Earlier in my faith walk, I would constantly face rushes of hopelessness that engulfed my soul and very being. Depressed. Sad. Depleted.    Hopeless.    During those storm trials I would be desperate for relief and try frantically to “pull a rabbit out of my hat” and make it “go away.”    It was sheer nonsense, to be sure, but that was my world at the time. I was trying...

When fear and worry settle in for a very long stay, the most common reaction is to analyze the facts. Studying all of the information makes us feel better, and there is nothing wrong with doing that. The problem is that we don’t give them over to God first.    In that scenario, we’ve taken charge as boss by trying to make decisions as if we ordering lunch.    We are saying to him,...

How do we know whether to turn left or right when life tosses a difficult decision our way? Do we get all the facts and “reason it out”? Do we think about the implications and consequences of the options? Do we “phone a friend” and ask for their opinion and direction? Of course! We do all of that and more because it’s the prudent thing to do.    But there is much more to our left or right...

Peace and joy in Christ are not automatic when we are saved, and we can’t manufacture it through our own efforts. Earlier in my faith walk, I tried with all my might to do it that way and, of course, failed miserably.    Over time I learned that God’s peace can only come out of an intimate relationship with Christ where he lives in our hearts and rules in our lives every day. Most of us...

We seek police protection from crime and the violence in our midst. We seek medical protection from health problems and fire department protection from the threat of fire. We seek protection in relationships, at work, and in play. We are constantly seeking protection, and of course that is a prudent thing to do.    But why are we reluctant at times to ask God for his protection?    There...

The express elevator is right there, promising to zoom us to our destination on the 50th floor in a matter of seconds. As we stand in the lobby, our inner voice asks, “Stairs or Elevator?” And we quickly think, “Stairs? Are you kidding me!?”    That is how it typically plays out in our mind. But if you connect the metaphor with our Christian life, sometimes taking the stairs is the only...

If we don’t make a small move toward God’s road, we’ll remain imprisoned on our current road. The only commitment we have to make is to begin. As Martin Luther King said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”    There are no shortcuts to the top. We climb the highest mountains one step at a time. If we take the first step, God will do the rest.    If...

During my time as a Corporate CEO, I used to think that if I kept the “right things” in my mind I could chase the negative voices away. I was trying to make up for my “un-Christian” thoughts and the guilt they produced by staying busy and chasing worldly success to force all of that negativity into retreat or cover it up. I was playing a no-win “activity management game,” and I lost.    The...

I have never met or heard of anyone who leverages the power of visualization better than Pastor Rick Warren. He has no filter or governor on his vision engine. There are no restrictions on that car’s carburetor and his vision gas pedal is always pressed through the floor.    Rick’s visualization prowess has produced two very important results over 30 years of ministry: It maximizes the...

Earlier in my faith walk, I DEFINITELY was playing it safe. No prayer. No action. No commitment. That makes me sad now. But it makes me thankful, too, because God taught me how playing it safe minimizes his love for us and thwarts his ability to perform the supernatural in our life.    It gets worse if we play it safe.    Playing it safe also buries the talents God gave us. The...