I Wish I Hadn’t Said That

Yesterday I said something I wish I could have taken back, but I couldn’t. Have you said something recently that you wish you hadn’t? The Bible says that your words reveal what’s going on inside of you. If you go around speaking negative words of defeat, putting others down and complaining all the time, it’s a sign that you need to re-focus your heart and mind. It’s a sign that your “hard drive” is polluted.

It is said that our bodies work a lot like a computer. What you put on the hard drive of your heart, will show up on the monitor of your mouth. The good news is that you can reprogram your mind the same way you can reprogram a computer. The Bible says that your mind can be renewed–or reprogrammed. The more you read and study His Word, the more it will transform you from the inside out.

Today, ask the Lord to reveal anything in your heart that needs changing. Make Him first place in your life. Fill your heart with the good treasure of God’s Word, so that blessings come out of your mouth. Let the hard drive of your heart be filled with faith, expectancy and hope, and you’ll see God’s hand of blessing in every area of your life.

“”¦For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” 

(Matthew 12:34, NKJV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, I humbly come before You, and ask that You cleanse the hard drive of my heart and mind of anything that isn’t pleasing to You. Father, reprogram me and renew me. Fill me with Your faith, peace, joy and love, so that I can overflow with Your goodness and positivity today and always, in Christ’ Name! Amen.

You Need to Get Rid of All Your Negative Friends

All kinds of Wonderful

This is a new season, and in order for you to rise higher, you have to break away from relationships that are limiting you. Sometimes in order to embrace the destiny God has in store, you have to be willing to make some difficult changes in your life. You have to be willing to examine where you are, and what you need to do in order to move forward. This may mean that you need to change some friends you’re spending time with. Maybe they were fine for a season in your life, but you’ve outgrown them. You have to develop some new friendships with people who are going to pull you up and inspire you to rise higher.

I’ve said this many times and still maintain it today, that if you’re the smartest one in your group, your group is too small. Find people who are smarter than you, people who will challenge you to stretch to the next level. If you are not stretched, life will become boring, mundane and static.

Today, I remind you, he who walks with the wise becomes wise. Choose your friends wisely, don’t allow them to hold you back, or hold you down, or even talk you out of your dreams, so you can rise higher and walk in the dignity and in the destiny God has for you. 

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20, NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for Your grace and mercy, Father, I ask You for the power to walk away from evil, small-minded, uninspiring relationships. Thank You for the plan You have for my life. God, help me choose my friends and companions wisely, so that I can continue to move forward and not backwards or sideways, so I can arrive at the destiny You have for me. In Christ’s Name! Amen.

You Belong To The Family Of God

We all go through times when we feel lonely, or wonder where we belong. God designed family to always be a place of love and acceptance. Maybe you didn’t come from an environment like that, or maybe you’ve been away from your family. Maybe they are no longer around. God still desires to meet that need for family. He says, “He is the Father to the fatherless, and He places the solitary in families.” God wants to give you a circle of people you can trust, who will embrace and accept you.

If you are lonely or in need of a family today, ask God to meet that need and show you where you belong. Or, maybe you are the one who can open your home and heart to someone who is alone. The point is that God loves family. He designed family for a purpose. Jesus said in Matthew 12 that those who do God’s will are His family.

Today, if you are part of the family of God, you are never alone! He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He promises to fill you with His peace and joy, so that you can live as an overcomer all the days of your life!

“God places the solitary in families”¦” (Psalm 68:6, NKJV)

Pray With Me

Yahweh, thank You for making me a part of Your family. Father, thank You for diminishing my loneliness and being my Father. Thank You for accepting and embracing me always, even when I embarrass You with my sinful behaviour. God, show me how I can reach out and be an example of family in someone else’s life, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Don’t Judge Me!

If you know me I can be very critical at times. Just recently I had to learn this valuable lesson, criticism given in the wrong way can make us feel anxious and in some cases, worthless. But when it’s given fairly and constructively, with real care and encouragement, not only does it show us where we’re going wrong, it fires us up to want to improve. So when we’re trying to help someone improve, let’s do it with kindness, understanding and empathy.

If it’s constructive, criticism can be a good thing. If we point out mistakes from a position of love and of wanting the other person to be the best they can be, it’s a useful tool that we can use to help others improve. Otherwise, it can easily turn into a destructive force that discourages and breaks people apart. We tend to find it easy to point out failings and weaknesses in others, while overlooking or excusing our own faults.

Jesus says: ‘How can you say to your friend, “Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye”? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You hypocrite!’ (Matthew 7:4-5 NCV). Strong words, so we definitely need to take notice and avoid being unfair and judging others more harshly than we judge ourselves. Sometimes we might be overly critical to try and make ourselves look or feel better. Or we might be trying to hide the wounds of past experiences by using anger and criticism as a form of defence. 

Today, whatever the reason, Jesus gives us clear instructions, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged.’ When God looks at us and sees our faults and all the mistakes we make, He treats us with grace and gently corrects us. But what if God criticised us as harshly and as often as we criticise others? We’d soon feel completely depressed and wounded. The truth is, God, who has the highest standards of all, treats us with love and care even when we fail to live up to those standards. So when we need to correct someone, let’s do the same, and aim to encourage, not discourage.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.’

Matthew 7:1 NIV

Pray With Me
Yahweh, I thank You for this timely advice not to judge others. I surrender my negative critical mind to You. Please Father, change me so I won’t be judgemental and hypocritical. God, help me to look at myself first before looking at others. Show me how to be constructive and encouraging when I have to criticise, and never to be discouraging and cause depression and discontent, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Patrick Mahomes: A Second Chance

Last night I stayed up to watch Super Bowl 54 (the American football final). The Kansas City Chiefs were down by 10 points at half time. Their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, the league’s most valuable player, was having his worst game of the season. His passes had been intercepted by the opposition, his passes had been dropped and his dreams shattered. He was down but not out. Instead of focusing one his failure He trusted in his God and his coach, which gave him hope and optimism. He reminded himself of of his God-given greatness and dreams, and he went on to mastermind one of the greatest comebacks in Super Bowl history. Do you know, God has planted seeds of greatness in you, and He wants to see those things in your heart come to pass. You may have had more than your share of unfair things happen in your life. Maybe your dreams have shattered, and you probably have plenty of reasons to just settle where you are with no hope for the future. 

Life’s lessons from Patrick’s Super Bowl comeback. (1) It’s only half time, life isn’t over. Hallelujah! (2) The depth and difficulty of your past, is an indication of the height and blessings of your future. (3) Remember, if you’ve been through a lot of negative things in the past, it just means that your future is bigger and brighter and greater than you can even imagine, so don’t give up. (4) It’s time to step in confidence and your God-given greatness and embrace all that God has for you! (5) Those dreams and promises that you’ve let go of, those things that God has placed in your heart, but because of time, and disappointments you’ve given up on, it’s time to pray and trust your God and try again.

Today, like Patrick Mahomes, shake off those setbacks. This is the day to give your dreams a second chance. Today is the day to allow faith to rise in your heart. Remember, what’s happened to you is not nearly as important as what’s happened in you, and you are stronger and wiser than ever before. It’s your time,” it’s your season to move forward into the destiny that God has prepared for you!

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 1:6NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for what You are doing in my life today. Father, I receive the visions and dreams You have placed and birthed in me. I receive Your hope. Please be with those who have no hope and have decided to settle. God, I embrace today as my comeback day, I look forward with joy and eager anticipation to all You have for my future. I refuse to let my joy and dreams be stolen by the enemy, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is an American professional football player who is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He is the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher Pat Mahomes. Mahomes initially played college football and college baseball at Texas Tech University.

Brexit day: UK prepares to leave the EU within hours

Let’s get excited! Today is Brexit day, the day when the UK officially leaves the EU. When Britain can be Great again. But the uncertainty of the future doesn’t excite me, but causes me to have apprehension and caution. What really gets me excited is not Brexit but the Exit when Christ will come, because there will be no more pain, sorrow, tears, death and sin. Hallelujah! What excites me is that God carried me through 2019 despite the enemy’s plan.

Brexit or no Brexit, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a reason to be excited about your future! Brexit will not remove the darkness in your life right now, only through Christ will the true dawn appear. remember you are not here by accident. You have a purpose and a destiny to fulfil, and God isn’t finished with you yet. Your best days are not behind you; your best days are out in front of you. Get excited! Hallelujah!

Today, don’t put your trust and faith in the uncertainty of Brexit, God has greater things in store for your future than you have experienced in your past. His dream for you this year is so much bigger than your own. This year He wants to take you places that you’ve never dreamed, and open up doors that you’ve never imagined. This year, He told me to tell you, He wants to bring talent out of you that you didn’t even know you had. He wants to increase you and cause you to be a greater blessing to the people around you. So let’s get excited about the future, because God has explosive blessings in store for you! Not Brexit but let’s get ready for the Exit when Jesus comes back to take us home. Hallelujah!

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18, ESV)

Pray With Me
YAHWEH-ELOHIM, I humbly come to You giving You all that I am. Father, I trust You amidst the uncertainty of Brexit and man’s attempts to make things humanly better, knowing You have good things in store for my future. God, I choose to keep my eyes on You, no matter what’s happening in the political realm. I know that You are faithful, and I’m excited about the blessings that You have in store for me now and when You return a second time. In Christ’s Name! Amen.

We Know What Happened – But Why?

On October 31, 2014, a spacecraft broke apart during a test flight, and crashed into the Mojave Desert near California. The co-pilot died while the pilot miraculously survived. Investigators determined what happened, but not why it happened. The newspaper article about the crash began with the words “questions remain.”

After Andrew’s and Kobe’s sudden deaths many ask the “why” question. Throughout life we may experience sorrows for which there are no adequate explanations. Some are difficult events with far-reaching effects, while others are personal, private tragedies that alter our individual lives and families forever. We want to know why, but we seem to find more questions than answers. Yet even as we struggle with “why?” God extends His unfailing love to us. 

Job lost his children and his wealth in a single day. He sank into an angry depression and resisted any attempted explanations by his friends, even though he still had questions. Yet he held out hope that some day there would be an answer from his God. Even in the darkness Job could say, “God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold”. Hallelujah!

Today, as we face life’s unanswered questions, we can find help and hope in God’s love and promises, that one day there will be a personal and direct word from God. When every tear and perplexity, every oppression and distress, every suffering and pain, and wrong, and injustice will have a complete, and ample, and overwhelming explanation. Until then hold on by faith that the answer is on the way, just like Yahshua.

“God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold”

Job 23:10

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for my faith and trust in You, that even though I have questions about life, death and why things happened the way they have, my love for You hasn’t wavered, it seems to be stronger. Father, there is one thing I can’t and won’t question, and that is Your love for me. God, give me wisdom and understanding today to accept what I can’t explain, believing You know what’s best for me. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

As the world tries to process the shocking news of the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and friends, my spirit dropped and I thought about his wife and how down, numb and discouraged she must be feeling, (l’m not for one minute saying I know what she is going through). One of the most powerful songs I have ever heard by Donald Lawrence, called “Encourage Yourself” came to mind. It’s good to have friends and family around to cheer you up when you’re down, but in order to truly live in victory and overcome life’s hardships, that encouragement has to come from God’s spirit that lives inside of you. When your mind is telling you it’s not worth it, when your circumstances seem difficult, deep down inside, your spirit has to have the resolve that says, “I refuse to settle where I am.”

David was facing a major setback. His family was killed, his city was destroyed, and his own people were now against him, but he still managed to encourage himself in the Lord. How did he do that? He replayed in his mind the victories from the past. He recounted God’s faithfulness. As he rehearsed over and over the goodness of God, strength began to rise in his heart.

Today, as we think about the tragic loss of Kobe, his daughter and friends, encourage yourself by focusing, like David, on what God has done and is doing. Thank Him for saving you. Thank Him for the miracle of life. Thank Him for His faithfulness. Thank Him for His forgiveness, Focus on the fact that God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He has given you a clear wake up call to get things right, so stir up that inner strength. As you do, you’ll rise higher and higher, and live the life of victory the Lord has prepared for you.

“David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him”¦But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” 

(1 Samuel 30:6, AMP)

Pray With Me
Yahshua, thank You for Your faithfulness today. Father, lift up Kobe’s family and all those in bereavement today. I ask for Your comfort in their lives today and in the coming months and years. Lord, teach us how to focus on You and the things You have done, and the good things You have prepared for our future. I encourage myself today and those around me, knowing that You haven’t brought us this far to leave us. God, I thank You for making a way out of no way, and I will bless You always, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 — January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Bryant played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships.

Personal

Birth date: August 23, 1978

Death date: January 26, 2020

Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Birth name: Kobe Bean Bryant

Father: Joe Bryant, a professional basketball player

Mother: Pam Bryant

Marriage: Vanessa (Laine) Bryant (April 18, 2001-January 26, 2020, his death)

Children: Capri, June 2019; Bianka, December 2016; Gianna, May 2006; Natalia, January 2003

Other Facts

Bryant was 6 feet, 6 inches tall. His parents named him after a type of steak. The beef is from a species of cattle, Wagyu, raised in the Kobe region of Japan. Bryant lived in Italy for eight years while his father played in the Italian Professional Basketball League. Bryant spoke Italian fluently.Nominated for one Academy Award and won.He entered the NBA straight out of high school.In 1996, Bryant was the youngest player in NBA history at that time, at 18 years, 2 months and 11 days.He played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers.Bryant won two Olympic gold medals for men’s basketball.Bryant is fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list.He won five NBA championships.

Cultivating a Faith Based Marriage

A friend once asked me how do I keep a faith based marriage? It wasn’t something that happened overnight, it was a marriage lifestyle that we had to cultivate. Jesus’s sermon on the mount of olives taught us the values and way of life he wishes for us to live. I use this as inspiration in my marriage to create a Christ like way of life.

We are taught to have a thirst for righteousness, and to humble ourselves. Pride was one of my big sins that was hard to let go of and today it still challenges me. Couples prayer not only brings us together united with the Lord, it humbled my pride. I was always so afraid to say the prayer out loud with my husband, out of the fear that I would say it wrong.

Praying together allows you to get on the same page spiritually and bring your bond closer to God. This is exactly what marriage is, a union between souls and heavenly father. As you grow closer to God you become more like him. This impacts your marriage positively as you are improving yourself as a human being. Becoming more like God is practicing patience, forgiveness and compassion. These traits we all need in a successful marriage.

As Christians we need to be makers of peace, yet in marriage it is not always that easy. We must learn to not always be right and practice making peace. A good way to avoid conflict is to plan ahead. Having a family meeting once a week can not only be practical but it can be spiritual too. Open your meeting with a prayer and then talk about what you have going on that week, and what you may need help with. This way neither partner feels like something has been sprung on them. We all forget events at some time or another so a reminder never hurts. It also lays out our expectations in our partner for the week, instead of assuming they will do the dishes because you had a late night with friends or make the bed because now you are now first out of bed. It makes it your expectations clear and gives the other partner the opportunity to discuss if that is something they may or may not want to commit too. Remember we are all human, we can only do so much in a day, week, or year. We both need to adopt the mind set of being the peacemaker. Practice compassion, active listening and focus on communicating well with your partner.

What Does the Bible Say About Blessings?

n this year, God has prepared blessings for you. Scripture says, “He took Adam, whom He had just breathed life into, and put him in the garden.” Notice Adam came into a prepared blessing, something that God had already finished for him. Think about Adam and Eve in the garden. God took the first five days and created the heavens, the earth, the sky, the land and the water. He planted a garden. He put in it beautiful flowers and luscious fruit. He designed rivers to flow through it. He put precious treasures in the ground: onyx, gold and silver. Yes Adam came into a prepared blessing.

When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right breaks and the right opportunities. He has blessings that have your name on them. If you will stay in faith and keep honouring God, one day you will come in to what already belongs to you. It’s a prepared blessing! Hallelujah!

Today, God has some prepared blessings in store for you, just like He did for Adam in the garden of Eden. God has been working, arranging things in your favour, getting it all perfectly in place. You couldn’t make it happen on your own. It’s just the goodness of God bringing you into a prepared blessing!

“You prepare a table before me”¦”

(Psalm 23:5, NIV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for preparing a place of blessing for me. Father, I choose to trust You and Your timing, knowing that You are working things out on my behalf. God, I glorify You for Your awesome timing and blessings You have prepared for my year, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Spiritual Seasons in the Christian Life

In this new year we expect four seasons – winter, spring, summer and autumn. Just like the four seasons in the year, God has ordained seasons and cycles in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. We have to be careful not to allow our attitude to keep us from moving forward. Let God determine your season – He won’t give you more than you can bear, trust Him, He will get you through.

Just like in a 12 month cycle, In God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are ploughing seasons, planting seasons and watering seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase; but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. Seasons come to prepare for harvest and increase. It’s during the ploughing season that God brings issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for success.

Today, if you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is not to lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep pushing and stay positive by speaking God’s Word daily. This month keep pressing through winter, spring is on the way. Hold on during the uncertainty of spring, because the consistency of summer is coming, just before your harvest or increase in every area of life!

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1, NLT)

Pray With Me

Yahweh, thank You for Your faithfulness in all seasons of my life. Father, I trust that my time is coming, and I choose to remain faithful to You as I await my harvest and increase. God, I submit my ways to You, and trust that You have the best plan for my life, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

Practical Life’s Lessons From The Nativity

1. Spend Quiet Time with Yahweh

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

The baby was soon to come and Mary had so much to do. In spite of all her preparations in the physical, she had to spend spiritual one on one time with God. Spending time alone with God is an important part of spiritual development. This week, amidst hectic holiday preparations, make time for quiet meditation. Stop the talking, working and rushing long enough to be still. God is waiting for you. Begin now!

2. Yahweh Source of All Hope

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Isaiah 40:31

For 9 months Mary and Joseph lived with great hope and expectations. Hope is a powerful thing, but the real strength comes from the source of hope. When you place your desires and dreams into the hands of God, nothing is impossible. Hope for all mankind came through Christ, born as a lowly child in a stable.

Are you feeling run down, dealing with worry or frustration?

Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ today, say a prayer and stand in hope”¦

3.  Make Faith In Yahweh a Habit

So exercise yourself spiritually and practice being a better Christian.

1 Timothy 4:8

Mary had to make faith a daily habit. She had to trust God moment by moment, day by day. Through loneliness, ridicule and the pain of pregnancy she had to exercise faith and make it a habit. Someone once said that practice does not make perfect; practice makes habit. This advent season, dedicate time to your spiritual exercises—prayer, Bible reading, meditation and make deepening your relationship with God a daily exercise. So like Mary, you can stay on track on your spiritual journey.

4. Focus on Yahweh’s Gift

Be very careful, then, how you live”¦making the most of every opportunity.

Ephesians 5:15-16

This time of year was a busy time in the Jewish calendar. Mary and Joseph would have had lots to do. But they had to stay focused on the gift God had blessed them with. December is a busy month for most of us. Filled with opportunities–parties to attend, special worship experiences to have and chances to reconnect with family and old friends. Make sure to focus your heart on the true reason for every Season. Focus on God the man, Christ Jesus and the tremendous difference He makes in your life. Pray for the wisdom to keep the holidays blessed rather than stressed.

Pray With Me
Yahweh, our Creator, we offer this humble prayer today. Father, we worship you with a song of thanks in our hearts–a song of redemption, a song of hope and renewal. We pray for joy, hope, love, forgiveness and peace upon the Earth. God, we ask for the salvation of all our family members and friends, and we pray your blessings on all people. May there be bread for the hungry, love for the unlovable, healing for the sick, protection for our children, and wisdom for our youth. We pray for the forgiveness of sinners and abundant life in Christ. Holy Spirit, be with us in love and power. In Christ’ name. Amen.

Joy

After a hard year many of us might have lost the joy we started the year with. Did you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful always? He wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, that is evidence that you have faith and trust that God will bring you through.

Remember, joy is strength. When you have His supernatural joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, “I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” And of course, God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. One article said that the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What’s happened? As we get older we’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and more responsibilities, little by little, to steal our joy.

Today, make the decision to get your joy back! Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems, and look at what God will do on your behalf. Ask Him everyday to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy, so that you can live in His strength and victory all the days of your life!

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16—18, NIV)

Pray With Me
El Shaddai, I humbly receive Your Word today. Father, I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy, strength and spiritual vigour. God, I want to spiritually be excited again, I rebuke the mundane, routine and stress of life that rob me of my God-given joy. Thank You for showing me Your goodness, and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always, in Christ’ name! Amen.

I Want God-Sized Visions And Miracles Now!

God-Sized Vision

Many Christians focus on what God has done in the past. He parted the Red Sea, stopped the sun for Joshua, and fed thousands of people with just a little boy’s small lunch. Yes, God has performed many amazing miracles throughout history, and it’s important that we give Him praise and glory! But at the same time, we also have to look forward to what God is doing today. If He did it in the past He will do it even today, in a more magnificent way.

In this verse, Paul says that “in the ages to come” God would do things that far supersede anything He’s ever done before. I believe that the “ages to come” that he’s talking about, is this day and time we’re living in right now, amidst all the chaos of these uncertain days. God wants to outdo Himself in our generation! Hallelujah!

Today, on the brink of a new year, I share with you, God is a God of increase. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to stay. He has greater levels of His favour and blessing in store for you. I dare you to dream big! I dare you to keep a God-sized vision in front of you! I dare you to take hold of every blessing that the Lord has in store for you now and in the year to come!

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us”¦raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

(Ephesians 2:4—7, NKJV)

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for Your faithfulness in the past. Father, I open my heart and mind to You, so that I can see the greatness You have in store for me today, and what You want to do in my life in this coming year. Give me God-sized visions and testimonies. God, please use me for Your glory. I thank You in advance for Your favour, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

A God-Sized Vision Quotes

“Presbyterian missionary William Blair remembered. The prayer sounded to me like the falling of many waters, an ocean of prayer beating against God’s throne. It was not many, but one, born of one Spirit, lifted to one Father above. Just as on the day of Pentecost, they were all together in one place, of one accord praying, “and suddenly there came from heaven the sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” God is not always in the whirlwind, neither does he always speak in a still small voice. He came to us in Pyongyang that night with the sound of weeping. As the prayer continued, a spirit of heaviness and sorrow for sin came down upon the audience. Over on one side, someone began to weep, and in a moment the whole audience was weeping.21” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

“Few of us are tempted today to dream too big. Rather, our vision shrinks to the size of our limited experience. Yet all things are possible for those who believe in the God who created the heavens and the earth. In our disbelief, we can ask God for inspiration to believe. Then he may give us a vision of divine size.” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

“The effects following this movement are wholly good – the church raised up to a higher spiritual level, almost entire absence of fanaticism because of previous careful instruction in the Bible; not one case of insanity, but many thousands clothed in their right mind; scores of men called to the holy ministry; greater congregations, searching the Word, as many as two thousand meeting in one place for the study of the Bible; many thousands learning to read, and making inquiries; multitudes of them pressing upon the tired missionary and native pastors praying, “Give us to eat.” I beseech you do not listen to any word suggestions of doubt as to the vitality and reality of this. Drunkards, gamblers, thieves, adulterers, murderers, self-righteous Confucianists and dead Buddhists, and thousands of devil-worshipers have been made new men in Christ, the old things gone forever.29” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir1

“The Post confirmed 100,000 conversions in Wales and said police found no crime to investigate amid “an almost complete realization of the Golden Rule in all affairs of daily life.” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

“By June the revival began to wane. But Roberts’s vision had been realized. An estimated 100,000 confessed Christ. The Congregationalists added 26,500 members. Another 24,000 Welsh joined the Calvinist Methodist Church. About 4,000 opted for the Wesleyan Church. The remainder were split between the Anglicans and several Baptist groups.13 The effect on Welsh society was undeniable. Output from the coal mines famously slowed because the horses wouldn’t move. Miners converted in the revival no longer kicked or swore at the horses, so the horses didn’t know what to do.14 Judges closed their courtrooms with nothing to judge. Christians wielded the revival as apologetic against the growing number of skeptics who derided religion. Stead argued: The most thoroughgoing materialist who resolutely and forever rejects as inconceivable the existence of the soul in man, and to whom “the universe is but the infinite empty eye-socket of a dead God,” could not fail to be impressed by the pathetic sincerity of these men; nor, if he were just, could he refuse to recognize that out of their faith in the creed which he has rejected they have drawn, and are drawing, a motive power that makes for righteousness, and not only for righteousness, but for the joy of living, that he would be powerless to give them.15” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

l“Between 1906 and 1907, the Presbyterian churches grew from 54,987 members to 73,844. The Methodists grew from 18,107 in 1906 to 39,613 in 1907.24 Extending this range to a five-year period, Korean churches altogether added 80,000 converts, more than the total number of Christian converts during eighty years of missionary activity in neighboring China.” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

“I arrived back to find Revival in over twenty villages with the same accompaniments as we had on the station, conviction and confession of sin under great emotional stress, followed by great joy and zeal to win others,” Brazier wrote on December 12, 1936. “It was a common practice for the whole congregation to spend the whole night in the village church, chiefly in prayer and praise. A feature of this conviction was that it came as a result of prayer and not as a result of preaching. These ‘revived’ people are a joy to question for Baptism. Whereas it is often hard work to draw anything spontaneous from the average candidate, these are just full of what the Lord has done for them.” 
Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir


Whatever you do shall prosper

As the new year approaches, I want to remind you that God’s plan is for you to prosper, and be successful in every area of your life. Some people might say, “I don’t see how you can say that after the year I’ve had, with the economy like it is. All the experts are saying it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” That may be true in general, but it doesn’t have to be true for believers in Christ.

Friend, we are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. Don’t be talked into having a bad year. The economy is not your source. God is your source, and He wants to bless you beyond your normal income. He likes to do unusual things. He can bless you with an explosive blessing! That means, all of a sudden, unexpectedly, something happens that takes you to a new level. Old limitations are broken, and suddenly, you find yourself further than you ever dreamed! Hallelujah!

Today, separate yourselves from the system of the world, and set your heart and mind on the Word of God. When you meditate on His promises, and follow His commands, you will experience these explosive blessings. When you put Him first, you will be strong and stable, and whatever you do will prosper, now and in the year to come!

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither–whatever they do prospers.’

(Psalm 1:3, NIV)

Pray With Me
Emmanuel, thank You for Your Word which brings me hope for the year ahead, and lights my path, and directs my heart today. Father, I submit every area to You and put You first always. God, teach me to rely on You — the source of all things good. Show me Your ways, so I can walk with You, and experience every blessing You have in store for me, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

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