Passover, the feast at which Jesus was crucified and rose again, begins tomorrow.  So, this seems like a good time to confess that for years I thought that Jesus cursing the fig tree was random. It seemed totally unrelated to the narrative. I’m embarrassed by this because . . .

14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ Acts 22:14-16 NIV

Read the above verse and inserted your name. Do you see how God's . . .

I was living life on my own terms, without regard for the Lord. However, when I was in distress, I would pray to Him . . . and He would answer. Why would God answer someone who treated Him like a vending machine? . . . .

My heart burned within me. I longed to be on my knees at the altar, telling Jesus all the words burning in my bones. But the guest preacher kept talking. I wondered if I should dispense with decorum and just dash up there. Jesus would understand.

Finally, he opened the altar. Immediately, . . .

God speaks to me in images. Often He will give me a picture or a short, internal, video clip as I am praying for someone. Most of the time, He will tell me what it means or give the interpretation to my prayer partner. But what if He doesn’t? . . .

 This is the assignment of a lifetime for Ananias. God called Ananias to set aside his fear of a Saul, a known persecutor of the church, and partner with God to do something great. God asked Ananias to go pray for someone he greatly feared.

How many things do we miss because of fear? . . . .

Why are women always pawns in the schemes of men?

This was my question to the Lord after reading about King David asking for his first wife, Michal, back. Michal had been married off to another man . . .

Imagine for a moment that you live in a country without a police force or a court system. How is justice administered?

This was the case in ancient Israel. In God’s economy, . .

 Do you get depressed reading the book of Judges? I did.

Judges describes Israel’s dismal cycle of rebellion, oppression and repentance, over and over again. The nation of Israel would forget about God and . . .

Ever heard the one about the Divine Clockmaker? It is the theory that God created the world, set it in motion, and then took His hands off. It is like a clockmaker wound up a clock, let it run and walked away. The implication is that God is detached, uninvolved in our day-to-day lives. Evil flourishes because God chooses not to intervene.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Before God . . .

Do you have a prayer corner, with candles and ambiance? My friend has an awesome one. She set-up her home office as a small prayer chapel. A beautifully ornate cross is centered on her bookshelf. She has soft lighting, worship music and colorful pillows. A sense of peace fills . . .

I have narrowed all the promises of God down to 8, the number of new beginnings. In this new year of new beginnings, I plan to declare these promises over myself, my family, and the whole body of Christ. If you like my list, I encourage you to print it off and join me. Better yet, make your own list of declarations for the new year.

1-    Renewed Joy in Him

I declare that . . .