, and loving …

  Sometimes stories in the Bible are too good to condense for the sake of a point. A fresh reading of a story in its entirety brings about greater understanding and spiritual nutrition. I usually aim to paraphrase or reference Scripture to illustrate a point; however, I think this is one of those sometimes moments. I believe the reading of …

Listen to God’s Word in 2 Kings 4:1-7 to find 4 steps that lead to provision in time of need. “The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys …

Lord, I prayed for this child, and You have granted me what I asked of You (1 Samuel 1:27). We are told that of the millennials—young people ages 10-29 years old—only 15 percent are Christian. The assignment to pray for our children is essential to raising up a generation that will live for God and withstand the enemy’s attack upon them (Genesis …

Have you ever had a promise from God? Something that He spoke to you that you’ve believed, but still haven’t seen? Maybe you are waiting on a healing to manifest, or a loved one to be saved, or a mate to materialize. Whatever it is, Jesus spoke to it in Luke 18:1-8. He begins by saying, “Men always ought to pray …

Ecce Homo means “behold the man.” It is the perfect flashcard to strengthen our inner man once we understand the point behind it. We read this phrase in John 19 as Pontius Pilate presents Jesus, wearing the crown of thorns and purple robe, to the crowd. “Behold the man!” Pilate shouts as he ignorantly shoves Jesus to the edge. The …

I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there, or at some point will be—wondering, “How do I get UNstuck?” Being stuck is different than going around the proverbial mountain again. After all, when we’re stuck, we would gladly accept another trip around the mountain, as we can more readily perceive the lesson to be learned; all we need …

If you’ve been in church for any period of time in your life, I’m sure you have heard someone at some time use the phrase, “Keep God in first place.”  What does that really mean? Let’s unfold this truth using what Jesus taught us in Matthew 6. (I get tickled at times when, in this context, people stop at Jesus’ …