OCT. 21, 2025

God can accelerate His plan for your life.

"You have kept the good wine until now!" Jn 2:10 NKJV

Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding reception. There were six waterpots, each capable of holding thirty gallons.

First, He said, "Fill those pots with water." Next, He said, "Take some out and bring it to the host of the party."

When the host tasted it, he told the groom, "This is amazing. Everyone serves the best wine first, and after people have had a lot to drink, they bring out the less expensive wine.

But you have saved the best wine for last" (See vv. 7-10 NLT). Do you know how long it takes to make wine? It begins with planting seeds, then takes several years for the vines to grow mature grapes. Then they have to be picked and processed to produce the wine. It often takes three to five years before the first wine is ready to be bottled.

The better-quality wine takes five to seven years to make. And people consider the best wine to be twenty to thirty years old. Jesus produced in a moment in time what normally takes decades to produce. So if you're concerned that you don't have enough time to achieve your goals, remember that Jesus can do in a moment what might usually take years. Maybe it would typically take you twenty years to pay off your mortgage, or ten years to build your business.

But God's favor can thrust you years down the road. He still turns water into wine. Be encouraged, the God we serve knows how to accelerate natural laws. He can take you further, quicker than you can ever imagine.

God can accelerate His plan for your life Jesus can do in a moment what usually takes years.

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OCT. 24, 2025

How to pray for your children.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord...Jesus Christ." 2Pe 3:18 NKJV

The Bible says, "In the last days will come... times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]" (2Ti 3:1 AMPC).

We don't have to look far to see that Scripture fulfilled.

It's why we need to pray for the physical and spiritual safety of our children; that they may "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord...Jesus Christ."

Heather Riggleman writes: "As you and I watch the news, we weep, we cry out in anger, and then we wonder, 'How can we protect our kids...?' We wonder if it's safe to send [them] out the front door. We question whether the world is falling apart.

And nothing is more terrifying than the realization that we cannot protect them from life. While we cannot hide our children away from the world, we can...shield them in far greater ways than wrapping them in a plastic bubble or locking them in their rooms for the rest of their lives...We can intercede for [them], praying for wisdom, protection, peace, and strength." Remember, wherever we are gathered and praying, Jesus is in our midst (See Mt 18:19-20).

Paul said, "Put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil...Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers" (Eph 6:13, 18 NLT).

When you pray like that, God is bound to honor His Word. Keep covering your kids in prayer—and don't give up no matter how bad things in the world get.

How to pray for your children Keep covering your kids in prayer.

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OCT. 23, 2025

Sittin' pretty in Jesus!

"God, who is rich in mercy... raised us up...and made us sit together in... heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Eph 2:4, 6 NKJV

For many years Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse pastored Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church. One Sunday morning a twelve-year-old boy in the balcony was transfixed after hearing him speak about the length and breadth and depth of God's amazing grace.

Barnhouse closed his sermon by summarizing many of the great promises from Scripture in one impressive sentence: "Our sins are forgiven, forgotten, cleansed, pardoned, covered...blotted out as a thick cloud, removed as far as the east is from the west, cast behind God's back." At the end of the service when Barnhouse went to the back to greet people, the boy approached him, tugged at his sleeve, and said, "Good sermon, Doc! We're sure sittin' pretty, aren't we?" That glorious phrase "in Christ" speaks to the redemptive miracle God performed for us through his Son (See Ro 8:1; 1Co 1:2; 15:22; Co 5:17; Eph 2:6-13).

The word "in" assures us that just as our natural birth positioned us in Adam, our forefather, at the new birth God deliberately and precisely positions us in Jesus, our Redeemer.

Think about it: "God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:4-6 NKJV).

Note that we're seated together in heavenly places in Christ, not beside Him. And it gets even better! We're seated there so closely identified with Jesus that we're inseparably and eternally one with Him! Now if that's not sitting pretty, tell us what is!

Sittin' pretty in Jesus!

Forgiven, forgotten, cleansed, pardoned

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OCT. 6, 2025

Be careful what you watch.

"I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar." Ps 101:2-3 NLT

As a teen, Megan arrived home from school just in time to watch an hour of soap operas before doing her homework. She enjoyed the escape into the TV world and wasn't aware that the programs were arousing sexual curiosity in her. After years of exposure to these soaps, her perspective on life took a shift.

She began to think, "Relationships don't need to be pure. In fact, the impure ones seem more exciting. Fidelity doesn't matter, as long as a person is happy." As a college student, Megan found it easy to participate in one-night stands. Then after a short marriage ended in catastrophe as a result of her infidelity, she sought help from a counselor.

At first it was difficult for the counselor to understand why Megan engaged in extramarital affairs. She had been a model teenager at home, church, and school, as far as her public behavior was concerned. Finally the counselor discovered the source of the temptation that drove Megan to participate in her supposed hidden life. What you watch on television and the internet becomes part of your memory bank. You're putting images on file that Satan will use against you. David's affair with Bathsheba started with a wrong look and ended up bringing tragedy to his family.

Later David wrote: "I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar...I will reject perverse ideas and stay from every evil...! will search for faithful people to be my companions" (vv. 2-4, 6 NLT).

Be careful what you watch Your memory bank

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OCT. 7, 2025

You're walking a "prepared" path.

"Created...to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10 NIV

The word "prepared" derives from an ancient custom of sending servants ahead of a king to have things ready for his arrival. But the King of Kings goes in advance of His servants and prepares the road ahead of us. We don't know this in advance, so we have to overcome our fears, step out in faith, and follow Him. And as we look back, we can say, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Ps 23:6).

In Ephesians 2:10, notice the words "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." When you follow God, you're walking a prepared path. It's important to keep this in mind. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, you need to know that God is directing your footsteps (See Ps 37:23).

You have assurance because you know that God has considered every contingency in your life and that He always has your best interest at heart.

The psalmist David wrote: "I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too-your reassuring presence, coming and going...I can't take it all in!" (Ps 139:1-6 MSG).

If David, whom God called "a man after My own heart" (Acts 13:22 NKJV), couldn't take it all in, you won't either. But God is not asking you to figure Him out; He is just asking you to trust Him.

You're walking a "prepared" path Your reassuring presence

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ост. 3, 2025

Peace that defies human logic.

"The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and...minds in Christ Jesus." Php 4:7 NIV

No matter what problems you're grappling with, it's good to know that the peace of God "which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and...minds in Christ Jesus."

Author Lorie Newman said: "For me, that peace came when my husband lost his job...We were a one-income family with seven children, a mortgage, [and] bills. Would we lose our house? How could we feed our large family? These questions fogged my mind like suffocating smoke. But, in the midst of it, God tenderly spoke life into my worried heart.

Unemployment remained. In fact, it remained for nearly two years. But day-by-day, step-by-step, the truth of God's Word began to eclipse the despair and I had incredible peace! God's Word came alive as never before as I navigated the turbulent waters of that rough season of life. I had read that God was my provider, but I began to know and experience him as my provider! What should have been a time of horrific stress...became a place of peace."

When problems arise, our natural inclination is to panic. When we do that, we open the door for the Enemy to come in, get us off track, and make us feel victimized. Take these words of Jesus to heart: "My [own] peace I now give...you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed...do not permit yourselves to be fearful and...unsettled.]" (Jn 14:27 AMPC).

Peace that defies human logic "Do not let your hearts be troubled."

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OCT. 2,2025

Your emotions matter to God (2).

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger...be put away from you." Eph 4:31 NKJV

Like Jesus, we have been created in the image of a God who expresses emotions.

Neither the Father nor the Son was afraid or embarrassed to feel deeply, and we shouldn't be either. In Scripture God's heart broke for His wayward children (See Hos 11:8-9).

• Jesus wept openly at the grave of His dear friend Lazarus (See Jn 11:35).
• He expressed righteous anger over moneylenders defrauding worshipers in the temple (See Lk 19:45-46).

And when it comes to our own feelings, we are neither powerless pawns nor fearful fugitives. God wants us to own them, understand their message, and seek His counsel in engaging them for His glory and the benefit of others.

The psalmist often voiced his emotions before God. In Psalm 22:1, he cried out, "My God...why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?" (NLT). Think how he must have felt to make him say those words:

• intense fear,
• panic,
• confusion,
• disappointment, and betrayal.

But note what he did with his emotions. He took them to God, addressed Him personally, and called on His help: "Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me" (v. 11 NLT).

David's approach was bold, and he found the help he needed: "For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help" (v. 24 NLT).

When you bring your feelings to God, you will find that "all who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy" (v. 26 NLT).

Your emotions matter to God We are neither powerless pawns nor fearful fugitives.

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OCT. 1, 2025

Your emotions matter to God (1)

"We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality." Heb 4:15 MSG

Emotions—we all have them. Some we enjoy, some we endure. The question is, what does God say about how we should handle them?

• "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (Jas 1:2 NKJV).
• "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger...be put away from you, with all malice" (Eph 4:31 NKJV).
• "Be...full of sympathy toward each other" (1Pe 3:8 TLB).

God has appointed designated seasons for us to weep, laugh, mourn, love-and even hate (See Ecc 3:1-8).

Does He demand that we instantly and completely control all our emotions? No.

Instead He makes Himself available to transform our hearts and character, so we can manage our emotions in ways that exalt Him. Rather than providing a manual on emotional self-management, He comforts, encourages, convicts, and reorients us by patiently inviting us to do this: "Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you" (1Pe 5:7 TLB).

Even painful feelings can provide opportunities to develop a deeper relationship with our heavenly Father.

It also helps to remember that we're created in the image of an emotional God, and His Word indicates that He sees our feelings as fundamentally good.

Even anger, an emotion commonly deemed pejorative, can glorify Him when we handle it in unselfish ways. It's not about what we feel, it's how we handle those feelings. And God can give us the grace to turn any emotion into an attribute that glorifies Him.

Your emotions matter to God

"Let him have all your worries and cares."

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