Practicing His Presence

The Bible brings us freeing boundaries and time-tested truths to become better at life. Just think about it. Culture says things like, “Compete! Compare! There’s not enough to go around! Hurt those who hurt you. Think about number one.” Jesus says, “There’s plenty to go around. Pray for those who hurt you. Forgive those who don’t deserve it. Go the extra mile for someone else.” Initially, it sounds like a lot of work. And living…

Godly wisdom enables us to view things as the Lord does and to respond according to biblical principles. This discernment isn’t automatic, but it is available to all believers who “try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:10; James 1:5). And the best way to know what pleases God is to read His Word. When we resolve to honor the Lord in all we do, say, and think, it transforms the way we make decisions. Instead of following natural instincts or…

The Bible is God’s Word, so does He still want to speak to us personally? The answer is yes, and there are several reasons why. First, His guidance is a necessity for our lives. In Scripture, we see the Lord giving specific directions to His servants, and we often forget that we, too, need His instructions. Second, we rely on the Lord’s power just as much as the Israelites. We all have “Red Sea” experiences, when we don’t know where to turn.…

The life and ministry of the American pastor, John Wimber, has had a great influence on many other churches around the world. He said, ‘The ability to hear what God is saying, to see what God is doing, and to move in the realm of the miraculous comes as an individual develops the same intimacy with and dependence upon the Father [as Jesus had].’ How did Jesus do what he did? The answer is found in his relationship with the Father. How…

Walking with someone when you cannot agree on the direction or goal is frustrating, yet that’s exactly what we sometimes try to do with God. In the Scriptures, He gives us guidance for life. But then, when we don’t follow it, we’re surprised to see that He’s walking in a different direction than we are. Scripture uses the term “walk” to describe the course of a person’s life. For instance, Noah walked with God by having a…

On January 28, 1986, the US Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart seventy-three seconds after takeoff. In a speech of comfort to the nation, President Reagan quoted from the poem “High Flight” in which John Gillespie Magee, a World War II pilot, had written of “the high untrespassed sanctity of space” and the sense of putting out his hand to touch “the face of God.” Although we can’t literally touch God’s face, we sometimes…

Many people today deny the existence of God. But the reason is suppression of the truth, not a lack of evidence. Because the Lord loves mankind, He has revealed Himself in several ways. We know God through ... His creation (Rom. 1:20). By observing the celestial bodies, the earth with its plants and creatures, and the laws of the universe, we must conclude that there is a Creator—such intricate design doesn’t happen accidentally. The order, balance, and beauty…

Six years after beginning what he assumed would be a relatively typical research process that sought to better understand how God transforms people’s lives, researcher George Barna discovered that he had tackled a deeply challenging and amazingly revealing journey. The product of his effort was the ability to identify some of the developmental processes, experiences, and obstacles that are common across the lives of Americans of all backgrounds. He contends that while…

In today’s reading, David asked, “Where can I go from Your Spirit?” (Psalm 139:7). The more he pondered the possibilities, the more he realized the answer is “nowhere.” God is present everywhere and at all times. This reality causes people to react in one of two ways—some find it a great comfort while others are filled with dread. People who don’t know the Lord may think that He’s always judging their every move. But for those…