Defense might win championships in sports, but I doubt it’s the best strategy for life. Constant worry about defending your territory, your resources, your heart, your schedule — it can’t help but take a toll on you and your relationships!

Every day you see folks walking down the street who seem perfectly normal, in good health, well-dressed. But how many of them overflow with insecurities and fears? They can’t move ahead in life because they’re too busy retreating. They deal with security issues, self-protection, and attempts to find safety through control of their possessions. This defensive posture leads to fear, tension, and alienation from others.

On the other end of the spectrum are brave people such as Cassie Bernall. Cassie was the Columbine High School student who affirmed her faith in God right before a bullet took her life. Yes, following Jesus can have its tough moments. No, Christians aren’t shielded from certain troubles. The Christian life isn’t a picnic. But courageously following Christ is always the best way to go. In Deuteronomy we read this assurance: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

I wonder — are you stuck in the desert? Or are you forging ahead into the Promised Land? Moving forward by trusting in Christ is the only way to live, and it will change your world.

This is Luis Palau.

In a frantic desire to shield themselves from pain, some men and women try to avoid all risk. They seek only “sure things.” They opt out if they sense the slightest risk of failure. They imagine that by so doing they can steer clear of pain, but in fact they end up missing most of life, the good along with the bad.

I’m a firm believer in pursuing risks. How can we accomplish anything worthwhile without risk? Since we don’t know the future, we can’t know for sure how this or that specific venture might turn out — but that’s half the fun! The Bible is filled with honored heroes of Scripture who “risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s what makes life exciting.

I learned a lot about risk from my mother. I might have settled for a career in international banking, but I was restless there. I knew I was called to the ministry. The problem was, after my dad died, I had to take care of my mother, five sisters, and little brother. That didn’t matter to Mom. She trusted in Christ, and told me, “Leave the bank.” Four days later, I had resigned from the bank to work with a Christian mission agency. My family went through some tough financial times, but God promised us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And He didn’t!

We will have no regrets if we take risks to obediently follow Christ. Just imagine how God can change the world through a bunch of risk-taking followers. Like you – like me!      

This is Luis Palau.

Some folks so hate the feeling of fear that they’ll do anything to keep it away. They wall themselves off, whether physically or emotionally. They avoid any situation or opportunity that refuses to guarantee their safety. They run from all perceived dangers. But in fleeing fear, they became its prisoners. True security comes not in fleeing fear, but in facing it and tearing free of its terrible grip. And how can we best do that? The best way I know of is to place ourselves in the protective hands of God, our heavenly Father. As the psalmist prayed, “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.”

We have a good friend whose grandson was fighting in a dangerous war zone. Our friend admitted to me how afraid he was. I told him, “That’s understandable.” But I also wanted to encourage my friend with the words of an old British preacher named George Whitefield. He made several mission trips to the American colonies and received many death threats. Friends asked, “Aren’t you afraid you might be killed?” Whitefield replied, “I am immortal ‘til my hour has come.”

That’s true of every Christian. We cannot be killed or die until the Lord says, “It’s time” — and then no one can stop us from leaving for heaven. We are immortal until our hour has come. What a comforting reality! So, face your fears by knowing God the Father is your refuge, and show your world what it means to trust in Christ.                   

This is Luis Palau.

Most of us are built in such a way that we need to feel safe and secure. When we don’t feel safe, we scramble after all sorts of things to find security, some of them profoundly unhealthy. In an effort to feel safe, sometimes we try to wall ourselves off from all possible threats. We don’t allow anyone to get too close. We obsess about building an impeccable financial portfolio. We spend huge amounts of time perfecting the “right” diet, the “right” exercise routine, the “right” medical regimen, the “right” home environment. We strive to feel bulletproof, invulnerable.

While such tactics can indeed protect us from some dangers, they also exclude us from real life. And in the end, they can’t deliver real safety, anyway. Real security can’t be found in a suit of armor, but in a Guardian who faithfully surrounds us with His protection. One Scripture passage highlights two different ways of trying to feel safe. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Another popular option follows in verse 11: “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.” The first way actually works; the second way doesn’t.

We need to cling to the Guardian of our souls and bring others to safety in Him. He’s the only safe place in an unsafe world.                  

This is Luis Palau.

Even as a grown-up, Jesus loved to be with children. Have you ever noticed that some adults love to be around kids, and some don’t? There’s no question, however, that Jesus absolutely loved to be with children.

During His three and a half years of public ministry, Jesus gives an amazing amount of priority to ministry to children. Jesus talks with children. Jesus commends the faith of little children. We see Jesus blessing children. We see Him feeding them. We even see Jesus using a little boy’s sack lunch to feed the multitudes.

Beyond that, we see Jesus healing boys and girls who are demon-possessed and curing others who are sick and dying. He even resurrects a 12-year-old girl who had just died and an older boy who had died a few hours earlier.

In his preaching and teaching, Jesus said that children are a strategic, essential part of His kingdom in heaven and on earth. In so many words, Jesus told his disciples, “Listen! My kingdom belongs to kids!” We’re even challenged in the world to uncomplicate our thoughts, to think more like a child, so that we can properly see and understand Jesus Christ and His work.

Whatever else we do, may we never stop reaching the world of children for Jesus Christ.      

This is Andrew Palau.

When I was about 18 years of age, in the country I was born in - Argentina, South America - we organized a five-day club. To that five-day club we brought, in our case, boys and girls. I had charge of ten boys. And the first two people that I ever led to receive Jesus Christ into their heart as Savior were two boys of those ten that I had in that class.

One of the teachers from Child Evangelism Fellowship said to me these words: "If a 12-year-old boy understands the Gospel, then the Queen of England can also understand the Gospel.” And you know, I've taken that to heart all these many, many decades that I've been proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. It's this, that I've been able to keep it simple so that the boys and girls in the audience will understand the love of Jesus, why He died on the cross, why He rose from the dead, how He forgives our sins, and how He takes us to heaven when we die or when He comes back in the clouds to take the Church to be with Himself.

Yes, simplicity. The basic Gospel of John chapter 3 and verse 16. Give that to the boys and girls.  Believe me, they understand it, they embrace it, they love Jesus and they will walk with Him for years and years to come. So, let the little children come.

This is Luis Palau.

You know, one of the reasons the Gospel is called Good News is because it says over and over in the New Testament that God is not willing that anyone should perish, that all would come to know Christ as Savior. God is not willing that anyone should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth. That's in First Timothy chapter 2. God is not willing that any should perish, but that they should all come to repentance. And speaking about little children, in Matthew chapter 18, the Lord Jesus Christ said these beautiful words: He said, "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."

Of course not!  The Lord made the little ones - every child, every boy and every girl.  And the Lord loves us with an everlasting love, and He wants all of us to come to know Him, all of us to have eternal life. Not one should perish. And the little children can understand. 

One of the reasons I really believe in leading them to Christ is that some of the greatest servants I've met in my many years of traveling the world were converted to Christ when they were boys and girls. The sooner they come to know the Savior, the better for them, and the more joyful for other people as they live out their life serving Jesus Christ. Win the little children to Jesus - today.

This is Luis Palau.

These days I'm talking about reaching little children with the Good News and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday, if you were listening to me, I talked about my six brothers and sisters, my wife and I, and three of our four boys came to Christ as children - young children. Secondly, I actually believe that we are supposed to reach the children in our community, in our families, and wherever God takes us. Because the Lord Himself said the famous words in Matthew 19, "Let the little children come to me." Little children, when they hear about Jesus, want to come to Him, because they are loved and they love to be loved. And they sense, because God is at work in them too, that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

"Let the little children come to ME," said the Lord Jesus. Not necessarily to church, though that's very good, and not only to a group of Christian friends, but to Jesus Christ.  Secondly, don't hinder them.  In other words, don't stand in the way, don't hold back. Children understand spiritual things often better than adults. Yes, children are open and ready to receive the Lord Jesus into their life and into their heart. And they love to know that when they die they are going to heaven, and that's exactly what Jesus offers the children of the world.

This is Luis Palau.

The other day I read a very interesting remark by George Barna Market Research Firm: "Whatever a child believes by age 13 is, in most cases, what he will die believing." That's what he said.  And you know, it got my attention. I'll tell you why.  Because I believe that reaching out to children is one of the most wonderful jobs that any person could ever undertake. 

I came to Jesus Christ when I was 12 years old. My wife came when she was age 8. My five sisters and my little brother - they all came as children, and trusted Jesus Christ. Of our four sons, three of the four came to Christ when they were only children. 

You know, the Lord Jesus Christ had a special affection for children. In Matthew chapter 19 and verse 14 He said, "'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' And when He had placed His hands on them He went out from there." Now, the Lord Jesus Christ had a special place in His heart for children, and you and I should have it too.

Let's reach out to all the children in our community, beginning with your family, your neighbors, your relatives and all the people you know. Let the little children come to Christ.

This is Luis Palau.

The American Constitution famously defines basic human rights as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  But what is happiness?  And how do you pursue it?

The writer, George Orwell, once said, “Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”  It seems to me that happiness kind of sneaks up on you unexpectedly.  It’s a result of loving others, being loved in return, and doing what is good and right.  And those are things God wants us to do, right?

A couple of years ago my team and I went to Ethiopia to hold an evangelistic festival and share the Good News of Jesus with people there.  There was a lot of political tension, and we were pretty on edge the whole time.  But when I look back on it now, what I remember are the happy times we had with other believers, and the excitement of seeing many people open their hearts to God. Happiness comes when we do what God has given us to do, and see it through in His strength. 

The first statement in the Westminster Confession is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Happiness should not be our main goal in life, but knowing and serving our wonderful God, and the result – the great result – is true happiness.       

This is Andrew Palau.