“People miss the supernatural looking for the spectacular.” Kenneth Copeland (BVOV) “Except ye see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” (John 4:48) Am I looking for signs and wonders? Sure. I’d like a dramatic display regarding my work and my back. However, recent prayer reminded me that I can miss God’s daily presence while waiting for my “big” healing. For example, my Honda rides low and scraped the curb enough to pop the bumper. …
If you backlight a spider with a flashlight, the shadow he projects is huge. With eight creepy legs, he can overtake you and wrap you up in his web to eat later. But it’s a shadow; the actual bug is a tiny nuisance you can flick away with a finger. Similarly, Satan loves magnification. Every lie he tells gives him size and power. He aims to demoralize us by saying Chris-tianity is weak. Church attendance…
While researching my Youth Ministry project, Animals in the Bible, I found this poem by G.K. Chesterton. Apparently, it’s well known, but I’d never heard it: the voice of the most famous donkey in history. THE DONKEY When fishes flew and forests walked And figs grew upon thorn, Some moment when the moon was blood Then surely I was born. With monstrous head and sickening cry And ears like errant wings, The…
I want things to go faster: prayers answered, work, laundry, etc. I also want things to go slower: days off, sleep, vacations, etc. Then again all this concentration on waiting or rushing creates a layer of discontent that disturbs faith. Ken Copeland and Bill Winston addressed this issue on BVOV with Peter’s remarkable scripture. “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.” (2 Pet. 3:8)…
ISAIAH 40:31 “…they that wait upon The LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Sometimes I wake up in the morning without a thought in my head. No God, no Satan, just blank. Then the contest begins, and the enemy strikes with a deluge of troubling thoughts: aging, traffic jams, mom gone – take your…
Happy 4th of July! Tonight we join crowds in arenas and parks to watch the fireworks for our country’s birthday. It’s visually thrilling and a shared evening for everyone. Now imagine the multitudes following Jesus, sitting themselves down on the mount, and crowding the streets and beaches to see him. Add to these events that the multitudes went home healed of blindness, leprosy, withered limbs, broken hearts, and death. Talk about thrilling. “THERE WERE GATHERED…
For me cussing is still a habit to break. And I come from a family where swearing meant grounding and no TV. Even ‘darn’ made their not-in-this-house list. Now I’m a faithful churchgoer, a S.O.B.I. student, and determined to spend as much time as possible thinking on things true, pure and lovely. Yet, when I hit my finger with a hammer, I don’t say ‘ouch,’ I say #!&%@#! Why? What demons are invading my spirit?…
“Acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come to you…For then you shall have delight in the Almighty…” (Job 22:21&26) Delight. What a word. It’s defined as great joy and pleasure, and also as both giving and gaining great joy and pleasure. And this from Job, a man who suffered greatly under Satan. “Call the sabbath a delight…Then shall…
In the past, when I told certain friends that I attended Believers’ Conventions, they looked at me like “What happened to you?” Throw in speaking in tongues, and I dropped off their guest lists. So I kept quiet, until I got a bad cough. Then it was either the free clinic or the Holy Spirit. I looked for a miracle, because the only hospital I could afford was County. Fast forward to the ICU where…
“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.” Sun Tzu (THE ART OF WAR) This quote is from a classic book on combat strategy written in the 5th Cen. B.C. by the Chinese teacher Sun Tzu. Clearly, Satan is into lengthy campaigns. He nags, lies, waits, and harasses pretty much 24/7. Even if your life is blessed beyond measure, he will tell you, this can’t last. He’s a vicious…