Nancy Leigh DeMoss is a mentor and "spiritual mother" to hundreds of thousands of women who have read her best-selling books and who listen to her two daily radio programs, Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him. She communicates a love for the Lord and the Word that is infectious!
If only spiritual transformation were that easy. Just read a book, see a
counselor, attend a conference, make a fresh commitment, shed a few
tears at an altar, memorize a few verses . . . and, presto, out comes a mature, godly Christian.
Growing up, Emily looked like a good Christian girl. But as a senior in high school, she began to wonder if sin might really be as fun as it
looked . . .
Justin Taylor over at TheGospelCoalition.org asked me and the other women who spoke at The GospelCoalition Women's Conference last month what we would recommend to conference attendees for further reading. Here's what I suggested.
“I surrender all . . .”; “Christ is all I need. . . .” The words roll off our lips as we sing them in church. But it’s not so easy to choose to place ourselves in a position where we have to find out if He really is all we need.
The God of the Bible is infinitely more wonderful and pure and loving than even the most wonderful father. That is why it is so important that we not allow our view of God to be determined by other men, for at their very best they are flawed representations of God.
One of the occasions I make a big deal about each year is my "spiritual birthday"--May 14, 1963--the day when as a young girl I first consciously trusted the Lord Jesus to save me.
Charles Colson is now Home with the Lord that he loved and served so earnestly. I wanted to share this brief video tribute of a dear friend whose life and ministry have left an unforgettable mark on our generation.
Have you ever had a gripe with someone in a position of spiritual leadership? Maybe you're nursing one of those "gripes" today. Then learn a lesson from the life of Miriam, who had become jealous of her little brother Moses, the one God had raised up to lead His people.
All the pushing, nagging, screaming, yelling, badgering, manipulating, whining, and shaming in the world won't solve your problems. Those tactics may help you get your way in an immediate sense, but they will not win victories for the Kingdom of God . . .
A once-in-a-millennium event, you say? A story from another time that is far removed from the life you lead and the day in which we live? Thankfully, the wondrous acts of God are not limited to by-gone days. . . . Our minds cannot fathom all that He is able to do in and through the lives of those who trust Him!
The churches I grew up in did not observe Lent in any formal sense. But in recent years, I have started setting aside these weeks to fix my eyes on Christ in a more intentional way.
We can be a legalistic lot. Put the option of daily devotions on the table most mornings, and too often the factor that finally tips us in the direction of prayer and Bible reading is the one that says, "God will be disappointed in me if I don't."
At the start of this new year, I want to challenge you to make a different kind of New Year's resolution--not a resolution to lose something, like a few pounds or a bad habit, but a resolution to gain everything truly worth having!
"Some people can't believe God would create a world in which people would suffer so much. Isn't it more remarkable that God would create a world in which no one would suffer more than He did?" (Randy Alcorn)
This book has ministered to me deeply this year as I have walked through some turbulent waters. It has helped recalibrate my mind and my emotions, by reminding me of God's sovereignty, His goodness, and His purposes for allowing trials in our lives.
Do you ever find yourself waking up on Sunday morning and wishing you didn’t have to go to church? Picking apart the message or the preacher in your mind or not getting anything out of the sermon?
Circumstances certainly have bearing on our reactions, but the liberating concept for me—one that my dad emphasized even more as I got into my teenage years—was, “You will not have to give account to God for what someone else does to you. You will only be held accountable for how you respond.”
That is the year I came to believe at the core of my being that every event in our lives is being orchestrated by a wise, loving, and good God who really can be trusted.
Daily devotions was not something my parents forced on us, but the influence of my dad’s example and training in this area was profound. Although he has been with the Lord since 1979, the image of a dad on his knees before the Lord is indelibly etched on my mind and in my heart.
My dad, Art DeMoss, went Home to be with the Lord over thirty years ago. It was on the weekend of my 21st birthday that I got the call he had had a heart attack and was instantly with the Lord.
In light of the promise of His Second Coming, how foolish it would be to put our stakes down deep here on earth. Rather, the great hope of His return motivates us to live holy lives, and to zealously and faithfully serve Christ and proclaim Him to others until He comes.
What does all this mean for us? What difference do the Cross and the empty tomb make for those who are facing pain or tears or failure? Here are some of the implications of that momentous weekend for people like you and me.
I began hearing reports that God was moving in an unusual way at the church Bill Elliff pastors in Little Rock. Our team and I have been following those reports over the past week, and . . .
How are we as followers of Christ to respond to those who insist that their faith is equally (or more) valid than ours? And how are we to present the gospel of Christ to a world that views Him as something different or less than we believe Him to be, simply another in a pantheon of religious figures?
When love has wept and worked, it must have something to say about God. It doesn’t need to have all the answers. Only God does. But it has the Bible, and the Bible is not silent on this matter.
There truly is no one like Jesus—not even close! But it is one thing to give mental assent to that concept and quite another to make Him the supreme, unique object of our attention and affection.
"I think we are all basically entitlement freaks. Here's a good test question to find out if you've made progress in humility and gratitude: Ask yourself, 'Am I surprised that my spouse loves me? Do I think I am such a good 'catch' that of course my spouse should love me?'"
Are you facing a circumstance that just doesn't naturally call for gratitude? You're trying to be brave. You want to do the right thing. But trying to be thankful for what God is doing in your life right now . . .
I was a little nervous at the outset about how well I would be able to connect with a group of 20-somethings who are in such a different season of life than I am. But those apprehensions quickly dissipated and I found myself being greatly encouraged by the eagerness, hunger, and openness of these gals.
So which is it? Does God do the fighting, while we “rest in Him,” or do we have to fight against the enemies of our souls? According to Scripture, the answer is, yes.
I can remember sitting in tiny, windowless practice rooms for hours on
end as a college student, playing the same piece of music over and over
again. I knew I would never reach my goal—to make beautiful
music—without that rigorous discipline.
If only spiritual transformation were that easy. Just read a book, see a
counselor, attend a conference, make a fresh commitment, shed a few
tears at an altar, memorize a few verses . . . and, presto, out comes a mature, godly Christian.
This morning I've been contemplating another aspect of Jesus' adult life that I don't often hear mentioned—the fact that He remained single. Through all the challenges of work and ministry, through all His testings and trials, He never knew the comfort, encouragement, and support that a mate might have provided.
Last week, one month after the devastating earthquake, Haitian President Rene Preval took the unprecedented step of canceling this year’s Carnival celebration, calling instead for a national season of fasting and prayer.
If we are praying for revival, while failing to deal with those things in our hearts, lives, and relationships that are standing between us and the Lord, then we are wasting our breath.
