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Going Against Public Opinion
“On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, ‘No! He is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘there is no one among your relatives who has that name.’” (Luke 1:59-61). Have you ever
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
You have been pondering something, my son, that you’re having trouble reconciling. You are wondering how I could honor David by making his son Solomon king and part of the generational line to the Messiah when he was a byproduct of a sinful relationship, even involving murder as a cover up for David’s sin with
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Spiritual Warfare
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood….” – Ephesians 6:12 Have you ever heard someone say, “I will never do business with another Christian”? I hear this comment quite often in my dealings with Christian workplace believers. This comment represents the battle that rages against us by the enemy of our soul to
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
I created every one of my children to have a unique purpose, but not all of them find or fulfill it. Many simply do not seek me to understand how to best live their time on earth. They simply wonder through life trying to live a life free of pain and for the next pleasure
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But Master…
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). Have you ever argued with God? One of the first sermons Jesus ever gave was from a boat. It was Simon Peter’s boat. Jesus used a businessman’s business to preach
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Fruitful Suffering
…”It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”– Genesis 41:52 Joseph named his second son Ephraim. Ephraim was given to him after he had been delivered from his suffering of 13 years. Joseph said that he named him this because God had made him fruitful in the land of
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Godly Rewards
“You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’” – Malachi 3:14-15 Have you ever felt that serving God
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
Sometimes I am amazed that my children doubt my existence. Have they not noticed my incredible creativity in my animals– like the tiger, the elephant, my tropical fish, or how about my whales!? Or, have they not noticed my flowers –my orchids, my tulips, or the thousands upon thousands of varieties of my plant life?
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John the Baptist was the Greatest
“I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matt 11:11-12). John the Baptist did no miracles. Elijah performed miracle after miracle. Daniel interpreted dreams for kings and he and
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The Trinity’s Teamwork
“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isa 64:8). The Father, Son and Holy Spirit make up three distinct aspects of the God-head. Each of these persons form the trinity and contribute to the overall work of God. The
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A Man Who Has God’s Favor
“…Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.” – Zechariah 8:23 Few men of God have become extraordinary people of faith without the influence of mentors. A mentor is one who takes responsibility for the spiritual and, sometimes, physical care of another. It requires a commitment from the teacher
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
Son, you are excited today, aren’t you? That is because you are launching your new product today. I am just as excited as you are. I put that creativity in you. I made you an entrepreneur. You were made to create and to solve problems. Many of my sons and daughters think of their work
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
Many of my sons and daughters think I want them to work for me on earth. While it is true I give my sons and daughters unique and custom designed assignments, the greatest assignment I have for them is simply to know me and understand my true nature and to know my desire for relationship
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Paneled Houses
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” – Haggai 1:4 There is a crisis of grand proportions in the spiritual house of God today. The moral fiber of our world has eroded. Greed, idolatry, and pleasure are the gods of our day.
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Confirmed by Others
“The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD” (1 Sam 3:19-20). When I was 14 years old I was an exceptional junior golfer. This is
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3 Nails
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). It took three nails to crucify our Savior to the cross. God says that if we are to allow Christ to live through us then the old man must be crucified. We can each voluntarily crucify our
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
Son, you have been learning the difference between my kingdom and the world’s kingdom. There is a kind of joy you have been learning about that is not a “happy” kind of joy, but a joy that resides deep in your soul. It is a joy born out of mourning and suffering like my son.
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God Has Need of Your Donkey
“Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them” (Matt 21:2-3). In Bible times, donkeys were a primary means for distributing goods
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Seeing Through God’s Eyes
“They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” – 2 Samuel 1:12 How would you respond if you heard something bad happened to someone who had been trying to cut
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
My desire for all my sons and daughters is that they love me with all of their heart. This would seem to be a simple request. I see that you have such a desire to love me and others. You do well, my son. However, there is so much that can hinder you from allowing
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Saved From Such Men
“O Lord, by Your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life….” – Psalm 17:14 Whenever I travel over the ocean, I am always reminded of the seemingly insignificant time we have on this earth. I often imagine dropping a glass of water out the window
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Listening to the Father’s Heart
Son, lately I have been calling you into a deeper understanding and commitment to intercession. You have learned that the outer court of my tabernacle is the public place of intercession and ministry unto me. However, the inner court is the place of my presence and intimacy. It is also the place of warfare against
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Her First Car
“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7). Charis, my sixteen-year-old daughter at the time, was now driving age. She had saved her hard-earned money to match her father’s contribution to buy her first car. It was time to begin
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Prayerfully Arranged Marriage
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). James Rutz, author of MegaShift, tells a wonderful story of God’s supernatural hand in answering prayer. “I have a good friend named Barclay Tait who sells vacation real estate in Niceville, Florida. Back in 1977, he was a 36-year-old Florida basketball coach. That
