David Hathaway

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’ Powerful prayer works! The original Greek of the Bible often uses a special word for power: dunamis – it signifies miraculous, wonder-working power. From it we get the words dynamo (which generates power), and dynamite (the explosive). If you want prayer to work, to change your circumstances, then it must generate power. And it has to b...

'Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.' (James 5:14, NIV.) In my experience from over 70 years in ministry, I believe that the Scripture teaches two different ministries of healing. The first is for evangelism where J...

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an exa...

As I write this, I am about to go to Ukraine. In addition to meeting many church leaders, I shall be preaching in Kyiv. Despite the war the church is full of people praying for their nation! Shortly after my return, I will go to Germany to renew my relationship with our German friends and partners where Eurovision began as a charity in 1988. This time my visit is to hold a powerful Day of Prayer f...

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.' (James 5:7-8, NIV) The farmer must wait patiently for his crops to grow. The process cannot be hurried. He does not take the summer off. There is...

The future is in the Lord's hands. What would you like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now?  Tomorrow? How would you react if God rearranges your plans? Yes, make plans and preparations for the future, but first seek God's guidance and submit to His plans. 'Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make mone...

'Draw close to God and God will draw close to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up' (James 4:8-10.) How can we draw close to God. In this chapter, James gives us several ways. Humble yourselves before God. This means to yield to His authority and will. Commit your life to Him, and be willing to follow Him. We must resist the devil and his evil schemes. Purify our hearts....

Our whole desire should be to fulfil the plans and purposes of God. As we do so God will answer every prayer. He will work miracles. But first we must submit to Him. Instead of aggressively pursuing our wants and desires, we should humble ourselves before God. Ask Him to remove our wrong motives and trust Him to provide what we need. 'What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from...

We are made in God's image, yet our speech reveals our need for salvation. The Holy Spirit purifies our heart so that our words become good and pleasing to the Lord.  Just as you can identify a tree by the fruit it produces, so you can evaluate your wisdom by your words and actions. Foolishness produces disorder and discord, whereas wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate c...

A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, ask yourself, is what I want to say true? Is it kind and loving? Is it necessary? Is my intention to build up or to put down. 'We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by...

Do you want to be called a friend of God?  Writing in the book of James chapter 2, 'Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as ri...

The faith you have will be demonstrated by the life you live. Our born again experience must be evidenced by obedience to the Word of God. We should have such a reverential fear of the Lord that our greatest desire is to please Him. 'What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes...

'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.' God's commands and promises never change; He is dependable. We are all aware of English weather, we can experience all four seasons in one day; it can start with a beautiful clear blue sky, but by lunch time, it can be cloudy, with the light casting shadows. B...

“Blessed is the man who endures, perseveres under temptation.” We come back to the key thought, perseverance. “Because when such a one has stood the test, when he is brought to Judgement, he will receive the Crown of Life that the Lord has promised to those that love Him.” I don’t hear enough these days about judgement and reward. Whether we are a Believer or unbeliever, every one of us must appea...

I have just spent a further time in prayer and fellowship in preparation for the next move of God. From March 20th to 27th I will be in Uzbekistan to begin the next part of our move into evangelism in Central Asia. This is a critical region almost untouched by powerful evangelism with miracles and signs following. While Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan were exposed to traditional Orthodoxy under the Russ...

“Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.” The difference between childishness and maturity is perseverance. It’s only through perseverance that you get to maturity. In verse 5 James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally and doesn’t criticise, upbraid, or reproach, but gives to all men generous...

James says, “Know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance!” It’s faith in something in which we can persevere. So many people run well for a time, but drift away. It’s so sad - I don’t find enough teaching in our Christian life today about persevering, not giving up, not quitting. Do you understand what perseverance is?!! Perseverance is the idea that you have a job and you’re not goi...

Let us love one another, not just in words, but in action, in what we do! In Philemon 1, Onesimus, a runaway slave, a thief, has found Christ. In v15, Paul is saying to Philemon, 'Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for ever – no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you,...

Paul is in prison as he writes to Philemon, but throughout the New Testament, he often refers to himself as a ‘prisoner of Christ’. The relationship he has with Christ is more than being a follower, it’s such a strong relationship, it’s as if he is captive to the love, to all that Jesus is. If we could only see ourselves in this relationship – captives, almost prisoners, to the drawing power and t...

It's our faith and our love that should be such a hallmark of who we are in Christ. This is key – our trust in Jesus. Our faith is in HIM. As Christians the most important thing in our lives is trust. And it’s not just faith, it’s love for Christ – and our love for all the saints. The relief work we do in war-stricken Ukraine is an expression of our love.

'Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so th...

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” This theme runs right through Scripture, watching, praying – with thanksgiving – faithfulness in prayer! There is a big responsibility for us in this. Paul says in Colossians 4:3, “Pray for us that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains.” There must be constant prayer...

'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him... Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' (Colossians 3.18-25) Paul is addressing workers i...

Be encouraged, God is at work! I am experiencing it in my life even more as I get older! There is always opposition, but significantly, I have always found that, if Satan attacks, it means that something big is about to happen! We need your support both in prayer and with finance more this year than ever. We are all living in a difficult time economically, but the seed which you sow will reap an e...

The new life that we have in Christ is a renewed one, in a new image – the Image of Christ. Christ should be in us! That’s what Paul often says, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory!” The Life, the very essence of Christ – in us! When a child is born, that new life comes from father and mother – in their image! come on! By faith, you are born of God. It’s the Life of Christ in you that now makes you...