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Embracing the Mess
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” Proverbs 14:4 I used to walk through a new home subdivision. Often I would see the street filled with red clay from the land as bulldozers clear it to lay a foundation. The job site
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Living Under Authority
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake; whether it be the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well (1 Peter 2:13,14). God used government authority in the lives of many
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, I want you to know that what you are doing during your brief time on earth is going to determine the level of responsibility you will have in my eternal kingdom. Some think that we will be sitting around singing Kum Ba Yah and twirling our thumbs. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, do you recall my first encounter with my son Moses? I spoke to him through a common bush. Sometimes I speak through strange things. I told him to take off his shoes, because where my presence is, that place is holy. Remember that son. Because my presence is right there in your home with
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The Causes of Failure
“You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.” Joshua 7:13b The first battle for the people of Israel traveling from Egypt was at Jericho, once they crossed the Jordan River. God had given them a great victory at Jericho, and Joshua was now ready to move to their next battle at Ai. After
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The Worship Service
“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed” (Lam 1:16). We walked into the worship service. I pushed my Mom’s wheelchair into the room among many, many others. This was
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Being a Shelter for Those in Need
“Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” Isaiah 32:2 Have you ever walked in a dry, hot climate for an extended time? The sun beats down, sweat begins
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Our Staff as Our Protector
“The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands’” (Ex 17:9). Moses’ staff represented his vocation as a shepherd. When God first
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, what you are seeing all around you are individuals and even whole nations that are building upon faulty foundations. When there is a crack in a foundation, that small unprotected opening will grow greater and greater. Debris will penetrate every available crack, piling up deterioration. When my sons and daughters open their lives up
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May I Pray for You?
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 I walked into the office. The secretary seemed physically struggling with her breathing and her countenance was different than normal. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Allergies,” she replied. “Sometimes it gets so bad
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Stephen: A Marketplace Minister
“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Acts 6:8-9). In the beginnings of the early church, the disciples were seeing God move in mighty ways. The disciples found themselves preaching the word of God all over the region. However, there became practical needs
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, adversity is my currency for maturing a son or daughter to know me intimately and move my heart. The very thing you ask me to change is the thing that is making you the son that blesses me and others. Without these crises, you would fall into complacency and self-satisfaction. You would not seek
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Intimacy with the Upright
“For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright” (Prov 3:32 NASU). It is human nature to want to be included into the inner circle. It means that you are qualified to hear things, experience things and be privy to information the masses are not allowed to see.
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, many think that I am against financial prosperity. Actually, I love giving wealth to my sons and daughters who know how to use it and steward it. Abraham and Job were two of my wealthy sons and David became wealthy, too. However, for some, wealth can be a noose around their neck because it
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, many think that I am against financial prosperity. Actually, I love giving wealth to my sons and daughters who know how to use it and steward it. Abraham and Job were two of my wealthy sons and David became wealthy, too. However, for some, wealth can be a noose around their neck because it
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Two by Two
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 Have you discovered yet that you are incomplete by yourself? During my “warrior” stage of life you would have been hard-pressed to convince me that I needed you or anyone else. I know few people willing to admit their
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Making Judgments
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). Have you ever made a judgment about a person or situation only to discover how wrong you were in your assessment? Such was the case in a story told
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, my word is my covenant. I never violate my word. You have learned that covenant is faithfulness in the face of unfaithfulness. To walk that out, one must willingly place “self” on the cross and live instead to benefit me and those you are called to love and stand in the gap for (Ezek
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Blessing God’s Chosen
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 Recently, a friend from London sent this personal account of an experience he had: “I was walking passed the Stock Exchange in
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Listening To The Father’s Heart
Son, you have been thinking that your faith is too small for the mountain you are trying to move. I want you to know you are wrong. You only need faith the size of a mustard seed to take that mountain, and I can assure you that your faith is way bigger than any mustard
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How Solid is Your Foundation?
“At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple” (1 Kings 5:16-17). Several years ago I visited Jerusalem, the ancient city in Israel where Jesus walked. It was an incredible experience. One of the most memorable things I saw was
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Angels in the Workplace
“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12 For years Sergis ran his small retail business from his store in a local shopping center. Every week a
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The Door of Full Surrender
“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10 I was recently sitting with the leader of a workplace organization as he described a question he poses to workplace believers. “What if there were two doors to choose from; behind one door was
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When Others Disappoint You
“Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica” (2 Tim 4:9-10). Adversity molded the apostle Paul into the greatest warrior for Christ the world has ever known. But there were times when adversity and disappointment took its toll on this
