February 2015

Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth, after losing his wife Polly and his son George within two years of each other said, “It seems to me as if I had had a thousand road engines come over my life to break me up like a potter’s vessel. There is no other way into the deep things of God but a broken spirit.” WOW! In the midst of great loss, his perspective remained on target. He learned that, “enduring faith is built in the fire of trials.” Romans 5:3-6 tells us, “We have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts.” If you have suffered loss or feel broken today, let me encourage you: God is near to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). He is…

It’s not common these days to listen to hymns. Our worship culture has shifted to use more contemporary songs in churches, and many of them I truly love. Still, there remains a special place in my heart for “old” songs. They represent the wells dug by a former generation, a people hungry for more of God to be visible in and through them so that they could reach their world. One example of this is “Love Divine,” by Charles Wesley. It’s fourth verse goes like this: “Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in Thee; Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love and praise.” What a beautiful picture this song paints of the Bride of Christ! Pure and spotless, saved by grace,…

“I have prayed for you… that your faith may not fail.” ~ Luke 22:32 The only way that we as believers can receive anything from God is by faith. The Word of God is clear that a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways, and “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7).” This is why Jesus told Simon, “I’ve prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” He knew that the devil was sifting Simon like wheat, meaning that he was being vigorously shaken by thoughts and experiences. You’ve felt that before, haven’t you? Circumstances come from time to time that shake us. We question ourselves, others – even God! We become unstable in our thinking, and it seems that our prayers stop at the ceiling. We can’t prevent sifting from taking place, but we can determine how we will respond to the…