?Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don?t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.? - Billy Graham
Today Billy Graham is standing before Jesus. Bowing, Singing, Laughing, I can only imagine.
Listen to this song with us as we imagine the party that is happening in heaven today! As Jesus hugs Billy and says "Well done my good and faithful servant." Let it spur us on to make the most of the life we have been given. To embolden us to use every opportunity to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ! I can only imagine!
Do you have a story how Billy Graham's legacy impacted your life? Please share in the comments.
Do you believe God answers prayers?
I mean do you really truly believe God answers prayers?
I mean, today in 2018, do you believe that God answers prayers?
Have you ever asked God for something and seen your prayer answered? There are many Scriptures that tell us we should be continuously talking to God, requesting, and sharing with Him the things that concern us, and that He wants to answer. I know it is easy to say a quick prayer when I am in the midst of something stressful, or if I hear of someone that is hurt or in trouble. It can become a habit to just say a “quick prayer”, but not really expect my prayers to be answered. We give up on the answer before the prayer even leaves our mouths.
This week our GSG team wants to challenge you to to start (or continue) seeking God for needs, requests, and miracles in our lives and expect an answer. Put aside time every day this week to spend in talking with God. Not just at dinner or tucking kids in bed. Every time we pray we need to be asking God to line up our desires with His. Truly believing that He can and wants to answer.
We encourage you to print out these verses below and place them around your home, office, the refrigerator,bathroom, your car dashboard, your TV or computer screen. Use these verses to remind yourself that God wants you to actively be asking and expecting from Him.
1 John 5:14-15English Standard Version (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Isaiah 65:24New Living Translation (NLT)
24 I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
John 15:7New Living Translation (NLT)
7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
James 4:3Living Bible (TLB)
3 And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
James 5:13-18New Living Translation (NLT)
13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
1 Thessalonians 5:17New Living Translation (NLT)
17 Never stop praying.
Micah 7:7New Living Translation (NLT)
7 As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
Comment and let us know how this challenge went. We believe that God wants to hear from us and answer, so we expect awesome testimonies of God stretching your faith and answering you in ways you can’t even imagine. https://www.facebook.com/Givesendgo
New Years Resolution #1: Faith
It was by faith Able brought a more acceptable offering
It was by faith Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying
It was by faith Noah built and ark to save his family
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave his home
It was by faith Sarah was able to have a child
It was by faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice
It was by faith Isaac blessed his two sons
It was by faith Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons
It was by faith Joseph, when he was about to die confidently spoke of God’s bringing Israel out of Egypt
It was by faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months
It was by faith Moses chose to share the oppression of God’s people
It was by faith the people of Israel went right through the red sea
It was by faith Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others
It is by faith INSERT YOUR NAME HERE
Having been raised going to church since I was a child, I read all the names above and recall many things I learned about each of these men and woman of faith. How they obeyed God, how they overcame obstacles, how they made hard choices, how they knew God. Heard God. Followed God. How exciting things happened because of their faith.
So often I want the exciting outcome, but I am too afraid to step out in faith to what God has called me to do. This January, as much as I want to lose weight, keep up with the laundry, and read more books, those will not be what I will resolve to do. I want to resolve to step out of the comfortable. To obey even when it does not make sense. To grow my faith in God. To live a story of faith for the generations to come.
As 2017 comes to an end and we look back on a year filled with highs and lows, faith and failure, let us rejoice that we serve a God that wants to use us. Let's celebrate that His mercies are new EVERY morning.
So, even though we do not know what God has in store for us, let’s agree in 2018 we are going to be, as we say at GiveSendGo.com, Shine Brightly!
