Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Mark 11:22-23 (NLT) God speaks the future before it happens. God repeatedly spoke through the prophets of old, foretelling many details about Jesus—where He would be born, how He would suffer, and how He would die for humanity’s sins. God spoke many prophecies before one of them came to pass. We speak to our futures, too. For example, when someone asks how your year is going, what’s your response? “Well, everything is a mess. It’s …

With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation. Psalms 91:16 (NKJV) The better we get to know and trust God, the less fear controls us. One time, I remember being on a plane taxiing down the runway at full throttle about to liftoff. Without warning, the pilot suddenly aborted take-off and slammed on the brakes. Horrific screams filled the plane. The guy beside me turtled into a ball, terrified. But a mighty peace instantly arose within me that said, “Not today.” When the aircraft stopped, the guy beside me exclaimed, “We almost died!” Now, I’m no better than anybody else, but I replied, “This plane can’t crash—I’m on it!” That might sound overconfident, but as a believer, I’m convinced that today’s …

After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. – Matthew 14:23 (NLT) Relationships require time and effort to flourish and maintain closeness. Many of us remember having crushes in elementary school. Yet years later, the feelings have evaporated, and we can barely remember their names. Why? We stopped hanging around them. In time, we meet and tend to marry someone that we grow and stay closely connected to—someone we continually talk to, date, laugh and share our hearts with. Our relationships with God work the same way. If we stop spending time with God, our hearts begin to grow distant. But if we talk to Him frequently and spend one-on-one time with …

Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy…But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven. – Luke 10:19-20 (NLT) Our prayers reflect our beliefs. Many believers pray from this perspective “I’m just a poor sinner, have mercy on me. God, please do something for me!” But praying this way shows unbelief. We’re begging God for something we don’t believe is already ours. Unfortunately, nonbelievers watch Christians who beg and plead with God and think, “You cry and ask God for healing, and beg for help with your kids, yet nothing changes. Who wants to serve a God like that?” If you’ve given your life to Christ, you’re Heaven-bound at the end of your …

But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time. – Luke 1:20 (NLT) Our words hold incredible power. The story of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, exemplifies how powerful our words are. According to Luke chapter one, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were childless seniors. One day, an angel visited Zechariah unexpectedly to deliver amazing news—they were going to become parents! Even though Zechariah had prayed for a child, he questioned the angel about the chances of this happening. God instantly sealed Zechariah’s mouth, leaving him mute until the promised baby arrived. Why? Because God knew he needed time to align …