I despise airplane turbulence. Even though I enjoy
high-speed roller coasters, there is something about hurling through
stormy skies in a commercial jetliner at 37,000 feet that turns my
knuckles white. This is why I always ask for a window seat. Whenever we
hit rough air and the seat belt sign flashes on, I feel safer if I can
look outside.

But that didn’t help me recently when I
was flying into Canada. I was not aware that rough weather was raging
below and that parts of Vancouver were flooding. All I knew was that
our journey though Canadian airspace reminded me of Doctor Doom’s
Fearfall—a theme-park ride I’ve enjoyed many times with my daughters.

That ride lasts only a few seconds, and it is firmly
bolted to the ground. The turbulence over British Columbia lasted half
an hour.

It was 11 p.m., and I couldn’t see anything outside my
window except horizontal rain. I kept reminding myself that the pilot
was using radar and other high-tech instruments to avoid crashing into
the side of a mountain. But my knuckles did not believe this. I
clutched the armrest, prayed and—for a few seconds—wondered how my wife
would plan my funeral.

Of course the plane did not break apart
in mid-air. When we descended below the cloud cover and the lights of
the city became visible, all my color returned. I breathed a prayer of
thanksgiving when I heard the familiar sound of wheels touching the
runway.

You may not share my fear of turbulence,
but all of us have walked though scary times in life when we couldn’t
see the path in front of us. Many people I know are going through such
times right now because of the economic downturn. Some are facing job
loss, financial hardships, foreclosures or unusual spiritual challenges.

Churches, too, are finding it hard to
navigate change. More people than ever are in a season of transition
because old business models don’t work, and ministry paradigms are
shifting. Some of us find ourselves digging our fingernails into the
armrest while the plane is bouncing all over the stormy sky. And when
we look out the window we see nothing but darkness.

I have found comfort in the words David
penned after he escaped from Saul’s pursuits. He wrote in Psalm 18:4-6:
“The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness
terrified me. … In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to
my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for
help came into His ears” (NASB).

In describing God’s
just-in-the-nick-of-time rescue, David borrowed vivid imagery from the
day when God opened the Red Sea to deliver His children from Egypt.
“The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His
voice. …Then the channels of water appeared, and the foundations of
the world were laid bare. …He sent from on high, He took me; He drew
me out of many waters. … He brought me forth also into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me” (vv. 13-19).

David’s transition wasn’t easy. In the
most difficult moment he noted that God had “made darkness His hiding
place” (v. 11). We must remember that darkness is not a sign that God
has abandoned us. It became stormy just before the Red Sea split open.
Yet God was working behind the scenes, even when the clouds were black
and the wind was violent.

If you are in the midst of a transition,
hold tightly to His promise as you enter this new year of 2010. You can
trust Him. Better things are still to come. In yet a little while He
will intervene.

Don’t focus on your job crisis, the bad economic news,
your lack of options or the bumpiness of the ride. Call upon the Lord.
When His lightning flashes, He will split the obstacles in front of you
and make a dry roadbed in the midst of the sea. He can make a way where
there is no way.

Ask the Lord to transport you. Eventually you will hear
the sound of wheels touching down on the wet runway. You are helpless
to make this transition on your own, but your Deliverer will safely
carry you from your present crisis into a broad place of future
fruitfulness.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady.

Read this if you don’t want your prayer life to become
mundane.

Everyone has a different preference when it comes to
prayer and how he or she feels is the best way to connect with God. The
important thing is that you don’t want your prayer life to become
mundane and never grow or change. You want it to be fresh, exciting and
even explosive in the Spirit. We all want our prayers to be effective,
and anyone who is full of the Spirit has the anointing to pray powerful prayers that produce miracles.

We can pray in such a way that our
prayers just flow. We don’t have to force them. They can even become
prophetic—the heart of the Holy Spirit pouring out of our words and
expressions.

Several years ago, we were praying at a
prayer meeting in our church, asking the Lord to use the ministry more
effectively to touch lives in our city. The Lord directed us to pray in
such a way that our prayers would have “bull’s-eye” accuracy.

We knew the Holy Spirit wanted to develop specific
prayers that were going to be like instruments of warfare targeted
toward building certain key parts of the church’s vision. After that
time of prayer, we were amazed at the number of breakthroughs we
experienced in our ministry.

As believers, we sometimes pray
randomly, repeating things—not really thinking about what we are
saying. To pray effectively, we must pray calculated prayers, with
biblical, Spirit-led accuracy. 

These kinds of prayers are like swords
in the Spirit (see Is. 49:2-3). They shoot out, and something just
“clicks” when you pray them. You know you hit the target and don’t walk
away wondering if you received the answer.

James 5:16 tells us it is “effectual” prayer that avails much. The Amplified Bible says that is prayer that “makes tremendous power available.” 

Effectual prayer is accurate, targeted prayer that is done with action. In the Greek, it is the word energeo, which means to be “efficient, full of energy, and to display working activity.”

In other words, when you hear someone pray with effectual
prayer, you don’t have to wonder whether it’s working because there is
energy behind it. You can sense and feel power on it.

One way to ensure you are praying
prayers that work is to pray according to the Bible. Rather than just
praying whatever you think, find out what God’s will is for the
situation and bring your prayers in line with it. God has a certain way
of thinking when it comes to things in our lives, and we need to align
with that. 

Case in point: When you need prayer for
physical healing, you may feel terrible in your body and want to cry to
the Lord about how bad things are for you. However, a more effectual
way to pray is to find the Lord’s promises about healing from Scripture
and pray in agreement with God.

This doesn’t mean you cannot cry out to
the Lord in your time of adversity. What you need in order to stay
accurate in prayer, however, is then to refocus on trusting in God and
His promises.

When you make a habit of praying this way, you will learn
to pray from the river of your spirit. You plug into the Holy Spirit’s
way, the source of power in you, because you are agreeing with the
Lord’s opinion. 

Instead of trying to swim upstream, you are flowing with
the current. Remember that when the power of the Holy Spirit flows out
of you like a river, it contains miracles, blessings and answers to
prayer. Accurate prayer will help you flow in all those things.

Suddenly, instead of praying random,
disconnected prayers, you are grabbing hold of the blessing that God
has already placed in the river of your spirit. A new energy and
confidence will come to your prayer life, and you will have conclusive
results because you are targeting what you need with what God has
already promised.

Brenda Kunneman is
co-founder, with her husband, Hank, of One Voice Ministries and
co-pastor with him of Lord of Hosts Church in Omaha, Nebraska. She
ministers worldwide in conferences and churches and is the author of
several books, including The Supernatural You (Charisma House).

Read Genesis 13

In Genesis 13, Lot chose selfishly and moved his family
to the choicest land—near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose
inhabitants sinned greatly. Abram, Lot’s uncle, generously let him go;
and for his generosity, God blessed Abram and allowed him to settle his
family in a safe area. 

Later, God used Abram to rescue Lot
from the evil cities before He destroyed them. Abram learned the
blessings of being generous and following God’s plan.

We often think of giving as being limited to money or
things. We need to give our time or talents to the Lord as well. The
abilities the Lord has given you can be offered as a special gift.

On occasion, the most important thing
we can give to help others is our time. Giving with a cheerful heart
comes when we give our time, money or talents as if we were giving them
directly to the Lord. 

Though others may not receive these thankfully, God will add His blessing to our willingness to give.

A missionary learned this when he
agreed to minister to the congregation of a poor church. Not expecting
a significant offering, he nevertheless was excited to meet and talk
with the people on the front porch after the service.

As he was leaving for the night, a woman approached him
and handed him two $1 bills. “This is all I have but I want to give it
to you so you can tell others about the love of Jesus,” she said. The
missionary carries the two bills to this day to remind him of her
perfect example of sacrificial giving out of a heart of love.

We never should give with the intention of gaining
something in return from the Lord. We should give only as an act of
love. The study note for 2 Corinthians 9:11 from the Fire Bible: Global Edition puts it this way:

“In order for us to express true
generosity outwardly, our hearts must become rich in true love and
compassion for others. We should always pray and ask God to give us
this kind of heart for others. Giving of ourselves and our possessions
results in (1) supplying the needs of those who are lacking in some
way, (2) praise and thanksgiving to God (v. 12) and (3) love from those
who receive our help (v. 14).”

This month consider your attitude toward giving. How can you give of your (1) time; (2) talents; (3) money/resources?

Hide the Word in Your Heart memory verse:
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2
Cor. 9:7).

Adapted from Principles 4Life (Life Publishers International), available free of charge at .

By Martha Rogers | Realms | softcover | 304 pages | $

In Becoming Lucy, the first installment of the Winds Across the Prairie series, Boston heiress Lucinda Bishop is shaken when a tragic carriage accident kills her parents. She moves to her aunt and uncle’s ranch in Oklahoma Territory, where she struggles to face her grief and adjust to a primitive land.

She resists her growing attraction for one of her uncle’s cowboys because he is not a Christian, and because he hides a shameful past. When he becomes a Christian on Christmas Eve, he reveals his secret and returns to Texas to face the law, leaving Lucinda wondering if he will return to the wilds of Oklahoma.

Becoming Lucy is populated with sweet, earnest characters whose simple faith in God remains strong even through horrendous circumstances such as the death of loved ones and the loss of earthly possessions. Though the dialogue at times could be more dramatic, the story takes a satisfying route to a happy ending. Rogers’ debut historical romance will appeal to fans of the genre.

Click here to purchase this book.

By Megan Carson | Regal Books | softcover | 192 pages | $

A Year of Blind Dates: A Single Girl’s Search for ‘the One’ by debut author Megan Carson is a comical account of her own experience while searching for Mr. Right. Assisted by a dating service and friends who are all too willing to introduce her to potential mates, Carson embarks on a series of dates that change her in a way she never expects.

She starts by introducing herself—faith, family, hobbies, career and more. And although she has always been blessed with great friends, a supportive family and a life full of purpose, Carson at age 28 is more determined than ever to find the man of her dreams.

The World’s Best Dating Service (as she calls it) guarantees14 dates in the course of a year, surely enough for Carson to find the perfect match. From Penthouse Pete to Miguel the Matador, the men she dates simply go from bad to worse. The few who have potential still do not make it.

After a heart-breaking year, Carson accepts that she cannot spoil God’s plan for her life. And with everything she learned, she is also convinced that she will never lower her dating standards. Her story offers encouragement to those looking for “The One” and is a sure reminder of God’s love and faithfulness.

Click here to purchase this book.

By Don Piper and Cecil Murphy | Revell | $

The best-seller 90 Minutes in Heaven chronicles Don Piper’s experience of death, heaven and recovery. According to the book, Piper was driving home when he was involved in a traffic accident with a tractor-trailer. His car was crushed, and he died instantly, medical professionals said. As he lay lifeless, Piper was in heaven experiencing its glory, beauty and music.

Ninety minutes after the accident Piper returned to life as a minister prayed for him. Piper’s memory of heaven was blissful, yet his faith was tested as he faced an uncertain and grueling recovery.

This DVD presents a seven-week study course on heaven, based on Piper’s book. Participants are encouraged to discover the wonder and joy of earthly life as they live with the expectation of what God has prepared in heaven. This new perspective will help believers see life’s problems in a whole new light.

Click here to purchase this DVD kit.

Thomas Nelson | $

Sometimes, following the biblical admonition to “love your neighbor as you love yourself” is hard to do—especially when your neighbor might be a bit different. Children will learn this important lesson on the latest episode of Max Lucado’s Hermie & Friends.
Antonio is a brave ant and leads his army of ants very well. But his patience is put to the test when foreign ants who are rude and have strange ways of doing things move in.

Featuring Tim Conway as Hermie and special guest-star Fred Willard (Wall-E, Kim Possible, Chicken Little), this episode also includes the new song “How Could Anyone Not Love Me” and the cartoon short “Caterpilla,” a spoof of Cinderella.

Click here to purchase Antonio Meets His Match.

Malachi 3:1-4:6 I trust you have been blessed by reading through the Bible with me this year. I pray your first New Year’s resolution will be to read the Bible through next year and every year until you go to be with the Lord. Perhaps you would like to write devotionals of your own as you read through the Bible in this next year. I plan to write devotionals on those passages that I did not cover this year.

It has been a joyful experience for me to share my heart with you as certain passages spoke to me. One of the greatest inheritances we can give to our children are the words we have written down as we study God’s Word. Every time we speak about the Lord or even think about Him, a sentence or paragraph is written in the Book of Remembrance in heaven. Listen to what Malachi says: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name” (Mal. 3:16, KJV).

My desire is for my book to have thousands of chapters because of the many times I have spoken and thought of the Lord. I trust your book will also be loaded with chapters. Right now God is writing down in this book every thought you have of Him. Daily you have the opportunity to add to this Book of Remembrance as you think and speak about Jesus. I challenge you this year to write down your thoughts as you read through the Bible once again. You will leave a legacy for your children and their children they will treasure forever.

God bless you in the New Year as you add to your own Book of Remembrance.

Lord, thank You for caring enough to record Your words through the pen of men so I can be changed by these words. Thank You for sending Your Son, the living Word, to abide with me always. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit, who teaches me as I read Your Word. Thank You also for recording my words in a book as I think upon You and share Your Word with others. I am looking forward to reading my book of remembrance in heaven. I love You.

READ: Malachi 3:1-4:6; Revelation 22:1-21; Psalm 150:1-6; Proverbs 31:25-31

Revelation 21:1-27 As we draw near to the end of our yearly readings, this passage in Revelation should cause our hearts to leap. If you know your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you can look forward to living in the New Jerusalem. The description of this holy city is mind boggling, but I believe every word of it. Yes, we will walk streets of gold, and there will be gates made of pearl. There will be no need of the sun or the moon because the light will emanate from the glory of God.

As I read this passage, I can hear the words of that great song “The Holy City.” My mother sang it many times in many churches all over this city. As I meditate on the words, I can almost hear her singing this great hymn now, but this time she has a hosts of saints and angels joining her in the chorus “Jerusalem, Jerusalem!!” Mother died May 17, 1999, but she lives today in heaven and is singing with the saints who have gone before her. I can almost hear her beautiful contralto voice now.

Just after my mother had her stroke, she shared a vision she had with us. Her life was in the balance, and she could hardly talk, but we managed to hear what she described as she had a vision of heaven. She said, “I see a man standing by a huge lake. He is reading a book. He said, ‘It is not your time.’ I hear music, beautiful music.” Then my mother added these words as she looked into our eyes. She said, “Prayer is very important.”

God was using my mother’s vision to give us this message. Our prayers on earth do make a great difference, and God has chosen prayer to be His mode of operation while earth exists. Nothing is done in the realm of earth if we do not give God’s Word voice on earth through our prayers and declarations. We pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When we pray this, we are hastening the day when the holy city will descend from heaven to earth and Jesus will rule and reign forever. Even so, Lord, come quickly!

Lord, help me to make prayer a top priority daily in my life.

READ: Malachi 1:1-2:17; Revelation 21:1-27; Psalm 149:1-9; Proverbs 31:10-24