Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

Have you done things you’re not proud of? Most of us have something in our past, a foolish choice we’ve made, and we still feel embarrassed when we think about it—I’ve been there. I’ve got lots. But there’s something bigger in our lives now. We live for Jesus, the One who washes our sins away, and covers us with His very own righteousness. That is Good News! That is something we should NEVER be as...

When I find something I love, I tell all my friends about it. I want them to try it. I want them to enjoy it as much as I do. And I want to spread the joy of a good thing. Don’t you? But what is the BEST part of your life? If God is the best part of our lives, why wouldn’t we tell our friends? It doesn’t have to be complicated. The joyful life we have in Christ is an offer for all people. And it’s...

When you think about sharing Jesus with your friends or family, what feelings come up? Anxiety? Awkwardness? Fear of not knowing what to say? We tend to overthink it, don’t we? But, sharing the Good News of Jesus does not have to be complicated. The apostle Paul once said in a letter to the Corinthian church, I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the on...

Who do you know who is struggling right now? Sometimes when we see friends making poor life choices, it can be so hard to know what to do. But we know the One who is able to set people free. What would happen if we shared Jesus right in these moments? Sharing Jesus doesn’t always mean bringing correction and judgment. People who have never met Jesus need to know first that they are loved and that...

What do you say when someone says, “Tell me about yourself”? Do you immediately answer, “I’m a follower of Jesus”? Maybe not. But if you are a follower of Jesus, that means your life has indeed been changed by the power of the Gospel. More than that, you’ve become part of God’s wonderful, unfolding story of love for the whole earth! Even though it may not be the first thing out of your mouth when...

You may be at a difficult place in your life right now when you are struggling. I want to encourage you today with some quotes from the Bible which tell us about the help and strength available to us in God. Psalm 54:4 tells us: “God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”  Are you burned out from the stresses of life? In Matthew 11:28 we read the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all of you...

Do you sometimes feel haunted by your past…things you've done? Or things that have been done to you? Do you have those times, maybe in the middle of the night, when you're under pressure…the memories arise and you feel haunted? Maybe the guilt emerges, and you thought you were past it. Oh, my friend, you are not alone. You can be clean. You can know you are clean, forgiven. It is what the cross of...

One of my favorite Bible verses is John 10:10. Jesus says, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” He continues with this amazing statement: “I am the good shepherd…and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus was using the analogy of a shepherd who loves and cares for his sheep to describe His relationship with us. He is God, but He came to this world because He loves hu...

What do you need today? In the Old Testament, God is named, “Provider.” The one who can miraculously meet our needs. The creator of all knows what you need. Maybe your need today is physical. Maybe your need is emotional. He is able to provide for you. Being a provider is part of His character. In fact, He's provided for our greatest need—the need for a Savior, the need to be forgiven, by giving a...

There’s an intriguing verse in the Bible, in the tiny book of Philemon. It’s Philemon 1:6 and it says, “I pray that you will be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of all the good things that you have in Christ Jesus.” You would think God would have said, “I pray you’ll be active in sharing your faith because I need your help so much.” Right? But He says, share...

Sometimes we find ourselves in a dark place. We all go through struggles with sin, the old darkness that tries to creep back into our new lives. In those times we need God to come with His wonderful light and keep us from giving in to temptation and despair. We need Him to forgive and restore us, and fill us with His love. We need Him to shine His light into the dark corners of our souls and illum...

Psalm 107 tells us that God's love endures forever. The actual verse says, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever. Have you thought much about forever and how few things last forever? To think that the God of the universe has told us that His love will last forever…His love for us, His creation. People who reject Him…we ignore Him, we blame Him, we even curse Him, yet Hi...

There is a house under construction in my neighborhood. The builders started by pouring a solid, level foundation. They then add the sturdy bones of the house. Without that solid foundation and the beams and joists, the whole thing would collapse. The Bible describes Jesus in a similar role. Jesus became the basis of our salvation, the foundation of our faith. He sacrificed Himself, making a way f...

In Psalm 95, God is called the rock of our salvation. What a beautiful image of something immovable, like a huge rock. God isn’t described as a pebble or a stone. We can't pick Him up in our hands and move Him. We can't hold Him. He is unmovable. And guess what… He holds us. Christianity is so beautifully unique because of the solid nature of God. What we do doesn't change His attitude or posture...

Change is hard! Perhaps you are going through a big change in your life, and it all feels like an unstable mess. It may feel as though chaos is taking over, and your life is completely out of control. The good news is that God never changes. Even when everything else is shifting, He stays the same. God will give you a firm place to stand – in Jesus Christ. Put your faith in Jesus. He promises that...

The Bible records more than 160 of God’s miracles. By miracles, I mean supernatural events that occurred only because the one true God made them happen. One of my favorite miracles took place during the early days of the Christian Church. The king had arrested the apostle Peter and had placed him behind bars, under heavy armed guard. On the night before his trial, Peter was fast asleep between two...

Can I remind you today of some beautiful things about God? Listen to these truths from Psalm 103 and worship Him with me, wherever you are. He forgives all my sins. He heals my diseases. He redeems my life from the pit. He crowns me with love. He crowns me with compassion. He satisfies my desires with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's. He is compassionate, he's gracious, he's slow...

God’s promises to us are like gems we find all throughout the Bible. They are reminders, not only about what He does and will do, but about who He is. They are about the deep goodness of His character and faithfulness. When we have an international evangelistic festival in some distant country, it can be exhausting. I sometimes feel weary and weak, and inadequate to share a strong Gospel message i...

Is your heart pure, clean? Mine isn’t. I'm consistently surprised at some of the things I feel and think… some of the things I say and do. And I stop myself and I think, “Wendy, what is wrong with you?” But the words in Psalm 51 continue to be my prayer, Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. If you feel impure or unclean, come back to Him today. Ask Him to forgiv...

When someone upsets you, do you find yourself quickly becoming angry? There is a time and place for anger – even Jesus got angry so we know that in itself, anger is not a sin. It can lead to sin, though. You can ask God to make you more like Him – to give you patience in place of a quick temper. Patience is not easy, but it’s a skill you can develop with practice, and with God’s help. It’s easier...

Do you need help today? Our God is a friend to the weak and a refuge for those in need. If you know God, you are in good hands. He has compassion toward those who call out to Him for help. He is the God who is with us – who is willing and able to help. In Psalm 54 we read: “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” That is a truth I have known for years and have experienced very...

Do you remember when you first fell in love with Jesus, that He was real and He loved you… that He'd forgiven you? Do you remember? Maybe today, you've lost some of your joy, the pressures of life, maybe even sin, or an addiction that is stealing your hope. Maybe you've simply drifted away as the years have gone by, and you realize that you miss Him, your first love. Why don't you pray this prayer...

Have you ever wondered if God really wants to be with you? Doesn’t He have more important people to be with, or more urgent things to attend to? No – God doesn’t work that way, but it is sometimes hard to believe that the God of the universe cares about us and wants to be close to us. The truth is, He wants it so badly that He gave His Son over to death on a cross. In 2 Corinthians 5, we read: “Fo...

Has God done marvelous things in your life? Has He done things that when you take a moment to think about these things, to remember, do you marvel at His ways? I do. Sometimes I think of the things I fearfully prayed for my children, or situations I was in, or even who I was… and how God has so kindly changed me and helped me and I marvel. I'm amazed. Maybe you're where I was, and you wonder if Go...

The words, “I don’t love you anymore,” can cause a deep wound with lasting scars. It is so painful to hear that from a partner or spouse. Those are words you will never hear from God. He never takes His love away from you. His love for you is strong and will never be broken. In Romans 8 we read, “Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Chri...