Chosen for God's Purpose

Have you ever wondered what it would take to have a successful year? Not just the kind of year that you get through, or the kind that you feel OK about. I am talking about a truly life-altering kind of year. The kind that causes you to look back and shout "Hallelujah!!" when you see all the growth and transition God has brought forth in you. What would it take for 2018 to be that year for us? At the beginning of 2018, when everyone was knee-deep in their resolution making process, I had the privilege of listening to a series of messages by world-renowned Bible teacher, Derek Prince. If you have not experienced the pleasure and the challenge of his teaching, I would encourage you to seek him out (derekprinceministries.org) .  In this series, entitled Twelve Steps to a Good Year , Derek walks us through the book of Hebrews, and points out twelve specific verses that point us towards a life more set on God -- more set on service -- and much less s...

Life can be found anywhere...even in the desert Even in the desert, life blooms Hosea 13:5 "I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of drought." Man life gets hard sometimes. Just when you think things are rolling along…BAM!  Out of the blue comes another “unexpected” that knocks you back. Someone lets you down. You get some bad news. That budget you tried so hard to stick to is out of the water because of an unexpected expense. This is my life right now. Every time I turn around it is something. I tell you the truth…it is wearisome. As though life was not complicated enough with school, work, home, kids, money etc, I throw in the expectations I have of myself, and well…I am pretty much just done in. It is a good thing that God doesn’t see me the same way I see myself. In the midst of the chaos, I am thankful. I will practice what I “preach” and count the things in my life that are praiseworthy…they are too many to list. But the pain is sitting r...

What can your faith do to spur you on? By Faith . We do what? Faith is, according to Scripture, the substance of things hoped for...the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1) . What is substance? It is the essence of something. It it what something is made of...it is tangible. What is evidence? Is the support of something believed. It is what you search for when you are looking for an answer. So if FAITH is the tangible essence of the support for what we believe about the answers we are looking for as we seek after God, we must realize that it is an essential part of our walk with Him. In fact, He tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that "it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists, and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him." But how much faith is enough ? This is a question that I have struggled with my whole Christian life, and to be honest, one that I wrestle with on a daily...