prosperity

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A Prayer for When You Fear DeathBy Greg Laurie “The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 Have you ever been stung by a bee? It’s not a fun experience. But though it’s painful for the person being stung, it’s fatal for the bee. When a honeybee stings a person, it can’t pull its little barbed stinger back out. This is a one-time experience for them. They had better think carefully about who they are going to sting, because once they do it, they are not going to survive. When a bee stings you, not only is the bee’s stinger left in you but also part of its abdomen and digestive tract, as well as nerves and muscles. This massive abdominal rupture kills the bee shortly after it stings. That is what h...

Throughout Scripture the right hand is used as a picture of strength and capability. A large portion of the world is right-handed, so most people resonate with the sense of dexterity, strength, and ability coming from the right hand versus the left. However, when Scripture uses the image of God’s right hand, it is meant to be a picture of the pinnacle of strength and ability. In passages that specifies God’s right hand, strength is a key focus. Here are some other instances in the Bible where God’s right hand touches the lives of His children: Right Hand of God: Protection and Salvation “For by their own sword they did not possess the land, and their own arm did not save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for You favored them.” (Psalms 44:3) “Wondrously ...

All my friends are looking awful.   That was my thought when I briefly dipped off of Instagram last week for a minute, despite the fact that I have an ironclad rule against even looking at social media in the summer. Turns out, of course, what I was seeing was a series of altered photos, instantly aging, for instance, a twenty-five year-old into a virtual eighty-five year-old. These were the craft of FaceApp, downloaded now by well over a 100 million people. Within days of the craze, reports emerged about the serious privacy concerns circling around this app’s Russian developer and the sweeping terms and conditions most people check without thinking. Still, for most people, the app was a fun diversion. And I wonder why we like it.  In the New York Times, author Nicci Ge...

July 26 The Basis for Discernment Hebrews 4:12-13 Since spiritual discernment is the ability to see life from God’s perspective, it requires that we know how He thinks and acts. The Bible is His unchanging, infallible revelation of Himself. However, the Lord doesn’t simply give us a list of facts about His character and ways. All throughout the pages of Scripture, He illustrates who He is and how He operates. Although the Bible is ancient, it’s not a dead book. It’s alive and as fresh as if He were speaking directly to you. The stories may have taken place centuries ago, but the principles and applications are current and relevant. It’s our instruction book about how to live. Guidance for decisions and discernment about situations are found from Genesis to Rev...

Meditation is a key component to a Christian’s growth. While meditation isn’t described in Scripture as many think of meditation today, which is greatly influenced by Eastern meditation methods, meditation in the Bible is associated with growth and prosperity. Definition of Meditate in the Bible The following words are translated in Hebrew and Greek (respectively) into our English word for meditate: Hagah: muse, growl, moan, utter (Strong’s 1897). Found in: Joshua 1:8, Job, 27:4, Jeremiah 48:31, as well as various times in Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah. Suach: muse (Strong’s 7742). The Complete Word Study Bible further expands on the usage of this word to mean, “a verb meaning to be bowed down; to be downcast. It refers often to the despair of one’s soul.” Found in: Genesis ...

I’ve written in the past about the five “C’s” I look for when hiring staff or inviting volunteers into strategic leadership roles: competence, character, catalytic ability, chemistry and calling. But in various settings, I’ve found myself talking increasingly about the defining character trait of those who pass those five and grow with an organization—the defining mark of someone who truly succeeds. I don’t mean the world’s definition of success, but those who make a mark for the Kingdom and who stretch toward their full redemptive potential as an ambassador for Christ. It’s “teachability.” Not sure that’s a word, but it works for me. It means someone who is (obviously) teachable. This is more than being able to learn, but being willing to learn. Eager to learn. Desiring to learn.  An...

July 25, 2018Hope: The Antidote to the Quitter InstinctCAREY SCOTT “I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (VOICE) We recently learned that I’m not the best driving instructor in the family. That award goes to my husband, who doesn’t scream when our 15-year-old takes the corner too fast. I may or may not have said a choice word or two while holding on to the dashboard for dear life. Sweet mother, I think I need therapy. Truth is, my son isn’t a bad driver. He’s actually quite good. And while he may take a corner a little faster than feels comfortable, we’re not in jeopardy. He might be in learning mode, but the ...

God has many different names in the Old Testament. Each title exemplified his distinctiveness and his power. Similarly, Jesus Christ has parallel titles in the New Testament, which reveal his many facets. The “Psalm of David” (Psalms 23) illustrates God’s direction, protection, and guidance in the life of the believer, which corresponds to his many titles used throughout the Bible.  1. Jehovah-Nissi: God Is My Refuge Moses’s faithfulness resulted in Israel’s preservation and victory in battle. In Exodus 17:11, we learn that “when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” As Moses’s hands grew weary, a stone was placed under him while Aaron and Hur helped by keeping Moses’s hands in the raised position. Following the vi...

All of us come to our longing for peace from slightly different places. I confess that one of my least favorite Scripture passages is from 1 Peter. In it, Peter urges the Christians of Asia Minor, specifically the women, to develop a “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4). This has always rubbed me the wrong way, perhaps because, though I am neither loud nor brash, I would not characterize myself as particularly gentle. And why, I wonder, does Peter address only the women? Are men off the hook then, free to behave in rough and brutish ways? Couldn’t a case be made that men in particular have a need to reign in their aggressions? I have been tempted to conclude that Peter preferred women who were passive and weak rather than strong and confident. Such a preference would seem to fit the ste...

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July 24, 2018Living Love When We Disagree  Melissa Spoelstra Today’s Truth I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10, NLT). Friend to Friend Living love when we disagree sounds good on paper, but it isn’t easy. We’re different—we have different personalities, preferences, and perspectives. And we can struggle to get along, especially when we don’t see eye-to-eye. In the course of a day, we can find ourselves disagreeing or debating with family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers on social media about everything from food choices and parenting styles to politics and religion. Often we find...