If you've ever had a difficult boss, coach, parent, or other superior figure, you likely know what it means to desire their favor. In some cases, it seems futile to even try, especially if they tend to find fault with anything and everything you do. In the best cases they can be pleased, if you work hard. Regardless, it's challenging to live under such circumstances because you rarely feel they are pleased and therefore, you seldom feel satisfied. It's comforting, then, to read Psalm 90 and realize that the Superior of superiors, the everlasting God, is able and willing to shine His favor upon His people.
It's a question I frequently hear. It's one I've asked. And maybe it's one you've asked, too. It's, "God, why did You give this to me?" This can be any number of issues from emotional or psychological struggles, to symptoms or sicknesses, disabilities or disasters. When we struggle for so long, the tendency is to eventually blame God, which is exactly what the enemy wants. The devil's goal with a question like this is to take himself out of the limelight in order to make God seem to be the author of all evil. He does this to erode your confidence in God's goodness, and ultimately, your relationship and intimacy with Him.
So that your FAITH might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the POWER of God. 1 Corinthians 2:5b ESV We know the Church is being corrected in some of our doctrines and beliefs regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Whether it's the use of spiritual gifts, the accuracy of prophecy, or the veracity of our leaders, we are being disciplined. But this process is not meant to reduce us – it is meant to purify and empower us. It is not only our doctrines that are being tested, but our faith in a supernatural God.
"If you think Jesus would flip that table, why would you want to pull up a chair to sit at it?" That question has been sitting with me lately, especially while watching so much of modern culture reward behavior that feels completely disconnected from compassion, humility, or basic human decency. We live in a moment where outrage is entertainment, cruelty is often mistaken for strength, and power seems to matter more than integrity. Too many people no longer ask whether something is right or wrong. Instead, they ask whether it benefits their side, protects their tribe, or helps them win.
"I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak" (Matt.12:36 – CSB). "For nothing is concealed that won't be revealed. And nothing hidden that won't be made known and brought to light" (Luke 8:17 – CSB). These are my least favorite verses in the New Testament. They are the words of Jesus. Am I to believe them? Are they true? Will all I have said and all I have done be revealed openly on the day of judgment? I hope not. According to Jesus, it is only a matter of time when all that is knowable about you and me will be out in the open.
Many years ago, as I was ministering in Westville, Oklahoma, I began to prophesy and heard myself say, "There's more to prophecy and prophesying than you thought." I didn't know what that might be, so I had to keep talking to find out what God was saying. The Spirit of God continued, "Don't say, 'I can't prophesy,' for you can. You can prophesy in your prayer closet. You can prophesy in your car. And you can prophesy when you're alone. Did I not say that in the last days, I would pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy?"
If you were to hold an ancient shepherd's staff in your hands, you would feel more than just the smoothed grain of almond or oak. You would feel the ridges of a life story. In the quiet hours of the night watch, a shepherd would take a small knife to the wood, carving the milestones of his journey into the very tool he leaned upon. There might be a notch for a narrow escape from a predator, a symbol for a year of plenty, or the initials of a father and grandfather who carried a staff just like it.
Most people approach their roles, responsibilities, and daily work as obligations - things to manage, survive, or simply get through. But that perspective misses one of the most powerful Kingdom realities: Your assignment is not a task - it is a territory. And you were never sent into that territory just to function. You were sent there to govern it. There is a defining difference between working in an assignment and ruling within it. Most people show up to complete tasks. But from a Kingdom perspective, you were designed to establish Heaven's order in a defined space. You are not just present- you are positioned. Not just active—you are authorized. Not just responsible—you are representative of God's rule.
Jesus valued friendship. In John 15:15, Jesus told His disciples, "I have called you friends." Such a profound statement coming from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! That Jesus invited you and me into deep friendship is nothing short of miraculous! But let's go a bit deeper and consider three lessons we can learn from His friendships. Psychologists teach us how important secure attachment is in forming deep relationships later in life. As our Creator, Jesus knew how important that place of secure attachment is. So He encouraged His friends to abide in Him (John 15:4).
Around 3 a.m., the Words "A Cataclysmic Collapse" came to me. Later that morning, I came across 1 Thessalonians 5:3, which speaks of peace and sudden destruction. "While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape." 1 Thessalonians 5:3. I had never heard of "A Cataclysmic Collapse" and didn't even know its spelling. I looked it up on my dictionary app. I never dwell on The LORD's Judgments or anything negative about the future, even though The LORD warns about these end times.
