“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:23 Forgiveness Will Free You After Jesus rose from the dead, He spoke today’s Scripture to His disciples. When you retain someone’s sin, you hold on to it. God was saying that when you hold on to the wrongs people have done to you, the poison contaminates you. When you don’t forgive, the sin you retain that hurt you—that bitterness, anger, hatred, or criticalness—can produce the same results in you. It can be v ..read more

  Son Power at Work The late Dr. Bill Bright once wrote, “The more we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide and control our lives, the more Christ’s character will shine in what we say and do.”(1) That’s what I want for my life, for the Son to be shining in all that I say and do. My Heart’s Goal I frequently begin my day by asking our heavenly Father to direct my heart toward his grace and love. I want my heart to be prepared so that I am ready to have communion with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit knows the mind of God, and he is the deliverer of all that God desires ..read more

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. Psalm 92:12–14 Fresh and Green If you want to stay passionate and flourishing, you have to stay productive. You have to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. When you’re not producing, you’re not growing. When you quit being productive, you start slowly dying. Don’t let a disappointment, a h ..read more

  Jesus Christ Is Our Power Picture the sun rising on a beautiful, clear morning. We see it slowly peeking out over the horizon, as time passes it becomes more noticeable, the heat increases, the light becomes stronger until it is fully visible, a ball of light casting its intense glow over everything. The earth awakens each day to this light; plants grow and life is sustained. In much the same way, the Son rises in our heart. We accept him into our life and he progressively overcomes the darkness of our old life, a life without him and full of self. As bits of this darkness are forced ..read more

But whenD aniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10 Lion Proof Daniel was serving the king of Persia and was noted as having an excellent spirit and great wisdom. He consistently maintained his faith while living in a foreign land and refused to waver even when the king issued a decree that no one could pray to anyone but him. Despite the threats ..read more

                                 Son Power is Anchored in God’s Word The Word of God is like a diamond; it has many facets. Its applications are numerous. It is living and powerful, and it works in those who receive and trust in it as God’s revealed will for us. We can read passages multiple times, and depending on our needs at the moment, we can discover a new or different application that speaks to our heart and specific situation. Once we enter into a relationship with God, an expanded viewpoint of how h ..read more

  “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” Zechariah 4:7 Keep Your Vision in Front of You In Ezra 4, Zerubbabel was leading the Israelites who had returned from exile in rebuilding the temple. He laid the foundation, but then enemies came against him and forced him to stop. For ten years no work was done. Then the prophet Zechariah told him to get the capstone, which was reserved to be the last piece of stone t ..read more

  A True Desire for Experiencing Son Power As you consider your desire for experiencing Son Power, is it fueled by intentionality? Is your desire a wish or is it actually a goal that you are willing to pursue? Are you simply thinking about the power of God in your life, or are you truly positioning yourself to experience it? I’ve met many people who have wishes for their lives. They are waiting for something to happen. To me, a true desire is something we are willing to work for. I am not talking here about earning God’s favor, I am addressing the need for ..read more

  “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah 48:10 Refined The Scripture talks about the “furnace of affliction,” where you could either give up and get sour or you can say, “God, I’ll show You what I’m made of. I’ll forgive those who hurt me. I’ll keep believing even though it looks impossible. I’ll stay in faith even though it was unfair.” When you pass those tests, something is deposited inside that nothing can take away. There is a trust, a confidence, a knowing that c ..read more

  Prerequisites for Experiencing Son Power Everyone experiences sun power on a daily basis, but not everyone experiences Son power. God’s Word reveals to us that certain steps are necessary in order to experience the full power of Jesus Christ. Failure to understand these steps and properly apply them will short circuit the Son Power working in our lives. Step #1: Experiencing Spiritual Birth All things related to our relationship with God begin with spiritual birth. Jesus tells us that one must be “born again” to see the kingdom of God (see John 3:1-18). Those who believe and tru ..read more