Blessed

One of my favorite collections of photos is of a family dinner. Preserved in an album are images of Dad, his sons and their wives, and his grandchildren in a time of thanks-giving and intercession. Dad had suffered a series of strokes and was not as verbal as usual. But during that time of prayer, I heard him say with heartfelt conviction: “We pray in Jesus’ name!” About a year later, Dad passed from this world into the presence of the One in whose name he placed such trust. Jesus taught us to pray in His name. The night before He was crucified, He gave a promise to His disciples: “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). But the promise of asking in Jesus’ name is not a blank check that we might get anything to fulfill our personal whims. Earlier that evening, Jesus taught that He answers requests made in His name so that He will bring glory to the Father (John 14:13). And later that night, Jesus Himse

Who is your source of power? This list of awesome power of prayer Bible verses is meant to encourage you today. I pray that you read through these Bible verses and then take them to God in prayer. Ask God for the wisdom and discernment to teach you how He wants you to pray and for what He wants you to pray for. For a great Christian song check out the video to the right Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech. Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Ask Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Over and over again in Scripture we read, “In my name,” “In Jesus’ name,” or “In his name.” The devils were powerless because of his name (Luke 10:17). The demons were cast out in his name (Mark 16:17-18). Healing occurred in his name (Acts 3:6, 3:16, 4:10). Salvation comes in his name (Acts 4:12, Rom. 10:13). We are to baptize in his name (Matt. 28:19). We are justified in his name (1 Cor. 6:11). Everything we do and say is done in his name (Col. 3:17). But, it is praying in Jesus’ name that I want to bring to the forefront. Jesus has invited, urged, and commanded us to pray in his name and has promised incredible results. John 14:13-14 and John 16:23-24 are some of the most powerful verses in all of scripture related to prayer. In fact, when most of us pray we conclude with the phrase, “in Jesus’ name.” But what does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? When we pray in Jesus’ name 1. We are admitting the bankruptcy of our own name. When I pray in Jesus’ name I come bo

Pastor Steve Mickel’s life was turned upside-down when the unthinkable happened. But in his resulting grief and brokenness, he found the true meaning of "good news." By Steve Mickel       It started as a typical Thursday morning in the office—coffee in hand, sitting down to finalize my message for the upcoming weekend—when two police officers showed up with the worst news a parent can ever receive. STEVE MICKEL Our oldest son, Chase, had died in a one-car accident on his way to work that morning. Our world immediately turned upside-down. Even now, more than a year later, as I write this devotional, my heart breaks, and I yearn to see my son again. As pastors and leaders, we often run from the pain and uncertainty in our lives and in the lives of others. We put on a strong face, not letting our churches know how broken we actually are. We keep a safe distance from others to shield them from seeing our wounds or to keep their burdens from becomi

T u r b u l e n c e :   H o w   C h r i s t ’ s   B i r t h S h o o k   T h i n g s   U p The birth of Christ sparked radical changes to His world and culture that still radiate to this day, shares President Glenn Burris Jr. By Glenn Burris Jr., in  Devotionals     Turbulence is considered by many to be a disruption in the relatively calm flow of air. It’s the reason some people quit flying and others are terrified of flying. Generally, it’s a “buckle your seatbelt till all is clear” kind of interruption. GLENN BURRIS JR. Most Christmas celebrations show the wise men, shepherds and angels all glowing in their affirmation of the Christ child, as they should be. However, simmering just beyond the celebration was a world that became unsettled by His arrival. This was exemplified by Herod’s tragic pronouncement of death for all baby boys, which forced the young Messiah’s family to flee to Egypt. Every encounter between heaven and hell has Satan either fightin

Pastor Mike Kai challenged his church members to find a need and fill it. The result? The multiplication of creative outreach ministries and multisite church locations. By Rachel Chimits, in  Leadership Profiles     A couple summers ago Mike Kai, an ordained Foursquare minister and pastor of the Hawaii-based multisite  Inspire Church , was at a conference in Australia and felt God give him a calling: Raise up new leaders and send them out. The first step toward fulfilling this calling was creating “ministry starting” kits. Mike began leading members of Inspire toward taking ownership of outreach and using their abilities to bless their communities. “I told them: ‘Don’t wait for a church-sanctioned ministry. Just go do something,’ ” he recalls. “You have to go outside, find a need and fill it.” FOURSQUARE SPONSOR Equip parents to talk about life’s tough topics. 6 session small group kit. The ministry kits provided a practical support for this budding v

Pastor Walter Ramos talks about what it means to develop leaders, and how that can birth entire movements. By Walter Ramos, in  Features       The night I found Jesus, I was on my way to take my life at a local park; although I didn’t know it, He was waiting for me at a church close to that park. I walked in, sat in the back of the room and didn’t let anyone see me. As I bowed my head out of respect for the prayer going on, I heard an older woman pray for “the” young man who was about to take his life. She said, “I know You have a great plan for his life.” I returned to church the next morning for prayer, then again on Sunday. As I walked out of church, I said to the pastor, “I want to be a pastor someday.” FOURSQUARE PARTNER This Christmas, $19 will feed one child for a month! God really had a plan for my life, and I had no idea He had probably called me to be a pastor since I was conceived. I’m now the senior pastor of a healthy, growing congrega

Help pray for our chaplains, associate chaplains and chaplain candidates who serve locally and around the world. Format: PDF December 2017 Download the free Monthly Prayer Guide published by Foursquare Chaplains International, and help people in your church pray for our chaplains, associate chaplains and chaplain candidates who serve locally and around the world. Foursquare chaplains minister in the name of Christ where doors are open to specialized settings, such as with the military, civic organizations, hospitals and hospices, prisons, law enforcement, firefighters and other specialized mission fields. They serve in military bases, ships, war zones, crime scenes, prisons, workplaces and during natural disasters, and they all need our prayer support. FOURSQUARE SPONSOR Equip parents to talk about life’s tough topics. 6 session small group kit. Visit  Foursquare Chaplains International  online to learn more about this vital ministry, including information o