J. Lee Grady

  • In the Debate About Immigrants, Don’t Forget Compassion

    In the Debate About Immigrants, Don’t Forget Compassion

    My friend Dawit (not his real name) is a 33-year-old immigrant from the troubled nation of Eritrea. When he was a teenager, he and his 11 siblings walked more than eight hours to the Sudanese border to escape the communist country. Eventually, in 2010, Dawit and his family arrived in the United States to seek

  • God Didn’t Shut Off the Power of Pentecost

    God Didn’t Shut Off the Power of Pentecost

    I was raised a Southern Baptist, and then at age 18 I had a Pentecostal experience while I was still a Baptist. People jokingly refer to me now as a “Bapticostal” because they consider this to be a strange combination of doctrines. That’s because many Baptists are cessationists. They believe the gifts of the Holy

  • Before You Ask God for a Word, Be Willing to Say Yes

    Before You Ask God for a Word, Be Willing to Say Yes

    God loves to speak to us. Psalm 85:8 (NASB) says: “I will hear what God the Lord will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones.” At the right time, the Lord offers a fresh word for us that can bring strength, guidance, confirmation or correction. There have been countless

  • Mandisa Is With Jesus Now, Singing the Highest Praise

    Mandisa Is With Jesus Now, Singing the Highest Praise

    If you are in crisis, please call 988 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are not alone. On the surface, contemporary Christian singer Mandisa was the epitome of success. She became a musical star after her appearance on “American Idol” in 2006, and she won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album in 2014. But those who read her

  • Americans Are Cheering for Terrorists? The World Is Upside Down

    Americans Are Cheering for Terrorists? The World Is Upside Down

    On Sunday morning of this week Iran launched more than 300 rockets and drones to destroy Israel. But Israeli forces intercepted 99% of the weapons—and an ominous silence fell on the region as Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu weighed his options about when and how to retaliate. In times past, the United States would have offered

  • Solar Eclipse Is Proof of a Loving Creator

    Solar Eclipse Is Proof of a Loving Creator

    I’m not a doomsday guy. I know some Christians who viewed this week’s solar eclipse as a sign of the end times, but I wasn’t worried about it, for two reasons: 1) there are two solar eclipses every three years somewhere on the planet; and 2) Jesus said He isn’t coming back until we finish

  • The IHOP Scandal Has Exposed a Deep Need for Repentance

    The IHOP Scandal Has Exposed a Deep Need for Repentance

    When I first heard about the sexual scandal involving Mike Bickle and the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, in December, my initial reaction was defensive. I didn’t want to believe the charges. But I cringed on Dec. 12, 2023, when Bickle released his own confession. And my heart sank when details surfaced

  • The Agony Jesus Felt on the Cross Was Real

    The Agony Jesus Felt on the Cross Was Real

    When the movie “The Passion of the Christ” was released 20 years ago, Hollywood insiders mocked it because it offered an extremely bloody depiction of Jesus’ torture and death. Regardless of what you think of director Mel Gibson, he did a masterful job of capturing the brutality of a first-century Roman execution. I know some

  • There’s a Big Difference Between Prophecy and Manipulation

    There’s a Big Difference Between Prophecy and Manipulation

    I love the gift of prophecy, and the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:1 that we should desire to use it. I love to see people strengthened and encouraged by a personal word from God. But spiritual gifts, much like guns, can be misused—and when prophecy is misfired it always hurts people. That’s why

  • Why Every Christian Should Pray for Strong Discernment

    Why Every Christian Should Pray for Strong Discernment

    The recent scandal involving Mike Bickle and the International House of Prayer in Kansas City has triggered serious soul-searching—and the reaction is understandable. People feel angry, betrayed and bewildered. They trusted leaders who seemed incredibly spiritual, but those leaders violated that trust. I’ve watched this happen more times than I can count. When I was

  • This Is How I’ve Stayed Married for 40 Years

    This Is How I’ve Stayed Married for 40 Years

    Next month my wife and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. My parents were married for 67 years, so four decades doesn’t seem like much of a milestone to me. But I’m aware that in today’s culture—when couples consider divorce the easy escape from any conflict—we are blessed to still be together after tying

  • How a Forgotten Moment in Black History Changed the World

    How a Forgotten Moment in Black History Changed the World

    Last week I was speaking at a men’s conference in western Uganda near the city of Rwentobo. After one afternoon session about marriage, men stood to repent of how they had physically or verbally abused their wives. Some of them later texted me to say they had confessed their sins to their wives. The next

  • How to Encourage a Move of the Holy Spirit in a Dry Church

    How to Encourage a Move of the Holy Spirit in a Dry Church

    This past weekend I spoke at a men’s conference in Rwentobo, Uganda. Most of the men were Anglicans, including an archbishop from Rwanda and a bishop from Kenya. But these were not your grandmother’s Anglicans. These men danced in the aisles, shouted their praises and spoke in tongues. Even the bishops with clerical collars talked

  • How Africa’s False Prophets Are Spreading Deception

    How Africa’s False Prophets Are Spreading Deception

    In a church in Kampala, Uganda, a mysterious “prophet” known as Brother Innocent asks a woman to come to the front of the room. Then, in front of others, he puts on surgical gloves and reaches under the woman’s skirt to fondle her private parts. In most cases he eventually pulls out a piece of

  • Is the Holy Spirit Nudging You? Learn to Obey His Prompting

    Is the Holy Spirit Nudging You? Learn to Obey His Prompting

    I preached at a conference in California in 2013. During one of the meetings the Lord showed me that a woman there was struggling with infertility. I didn’t know who she was—all I knew was she was in the auditorium. When I shared this word of knowledge with the audience, a young woman in the

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