Faith

Predictability. Control. Safety. Comfort. Jesus said that God's men can throw all these words out the window. In the end, all the energy we spend trying to eliminate risk from our lives actually works against us when it comes to our faith.

"If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life."
Mark 8:35 (NLT)

He knew their tendencies. He studied their film. He recognized their ability to compartmentalize commitment--to live an 80/20 life. Faced with the gauntlet of His own commitment to His mission, Jesus asked for His disciples' dying breath.

Last fall, in spite of our prayers, Central Florida residents faced the possibility of going through a second hurricane. Every weather report we saw indicated that one was heading our way. My husband and I had already been through a first round and experienced some damage to our home. Surely, it couldn't happen again!

When Frances, the second storm, arrived, my family was out of town. I kept praying and declaring to myself that no matter what I found after I got back, God said it was all going to work out for my good (see Rom. 8:28).

It was easy to have faith--until I walked into the house and found the ceilings collapsed, water standing everywhere and the smell of mold permeating the air. How could this disaster turn out for our good?

SIX INTERNATIONAL LEADERS ARE CALLING THE WOMEN OF GOD TO RISE UP AND TAKE THEIR PLACES IN THE CHURCH.

Is God mobilizing women for kingdom authority in our day in a way we have not experienced since the book of Acts? Six women with decades as leaders in international ministry believe He is, and they're already moving forward with plans to mentor, advance and release women into their destiny in God.

On July 6-7 these leaders met face-to-face for the first time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to share what they sense God is doing among women today and where they think He's leading women tomorrow. They believe God sovereignly spurred them into action. Furthermore, they are convinced that women who are serious about living for God stand on the brink of a worldwide movement that will position them in the kingdom for such a time as this.

A famous preacher born 300 years ago beckons humanity out of darkness to bask in the life and light of Christ.

It is true that every good gift comes from God as much as light comes from the sun. Even our common and daily mercies come down from God as though they were immediately rained down in an indescribable manner out of heaven.

The apostle James, who writes to the believing Jews scattered amongst the Gentiles, takes notice of one thing, particularly wherein this spiritual Fountain of Light differs from the sun, the corporeal fountain of light.

Our sun rises and sets and is subject to variable revolutions. But God is a sun fixed in the hemisphere, shining without interruption. In God is no variableness or shadow of turning.

How to recognize God's voice and respond in obedience.

I was driving down a busy street when my cell phone rang. Fumbling for my phone, I snatched it up and pushed it against my ear.

"Hello?" I was greeted with loud static. Through the electronic interference I could barely make out the muffled sounds of a woman's voice. I strained to hear her words.

Can't seem to find a purpose for your life? It could be that you haven't embraced the muscular side of your faith.

Many men in the church today are missing something. They are unable to handle the blazing arrows that fly sizzling at their hearts. They are ill-equipped to handle the unsavory side of leadership, such as standing up for what is right when it is within their power to do so (see Prov. 3:27).

They lack the inner lion that needs to roar to protect others, the way the apostle Paul roared at false teaching that threatened to choke the early church. They lack the steadfast power they need to combat a world at war with truth.

The memoirs of Hudson Taylor remind us of the risks and rewards of obeying the call.

Shortly after my conversion, I retired to my own chamber to spend time in communion with God, pouring out my soul before Him. I was a child under the age of 16, but I remember the occasion well.

As an outlet for my love and gratitude for God, I sought for Him to give me a self-denying service, no matter what it might be.

I put myself, my life, my friends--my all--upon the altar. A deep solemnity came over my soul with the assurance that my offering was accepted.

Why are so many Christian men today defeated by sin? It's because they've never enlisted for spiritual battle.

Like so many typical churchgoing guys, Ben admits that he struggles in his relationship with God. He tries to maintain a consistent prayer life, but too often he sleeps through his alarm and ends up having morning devotions during his harried commute to work. He made Bible study a goal, but he keeps falling asleep while reading the Word because he feels so tired after a hard day at the office.

Then there's that nagging lust problem. Ben once confessed to a friend at church that he peeks at online pornography. What he didn't admit was that he regularly entertains sexual fantasies--and that these impure thoughts trigger continual guilt. As a result of his shame, he withholds feelings from his wife--which is causing an uneasy coldness in his marriage.

This smorgasbord of devotional thought reflects the ever-constant human condition--in need of God.

The kingdom of God is within you," says the Lord. Turn, then, to God with all your heart. Learn to devote yourself to the gifts of God's kingdom. Forsake this wretched world and your soul shall find rest.

Since Christ comes to you offering His consolation, prepare a fit dwelling for Him in your heart.

Ted 'Million Dollar Man' DiBiase is back in the ring. Now instead of slamming bodies, he's working to save souls.

The 49-year-old is recreating the sights and sounds of the world he left behind a decade ago into a wrestling show centered around the gospel of Jesus Christ in parable form. The stage he sets at churches across America resembles one found at professional wrestling venues, with recognizable celebrities, cheering crowds and state-of-the-art technology.

At our annual Charisma Women's Conference this spring, God spoke a powerful word to the nearly 8,000 women who attended. He said that it is time for us as women to step forward and accept the authority He has given us. He reminded us that we are empowered and authorized by His Word to do whatever He tells us to do.

The promised land described in the Old Testament is a picture of what God has available to us (see Josh. 1). He has a promised land for each of our lives--a destiny that only we can fulfill. Your promised land is the will of God for your life, and the only place you will find total fulfillment.

But to take your land, you must heed the admonition given to Joshua: "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go" (v. 7, NIV).

Leaning on his cane, a kippah, or traditional head covering worn by Jews, perched atop his silver hair, the mustachioed 62-year-old man's dark eyes danced like a little boy's as he spoke about the dream of his life--a dream so big it would fit well as a major plot line for a Left Behind book: rebuilding the third temple at the holiest place in Israel, the Temple Mount.

At his small office in an upstairs apartment in Jerusalem, Gershon Salomon stood over a miniature scale model of the third temple, carefully pointing out the Court of the Gentiles, the Women's Court where women entered, and the inner court's most sacred place--the Holy of Holies where the high priest could perform only one sacrifice per year.

Looking for straight answers? You'll find them at Bishop Arthur Brazier's church.

At 81, Bishop Arthur Brazier still refuses to play it safe. Back in the '60s, when many black Pentecostal pastors worried about mixing politics with religion, Brazier was at the forefront of the civil rights movement.

In fact, he was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. when the famous activist temporarily resided in Chicago.