2023 July
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He Had Such Great Potential
“Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright” (Gen 25:34). Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, he had such great potential? He never lived up to it though.” Esau was the brother of Jacob. He was a
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, so many of my sons and daughters do not come to me to share their burdens or concerns. They feel I am unapproachable. They feel they are too sinful or too insignificant to ask for my attention. I want you to know how terribly wrong this is. I love all my sons and daughters.
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Living As If You Were Dead
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11 What are the things that arouse the strongest emotions in you? Perhaps it is a rude motorist who cuts you off in traffic. Perhaps it is the anger you feel when you are wrongfully accused. Perhaps it
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, I give you visions on the mountain, but lead you down to the valley to work out those visions. It is in this valley that so many of my sons and daughters faint and give up. Every vision I give will be made real if you have patience. I am never in a hurry,
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The Lord Is Not In It
“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by’” (1 Kings 19:11). “I don’t believe that God is in it,” I said to my friend. A situation had arisen in which another friend was about to engage in something they
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The Consequences of Faith
“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4 If you commit yourself to live for Christ in and through your work life, there will be a consequence
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Our Work Versus Our Value
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15 Man was created to have seven basic needs. Each of us has a need for dignity, authority, blessing and provision, security, purpose and meaning, freedom and boundary, intimate love and companionship.
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, you live in a culture that is seeking to dispute my existence and my relevance. The enemy of your soul seeks to work through the minds of men. Humanism is the god of your day. Relativism is the byproduct. I have called you to be mighty in spirit, and to discern the messages being
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Death Works in You
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely
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One Body
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12-13). Imagine with me for a moment that you have won a very expensive car. However, in order to receive your prize, you must
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, sometimes you think I am asleep at the helm, just like the disciples concluded when their boat was caught in a fierce storm at sea. Because my Son was peacefully sleeping, they questioned his concern for their safety. You think in this same way when you do not see my hand in your life
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Play to Your Strength
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:4 Have you ever tried to do anything that you were not gifted to do? I am not a handy man. If there is a household project, like a plumbing leak or anything mechanical – forget it. God has not given me any
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, there is no lack with me. No matter where you may find yourself, I will be in your midst. I take great delight in working through the most desperate situations. I could have come to earth in strength; I chose to come in weakness. I have all power; I chose to withhold my power.
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Servant Leadership
“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:26-28). A rider on horseback, many
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, there are always going to be times of waiting. Your role in the waiting is…to wait. When my son Elijah waited at the Brook at Cherith (1 Kings 17:7) he stayed there even as the brook dried up. He did not move until I gave him instructions. So many times my sons and daughters
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Your Epitaph
“He will bless those who fear the Lord- small and great alike.” Psalm 115:13 What will be written on your epitaph? How do you want people to remember you? What type of legacy will your life leave behind? I interviewed a very successful and powerful man one time for a magazine when this question came
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How’s Your Joy Quotient?
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10). One of the overriding evidences that someone has a genuine relationship with our living Savior is their consistent attitude of joy and outlook on life. A follower of Jesus should not be a person who always looks at life as if
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, I have placed you in a season of isolation for my purposes. I am making you an instrument for my use. I am preparing youto communicate my truths as a penetrating arrow to the souls of my sons and daughters. I know these times may be lonely, but I am doing a work in
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Time Management
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life” (Ps 39:4). David accomplished a great deal in his lifetime. However, he also understood life had an end to it and he wanted to make the most of it. He learned to use his
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Living for a Greater Cause
“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 What does it mean for workplace believers to live for a cause greater than themselves in our day and time? Jeremiah Lanphier was a businessman in New York City who asked God to do this in his life in 1857. In a small,
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, my nature is to bless my children abundantly. I empower my sons and daughters to create wealth in order to establish my kingdom upon the earth. I give them creativity to solve problems. I lead them to start businesses to employ other sons and daughters. However, that very blessing has also become a temptation
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Proving the Word of God
“They bruised his feet with shackles; his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.” Psalm 105:18-19 God spoke to Joseph as a young boy through a dream and vision regarding his future. He could not understand its complete meaning at the
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The Role of Spouses in Making Decisions
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). When John Benson decided to make some financial investments in a new business venture, he was very excited about the possibilities for a handsome financial return. His business and financial background had served him well. John felt
