“Be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 TLB) Everyone has a dream, but most dreams never come true. It's not that we aren’t smart enough, or outgoing enough, or even spiritual enough. Usually, our dreams don't come true because we’re unwilling to take the necessary risks to reach them. The Bible shares a sad one-sentence commentary about a king who failed to ach

“Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” (Romans 4:17 NLT) There are certain dead-end words in life: cancer, divorce, bankruptcy, infertility, and unemployment, to name a few. How do you know when you're at a dead end? You know it when things get out of your control. When you're at a dead end and you're waiting for deliverance, you need to remember this: the situation may be out of your control, but it's not out

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV) When you go through difficulties in life, the first thing we try to do is blame somebody else. But it doesn't matter where the problem came from—God still has a purpose for it in your life. Even when you do something stupid, God can use it. Even when other people hurt you intentionally, He can use it. Even when the devil plans bad things for your

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. (Job 1:21 NIV) When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions, and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies. God wants you to sense his presence, but he's more concerned that you trust him then that you fee

“But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-8 TEV) Nothing is going to happen to your dream until you wake up and put it into action. You have to make the decision: “I'm going to go for it!” For every ten dreamers in the wor

“Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (Ephesians 3:20 TLB). Dreaming is an act of faith. God gave you the ability to create and to imagine, but nothing happens in your life until you started dreaming. So how do you get God's dream for your life? You do three things: • Dare to ask God for it. The Bible says, “No

“I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NVC) You exercise faith by setting goals. Goals are statements of faith by which you say, “I believe God wants me to accomplish something by a certain date.” If you don't have a date, it's not a goal, it's just

“Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 TEV) Pain is a natural part of life. We can't the escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons will always be with us. When they come, you can either become bitter or hopeful. The choice is yours. Jeremiah faced the same choice.

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT) The Bible tells us three things about the importance of daring faith. • God is looking for faithful people. God is actively searching for people who are sold out to his purposes, so that He can bless them. The Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (2