It's been said that a picture's worth a thousand words, and that's probably accurate. If you never witnessed a sunset, I could spend hours describing one, and your mental picture might still be inadequate. In the absence of the real thing, it would require a picture for you to appreciate the immensity and beauty of a sunset.
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Spiritual power does not vanish overnight. It is a gradual process that worsens over time as we establish patterns of behavior that grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. This can happen in a variety of ways, but today we will examine four common leaks:
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If you've ever put on a pair of jeans that you haven't worn for months, you may have been surprised by a difference in the way they fit—or maybe they didn't fit at all! Gradual changes can escape your notice, which is why it's important to track your spiritual journey. Sure, there are life-changing moments that produce immediate transformation, but more often change occurs gradually over time.
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Prayer may be the greatest blessing God gives us here on this earth. Each of us has tremendous potential to serve God and others through the ministry of prayer. It's available to every believer, no matter who we are or what our life circumstances. God designed it to bless us beyond all imagining, and yet it is easily within our reach.
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Coronado Island is an idyllic Southern California destination that attracts locals and tourists by the thousands each summer. One popular picnic spot is Spreckels Park, which boasts a sprawling swath of lush green grass, a gazebo, playground equipment, and towering shade trees. There is just one problem: the park is nestled in the center of the nearly 33-square-mile island, directly adjacent to the main thoroughfare and bordered by busy streets ...
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Author Gordon MacDonald tells how a rebuke from a friend saved him—thousands of times over—from hurting others and making a fool of himself. He was in Japan on (ironically) a speaking tour with a close friend of his, a man several years his senior. As he and his friend were walking down a street in Yokohama, the name of one of their mutual friends came up. And Gordon said something ...
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Corrie ten Boom used to recite a little couplet: "Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead." She understood that anxiety is foolish because it concerns that which isn't. It lives in an imaginary future. It deals in speculation and possibility. As long as we dwell on the worst-case scenario, we guarantee our own misery because an extensive catalog of ...
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If you enjoy seeing science validate the teachings of Scripture, search for "health benefits of gratitude" on the Internet. Links to study after study will appear, describing the health benefits—physical and emotional—of living with an "attitude of gratitude."
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Kati Metro, 74, was hiking near Phoenix, Arizona, when she fell, injuring her face, wrist, and hip. A rescue helicopter flew in, and workers strapped her to a stretcher. Unfortunately, the winds were fierce, and a line failed that was supposed to prevent the stretcher from spinning as they pulled it up to the helicopter.
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Most Christians would agree that prayer is an essential spiritual discipline. We know that Scripture tells us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and it promises, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him" (Psalm 145:18). Yet only 55% of Christians "say they rely a lot on prayer and personal religious reflection when making major life decisions."
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