Early in my faith walk I took responsibility for every battle myself with a perfunctory and shallow prayer to God through in for “insurance.” Ridiculous. Looking back on the countless battlefields of my defeats drives home God’s immutable truth that the battles of life are not mine to fight. Never. (See below 2 Chronicles 20:17.)    I spent yesterday in a hospital emergency room with a dear...

Living in the now has always been tough. It was tough when Jesus walked the earth and it’s certainly tough today as we absorb myriad assaults of sound and sight. This thought hit me hard yesterday when I was looking at family videos from the now-distant past. Those images captured every moment of extreme bliss and joy. It was incredible. And I remembered NONE OF IT.    That hurt a lot, of...

The predilection to be selfish, seemingly hard-wired into us, makes us vulnerable to slip into that state at any time. Our degree of selfishness is determined by the underlying beliefs and attitudes that determine our behavior across the myriad roles we play in life–parent, spouse, sibling, son or daughter, worker…all of them.    Our degree of surrender to God dictates the depth and...

Most believers have felt God’s warm and soothing rays of light as they wash our life with joy. Of course that coin has a flip side when an ominous darkness envelopes our soul and blows a fierce wind through our hopes and dreams. All of God’s saints have been, and will always be, led into this barren and painful desert. But spiritual silence is not real, only perceived.  I think of it as the SILENCE=DEPRIVATION...

The express elevator promises to zoom us to the 50th floor in seconds and we think: “Stairs or Elevator?” “Stairs? Are you kidding me!? That’s an easy answer—I’m taking the ELEVATOR.”    If you connect this metaphor with our Christian life, taking spiritual stairs is often the only way to reach our full potential in Christ. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth and maturity.   ...

The exact moment we start praying, God answers because he loves us very much. Daniel gives us that incredible promise…       “…Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for God loves you very much.” Daniel 9:22-23    This immediate and powerful answer to Daniel’s prayer...

Most believers claim that their faith is ACTIVATED and evident in how they live. But a large percentage of Christians on the planet are moving their faith car on but a fraction of the power God makes available. Indeed, there is a GAP between their salvation gift and living their life.    Imagine what those lives would look like if they closed that gap, even a little. And just imagine if...

Seeking to be content in God’s eyes is a deliberate move to rearrange our priorities and change our source of security from what we have to what God promises. My focus on materialism as a young CEO chasing success was driven by an overriding desire to live the “good life.” But I quickly learned that my cravings would never be satisfied.    Coveting “things” messes up our need to be content....

I lived for many years with a self-destructive “NEGATIVITY FORCE” roiling in my head and creating a barrier between me and God. The noisy and painful narrative that invaded my mind took the form of thoughts like: This can never and will never change. I’m the victim and it is their fault. Eventually, they will reject me. As the NEGATIVITY FORCE gained velocity with every revolution, it became more...

Pain is a multi-layered, correcting force that sounds the warning alarm when something is wrong. Earlier in my faith walk I tried to avoid it at all costs. I learned later that God allows pain and wants to use it for good. When we spend time is pain’s furnace and find God to be real and true, we are instantly equipped for ministry. But not “just” equipped. We also take on a responsibility in the pain...