Eternal Excuse Exterminator

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! Since sin entered into humanity during the Fall in the Garden of Eden, we have become experts at making excuses for not listening to God’s voice and answering God’s call in our lives. Excuses are self-crippling defense mechanisms that we use to justify our refusal to respond to God’s call. On the surface, the excuses we make can seem reasonable and right. But make no mistake, excuses are the enemy from living a life of Christian excellence. Did you know the […]

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The Ministry of Moses’ Mom

As we honor motherhood this month, I want to offer a word of encouragement to all moms everywhere by taking a brief look at the mighty ministry that Moses’ mom had in her son’s life. “A man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a find child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basked for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it […]

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All-Access to the Almighty

In the animated movie “Shrek,” the dragon blocks access to Princess Fiona, who is being held captive in the tallest tower of the Dragon’s Keep castle. In “The Lord of the Rings,” the Doors of Durin bar entrance into Moria. In “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Sir Richard the Grail Knight guards the biblical artifact, which is said to have supernatural powers, and he must be defeated in single combat to gain access to the Holy Grail. In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” a magical wardrobe either opens or prohibits entry into Narnia. These are just a […]

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Let Us Pray

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).   The Bible makes it clear that prayer is to be one of the distinguishing marks of those who are disciples of Christ; the people of God are a people of prayer. And what is prayer? Prayer is both a privilege and a command. In essence, prayer is simply a conversation with God . . . a running conversation with God that should continue throughout the day, talking about anything and everything. That’s right — anything and everything! Clement of Alexandria once described prayer as “happy company with God.” The Creator of the universe […]

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For God So Loved You!

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, I would like to share a word of cosmic comfort with you from the One who loves you exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ever ask or imagine. The apostle Paul prayed that we would be able to “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). In other words, the love of God in Christ Jesus is beyond your imagination! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal […]

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Cast Off that Corpse and Take Up Your Cross!

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).   How are you coming on those New Year’s resolutions? What did you promise yourself you were going to stop doing this year? Eating too much? Spending too much idle time? Running up too much debt? How about the things you resolved to start doing . . . or do more of? Exercising regularly? Maintaining a consistent devotional time? Getting out of debt?  We all do it every year; we promise ourselves we are going to make changes. And that’s […]

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The “AAA” Message of The Manger

We have arrived at the most wonderful time of the year, not because the kids are jingle belling, and everyone is telling you be of good cheer. Rather, it’s the most wonderful time of the year because to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and His name is Jesus. I want to share a word of encouragement with you rooted in the manger. Have you ever considered why our Lord was born in a manger and not a magnificent palace? It is my prayer that our God will meet you in your place of deepest […]

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Giving Thanks in All Circumstances! Really?

Because Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to sharpen our focus on living a life marked by thanksgiving to God, a life grounded in these words from the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica and all believers everywhere: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). On the surface, this seems far easier said (or written) than done. So, let’s go below the surface to see exactly what Paul is actually saying. There are two very important things to notice in […]

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Liberated from the Incarceration of “IF ONLY”

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).   We all have an inner critic that must be kept in check if we are going to live lives for the glory of God and the good of others, including ourselves. Because we are broken people living in a broken world with other broken people, our lives will inevitably be marked by brokenness, personally, professionally and relationally.     Our inner critic One of the favorite focal points for our inner critic comes under the heading of If only. Satan loves […]

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The Gift of Work and Rest

Because we celebrate Labor Day this month, I wanted to write a word of encouragement regarding God’s gift of work to mankind. Work is not, as many mistakenly believe, a result of the curse. Before Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled against God, they were given the great gift of work. As image-bearers of God, they were called to co-labor with the Lord to expand the cause of His Kingdom, for His glory, and for the flourishing of all mankind. Sadly, as a result of their sin, work was cursed with thorns and thistles and became much harder to perform […]

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