Experiencing the Power of God’s Love

Written by Christina Patterson

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Jesus loves you. I’m really serious. Jesus loves you. I know you have heard it from your Sunday school teacher, your Christian friend, and that bumper sticker on the car that cut you off this morning. You have may have heard it so much that its meaning and power have diminished in your heart and mind.

God’s love for us is not some cliché that looks nice on a T-shirt or sounds good in a song. His love is power. His love is freedom. His love changes things.

Abednego : The Man Who Defied a King

Abednego [Ăbĕd'-negō]—servant of nebo or servant of light. The name given by the prince of the eunuchs of King Nebuchadnezzar to Azariah, one of the four young princes of Judah who were carried away into Babylon. He was one of the three faithful Jews delivered from the fiery furnace (Dan. 1:7; 2:49; 3). How God honored the faith and courage of these Hebrew youths!

The Man Who Defied a King

There are at least four lessons to be learned from the dauntless, defiant witness of Abed-nego and his two companions:

Riding Out Life's Difficulties

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." - Psalm 107:29 NIV

If you're past the age of 10, you've probably already figured out that life is not free of challenges. Difficulties, pain in relationships, and even tragedies are part of every day life. As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples, "Take courage. There are many storms in this life. (Here's the good part...my emphasis added). But take heart, I have overcome the world." Wow. Now, that's a scripture to hang your hat on!

Whenever you face a storm, your first urge may be to scream, "Why?" Certain storms do come into our lives because of our own sin, but many challenges occur when we're right in the middle of God's will. We're not doing anything wrong. We're doing what God wants us to do. Certainly, that was the case for the disciples. Jesus told them to get into the boat and row across the Sea of Galilee. They were obeying Jesus when they suddenly found themselves in a horrific storm. It was so bad, they didn't even know if they'd survive. But here is the important message from that event - they did survive. With the help of Jesus, they survived.

Face Your Faults with Courage

by Rick Warren

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8 NLT)

Many of us wear masks of some sort. We don’t want anyone to see the real us; we don’t want anyone to see our faults. Often, we try to cover up our faults and mistakes in one of two ways:

·         We blame others. Adam did this after he ate from the tree. He blamed Eve (who blamed the snake). We’ve been blaming others ever since. We don’t want to admit our faults, so we turn the attention to someone else. We just want to get the focus off of us.

·         We also make excuses. We pretend nothing is wrong. Life is going great. We’ve got it all together. Unfortunately, pretending doesn’t work. The Bible says in I John 1:8, " If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth" (NLT).

You have to face your faults to be freed from them. Face it head on, and own it: “I did it. I’ve been arrogant in how I’ve treated people. I haven’t been a good father or a good husband. I’ve been a poor leader.” It’s time you just said it.

Don’t use the word but at the end of the confession. Don’t say, “It’s not a big deal.” Don’t try to tell people it’s really a strength. Just admit it, and be free.

Disappointment - A disguise for blessing

Disappointment is delayed appointment. Disappointment will strengthen but will never destroy. When disappointment travels towards you, you must be determined to meet it with courage. Never give in to disappointment, hopelessness or despair. 

When you overcome disappointment, you acquire the strength to change your disappointment and turn it into an appointment. 

It Only Takes a Spark...

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. PHILIPPIANS 4:13

For a firefighter, one of the most terrible phrases in the English language is "blow-up." In a firefighter's world, blowing up occurs when a manageable forest fire suddenly explodes into an inferno that rages through the grass and trees at a deadly speed.

To me, "blow-up" is an appropriate description of what's happened during the last decade at the heart of American society. A searing fireball of destruction has engulfed a priceless part of our culture—the family.

I remember speaking to 700 college students at a Campus Crusade for Christ conference in Dallas. When I asked those who had been affected by divorce (through their immediate or extended family) to stand, 80 percent of the audience responded.

What If You Had Nothing To Lose?

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’." —Job 1:20—21

The book of Job provides us with a stunning example of courage in the face of adversity. Who is not touched by Job’s faith in the face of unfathomable tragedy? Just as he finished learning that he had lost all of his worldly possessions, he discovered that he had also lost every single one of his children. All on the same day!

Job went from being the wealthiest and most blessed man on the planet to being an example of destitution and loss. His response is startling. He did not curse God and he did not question Him. Instead he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”