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    Take Comfort In Knowing God Is With Us During The Storms Of Life

    Life never seems to run out of difficulties and trials. But drawing from the story of Jonah, we can take comfort in knowing that God is with us through it all. Today on Discover the Word, the team continues their series called “Surprise!” as they explore the book of Jonah together, on Discover the Word!

    The Impartial Power of God

    By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified —Hebrews 10:14

    We trample the blood of the Son of God underfoot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only …

    Repentance

    Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . —2 Corinthians 7:10

    Conviction of sin is best described in the words:

    My sins, my sins, my Savior,
    How sad on Thee they fall.

    Conviction of sin is one of…

    It’s Not About the Fish

    Sighted numerous times off the coast of Australia’s South Queensland, Migaloo is the first albino humpback whale ever documented. The splendid creature, estimated at over forty feet long, is so rare that Australia passed a law specifically to protect him.

    The Bible tells us about a “huge fish” so rare that God had provided it especially to swallow a runaway prophet (Jonah 1:17). Most know the story. The Lord told Jonah to take a message of judgment to Nineveh. But Jonah wanted nothing to do with the Ninevites, who had a reputation for cruelty to just about everyone—including the Hebrews. So…

    "I Indeed . . . But He"

    Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed . . . but He . . .”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more— but He begins right there— He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad.

    The Concentration of Personal Sin

    When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are.

    "Acquainted With Grief"

    We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at life through the eyes of reason and say that if a person will control his instincts, and educate himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely, sin— and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable, and irrational.

    The Art of Forgiveness

    One afternoon I spent two hours at an art exhibit—The Father & His Two Sons: The Art of Forgiveness—in which all of the pieces were focused on Jesus’s parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:10–31). I found Edward Rojas’s painting The Prodigal Son especially powerful. The painting portrays the once wayward son returning home, wearing rags and walking with his head down. With a land of death behind him, he steps onto a pathway where his father is already running toward him.  At the bottom of the painting are Jesus’s words, “But when he was yet a great way off,…

    4 Lessons Only Failure Can Teach

    There are many different ways to fail. I fail to read my Bible every day. I fail to tell the truth to my parents sometimes. I fail to say kind things to people who annoy or frustrate me.

    God is near to the broken-hearted

    From ballads to the blues, people love to hear sad songs. Today on Discover the Word, we will kick off a new round of conversation surrounding a song of lament found in Psalm 6. Receive heartfelt consolation from the Bible’s songbook and discover just how near God is, whenever you’re in pain. Join us on […]

    Destroying the Divides

    A writing deadline loomed over me, while the argument I had with my husband earlier that morning swirled through my mind. I stared at the blinking cursor, fingertips resting on the keyboard. He was wrong too, Lord.

    When the computer screen went black, my reflection scowled. My unacknowledged wrongs were doing more than hindering the work before me. They were straining my relationship with my husband and my God.

    I grabbed my cell phone, swallowed my pride, and asked for forgiveness. Savoring the peace of reconciliation when my spouse apologized as well, I thanked God and finished my article on time.

    The Israelites…

    The Beauty of Brokenness

    Kintsugi is a centuries old Japanese art of mending broken pottery. Gold dust mixed with resin is used to reattach broken pieces or fill in cracks, resulting in a striking bond. Instead of trying to hide the repair, the art makes something beautiful out of brokenness.

    The Bible tells us that God also values our brokenness, when we are genuinely sorry for a sin we have committed.  After David engaged in adultery with Bathsheba and plotted the death of her husband, the prophet Nathan confronted him, and he repented. David’s prayer afterwards gives us insight into what God desires when we…

    Bring your restitution to Jesus

    Today, on Discover the Word we continue the series titled, “Bring It to Jesus.” The team answers the question, “How do we right the wrongs we’ve done to others?” Through the story of Zacchaeus, we’ll see how Jesus changes our relationships. Don’t miss this encouraging and challenging message. Today on Discover the Word!

    How A Preacher I Didn’t like Convicted me

    “But if not for the grace of God, I am finished!” said the speaker at my church one Sunday.