Recent Articles
Remember
Remember? If you're going through a relationship crises, remembering may be a painful thing. Seeing an old photo or driving by a location may cause you to remember a time when things were better in your relationship. Remembering even these good times can be a painful experience in the light of your current crises. And then there are those other memories. The painful memories of conflict, of … [Read More...]
Who would be there when it all goes away?
Imagine if you were sitting in your most comfortable chair in your house, surrounded by loved ones and time suddenly sped up around you and years went by like seconds. You and your chair stayed in place while around you in a blur you saw things change. In less than a minute your loved ones where gone, your pets gone. Soon in a few minutes the house itself went away in a crumbling wave. When … [Read More...]
Hot on your Heels
What's coming up fast chasing you? Monsters? Your past failures? Bill collectors? Family members? Well, if you're in Christ, the Word of God makes it clear something very Good is coming up fast behind you. Isaiah 51:11 Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing … [Read More...]
Throw off the Weights- Spending time with the Lord
If you're like me, your time is consumed by all the busy ways of modern life, work, chores, events, family. I really don't spend enough time with the Lord to listen to Him and read His word in the Bible. But this is something we must do. It is a matter of priority. If you are a believer in Christ, then by Christ we are the daughter and sons of God, and we are commanded to spend time with … [Read More...]
A new play: The Marriage Conspiracy
From michaelsewell.com: The Marriage Conspiracy, opened to enthusiastic reviews! It's being called "The Screwtape Letters" for marriage. The thoughts and insights from God's Word are illustrated in such a way that people are still meditating on them weeks later. Viewers are reporting back that they are thinking of their vows in a whole new way, and are fighting with new zeal to have the … [Read More...]
God’s Will and the Worry of Making Decisions
You want God's will, but it's not always clear what His will is. So you worry about making the wrong decision. Sound familar? Listen to this short audio message that offers some freedom right from God's word: God's Will and Making Decisions (mp3) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths … [Read More...]
Focus in the Right Place – Audio Message
David's Psalm 38 teaches us some big lessons about how we can get ourselves into a worried, depressed state by where we focus our mind on. Take a two minute break and listen to this short message: Focus On God (MP3 Audio) … [Read More...]
Immanuel – Christ is with us during divorce pain at Christmas
Are you hurting due to divorce, separation, or estrangement from your spouse during the holidays? Greg Laurie's message "Immanuel" speaks the truth that Christ is with us and knows first hand the pain and loneliness of estrangement. Listen to Immanuel (MP3) > Greg-Laurie-God-Is-With-Divorced-and-Lonely-People … [Read More...]
Remember your destination
Imagine you are a child on a long difficult car trip on a very bumpy road. Now imagine you didn't know where you were going. That would be hard. But then picture the same scene, long trip and a bumpy road, but you knew you were going to see your grandparents. Their house was filled with all sorts of goodies, lovingly prepared for you. You didn't know when you were going to get there, but you … [Read More...]
When you can’t see . . . hope
Sometimes we read that the Lord is with us and and will help us, but things get worse and we don't see the reality of these words. In the bible, Job, who went through many trials, also felt this too. He said of God: When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. Job 23:9 Listen to this short message of encouragement, for God is at … [Read More...]
God wants to bless you more
It's easy when we're going through trials to think that God is mad at us. The reality is is God wants to bless you, and he'll give you more than you ask for. Listen to this short message: God wants to bless us more than we ask (mp3) … [Read More...]
Bow down so He can lift you up
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 4:10 Have you ever been in situation where you have to rely on the Lord? Where there's no human way out? Well, I'm in one of those situations now. I look around me and it seems like there's no hope. But I know this. The Lord is the one who brought me into this world. And this is one of those times where I just have to get low … [Read More...]
He knows the way that I take
Is your future uncertain? Do you wake up in the night playing out the scenarios and none seem good? If you trust in Jesus, God holds your future securely in His hands and will work them out for your ultimate good. Listen to this short audio message of comfort: He knows the way that I take (mp3) Referenced scriptures: Job 23:10, Psalms 139 … [Read More...]
On Empty? You’re ready for God to use.
God uses us when we are on empty and at our wits end. This has been the pattern for millennia. Take for example the prophet Elijah, who after a great victory ran from overwhelming troubles against overwhelming odds. Elijah thought he was alone, but he learned "one plus God is a majority." Are your feeling empty and that you've run out of resources? Listen to J Vernon McGee's … [Read More...]
Our role in the salvation of our loved ones
I'm sure you have loved ones, perhaps a family member, who you want to come to the Lord. Here's a quick two minute audio message on some importent things to remember about God's mercy, his salvation and our role in prayer and forgiveness. Our Important Role as Intercessor in Salvation (mp3) … [Read More...]
A Word of Encouragement
Are you low? Does this statement resonate with you? "For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draws close unto the grave." Psalm 88 begins with this statement, and it clearly written by someone pouring out their heart to God in a time of deep despair and affliction. But there is a word of encouragement in this Psalm. I invite you to listen to this three minute audio message on how this … [Read More...]
Remember what God has done for you
Yes, I'm in the midst of another crises - this one of employment and career. There are many pressures and worries that are attacking my mind and many hurts that have cut my heart. However, the fact remains is God is in control and he loves us. It's good during these times to remember all the ways God has come through for us in the past. This time is no exception. Consider this Psalm of … [Read More...]
Putting on the full armor of God – everyday
My friend LA Marzulli has a great mini-sermon about taking seriously a critical element of the Christian life - putting the full armor of God. We are living in a fallen world, full of all kinds of influences and attacks, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Keeping Ephesians 6:13-17 in mind everyday is critical, and having peace in the daily chaos is possible! Listen to this brief audio- LA … [Read More...]
God sees your mission is done even though you are still waiting
What does your unanswered prayer have to do with a space mission? The recent successful landing of JPL's Curiosity mission on Mars demonstrated a similar principal in the Bible- success can already have happened even though we are still waiting for it. Confused? Read on . . Since it takes radio waves 14 minutes to reach Earth from Mars right now, the Mars mission control at JPL in Pasadena … [Read More...]
Dad, are we there yet?
We have to do a lot of waiting in this life. We wait for loved ones to come to the Lord. We wait for reconciliation. We wait for God to improve us. This waiting is is part of God's way to mature us: "When you are going to play with me?" "Not yet. Not until I finish this report." Fifteen seconds later the child asks the same question, this time with a tone of voice that can drive you mad. But … [Read More...]
Hope from your failure
The sting of failure hurts. In relationships, in our career, in ministry there is often failure. The harder we work, or the more we pray, it seems the more we can miss the mark. Then there are the expectations we have of burdens and hopes we've prayed months or years about only to see things not progress or even get worse. Dear ones, everyone experiences this discouragement, and including the … [Read More...]
Your pain is part of a bigger picture
We are often so focused on our own family and relationship problems, that we only see them in our own personal terms and hurts. But God sees marriage rejection and splits as part of a bigger picture. This picture is very big, and involves His relationship with humankind. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is … [Read More...]
Pray with the right motives
Are you praying for your loved one? Yes? Excellent. But the Lord convicted me of something recently. You see, my prayer for my loved one was often focused more on myself. "I want our relationship restored." "I want her to have the joy of salvation." "I want . . . . " You get the picture. It is so important to continue to pray for marriage restoration, but we need to pray with God's … [Read More...]
Mother’s Day Testimonies
Rejoice Marriage Ministries published some touching testimonies from women and men who are trusting Christ to heal their marriages. http://rejoiceministries.org/mothersday.php … [Read More...]
This Momentary Marriage
Desiring God produced this short documentary about the love story between Ian and Larissa Murphy. Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically; it is mainly about displaying the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Being united to Christ by faith is a … [Read More...]
He’s greater than you
John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." Not only is Christ greater than the world around us, He is greater than ourselves in our weakness. He is building a new person inside of us; a new person and yes a new personality. So as we stumble at times in our lives with broken relationships … [Read More...]
Don’t take the easy way out
The Lord spoke a strong word tonight via a sermon he directed me to. David Wilkerson's "Standing Steadfast in Christ" spoke about not seeking the easy way out. As the Lord shows us in scripture through nature, those who choose to avoid conflict, people and the inevitable fires of life will suffer spiritual apathy. It's clear my trials at work and at home most be met head on with the grace of … [Read More...]
End of Your Loneliness
Loneliness is pervasive and deeply painful for many, no matter if they are divorced or married. Ironically, the lonely are a great company. John T. Cacioppo of the University of Chicago found that almost 25% of Americans feel chronically lonely. Above this authority, God Himself so identified the pain of loneliness it was the first thing in His creation He saw as flawed. In Genesis 2:18 He … [Read More...]
Mourning the Loss of Eden – Looking Forward to Something Better
Songwriter Brandon Heath's 2011 album Leaving Eden describes a very real thing all of us go through who have suffered the loss of our hopes and dreams at the hand of our own sin and that of others. We tend to look upon our own losses, such as divorce and separation, as "our own thing" a private pain unique to us. However, what we need to see is that our loss is a part of the overall human loss … [Read More...]
David Wilkerson Passes Into Life
It is with a mixture of present sadness and hope that we acknowledge the passing of David Wilkerson into the arms of Jesus, leaving this world due to an automobile crash. We continue to lift his family and his wife Gwen. David remains a man whose heart for the hurting, addicted, and lost touches me deeply in my continuing walk. Christ used my personal and marriage crises to bring me close, and … [Read More...]
When the Ship Sinks by David Wilkerson
In "When the Boat Sinks" David Wilkerson talks about when Paul's ship to Rome sinks. The Lord will sometimes allow the thing we fear to happen - the divorce, the health crises, the death of a loved one. Yet like Paul's ship, the very breakup is a vehicle the Lord uses to spread His salvation. From Paul's ship sinking came a series of miracles: no people on the ship died, they all made it safely … [Read More...]
God Will Restore All Your Wasted Years by David Wilkerson
You have wasted years. These may be years spent with the pain and regrets of broken relationships, years wasted in drugs or alcohol, or years wasted where you were far from God and not the husband or wife you should have been. Within these wasted years your life was eaten up by worms of sin, addiction, sadness, and brokenness. Joel 1:4 What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have … [Read More...]
Faith in the Waiting Room by Alistair Begg
Waiting for God to reconcile a relationship, to change another's heart, to save a lost loved one, or to heal a sickness can be the most trying experience of your life. It is compounded by the voices of "reason" which are all around you among family, in the church. They say "Why wait? Get on with your life. Move on. Did God really tell you that he will restore?" God wants more than anything … [Read More...]
Is Your God Big Enough? Stand Firm by Charlyne Steinkamp
If you have accepted Christ as your salvation, you are trusting Him to save you from death. But are you trusting Him with your life? You may say "There is no hope for my marriage - my spouse just keeps on rejecting. It is impossible. If you could only see how messed up things are" This is a lie. The word of God clearly teaches that God loves marriage, hates divorce, and can do the impossible, … [Read More...]
God Must Change You First!
It is easy to point the finger at another person in a marriage crises or divorce, but God wants to change you. It is not our own effort that will change us. We may have no more human love to give, being too hurt for too long. However, if you have Christ you have all His Love that can flow through you. This Love is not like the old human love, but is the pure sweet Love of God himself that … [Read More...]
Man’s Hour of Darkness is God’s Hour of Power by David Wilkerson
Man’s Hour of Darkness is God’s Hour of Power by David Wilkerson Description: The hour of God's power manifests at the end of man's resources. God is pleased to wait until all striving and human effort cease and your situation calls for nothing less than a miracle. God knows the day and the exact hour that He will intervene. In the midst of these dark seasons while we are waiting for … [Read More...]
Darkness for Us is the Beginning of Light for the Lord
To understand God and His ways is to see great hope even in the time of darkness when you see no hope. The pattern first and foremost of God is to always bring His Light out of our darkness if we only trust in what Christ did for us on the cross. This pattern starts with Christ himself. In Mark 15 we see at the moment of his death upon the cross three hours of literal complete darkness that … [Read More...]
In Christ There’s a New Person Coming Out in Them and You
The Lord is powerful enough to save those who are lost. He is sufficient to bring our unsaved family members to Christ! Hbr 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Today I was reminded that the improvement and softening we see from time to time when the Lord is working on a family member who does not yet know … [Read More...]
God Can Fix Anything by David Wilkerson
In one of the most pivotal sermons on divorce, including the epidemic divorce rate in the church, David Wilkerson stresses the truth that God can do the impossible, especially healing and restoring to life marriages that are utterly dead. He notes that too often neither parties in a broken marriage really want it fixed, but if one partner will stand on God's promises and not give up, God in time … [Read More...]
A Time to Weep and a Time to Fight by David Wilkerson
A Time to Weep and a Time to Fight by David Wilkerson From SermonIndex.net:Description: God will never leave His people without answers. In these times of sudden calamity the initial response may be fear, but we must trust that God has everything under control. He has a million ways to solve our problems. Usually in these times God is the only one that can give us answers. We must turn off … [Read More...]
Who is our First Love?
So who is our First Love? Do I believe that Christ Loves us like he says in his Word? Our answer to these questions is central in our marriage crises. I'm convinced that the more we draw closer to Jesus over the long-term the more he will work in our spouses, even when they are separated from us. I really believe one lesson he is teaching us is to accept Him as the First Love in our … [Read More...]
Day by Day Faith through the Ups and Down
Most people who have chosen to stand in faith that Christ can heal their marriage will tell you that there will be times when you see small or even big miracles only to be followed by what seem like crushing defeats. The Bible makes it clear that journeys of faith, trusting in God, start with just that: a trust in God, but not in signs or things that happen such as behaviors in prodigal … [Read More...]
Never Give Up and Never Stop Praying
It is easy to give up on your prodigal when they give you no reason to hope for reconciliation. But remember your faith is not in them, but the God who made them and knows all about them, you, and all the details of your situation. God in his infinite mercy allows us to participate in His work via prayer. Christ told the situation of a widow who petitioned a mean judge continually. She … [Read More...]
Waiting for Salvation of a Loved One?
Are you waiting and praying for a loved one, perhaps your prodigal spouse, to come to saving knowledge of Christ? Here is something from my journal that may be of help: -------------- Tonight, the Lord really spoke to me, and I got a glimpse of the joy in heaven that is occurring already in advance. When my spouse comes to know the Lord there will be a great celebration of heaven. The … [Read More...]
Don’t be afraid of your spouse, but trust the Lord
Last night I asked the Lord just before I went to bed "is there anything in here you have for me?" He took me right to this passage: Isaiah 51 12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; 13 And forgettest THE LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and … [Read More...]
