…we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that we despaired even of life [itself]. – 2 Corinthians 1:8, AMP It is very easy to look at pastors, missionaries, and others who have given themselves to a career in ministry as some sort of superheroes. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,… Continue reading You’re not alone. Even Paul despaired.
Category: God-dependence
To be extraordinary, you have to first make up your mind.
Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, – Matthew 28:19, AMP Although God must give us the ability to do anything worthwhile for Him, He leaves the choice of whether or not to go do what we’ve been… Continue reading To be extraordinary, you have to first make up your mind.
God is the glue that holds it all together.
And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). – Colossians 1:17, AMP My wife teaches high school math and science, and I always know when she is teaching physics. While riding in the car, walking around the house, or watching one of our children’s sporting events,… Continue reading God is the glue that holds it all together.
God knows how Fred feels.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently]. – Luke 15:20, AMP There are few things on the planet sweeter than devoted love. Most people know this, which is why stories… Continue reading God knows how Fred feels.
Here’s the cure for a crisis of hope.
…its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances… – 1 Corinthians 13:7, AMP A soul without hope is a dreadful thing. Without hope, despair and dread run amuck, and a soul so afflicted has little or no desire to carry on. Without a doubt, a soul without hope is a soul in crisis. When faced with… Continue reading Here’s the cure for a crisis of hope.
God will give you the power to overcome at just the right time – if you ask.
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.] – Romans 7:18, AMP It is at the moment of temptation that… Continue reading God will give you the power to overcome at just the right time – if you ask.
Where do you go when you really, really mess up?
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. – Psalm 51:2, KJV When we sin terribly, we can do so many different things in reaction to our stupidity. We can ignore the guilt, choose to pursue the sin’s pleasure again and again, and beat down our conscience until it is impossible… Continue reading Where do you go when you really, really mess up?
Just know that God may not define success and prosperity the way you do.
Save now, we beseech You, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, and give to us success! – Psalm 118:25, AMP When you, like the psalmist, pray for success and for prosperity, what exactly do you picture in your mind that success and prosperity look like? Money? Leisurely living? Souls saved? Souls discipled? A… Continue reading Just know that God may not define success and prosperity the way you do.
Don’t let your circumstances steal away your hope.
His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron. Psalm 105:18, AMP Little is said in the Bible regarding how Joseph felt while he was being betrayed by his brothers. In Psalm 105:18, we catch a glimpse of Joseph’s mind during his time of trial. Cast… Continue reading Don’t let your circumstances steal away your hope.
Don’t give up on the vision just because it has grown a little dim.
Where there is no vision, the people perish… – Proverbs 29:18, KJV What happens when the bright, shining vision God has given you turns dim? God has shown you the work He made you specifically to do, and when you first saw it, excitement and awe filled your soul. You understood clearly what it was… Continue reading Don’t give up on the vision just because it has grown a little dim.