Light of The World

You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. —James 1:3–4 When a mother eagle teaches an eaglet to fly, she will very unceremoniously kick it out of the nest, which is usually ninety feet or more above the ground. As the little bird is falling, she will wait until it almost hits the ground. Then she will swoop down, pick it up, put it back into the nest, and kick it out again. She will do this again and again. After a while, that little eaglet starts using its wings. Now, this may seem like a cruel way to teach something, but that is how eagles learn to fly. Sometimes God will kick you out of your nest. You might be in a comfort zone in which everything is going the way you want it to. Then the Lord will say, "It's time for you to grow up. It's time for you to stretch your faith. It's time for you to spread your wings."...

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. —James 4:13–14 The Bible doesn't condemn the person who makes plans for the future. Rather, it criticizes the person who makes those plans with no thought whatsoever for the will of God. That is a dangerous thing to do. God won't share His glory with another. There is nothing wrong with making plans. Paul told the believers in Ephesus that he would return for renewed ministry among them, "God willing" (Acts 18:21). He wrote to the Corinthians that he planned another visit "if the Lord willed" (1 Corinthians 4:19). On other occasions, Paul spoke of his plans to do certain things and how the Lord changed his plans. We have our plans. We have our purposes. We have our agend...

Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord. —Psalm 144:15 A distraught, miserable man was looking for help and sought the counsel of a liberal minister. Looking at the unhappy condition of the man, the minister said, "Just forget about those things. Why don't you go see that famous comedian who's appearing at a local comedy club? I hear that he's keeping everyone in stitches. Go listen to him, and you'll forget how miserable you feel." After a moment of silence, the man said, "I am that comedian." What is happiness? I think the world's version of it is quite different than the Bible's version. The happiness of this world depends on circumstances. If you are in good health, the bills are paid, and things are going well, then according to the world's philosophy, you are happy. But if someone cuts you off on the freeway, or if something else goes wrong, then suddenly you are unhappy. Your happiness hinges on what is happening at a giv...

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. —Matthew 18:19–20 No question about it, when Christians get together and pray, things will happen. It is good to join forces with other believers. But let's not misunderstand. It doesn't mean that if two Christians agree to pray together that God will give them a Learjet, God will answer their prayers. What Jesus was saying is that if two people get their wills in alignment with the will of God, agree together in that area, and keep praying about it, then they will see results. That is why we need to pray with our Christian friends. That is why we need to call up people and say, "Let's pray about this together." That is why Christians need to be involved in church. If you want to grow spiritually, then you must be a part of a congregation...

He said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words." —Daniel 10:12 An interesting story in the Old Testament book of Daniel offers us a rare, behind-the scenes look at what happens when we pray. The Bible tells us that Daniel was praying and that his prayer reached heaven. God heard Daniel's prayer and dispatched an angel with a special message for Daniel. But the angel who was sent from heaven was held up for twenty-one days because he was engaged in spiritual warfare with a powerful demon spirit. As a result, God dispatched Michael the archangel. (You might say that Michael is a head honcho among angels.) Michael was sent, who overruled the demon power, and the answer eventually was brought to Daniel. But it took twenty-one days for the answer to get there. Sometimes when God doesn't answer our prayers as quickly as ...