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“Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NRSV).

When the fire of the Spirit seems to flicker, what can we do? One of the most practical answers has to do with the importance of the church. The church is far from perfect. Even so, the church is the campfire that God uses to keep us kindled.

Fire is a protective element. The eastern shepherd would surround his fold at night with a wall of fire, keeping the wild beasts out and the sheep safe within. The fire of the Spirit deflects a thousand temptations. He loves you too much to leave you unguarded. So welcome his help. He will purify, refine, energize, and protect.

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For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “property”? Your mind may go to a piece of real estate. But you might also consider “a quality or trait belonging to an individual or thing”; for instance, the property of a certain type of wood that provides insight about it. What is the wood’s texture? How prone is it to shrinkage? Is it water-resistant? In other words, what are the qualities of the wood that you can depend on?

My wife and I attend a church with a traditional feel—corporate prayers, kneeling, Scripture reading, communion. One of the prayers we pray each Sunday holds this phrase: “But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.” Not God’s real estate, but a quality or trait belonging to God—to have mercy not just once in a while but always.

Nehemiah 9 gives us a picture of the Israelites gathered together, fasting, wrapped in sackcloth and ashes (v. 1), confessing their sins and the sins of their ancestors (v. 16). They praised God for His patience in Israel’s history: “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them” (v. 19). God could have put an end to them or abandoned them, but He never did. Why? That’s not God’s property, for He is “a gracious and merciful God” (v. 31).

In our prayers of confession, let’s include praise for that dependable property of God—His mercy.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

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Perhaps the greatest characteristic of fire is this: energy. It is the secret of the electric current. It has empowered countless coal-burning engines and fueled too many stoves to count. Fire combusts. Fire ignites. Fire moves things. And the Spirit? Does he not move us? “You shall receive power,” promised Jesus, “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8 NKJV).

God doesn’t want us to give him our best effort. We don’t try our hardest and then turn to God. We turn to God and trust him to do the work for and in us. The greatest force in the universe will work within you to give you the power you need to become more and more like him. He will make you holy in an instant and make you holier over a lifetime.

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For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

My dear friend Sally wanted to give a birthday party for one of her friends. She knew her friend had been experiencing a tough time, and Sally desired to help lift her spirits. However, Sally was unemployed and didn’t have extra money to purchase food for a nice party. So, she looked in her refrigerator and cabinets to see what was available. She then created a nice spread consisting of many items she’d previously purchased and had in her home.

When Sally shared with me the creative menu she came up with, I thought about the story of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17:7-16). The widow didn’t have much. In fact, she told the prophet Elijah that she was preparing her final scraps of food for herself and her son “and [then] die” of starvation (v. 12). And she only had a small amount of flour and olive oil, just enough for their final meal.

But Elijah ensured the woman that her “jar of flour . . . the jug of oil [would] not run dry” until God sent rain again (v. 14). By trusting in what God revealed through Elijah—even though she didn’t think she had enough—the woman found that God provided what she needed even though her kitchen was barren.

Just like my friend, the widow found what she needed. Following their examples, let’s live generously and rest in God’s provision for us.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Holy Spirit will give you power over the struggle of sin. Many Christians can relate to these words of the apostle Paul: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24 ESV). This sobering confession is the exclamation point on the apostle’s remembrance of his life before he followed Christ. Each day was a day of defeat.

Many people feel the same way today. If that is you, observe what Paul says just a few verses later. Romans 8 is Paul’s great statement of liberation. In contrast to the previous chapter, he speaks of victory and assurance and grace. The difference? Chapter 7 was life under the old law. Chapter 8 is life in the Spirit.

The point? Victory over sin is the result of the presence of God’s Spirit within us.

Read more Help Is Here

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Ever wondered what dancing and effective leadership have in common? It’s all about rhythm. In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing how you can know when to push your people, when to pull them, and when to be patient with them in the process.  

After John’s lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow talk about what John has shared, as well as give you practical advice for how you can apply it to your personal life and leadership. 

Key takeaways: 

• When you push people, you make pioneers out of them. 

• It's easy to lose focus on long-term goals when you get caught up in putting out daily fires. 

• Continually build your ability to read what approach your team needs from you as their leader in the moment.  

Our BONUS resource for this episode is the Leadership Rhythm: When to Push, Pull, or be Patient Worksheet, which includes fill-in-the-blank notes from John’s teaching. You can download the worksheet by visiting MaxwellPodcast.com/Rhythm and clicking “Download the Bonus Resource.” 

When Carlotta was young, she thought her mother had a remarkable gift for recognizing other people. But Carlotta’s mother was normal. It was Carlotta who was remarkable. She had a rare condition called prosopagnosia. She couldn’t recognize or remember faces.

Shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, two disciples walking from Jerusalem seemed as if they had such a condition when they encountered someone they should have recognized. The two were talking about the exciting news of the past few days (Luke 24:14), but the third person seemed unaware of the events. They gave Him a quick summary only to be surprised as this unknown person (Jesus) “explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (v. 27). Then Christ broke bread with them (v. 30)—something He’d done many times before.  At that moment, “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight” (v. 31). They hurried back to Jerusalem to tell others (v. 33).

Those disciples didn’t recognize Jesus when they were with Him, and they hadn’t recognized Him in the Old Testament, something they read often and thought they knew well. They needed Jesus to reveal Himself to them because they couldn’t see on their own. 

We need that help too. Let’s ask God to open our eyes to see Jesus on the pages of the Bible, and in our lives.

In Part 3 of our Revival series, Andy Wood (Lead Pastor of Saddleback Church) and Luke LeFevre (A Gen Z preacher who works with the Gather movement) discuss a prophetic word Luke received about an...

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