I Hope, Hope You Do Too

On August 25, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 1: 3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

This new life that was wrought for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus is a new beginning with new hope; and it is a living hope, one that does not fade, pass away or expire. It is new everyday just as your life is renewed every day. God caused you to be born again so that you could have a new life full of hope and joy. The resurrection has purchased for you not only a new lease on life but a new life altogether.

And where you did not have hope, you now can. His abundant mercy has caused us to be reborn. Now in that new life, you can have new hope. Even if you were born again years ago, you still have new hope. Just laying your hands on this scripture gives you reason to revitalize old dreams and build new ones. There is no hopelessness in Christ Jesus.

I have often thought about evangelism and what it is that makes being a Christian so wonderful. When I do, I think that having hope is one of the truly great things about being a Christian. No matter how dire a situation, we always have hope because we have a loving Lord who lives to make intercession for us; to give us life and a hope. Those without Christ must live a pretty traumatic life. But you don’t have to. In all things, he is able. And he is willing.

There is no situation of life that should keep you from hope. You have a living hope through Christ Jesus. The resurrection has brought you into new life. This kind of life that Jesus purchased for you has revitalized, new hope in its wings each morning.

Our hope and faith are in you dear Lord.

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By My Measure

On August 18, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 6: 38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

I ran across this quote recently, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank. In case you do not remember her story, I made her name a link. The quote captured my attention on its own merit, but it is even more captivating in light of Frank’s experience.

The question became, for me, what motivated her remark? It sounds like an admonition that all should be givers. Perhaps it is even an accusation that we are not. The quote certainly made me question myself. I also found myself wondering if different cultures are more giving than others. I know lots of folks who are very generous, as it has been quite evident as I raise money for the MS Foundation. Yet, when I look in the broader context of our country it seems we hold tightly to our resources.

I wonder if fear of loss or fear of poverty lies in the back of our minds and has gripped our souls. You can imagine that those who lived through the Great Depression would certainly have reason to squirrel away their money. I had an uncle about whom the family lovingly joked that he had the first dime he ever made. Tight? Yes! I don’t know anything about his philanthropy; he may have given away lots for all I know, but he certainly didn’t spend much, dying with years of savings. Was that because of fear?

This quote by Anne Frank is encouraging, but it is also haunting. Bankers will tell you that Americans don’t save as much as previous generations. Pastors will tell you that fewer and fewer people tithe. One article I read said that the U.S. is still one of the most generous nations. At the same time, we see our charitable and religious donations shrinking.

I have always been proud of this country’s willingness to give. I remember as a child, perhaps in eighth grade, figuring out that our prosperity is tied to our generosity.  That is exactly what today’s verse says.  I still believe that to be true both at a personal level and as a country. Still, I wonder if I am doing my best. Am I actually charitable? Would others say that I am? While I was wonderfully blessed by all the folks that helped me raise money for MS, and by a super terrific group of sponsors who gave directly to the bike team, I was also surprised by people who wouldn’t cough up ten dollars to help. Our bike team saw amazing gifts of charity. I remember one woman who emptied out her bag of every single coin so that she could give us something. She left us feeling incredibly blessed even though it totaled less than three dollars. Then there were the folks who wouldn’t give us a dollar but would spend $12 on their coffee. There were people whom I had just met who overwhelmed me by donating $100, friends who gave even more than that but then the guy with whom I spent thousands of dollars who wouldn’t give me a dime for MS.

Are we stingy? Are we generous? Are we afraid of going broke or do we spend more and more on ourselves and pleasures? I don’t have any of the answers so, invite your comments and thoughts. Have you seen a trend? Do you find Anne Frank’s comment haunting as I did? Let me know what you think.

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Be at Ease

On August 11, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philippians 4: 6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Last week we had a look at James 5, as a result you know what a prayer of supplication is. It is earnest, humble prayer. And we know that the earnest, humble prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. Jesus told us in John 16: 23 that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, the Father will give us. Knowing that, we can now be anxious for nothing and move into thanksgiving knowing that our prayers and petitions will not be ignored by God.

Isn’t it interesting how the Bible works together like that? But it is not a coincidence. The Father had a perfect plan. He put that plan into action and it all works together so that our every need is met. Therefore, we don’t have to worry about anything. We are to enter his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. We can do that because we have done as the Word has taught us. We have humbled ourselves before the throne of God which Jesus bought us 24 hour access to. We have asked the Lord for his graces and mercies in the name of His precious son. There is, therefore, nothing left but for us to praise Him and worship Him.

Even in the midst of trials and adverse circumstances, you can still praise Him because you know the outcome. The evidence of our eyes is not the final word on the subject. His graciousness and power speak louder and speak last. So be anxious for nothing. Pray, let your petitions be known to God. Humble yourself. Then enter into praise.

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Effectiveness

On August 4, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

James 5:16b         (NIV)

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

The Amplified version of this scripture reads, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” Or we might say, “The prayer of a righteous person really works.” There is power in prayer.

We don’t always hear a lot about the effectiveness of prayer from the pulpit, especially in faith circles. The reason for this is that there is more than one kind of prayer. This is a supplication prayer. We do not want to undermine the importance of applied faith.  There could be concern that if too much teaching is spent talking about supplication, then people will stop doing their part and leave everything to God. That sounds wonderful and Holy, but it just isn’t Biblical. Psalm 115: 16 tells us that the heavens belong to God but the earth He has given to us. After God created mankind the first thing He did was give us dominion over the earth and tell us to rule it.

You see, we have power and authority in the earth, and we need to exercise it. As a matter of fact, God expects us to exercise our authority. That is where the prayer of faith and the power of our confession come in. That is why we are told in Romans 4: 17 to use our words to call into existence those things that currently do not exist. We are still supposed to rule the earth and exercise our dominion over it.

However, there is a God who stands by to help us. The Greek text of this passage tells us that the prayer of supplication is powerful and effective. The word “supplicate” means to ask humbly or earnestly; to make a humble entreaty; to beseech. There are some things we do not have dominion over. We make supplication in those areas. For example, we do not have authority over God so when we ask Him for something like sending His Spirit among us, we do not command according to our authority but rather ask humbly.

Still, while I wish to convey that there is real humility in this prayer, I would also make a comment here. We still are not worms in the dirt, crawling into the throne room begging God for an answer to prayer. We only have the right to ask Him anything because of the sacrifice of Jesus, but the redemptive work that Jesus did for us has made us children of the Most High. We are afforded the right of every form of prayer because Jesus did a great work and made us worthy in him.

So, my purpose is sending this scripture is to encourage everyone to pray. We literally can move mountains by prayer. We are told our prayers are effective and powerful. Our prayers for revival will be heard. Our prayers for restoration for our nation will have the ear of God.
The caveat to this message, though, is, don’t leave your work to God. Have dominion in your life. Pray the prayer of faith. Use your words in a positive confession of what God’s Word says, but when you have done all, stand. Do all that you are supposed to do and then pray your most humble and earnest prayers to your Father for He is listening and longs to perform in your life. There are two parts to our prayer life; that which we must declare and confess for ourselves and that for which we must entreat the Lord. We are not beggars but pray-ers and it is with confidence in the love of the Father, the work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit that we stand. Work with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to bring about real change in your life, in the country and in the earth.

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The Life

On July 28, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Galatians 2: 20

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

When we give ourselves to the Lord, we begin a new life. That is the new birth. Our old selves were crucified with Christ and we are born again as new creatures, new creatures in Christ. The person you knew all of the years before you were reborn has been crucified. He is dead. You have new life.

This new life that you have received is not of your own doing but a free gift of Jesus Christ and God the Father. Jesus died that you might have new life; so that you might be reborn. Paul wrote that this new life is not even the kind of life we once lived. Rather, this new life is lived in Jesus and in faith in his redeeming power. We have been born out of the old; out of death and into life through the shed blood of our Lord. Faith is the medium of our new life. We no longer walk by that which we see but rather in faith in Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Christ is alive in us and the life we live is through him even as he lives in and through us. We walk and breathe together as one even as he and the Father are one.

Every once in a while, we must revisit this passage and others like it, for while they are very fundamental, they certainly are not superficial. It is important that we check ourselves to be certain that we are living our life through him and that we have not resurrected the old man. The old man lived in sin and death whereas Jesus has resurrected us to life. Every once in a while we need to go back to the alter and make sure that we have laid that old man on that alter. We need to reaffirm our commitment to the Lord. Some people call it re-dedication. Call it what you will. I am not saying that you have to have some formal rite. I am only saying that within ourselves and within our relationship with the Lord we should constantly assess where we are in our Christian walk. We need to recommit ourselves to the things of the Spirit. We must consistently strive to live our lives by faith in Jesus rather than in the things of the world. And even if you have not slipped backwards a little you can still have as your goal to move forward and that is my real intent here. I do not accuse you of backsliding. I am encouraging you, as I do myself, to move forward in the things of God. Trust Him one little step further. Walk just a bit more by faith. Stretch yourself to be more like Jesus. Walk in His grace by exercising your faith in Him. Ask the Father, “Help me be more like you.”

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Light

On July 21, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 1: 3

And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

John 17: 22 – 23

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

John 14: 23

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”

Last Monday I sent you a verse and message about our being the light of the world now. While Jesus was in the world, he was the light of the world but when he left, we became the light in the darkness. This miracle is accomplished in us having become the temple of God. Jesus’ death and resurrection, his redemption and restoration of us, has made us God’s temple and abode.

I like these scriptures in conjunction for showing that God is light and that He has come to live inside us. I just love that the God of the universe, the one who actually made the sun is living inside of us. He is the light that is inside. He is light and there is no darkness in Him. That is how we have become the light shining through the darkness.

How glorious is it that the light of the universe (and beyond) is living inside of you? That is why it is pointless to try to be a bright shining light. We have only to let the light that is already inside of us out. We are one with God and Jesus; unified in them. Therefore, when we let that nature show, our new nature, we bring glory to the kingdom of God. God’s nature is alive in us. We live and breathe in the light and by the light. The light of the world has become our very essence.

You are the light of the world. You have the source of light living right inside of you. Fellowship with God and enjoy His magnificence inside you.

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Shining Light

On July 14, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 9: 5

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Matthew 5: 14

You are the light of the world.

Jesus told us that while he was in the world, he was the light of the world, but now that he is seated at the right hand of the Father, he left us to be the light of the world.

It is not in our works that we are the light of the world though. It is in our interaction with people. We are to let our light shine and that light is Jesus inside of us. We are not supposed to labor to show that we are the light. Instead, we are just to allow the light inside of us to shine. Jesus inside of us is the light of glory. He is the fulfillment of our restoration. And we are new creatures, recreated in him. So, the hope of glory is in the blessing of Jesus. It is the resurrected Jesus shining out through us in the way we speak and the way we behave.

He is love; he is kindness. He is gentleness and patience. As we let his attributes shine out of us, he is glorified and people are blessed. In this way we shine the light of Jesus. Our effort, then, is in allowing ourselves to reveal him rather than in putting forth any certain effort or accomplishing tasks. It really is in our surrender to his nature, allowing him to express himself in us and through us.

The way we do this is to constantly allow ourselves to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. It is in the constant surrender of self. Being surrendered to Jesus is a comfortable place to be but it can be difficult to reach. It is very pleasant living in Jesus and allowing him to live through us, but it is very difficult to surrender our egos, our personalities, ourselves. We can be afraid that we will become lost; that we will cease being us, ut that is not the reality. We just become our fulfilled selves; our divine selves. We become the people that we were meant to be. Then it is easy for the light of Jesus to shine through us. Then all people will see the Jesus that transforms and makes new.

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