The World Seeks to Sift You

Have you ever looked back on a missed opportunity to share your faith in Jesus with regret? There they were asking pointed questions about Jesus and you backed down out of fear. It’s a feeling that helps us in some way relate to Peter’s denial in Mark 14:66-72 where he feels deep remorse and weeps. […]

Insult to Injury

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”- Mark 15:33-34, NLT When you feel forsaken, mocked by others, know that Jesus has felt the same feeling. […]

Prayer Journal—Abide

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. – John 15:5, NASB Abide in Him. Bear much fruit. Abide in Jesus. Let his love wash over me. Help me to be vulnerable to you […]

Sunday Praise

Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,“Hosanna!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” – Mark 11:9-10, NIV

Contentment in the Wilderness of Life

Are you clinging to old ways, trying to hold on to the past or temporal things that will not last the test of time? Sometimes holding on to the past is to hold onto bitterness, resentment or seeking revenge for past hurts. Maybe it’s clinging to old, familiar patterns of life because you fear an […]

What is Good?

God wants us to have good things. Right? But how we interpret what is good can impact our view of God. If we ask God for only what we want, what we think is good, then we set ourselves up for frustration when we don’t get it. We can become angry at God for not […]

Prayer Journal—Renewal

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. – Ephesians 4:31 Help me dear Jesus to set aside the past with all its hurt, pain, bruises and brokenness. Help me to embrace the new person you are creating within me. You are the […]

Sunday Praise

Praise the LORD!Praise, O servants of the LORD,Praise the name of the LORD.Blessed be the name of the LORDFrom this time forth and forever.From the rising of the sun to its settingThe name of the LORD is to be praised.The LORD is high above all nations;His glory is above the heavens. – Psalm 113:1-4, NASB

What Does Being Poor in Spirit Get You?

It’s interesting that Jesus opens His sermon on the Mount with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3, NASB).” The NASB footnote describes poor as, “those who are not spiritually arrogant.” To me it means those who are open to hearing God’s word. They are hungry for […]

The Natural State of Worship

At what point is our worship more about us than God; more about the building than God; more about the performance than God. In Deuteronomy 27:5-6, God instructed the Israelites to use uncut stones to build an altar to worship Him after they crossed the Jordan River. Several commentaries suggest the reason is to keep […]