“If we come to see the purpose of the universe as God’s long-term glory rather than our short-term happiness, then we will undergo a critical paradigm shift in tackling the problem of evil and suffering.” –Randy Alcorn 

Hmmm...kinda hits you in the gut, doesn’t it? I mean, most of my prayers are directly connected with my natural tendency to gravitate toward desiring happiness. Don’t yours? 

But what if, my temporary angst (I love that word, “angst” it was not in my vocabulary before I had young adult “children” but in this season of my life--it has become a favorite of mine!)...What if, my temporary “angst” and my momentary trouble--my discomfort, trial, confusion and frustration were all necessary in order for me to be used by God to bring about something great?! 

Would it be worth it then?

Yes. It. Would.

Wouldn’t it? 

Especially if you were to remember that He is the...

 Let’s talk about a couple women we meet in Genesis, and see what they have to teach us about FACE time with God (and one another). 

For fun, I’ve given these women a “face” for our story. Sarai (pronounced S’rI) will be played by...

 --Elizabeth Taylor. 

  And Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian handmaiden will be played by...

--Ava Gardner.

These two women, according to Google, represent two of the prettiest faces in the world! 

Think about faces...why are faces important? 

 I’ve heard someone say, “the eyes are the window into the soul.” 

And I think I agree with them. When I think of the people I love, I don’t think about their feet, or their hands, or any other part of their bodies. When I think about the people I love, the picture that comes to my mind is that of their faces. And when I think of their faces, I’m not deciding whether or not they...

  I've been busy this year preparing a ministry that I am super-excited about. The Prayer Clinic is an intercessory prayer ministry that will mobilize your church to pray.

  As I've written books and taught on prayer and spiritual warfare, I've realized that the church doesn't need to study prayer more, she needs to just PRAY MORE! I'm convinced that when we pray, God works. I'm also convinced that when we don't pray, we miss a whole lot of what God has promised He will do for us. 

You're familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, 

"If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land." 

  Our land is not well. Many of our churches are not well. Our brothers and sisters are not well. I know that when the church begins to pray, the healing will follow. That's why I am dedicated to this exciting ministry.

  The Prayer Clinic is...

Don't you love the back-to-school pictures? Here's ours.

My granddaughter, Misty is starting 2nd grade, and River is going out into the world to conquer her preschool class. 

  I think I love the return to school NOT because I am eager for summer to end, but rather because I love the return to a routine. I don't know about you, but at the McCoy house, we just seem to get more done when we are living in a routine.

  What if, this school year, you got in the routine of praying for your children and their teachers. I got a diagram out of Misty's backpack, that showed me where each teacher taught her class. It was complete with the names of the staff members who serve at her elementary school. I am going to take that diagram and put it in my prayer journal so that I can pray over each staff member by name throughout this school year.

  One of the great Pray-ers from days gone by, said this: 

"God has promised to hear prayer, and he will perform his...

If you are reading this blog post, you have already allowed God to share His passion for a particular ministry with you.

And if God's shared his passion, He's chosen you to stand in the gap on behalf of others who are on the front lines of Christ's kingdom advance. 

Those others might be missionaries, pastors, teachers of pastors, strategists, supporters, or believers who are enduring persecution.

I've no doubt their resources are limited, their challenges are great and their dreams are large. 

They teach, and travel, and build, and recruit, and promote, and fund raise, and...do it over and over again, all day, everyday.

And you? You have been called to pray.

The enemy would like for you to consider your job insignificant. You're not like them. You've not sacrificed, or gone hungry, or slept on the hard ground under a star-studded sky. This praying job is the kind that can go undone and no one will notice if you don't show up to work. The enemy wants to convince you...

   I don’t know how your elementary schools ended their field days but mine always culminated with a great big game of tug of war. We lined up on opposite sides of a mud pit, grabbed hold of that dirty rope and held on tight as we wrestled with the team on the other side. We strained against the pressure, heaved and hauled as hard as we could. Back and forth we’d go as the bystanders hollered and our faces turned purple. We grunted and groaned until we either fell on our backsides in victory or found ourselves face down in the mud pit of defeat.

  That was fun.

  Those tug of war games remind me of Jacob’s wrestling match with God, and what a wrestling match that was! Jacob, a mere man, afraid, vulnerable, and completely at the mercy of God, versus the Lord Almighty, the ultimate power of heaven. Is it just me, or do you too find it interesting that, while Jacob was terrified of his brother, he didn’t hesitate to take on God? I love that!...

Now, there's a bold promise. I am about to tell you how you can rest assured on your blessed assurance that God hears your prayers and ANSWERS them! 

This is maybe the most important bit of information you are going to read today. If you believe God; if you've accepted His gift of salvation and pledged to follow hard after Jesus all the days of your life; then you, my friend, have been given a powerful privilege! 

The Privilege of Prayer! 

God not only invites you to step into His throne room and discuss your concerns with Him. He implores you to come boldly! 

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

God doesn't invite you to come, just to shoot the breeze! He invites you to come to Him, so that you may get something from Him! (Notice the word, "obtain" and "find" in Hebrews 4:16.)

Here are 3 absolute truths (truths that are factual whether or not you...

  If you could see clearly, we wouldn’t call this “the dark.” There are times in our lives when the truths we took for granted seem to be challenged and the God we thought we knew seems to have disappeared. If you (or someone you know) is bumbling about in the dark right now, please be encouraged by the following verses from God’s Word.

1. “I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 145:13-14

2. “’Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10

3. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”...

As I taught the 4-week introduction to prayer this past August at Thompson Station Church, I had the privilege of entertaining some really great questions on prayer.

Is every conversation with the Lord considered a prayer? Or only when you say, "in Jesus' Name I pray?" 

 Every conversation with the Lord is considered a prayer! Prayer is communication with God. When you say, "in Jesus' Name I pray" those are merely words unless you understand their meaning. Some people use "in Jesus' Name I pray" as a sort of spiritual postage stamp to get their prayer to heaven. But in reality, to pray in the Name of Jesus is more about surrender than it is about sending. 

  When we pray in Jesus' Name we acknowledge that He is reason we get to enter the presence of God and make our request; and that we want to yield our petition to His wisdom and knowledge and power. God answers our prayers when we align them with His purposes and desires. Those simple words, "in Jesus' Name I...

1.      Spiritual Warfare is real.

  I Peter 4:12 says this, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as through some strange things were happening to you.”

Perspective matters.

If you are deceived into thinking that there might be a way to avoid the battle—you are seriously mistaken. When you chose to follow Jesus you became an enemy to the world and the prince of darkness targets you for attack. Jesus said it like this, 

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:18-19 NIV

Are there any “fiery ordeals among you?” There are among me! Since 2010

·        I’ve fought cancer

...