You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44 (NKJV) When I was a paramedic, I had to learn how to walk onto the scene of horrible accidents and not freak out. Surrounded by pain and death, it was all too easy to make wrong decisions that would cost lives. But I learned that if I could clear my head, I would make right decisions even under immense pressure.   In your life, …

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24 (NKJV) Contrary to popular belief, God can’t burst on the scene and do whatever He wants. Why? Because He gave authority to the human race. That’s why prayer is so crucial. When we pray, we allow God to work through us to accomplish His will on the planet. When it comes to prayer, the devil’s number one tactic is to keep you from believing and accessing what’s already yours. He wants you to think you must beg a reluctant God or work hard and make everything happen yourself. Either way, if you don’t believe you have access to an incredible inheritance, you’ll …

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Ephesians 6:14 (NLT) Yesterday we saw how the enemy wants to bring negative chance occurrences into our lives, while God wants to bring life-giving occurrences.  When something negative happens in your life, it puts pressure on you to rush into wrong decisions. This happens all the time in sports. One team pushes the other into a corner until someone passes to the wrong person or shoots when they shouldn’t—and an entire game can change.   That’s what Satan tries to do with his kind of chance occurrences. As the father of lies, he will try to use these happenings to plant thoughts that pressure you, bring fear and cause you …

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise… but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 (AMPC) Today’s verse is interesting. It shows us that no matter who’s faster, stronger or wiser, in a way all of us are on an equal playing field. Why? Because time and chance happen to everyone.   Now, it’s obvious that nobody can stop time. But what does this verse mean by “chance”? In the Greek, it’s the word “pega,” which means a sudden occurrence.   Have you ever had anything happen in your life out of the blue? Maybe things were going well, when all of a sudden, …

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NLT) What is the highest compliment you can give someone? It’s not admiring someone’s hair or saying something flattering about their kids. The answer might surprise you: it’s seeing someone as precious enough that you share Jesus with them in some way.   Penn Jillette, the famous atheist magician of the Las Vegas magic-act duo, Penn and Teller, was approached by a businessman who shared the Gospel with him. Instead of mocking him, Penn took it as a compliment that the man cared enough about him to share his faith with him. He later …