“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) God’s dream for your life is exponentially bigger than any dream you could come up with. Why? Because it’s eternally significant. There are a lot of dreams you could have that may seem big, but they wouldn’t be significant. You could dream of being a millionaire by a certain age, but for what purpose? Do you think God put you on this planet to live for yourself? Of course not! God’s dream for your life is bigger than your dream. Ephesians 3:20 says, “God can ..read more

“[God] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) When you believe in Jesus, you get God’s strength for daily living. I used to think this wasn’t a big deal. But I’ve realized that for most people, the number one problem in life isn’t worry or fear or guilt or bitterness. Their number one problem is weariness. People tell me all the time, “I’m just so tired all the time. I can’t get it all done. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” The reason why you’re tired all the time is you have a power shortage. And the reason you have a power shortage ..read more

“Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Colossians 1:16 (MSG) When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, you learn God’s purpose for your life. Most people don’t know the purpose of their lives. They think they know what they want or what is best for them. But if you haven’t surrendered to Christ, then you can’t know why you were created and what you’re here on earth for. And if you don’t know your purpose, you end up drifting through life. You get bounced around. You don’t control anything, really, because your circumstances end up controlling you. No one wants to live ..read more

“When will you ever learn that ‘believing’ is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.” James 2:20 (TLB) Is faith simply a frame of mind? Some see it that way—as a passive attribute of a Christian waiting to see what God has in store for them: a promotion, cancer, depression, betrayal, blessing, wealth, or injustice. They might say, “I’ll just wait to see what God is going to do for me and go with the flow.” But that’s foolish talk. Faith is active, not passive. It’s a commitment. Look at your lifestyle, and see what kinds of a ..read more

“‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” John 6:5-6 (NIV) Do you remember the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish? I think it’s amazing that, out of 5,000 people, it seems only one person brought a lunch. I’m thinking a lot of people were hiding picnic baskets under their robes because they didn’t want to share with anybody else. But one little boy offered the bread and fish he packed for his lunch. He gave Jesus what little he had, and God used it to ..read more

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:7 (NLT) God wants you to focus on growing, sowing, and going in faith. First, God wants you to grow in faith. He doesn’t want you to be a spiritual baby. The Bible says in Colossians 2:7: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (NLT). God also wants you to sow in faith ..read more

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT) Faith is a powerful force. It unlocks the promises of God. It shows us the power of God. It turns dreams into reality. And it gives us the power to hold on in tough times. God doesn’t always take you out of the problem. He stretches your faith by taking you through the problem. He doesn’t always take away the pain. He gives you faith-filled ability to handle th ..read more

“Glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Through faith, God-given dreams become reality. Nothing happens until dreams and faith start working together! The Bible is full of people who had God-given dreams. Abraham dreamed of being the father of a great nation. Moses dreamed of setting God’s people free. Joseph dreamed of saving a nation and his own family. Throughout Scripture, all kinds of people were inspiring d ..read more

“Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.” Acts 4:29 (GNT) We all have fears. Too often, though, we let them rule over our lives; we let them stop us from taking a stand for what we know God wants us to do. Like Daniel standing in the lion’s den, we face people and situations that threaten to destroy us and our witness for Christ. But we have a choice: Will we succumb to our fears, or will we stand up for God in spite of those fears? If you want to overcome the fears that are dragging you down, you need to clearly ..read more

“If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.” Matthew 6:15 (GNT) If you are unwilling to forgive someone and you don’t want God to forgive them either, that reveals bitterness and resentment in your life. If you want someone else to be punished but you expect forgiveness for the bad things you’ve done, you’ll just make yourself miserable. You’re not hurting them; you’re only hurting yourself. Jesus said, “If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done” (Matthew 6:15 GNT). Forgiveness involves your past ..read more