Cultivate a Culture
In our recent book Culture Shift, we speak about every church having a culture. It may not be the one we want, but every church has one. In order to develop the right environment, that culture must...
View ArticleSlipped Treasures
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34: 19) OBSERVATION It would have been much better, in my estimation anyway, if that verse read: ‘‘ The...
View ArticleA Class, or a Tutor?
This student basically held up the progress and speed of our class. I really could have felt impatient about the whole situation, except for one fact. I was that student.
View ArticleWalk the Talk (Be The Example)
A Pastor's Devotion from the New Hope Team. SCRIPTURE Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. . . Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them,...
View ArticleThe Good and the Bad: Lessons from Both Sides
There are two basic kinds of mentors in the Bible. Most of them, like Abraham, Daniel, and James, are godly mentors. They teach us how to live wisely, how to please the heart of Almighty God. But the...
View ArticleLiving in His Presence
God is always with us, but if we don’t recognize His Presence, then there’s something that goes away, something that ends up in a dead end. How do we get reminded of the fact that we are in His...
View ArticleNo Greater Love
December marks the beginning of the season of gifts. One of the greatest gifts is the gift of love. This is not just any kind of love; it is a special love. We must make sure that we tap into the right...
View ArticleA Season of Steadfastness
We all go through seasons and it’s important for us to recognize these seasons so we can cooperate with God’s instructions for that time. If you don’t, you can be in the right season and operate in the...
View ArticleTaking a Step Back
Today, potters make vases using newer technology like automatic thermostats and timers in kilns so a signal lets them know when the vessels are ready to be brought out. A long time ago, potters would...
View ArticleSetting Your Course
God has plans for our future. Do you think He would like you to know those plans? Absolutely! He would not have plans and then not reveal them. So, if God has plans for our new year, do you think you...
View ArticleAn Appointment with God
God has appointments with different people, including us. On Palm Sunday, Jesus had an appointment with Jerusalem, as He rode off from the Mount of Olives and through the gate called Beautiful. He came...
View ArticleWaiting on the Promises
Microwave ovens! Cell phones! E-mail! Fast food! We live in an age where we want things instantaneously. As it is with our culture, we have the same expectation in our relationship with God. We say, “I...
View ArticleSeeing and Hearing Again
The Pharisees were trained and schooled to recognize God, to hear His voice and to know what God was saying. They looked for something that was so obviously close, but never saw Him. When He actually...
View ArticleIn the Quiet Times
If we’re going to be effective in hearing God and successful in walking with God, we have to develop certain habits. Staying close to God requires that we develop the habit of spending quiet time with...
View ArticleWhen Prayers Don’t Get Answered
Sometimes when we pray, we receive answers the way we expect. Other times when we pray, we don’t. Paul the apostle prayed to God three times to remove the thorn in his flesh. We don’t know exactly what...
View ArticleThe Gift of Serving
Serving has been given a bad rap. If you are called servants, it means you earn minimum wage, you’re first to get laid off, you’re the lowest part of the food chain and you’re not that talented. In the...
View ArticleChoosing Your Homeland
Jesus Establishes Two Kingdoms “… He was saying to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world’” (John 8:23). Jesus established that there are two...
View ArticleDeciding Who You Will Be
“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9). Think about it this way: if the mind of man doesn’t plan, what does the Lord have to direct? He includes us in His plan for...
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