The Wake-Up Call

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

What word are you standing on today? 

The substance of the Christian life: Consecration. Transformation. Demonstration.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. 

A prophecy can touch down again and again, at different times and places, to different people in different circumstances, and each time, it can breathe the life of God afresh into the people in need. 

When it came to holy things, I had been taught that, at best, my body was some kind of container to house my spirit and, at worst, it was evil. It never dawned on me that my body could have any role to play in discerning spiritual things.

Why does Jesus keep looking up? I think it's because he's looking to see the Father's heart about the person or situation. I think it is something we can learn to do too.

And while it is true God sometimes speaks in what appears to us, at least, in an audible voice, this is not the norm. He more often puts a picture, thought, or impression in our minds.

Our heart is the center of our being, our will, motives, and desires. So the question is, What is it that you are eagerly desiring?

God often simply wants to communicate with us because he loves us. He wants to encourage us, comfort us, and strengthen us. In this way, prophetic ministry is a love language to us, for us, and through us.

To know this story of Christmas is to know that darkness need not be a worry any longer because light has come.

We can attend Christmas Eve services for every single year we’re alive, yet if Christ is never born in our hearts, we’ve missed the story completely.

At just the right moment, through the birth of Jesus, we’re reminded that the good news of God’s plan and redemption has come into our story.

For a lamb to be worthy of sacrifice in the temple, there were certain conditions that had to be met. The lamb had to be spotless and unblemished.

Where are we looking to find our hope and assurance amidst the uncertainties and storms we see raging in the world?

Security and comfort aren’t always found in what we’re holding on to; it’s found in what’s holding us—the good news of this Christmas story, Immanuel, Christ with us.

Perhaps you feel unseen, overlooked, and stained from whatever sin that’s still sticking to you, or maybe you have been given a label from the world. Hear this: you have value.

God of wonder, just as a GPS guides our earthly journey, we thank you for being our Divine Navigator, leading us on the path of righteousness.

When you realize the length God has gone to reach you through the gift of Jesus, it’s more about what he desires to do within you and through you that matters most.

That is the power of light; it helps us find our way in the darkness.

God is not a God who plays hide-and-seek with his creation. The season of Advent serves as a reminder for us all that no matter how lost or on the outside we may feel, not only have we already been found, he’s with us this very moment.

Illumination minimizes the darkness, and the world is just a little less scary as a result.

For Mary to trust in an uncertain future, she had to look back at the certainty of a holy God.

Joy based on circumstances, status, or position can easily fluctuate and change. Joy that is rooted in the unchanging love of God is a joy that withstands.

The secret is this: trust him and be patient in the waiting.