Grace is the atmosphere in which human beings grow and blessing is the strategy for human productivity.

While there may be some sinful patterns passed down from your forebears, there is something much greater that has been passed down to you – the generational blessing!

While there may be some sinful patterns passed down from your forebears, there is something much greater that has been passed down to you – the generational blessing!

This is a term that defines a certain kind of blessing – one which flows from one generation to the next.

Jeremiah prophesied: “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them” (Jeremiah 10:14, ESV).

All of those things – the value of a devotional life, the knowledge that I belonged to God, the importance of a moral life – are important and good.

Christ didn’t come to give us a modified Old Covenant – He ushered in a New Covenant! It is utterly new and altogether better than the Old.

If the message of the Gospel is in any way clouded by a message of shame, then people will avoid church at all costs. If, however, there is a church that proclaims eternal truth and mystery in the context of utter love and acceptance, that church will find the world at its door.

Religious shame comes in the form of “you ought to.” You ought to go to church more. You ought to pray more. You ought to read your Bible more. You ought to do more for the poor. You ought to have more faith. You ought to, you ought to, you ought to – it’s enough to give you what my friend Dudley Hall calls “the hardening of the oughteries”!

You can’t control people and you can’t make them change, but you can be used by God to help them grow.

It’s not wrong to want someone to change. If you love someone, you want him/her to grow. To grow means to change.

Have you ever reached a mountaintop, and, the next day, felt lower than ever?

God has a journey for you still to take. Even if you’ve reached a great pinnacle, He has more in the future for you.

Jesus isn’t only the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world; He’s also the scapegoat who has born our shame.

No matter what family brokenness you’ve experienced on earth, you’re no orphan in Christ. You’re an heir.

True, godly conviction is a sweet gift of liberty guiding you back to the Father.

There’s a huge difference between shame and godly conviction.

The more that you trust Jesus to cover your shame, the less energy you have to spend trying to cover it yourself.

We change when the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of changing!

If you have experienced dishonor and shame, you can forgive and you can be healed. Every wound can be healed.

Sometimes, when your offender hasn’t apologized, it’s healing to receive a confession from another person. No matter your wounds, it’s possible to forgive and move on

The love of God sets you free. Ask God to expose the traps of shame that keep surfacing in your mind, then look upon Jesus’ smiling face. Listen to your Savior’s voice. “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.”

Until the gospel of grace uproots the lies of shame, our souls are tortured with angst. For some, it leads to a life of perfectionism. For others, it leads to a life of rebellion. Either way, the soul knows no real rest.

If you want your prayer life to be a joy rather than a chore, all you have to do is get in touch with the love of God in your heart.

The love of God is the power of God. So, when you have God’s love, you have God’s power.

God wants to grant you the desires of your heart. All you have to do is get in touch with your heart’s desires and bring them to God!

By God’s grace, your desires can become what God already desires!

If Christ intercedes for you and He lives in you, then you have an ongoing prayer partner in Jesus!

When we listen to God, we know what He wants and, when we know what He wants, our prayers become exceedingly powerful.

Prayer isn’t just about you talking to God – it’s about God talking to you!

One of the simplest, most powerful ways to “pray in the Spirit” is to pray God’s Word.

Powerful prayer is always “in the Spirit.” And, one of the surest ways to “pray in the Spirit” is to pray God’s Word.

Praying in the power of the Spirit isn’t a privilege for a few, extra-mature Christians; praying in the Spirit is for every Christian.

The power of your prayer life isn’t rooted in your eloquence or even your determination; the power of your prayer life is in the Holy Spirit.

Peace is more than the absence of conflict—it is the presence of well-being in the midst of conflict.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. - Romans 12:16-18

Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. (Ps 133:3 NLT)

Tell them not to speak evil of anyone but to live in peace with others. They should be gentle and polite to everyone. (Titus 3:2)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. -Matthew 5:9

What are you really focused on? Overcoming worry is more about changing your vision and focus than it is changing your circumstances.

Like Daniel who emerged triumphant from the lions’ den by God’s grace, you’re certain to emerge from your trials because God still shuts the mouth of the roaring lion.

As God shut the mouths of the lions in the den with Daniel, He silences the roar of the lion, the Accuser, who seeks to devour you with condemnation.

When the Babylonian tyrant threw Daniel’s friends into the fiery furnace, they not only emerged unharmed – they didn’t even smell of smoke!

When you have to say no to the idols of this world, God can deliver you from whatever persecution may arise.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s plan of making the fire hotter and hotter only served to kill his own minions. His plan backfired on him—literally.

Do not despair. Grieve, pray, work hard, speak out, do as the Lord leads you to do good in this world, but do not despair. Instead, rejoice in the Lord always!

The Kingdom of God is invisible but invincible. It is unnoticed by masses but is unshakable for eternity.

Open your heart to the Revealer of Mysteries. Open your heart to the only one who truly knows you, to the one who knows all things.

Every single Christian can hear from God and be led by the Spirit. Wisdom from God is yours for the asking.

When Daniel was exiled to Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar assigned a new, pagan name to the erudite man of God. But Daniel never accepted the label.

It’s frustrating, unwise and dangerous when we call something by the wrong name. If someone is called by the wrong name and believes it, destiny is disrupted.

The enemy of your soul wants to name you. Hell wants to label you. But only God can call you by the right name. You’re His child.

The book of Daniel is a great place to look for answers to Christ and culture questions.

If you ever feel like the culture has changed so much that you’re like an alien – take heart. God has a way of showing favor to people like Daniel, and you.

The world has changed so much that it might seem sometimes like you are a foreigner in your own culture. But take heart. The hand of the Lord is upon you. He can show you favor in a foreign land.

Seeing Disappointment through Jesus' Eyes

You can’t control people and you can’t make them change.