The church was electric with the power and presence of the Lord. Revival gatherings were taking place morning, noon and night. It was exhilarating as well as physically exhausting going at such a pace.

But God was obviously meeting deep needs among the children as well as the adults. Visitors were coming and going, and our home, like the church building, was the center of activity and wonderful fellowship.

I was just clearing the breakfast table and laughing with some of our guests when I heard a thump and a weak cry for help. Heading in the direction of the cry, I discovered 88-year-old Nana, who had been living with us for a number of years, on the floor. It was obvious that she had experienced a stroke.

Ambulances and much emotion filled the rest of the morning. My mom and I waited at the hospital while Nana underwent numerous tests.

Sunday morning dawned brightly, and I began to look forward to our revival celebration of worship and praise. But now my mom was concerning me. She had been experiencing intermittent periods of pain and seemed worse this morning. As I helped her into the car to go to the morning service, she screamed in agony, and I knew she needed immediate medical attention.

The next 12 hours were spent at the hospital—in the emergency room with my mom, and on the fourth floor with my mother-in-law. My tired body was loudly reminding me that it had not yet been resurrected.

While I was grappling with the serious illnesses of these two loved ones, my 87-year-old aunt, for whom I also had responsibility, told me she wasn’t feeling well either. “Lord,” I prayed, “in the midst of these wonderful days of revival and refreshing, I’m feeling overwhelmed! Help, Lord!”

The pressure and stress of hospital visits, medical bills, medical diagnoses and the numerous decisions that had to be made increased in the ensuing weeks. During those weeks, I could feel the results of the turbulence of my circumstances on the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of my life.

One morning I sank into my “devotional” chair, and a floodgate of emotion gushed out. I poured out all my confusing feelings before the Lord-feelings of anger, frustration, faith, unbelief, trust, doubt, resentment, self-pity and just plain exhaustion. “O Lord, how does revival work in the nitty-gritty of everyday pressure?” I wailed.

While I was sobbing my way through the Psalms, my eyes fixed on David’s plea in Psalm 61:1-2: “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (NKJV).

I asked, “Lord, what does it mean to be led to the Rock that is higher than I, higher than my circumstances?” Finding an answer to this question became the quest of my very weary soul.

The Lord was faithful to guide me in this quest. Under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, I learned how to rise above my circumstances by drawing closer to the Rock.

First, I learned to depend more on the power of sustaining grace. Again and again the Spirit of God gently encouraged me to ask for more grace, to receive it with thankfulness and to yield my will more completely to His.

Second, I learned to accept—rather than fight—the changes that accompany entering a new season of life, while at the same time acknowledging the intensity of stress and pressure they produce. These changes in relationships, roles and routines, though natural, can be overwhelming.

In my new season, I no longer function as daughter, daughter-in-law and niece; now my role is to provide care, direction and nurture for those who once provided them for me. My schedule, plans and daily routines are frequently disrupted and totally unpredictable because of the needs of those around me. But God knows all this! And He has ordained “a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1).

Third, I learned more about myself and my continual need for God. What I saw coming out of me in the midst of all of these changes was disturbing. Attitudes of the heart that I thought were long ago dealt with again surfaced in the midst of this storm. I saw that, without Jesus, I could not maintain my witness—or my peace.

As I continued to seek the Lord and pour over His Word, I could sense Him leading me higher to stand upon the Rock of my salvation—Jesus, my beloved Friend.

Soon worry led to worship, fear led to faith, turmoil led to trust, complaining led to confession, resentment led to repentance and whining led to waiting. I discovered through it all that a revival experience meant a deeper revelation of God as “my refuge and my strong tower” in the midst of all the turbulence of change, stress and pressure. Along with the psalmist, in every circumstance of life, we too can learn to sing: “He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Ps. 62:2, NIV).

Dotty Schmitt is co-pastor with her husband, Charles, of Immanuel’s Church in Silver Spring, Md. She also ministers outside her local church and is the author of several books.

The path to the higher realms of the Spirit has always led through the barren wilderness. It is there we realize the desperate hunger and thirst within that only God can satisfy.

Read Ps. 42, Ps. 63:1-5, Is. 43:16-21, Jer. 29:11-13, Acts 2

Heart Issue

Greater revelation brings a greater desire to please God. Are you contented with what He has revealed to you about Himself? Do you fear the responsibilities that will come with more knowledge? Can God trust you to trust Him?

Prayer Focus

Father, where there is little hunger for You, provoke us. Shake us out of our complacency and into the reality of our dire need for more of Your presence, power and anointing. To every trembling heart, Lord, manifest Your comfort and peace. Bring an assurance of Your strength and Your enabling, which will undergird us in every calling and test. Help us not to shrink back from fear or give in to weariness. Empower us to press on and possess all that You have for us. Amen.

Brenda J. Davis is acquisitions editor of Creation House.

In late March I took the trip of a lifetime. I spent seven days in Israel touring historic sites and ancient ruins that date back more than 2,000 years. I discovered the roots of my Christian faith and watched the Bible come to life.

My schedule was packed with many interesting places to see, including the Western Wall, the Garden Tomb and the Upper Room, where Jesus ate the Last Supper. I floated in the Dead Sea and toured the Valley of Jezreel, which overlooks the ancient city of Armageddon, the place of the final war mentioned in Revelation.

But I was haunted by my visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, located on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem. Without any warning, I found myself in tears. 

Inside the Valley of Communities, I watched a short video of life among Jewish people before Adolf Hitler executed his sinister plan to destroy them. I saw scenes of Jewish culture with men and women, boys and girls laughing, dancing and enjoying everyday life.

Then, I descended deep into the museum and the farther I walked, the more horrific the images were. After seeing remnants from victims herded off to concentration camps–their shoes, pocket watches, family photos, handbags and more–the tears started to trickle down my face. It’s something I’ll never forget.

I could barely contain myself when I entered the children’s memorial. All I could think about were the millions of children who died in gas chambers. I saw images of some of their faces, and they were no different from my precious 5-year-old niece, Taelor, and my 2-year-old nephew, Wesley-Adam. In my mind, I could hear the Jewish children giggling and laughing. But they died without the embrace of a mother or father. They died without mercy.

As we departed the museum, I started thinking about an article I had written in early 2000 titled “The History America Chose to Forget.” It’s about the heinous act of lynching and the persecution of African-Americans.

Seeing the images in the museum made me think about the civil rights movement and how Jewish people marched arm-in-arm with black people for the right to be treated equal. They could relate to the pain of injustice.

As a black person and a human being with the inability to comprehend the depth of God’s sovereignty, I want to ask Him why He allowed the Holocaust, slavery and other atrocities to occur, but I don’t. Instead, I trust Him.

Tuesday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it reminded me that God is righteous and we can trust Him to deal with injustice of any kind.

Every day Jewish people around the world demonstrate forgiveness, and I believe that’s the model we must all follow.

Valerie G. Lowe is editor of Standing With Israel e-newsletter. To donate to the Standing With Israel fund , click here.

Countless times God’s Word assures us of His desire to bless our lives if we commit our steps to Him. We’re also told that willful disobedience will eventually result in unwelcome consequences. Often we can determine the good or bad outcome of life’s situations by the degree to which we willingly walk in obedience to God’s commands.

Read: Deut. 11:8-32, Ps. 19:8-11, Ps. 25:8-10, Ps. 103:17-18, Heb. 10:35-36, 1 John 2:17

Heart Issue

We can easily recall situations when our disobedience cost us dearly. Remembering those times, what should our attitude be toward God’s mercy and grace? How must we respond to His commands in the future?

Prayer Focus

Father, we bow our hearts in Your presence and remember how far Your grace has brought us. We pray for a hunger to know in a deeper way just how amazing Your love for us really is. Satisfy us with Your Spirit in such a way that You overshadow every other attraction. Thank You for the mercy that reached us when we struggled to go our own ways. Amen.

Brenda J. Davis is the acquisitions editor for Creation House.

If you’re anything like I am, you live a very busy life. Actually, you don’t live just a busy life, you live a hectic life!

The moment my feet hit the ground, I dash here and there filling my day with everything imaginable–work, church, meetings, volunteering, witnessing, shopping. The list goes on. Oftentimes I feel like the Energizer Bunny—I keep going and going and going at maximum speed.

But guess what? I’m tired! I’m tired of living on adrenaline. I want God to flood my soul with His peace and contentment, and help me to resist the temptation to do more and more. I need Him to remind me from time to time that only what I do for Christ will last. I was grateful the other day when He told me to “be still” and hear Him.

The Father wants to give us direction for our lives and weed out the clutter.

His words pricked my heart because I have lived the Christian life for more than 20 years and I know not to get bogged down in the cares of this world. Yes, I should go to church, meetings, and do other things. But those things should never keep me from an intimate relationship with God.

What about you? Do you spin your wheels doing things that hold you hostage? Working in ministry is a good thing, but when it interferes with your relationship with Jesus, it hinders you not helps you.

Don’t allow anything to keep you from spending time with God. Be sure to pray and read your Bible. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you so He can order your steps not just today, but every day.

Some of the greatest challenges to our faith are those moments when we must endure the cold blight of a disappointment. The greater the anticipation, the greater the disappointment when we fail to receive what we have anticipated.

There is no shield that can keep away the days that come to teach our hearts submission to God’s will and purpose for us. There are no roses so fragrant that they dismiss for us the tingling sensations of brokenness that come upon us when we see our expectations cave in.

It comes as if it will not leave, but you can be sure that is not so. It will go, and the sun will come again and rebuke the clouds that have hidden the light of God’s purpose from shining through to you.

As much as it pleases God to bless you, there will be moments when everything you try goes up in smoke. There will be moments when the one you counted on most walks away and leaves you groping through blinding tears and wailing questions of why. Plans and goals can be circumvented by the most disappointing of times, leaving you learning the art of patience and the acceptance of a denied request.

Nevertheless, there is within the human capacity a tenacious instinct of survival that kicks in when we are at our lowest. It enables us to succeed through the storms of life. They will not overthrow you if you learn to trust God even when you can’t trace Him.

You may not know why you have had to face the chilling winds of despair, but trust God to renew you. Just live on.

He is so wise. He knows the greater truths that can only be realized by beholding both today and tomorrow in one glance. He must, as a good father, deny requests that would insult the greater destiny He has prepared for those who are His.

“Submission” is a word many feminine hearts resist even when they read it in the Word. But submission can be a friend to the struggling heart of a victim that has been chained to the will of God. Rather than burn your hands and hearts by wrestling to break free from the grip that holds you, just submit.

Why would you resist the One to whom you have entrusted your future? It is safe to trust Him. He will not fail you.

He watches out for you, and His eyes are keen! When He says no, you ought to say yes! He would never interrupt or embarrass you if He didn’t see something ahead that necessitated the answer He gave.

The real issue is a matter of trust-trusting the Father to know what is best for any of us. He will not withhold any good thing from you. If it were good, He would have said yes.

That thing that is not coming to you may seem good. But either the timing is wrong, or from His position He can see that the future of it is bleak. I have always believed that people who thank God only for delivering them from what happened are just scraping the surface of praise. The real praise comes when you start thanking Him for what could have happened but didn’t because of His swift grace!

Celebration should be leaping out of your heart. Trusting God transforms calamity into testimony. Knowing He cares too much for you to abuse you and is too wise to be wrong causes a wounded heart to serenade the heavens. When we begin to know Him rather than just serve Him, we can trust His vision, His wisdom and His insight, even when He does not explain what we thought we needed to know.

Many people rejoice about the opening of doors. I can understand why the heart sings when the hand of God moves the obstacle out of the way. The eye can see the way made, and the feet begin to dance toward a brighter future.

But I want to challenge you to go a step further into the deeper sovereign truth of a closed door. We can readily accept His authority when it is used to perform what we know to be a favor. The real challenge of submission is to submit when the human will would have chosen another way. This is the graduation exercise of faith and the commencement service of a trust for those whose dependency and reliance is upon the manifold wisdom of God.

It is significant to understand that the shut door is just as much a move of God as the open one (see Rev. 3:7). It is an action predetermined by the wisdom of a Father who knows what is best. He does emphatically shut doors. There is no purpose in any of us trying to pray open, work open or pry open what God has shut.

If the door is closed by the enemy, and he is trying to get you to give up on your dream, prayer and praise will unlock it. But if the door is closed by a sovereign decision of an all-wise God, and prayer and praise do not open it, then you must accept His decision.

That doesn’t mean the door cannot be opened. It just means that “no man” can open it. If God doesn’t open the door, it cannot be opened. If He doesn’t do it, you don’t want it to be done. There is a difference between a door Satan has jammed and a door God has locked from you.

It may not be a permanent lock. God may be saying, Not at this time. If it is a timed no, it may be God’s way of bringing you to a place of submission. Only a praying heart that turns to Him can determine the answer. Prayer does work. If you pray, He does have the key, and He can open the door (see 2 Chron. 7:13-15).

If in prayer the hinges do not move and the latch does not unclasp, then we must conclude that God has for our betterment shut the door. Do not pout like a little girl who has become accustomed to getting her way. That response says you have not accepted discipline.

Perhaps the need for discipline is what has shut the door in the first place. The spoiled child may be getting weaned from the tantrums and sulking that accompany the untrained. This is hard, but it is also right!

I want you to learn the art of rejoicing when He says no. Rejoice, because if Satan is at work, your attitude will make his efforts futile. The enemy will get discouraged if you don’t encourage him with your depression!

But I also want you to learn the ability to thank God when the answer is irrevocably, unalterably and emphatically no. It may sound insane, but trust me on this. It is all good! You see, He is working on your behalf.

Some of my greatest moments with God have come when I said yes to His corrections and decisions. Satan was defeated, and God was worshiped by my trust in His sovereign will for my life.

Doesn’t that hurt? At first, but when I remind myself of God’s love for me and rest in the knowledge that He would never hurt me, disappointment dissipates and love emanates from the comfort of His embrace. I am His child. I relax and say thank you.

Our problem is that we have never been loved by anyone in the way that God loves us. We have nothing with which we can compare His love. If we could ever fathom it-His love alone would heal the aching of our broken hearts. He absolutely adores each one of us.

Recognize that He has been speaking to you through all your circumstances. He is the One you need when life has wounded you and you have fallen from your nesting place like a bird. It is His hand that catches the falling soul. Then He casts it to the wind and commands it to fly again.

You have been called out and separated by God. You were not created to be popular. You were not called to cliques or clubs. You were chosen to fit in the hands of God who has already accepted you.

How I want you to know the height and the depth of His unfathomable love for you!

You would not be so critical of yourself or so worried about public opinion if you were to know the opinion of God. His thoughts toward you are good and not evil.

Some of you have never been secure in the love of your natural father, and it affects how you view your heavenly Father. But He made the ultimate sacrifice just to prove to you the authenticity of His love.

You may not see it or understand it, but He absolutely loves you. Not just when you are right. He loves you even when you are wrong. That is what gives you the power to right the wrongs you’ve made.

You are special and vibrant, full of potential and possibilities. You are the daughter of a King, who spared no expense to pay the ransom that delivered you from the things that held you hostage.

A no from Him is as sweet as a yes. Your life is about to crescendo into a symphony of praise. When His plan unfolds, you will be glad you didn’t settle for your own way.

Go quickly into His presence; climb upon His knee; lay your head on His breast. Cry if you must, but talk to Him. Let Him cleanse you of sin and purge you of pride. He loves you just as much when He says no as He does when He says yes.

T.D. Jakes is the author of several best-selling books, including Woman, Thou Art Loosed!, Help, I’m Raising My Children Alone and The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord. He is the founder and pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation.

Everything Christians do should be based upon the biblical text. The following are seven biblical reasons why Christians everywhere should stand up and speak up for Israel. This is taken from the Leadership manual for Christians United for Israel. It’s so good, we got permission to share it here.

1. God has promised to bless the man or nation that blesses His chosen people. History has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the nations that have been blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God. The nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God.

And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:3

2. Christians owe a debt of eternal gratitude to the Jewish people for their contributions that gave birth to the Christian faith. Jesus Christ, a prominent Rabbi from Nazareth said,

Salvation is of the Jews! John 4:22

St. Paul recorded in Romans 15:27,

For if the Gentiles have shared in their (the Jews) spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.

Consider what the Jewish people have given to Christianity:

a.       The Sacred Scripture

b.      The Prophets

c.       The Patriarchs

d.      Mary, Joseph and Jesus Christ of Nazareth

e.       The Twelve Disciples

f.        The Apostles

It is not possible to say, “I am a Christian” and not love the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that love is not what you say but what you do.

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

“A bell is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, love is not love until you share it.”

3. While some Christians try to deny a connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jews of the world, Jesus never denied His faith, culture or race. He never denied his “Jewishness”

He was born Jewish. He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with Jewish tradition. He had His Bar Mitzvah on His 13th birthday. He kept the Law of Moses and He wore the prayer shawl Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear. He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, “King of the Jews!”

Jesus considered the Jewish people His family. Jesus said,

“Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (the Jewish people …Gentiles were never called his brethren), ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

4. The scriptural principle of prosperity is tied to blessing Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6

5. Why did Jesus Christ go to the house of Cornelius in Capernaum and heal his servant who was ready to die? What logic did the Jewish elders use with Jesus to convince Him to come into the house of a Gentile and perform a miracle? The logic they used is recorded in Luke 7:5,

For he loveth our nation, and he hath build us a synagogue.

The message? This Gentile deserves the blessing of God because He loves our nation and has done something practical to bless the Jewish people.

6. Why did God the Father select the house of Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts chapter 10) to be the first Gentile house in Israel to receive the gospel? The answer is given repeatedly in Acts chapter 10.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a devout man, (Cornelius) and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. Acts 10:1-2

Who were the people to whom Cornelius gave these alms? They were Jews!

Again in Acts 10:4

…thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Again in Acts 10:31

…and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.

The point is made three times in the same chapter. A godly Gentile who expressed his unconditional love for the Jewish people in a practical manner was divinely selected by heaven to be the first Gentile house to receive the gospel and the first to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

These combined Scriptures verify that PROSPERITY (Gen. 12:3 and Psalm 122:6), HEALING (Luke 7:1-5) and the OUTPOURING of the Holy Spirit came first to Gentiles that blessed the Jewish people and the nation of Israel in a practical manner.

7. We support Israel because all other nations were created by an act of men, but Israel was created by an act of God! The Royal Land Grant that was given to Abraham and his seed through Isaac and Jacob was an everlasting and unconditional covenant.

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get thee out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curses you; and in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are-northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise and walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Genesis 13:14-18

On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying: “To your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates-the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, your name shall be Abraham: for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come for you. And I will establish my covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:4-8

“My mercy I will keep for him forever, and My commandments shall stand firm with him. His seed also I will make to endure forever. And his throne as the days of heaven. If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My loving kindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips, once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: his seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; it shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah Psalms 89:28-37.

I recently returned from Israel, and every week I will share with you a video, blog or photos of my trip. Today you’re watching a video of my visit to Galilee, where I went for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and learned how to cast a fishing net the way it was done in biblical times. I also learned a Jewish dance. Click here to watch.

Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), presented a petition expressing solidarity with the State of Israel to members of Congress in late March.  The petition is signed by more than 100,000 American Christians.

The Israel Pledge says:
“We believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right.

We maintain that there is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks.

We pledge to stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel and to speak out on their behalf whenever and wherever necessary until the attacks stop and they are finally living in peace and security with their neighbors.”

CUFI leaders are scheduled to meet with several members of congress including Rep. Shelley Berkley (D- IN) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).

“Israel is America’s closest and most trusted ally. We are committed to steadfastly supporting the Jewish State as she fights to defend the democratic values that we all hold dear,” Hagee said.

“As our leaders in Washington make decisions about American foreign policy in the Middle East, it is important for them to know that Christians across the country remain solidly committed to a strong US-Israel relationship.”

Christians United for Israel is the nation’s leading Christian pro-Israel organization and is among the largest Christian grassroots organizations in the United States, spanning all 50 states and reaching millions with its message.

The organization has held over 80 Night to Honor Israel events in cities across the country since its inception in 2006. The events teach Christians about the importance of supporting Israel and building bridges between the Christian and Jewish communities.

CUFI’s mission is to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel.

Compiled by Christians United for Israel

What’s Been On Your Mind Lately?

Have you ever heard the saying “You are what you think?” It’s true. Your thoughts carry a lot of weight and oftentimes dictate your actions. When you don’t guard your mind from negative influences, your thoughts eventually control who you are and what you believe about yourself.

Let well-known Bible teacher Joyce Meyer help you discover the freedom that comes with taking authority over your thoughts in the trailer, “What’s Been On Your Mind Lately?”