Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20, ESV). At work, expecting a year-end bonus, how many times did it exceed our expectations? Sometimes an event does exceed what we thought — a restaurant, vacation, job, ministry. […]
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But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him (Psalm 4:3, ESV). Any routine needs variation. With weightlifting (or any other exercise), a continually repeated exercise eventually loses effectiveness. It’s the same with prayer. The solution: change things and vary the routine. Following a new plan can invigorate prayer, allow
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Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13, ESV). Often, during a walk, I compose a mental list of why I believe in God and the Bible. I’m constantly reading both reasons for hope and attacks
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Have you prayed desperately? How did you pray? And how should we pray desperate prayers? Daniel 9 contains one of the most desperate prayers in the Bible. Let’s consider the conclusion of this prayer. . . O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God,
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If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7, ESV) Anything that begins well has a chance of ending well. If something does not begin well, it has no chance of ending well. So, how do we get a good beginning for
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To You, Lord, I lift up my soul. My God, in You I trust (Psalm 25:1-2a, NASB). Our minds think 50,000 thoughts a day. Sometimes, I think most of those happen when I’m praying. I sit in my “devotion” chair, read my Bible, then begin praying, and my mind begins to wander. True confession — I’ve also fallen
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Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Ephesians 3:20, NLT). The word for “power” in the New Testament originates from the Greek word “dunamis.” And yes, we get the word “dynamite” from this word too. In
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To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust (Psalm 25:1-2a, ESV). I’ve prayed often, read many prayers, and listened to others pray for decades. I can summarize the motivations of all the impassioned prayers I’ve heard in three words: Delight, Desire, and Desperation! I’ve prayed from each of these motivations
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All of a sudden there was a bump. It was a hard bump! (Pastor Grant, as quoted on ABC Nightly News.) Before every mission trip, I ask others to pray for myself and my team members for safety and Spirit-filled ministry. As we left on our recent trip to the Philippines, I was looking forward
Since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:15, NLT). There isn’t anything more exciting than God answering a specific prayer. Recently, I was asked to speak on the power of prayer at the weekend services of the
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