Several years ago I enrolled in an online personal growth program. One of the things I had to do in that program was to state in one sentence what my life was about, and it had to include what I do on a daily basis. It took some time and some soul searching for me to write a sentence that described my purpose in life and in which I was involved in every day. … read more
Back in 1983, when I was just about to get out of Bible school, the Holy Spirit spoke to me by tongues and interpretation. He said, “A life lived selfishly is a life wasted. The only reason for a man to live is to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and teach them to do likewise. For this reason I have called you. Don’t forget it.” … read more
Our God is a truly amazing, loving, limitless God! Over the years of our lives, we may have limited our thinking, and limited our faith by inaccurate teaching we grew up on, or by experiences we’ve had. But when we’re teaching our kids about God, or ministering to them in a church setting, we need to remember to present God’s Word in its fullness, without filtering it through our own tainted lenses. … read more
We are all being influenced by someone or something. You may think you are a free-thinker, and you don’t allow anyone to influence the way you act or think, but you are a result of the influencers you have had in your life. Influence is the capacity to affect a person, thing, or outcome of events. Sometimes we face situations in our life, marriage, family or finances that the influencers around us can’t help. … read more
There are three very important words in First Corinthians 1:8 regarding the impact of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual or a congregation. The words “confirm,” “end,” and “blameless” are vital to understanding the long-term effect of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Let’s see what these words meant when Paul wrote them and how they should be applied in our lives now as they pertain to the gifts of the Holy Spirit… … read more
A transition is a change from one thing to another. One life season ends, another begins. A chapter in our life’s book ends. A new chapter waits to be written. What was is no longer. What is going to be is on life’s radar screen. When seasons change, life is not the same. Transitions can be welcome, or unwelcome. Expected or unexpected. Planned or unplanned. By choice or forced. Pleasant or unpleasant. … read more
Jesus said, “…Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). In Greek, the word “iniquity” actually describes lawlessness. This verse could literally read: “…Because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” The word “lawlessness” is plural in the Greek text, which tells us Jesus was foretelling a time when lawlessness would escalate around the world. In this verse, “lawlessness” refers to the actions of an individual … read more
In the world and even in the church today, there are different thoughts on what real love is. The world usually thinks of love as a strong feeling of affection. Many dictionaries will also agree that love is a warm or strong feeling of affection. Biblical love is quite different. Jesus did not tell the disciples to go and live according to the old Mosaic commandment, but rather he gave them a new commandment. In other words, we will not find the model for this love in the Old Testament. … read more
In the eyes of our children, this world can be a scary place. They see and hear news about earthquakes, volcano eruptions, floods and school shootings. They have friends whose parents are getting divorced or are dying of cancer. In the rural area of the Rocky Mountains where we live, every summer brings the threat of wildland fires. But our family’s perspective is markedly different than that of our neighbors. … read more
Reading the story of Joseph beginning in Genesis 37 stirs our soul to rise to new possibilities in life! Rising from the humble life of a shepherd’s son to becoming second in command over all of Egypt is something that makes for a “too-good-to-be-true” story! The mention of Joseph’s name lifts our thoughts to new levels and stirs our imagination to see what may be possible for us to attain in our lives. There are a lot of things about Joseph that are very appealing to many of us. When we think of Joseph, we think of him as a dreamer, highly favored, an interpreter of dreams … read more
When we are weak, He is strong! The following article is an excerpt from Jim Cobrae’s upcoming book, Followship: Pastoring in His Presence. This book will be released at the Pastors Gathering, hosted by the Rock Church in San Bernardino, CA (May 15-17, 2018). Click here to learn more about the Pastors Gathering, an outstanding conference that will greatly benefit pastors and their staff members. … read more
We can’t hide God! If we walk with Him, eventually who He is will flow out from within us. There’s a word in the English language many are not acquainted with, wafting, which means to carry lightly and smoothly through the air or over water. When we walk with God, He smoothly releases Himself through us and over circumstances in people’s lives. God longs to be released. … read more
Some people tend to sit and watch as achievers reach out to do the impossible. But if you are going to join the ranks of those achievers, you’ll have to do more than just sit around and talk about it. You’ll need to say yes to what the Lord is urging you to do. You cannot accomplish what God has called you to do all alone! Look around you! Look at the people God has placed around you to help you fulfill your dream. Don’t ignore them, thinking you can do it alone. … read more
The Lord put it on my heart to share this testimony of my survival against all odds and how living by God’s principles for life has made all the difference. Little did I know that Wendy and so many were praying for me. By this time, less than eighteen hours after I crashed my jet ski and went facedown in the lake, intercession was going up for me all over the world. Word had spread so fast. But as Wendy drove to the hospital that morning, she had no idea in what condition she would find me. … read more
Last night a young man was carried to our Gospel Festival. He was totally paralyzed and unable to walk. As I prayed for the sick en masse from the platform, our Lord Jesus touched this young man. He stood up and began to walk, completely healed. Now to understand this, here are the reasons and dynamics as to why and how such miracles take place. 1. Our Lord Jesus is risen from the dead, and He is alive today. That is why He does the same things today that He did 2000 years ago. … read more
Jesus made an amazing statement in Matthew 4:19 when speaking to a couple of fishermen. He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Notice He didn’t say, “I will make you holier, more spiritual, or bless you exceedingly.” He gave them a purpose for living and a new occupation. Many times as believers, we talk about the blessings of God. Don’t take me wrong; the blessings are important. However, it is more important to be “used by God than to be blessed by God.” … read more
For many leaders, the idea of working with a board has the same emotional response as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. It is necessary, but painful. There are certainly horror stories of rogue boards that are of no help at all. If that was your experience or if you are board-shy for good reasons, I hope the thoughts in this article will encourage you to try again and determine to work with this potentially great resource. A properly selected board can add wisdom and experienced decision making to the organization. … read more
Today’s world is filled with many anti-Christian attitudes. Some of it is provoked by Satan who challenges the truth of God’s Word wherever he can. In other instances, it is brought on by the way the Church has dealt with some things. One item that comes under constant criticism is how the Church has used the Bible. Skeptics point to the myriad of doctrines within the Church and the fact that many denominations do not agree with each other. Many non-church people have expressed doubts as to the validity of the Bible … read more
I have noticed that when Christians describe their relationship with Jesus, they usually say “Jesus is my Lord and Savior.” Many times, it’s said so fast that it’s all slurred together like “Lordandsavior.” Like it’s all one word. Over the last several decades the church has focused a lot on the savior part and with much teaching on grace as of late most people understand that salvation is a free gift that is paid for with the blood of Jesus that washes away our sin, so we can be born again. … read more
If you will let faith work in you, it must be more than a problem solving method. It must change you as a person, and it must change your perspective. Have a faith bigger than if you get a new car. Have a faith bigger than if your plans are all fulfilled. Make your faith more about heaven, and more about what is yet to come. Make faith more about heaven than it is about earth. I see three types of faith taught in the New Testament. … read more
More than anything else Christianity is about the Father and His family – God and His people, the church, and the richness of the life He has given us – love, joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, etc. It is about the omnipotent God and His unfailing, unflagging love, who worked for millennia to win back the height of His creation – humans. It is about Him through the sacrifice of Jesus bringing us into a purposeful life of destiny. It is about being raised up as sons and daughters, equipped to do God’s work (Ephesians 4:12 NLT). … read more
“Thank you for being courageous, Pastor.” I was taken a bit off guard when one of my parishioners, a long-time Christian and a very bright man, made this comment after my sermon. The topic of the day was the power, the purpose, and the pitfalls of sex. I knew that some of the material might be challenging to a few members of our congregation, but it never occurred to me that it was “courageous” to broach the subject of sexual sin. I plead guilty to being naïve, maybe even foolhardy, but courageous? The fact that it would be thought so seemed more depressing than the subject itself. That decrying sin and encouraging holiness would be considered somehow outside the pastoral norm is, to me, a chilling indictment of the condition of our culture and the Church … read more
Many aspire to leadership, but do not understand the privilege, responsibility, and stakes of it. Romans 12:8 tells those who have been given the gift of leadership to “lead with diligence.” Before leading others with diligence, a leader must successfully lead themselves. Paul told Timothy, a leader, to “take heed to yourself.” As a leader, I have a deep sense of responsibility and conviction for what God has entrusted to me. With this profound call to leadership, we must prioritize the leadership of ourselves over the leadership of others. Leaders must engage in the process of self-leadership, self-development, and self-discovery because not doing so has serious implications for those around them. … read more
Some time ago, I was getting out my car to walk into the funeral home for a person I had never met. In that moment I thought, “Am I really going to make a difference today?” I was tired and overwhelmed with many other ministry tasks yet to perform that week. In the middle of the groan that came from my soul came the familiar voice of our Savior by His Spirit saying, “Your ‘showing up’ changes everything for them.” I knew in an instant that regardless of how well I conducted the service, which is a pressure I always feel, I had already provided the family with something they desperately needed: someone to minister to their pain. … read more
Several years ago, I and another pastor were doing a conference on bearing fruit. In John 15 Jesus spoke of fruit: bearing fruit, bearing much fruit, bearing lasting fruit. I concluded that His intention for His body was to be effective. While doing that conference I was very supernaturally given an emphasis—or application—from each of the nine letters in the word EFFECTIVE. When I got this revelation, I spent nine weeks teaching and ministering it to our church. … read more
