Uninterrupted

Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2

A real Christian stands out in the crowd!

  Their character is deeper,

      their ideas fresher,

      their spirit softer,

      their courage greater,

      their leadership better,

      their concerns wider,

      their compassion more genuine,

      their convictions more concrete.

They're joyful in spite of difficult circumstances and show wisdom far beyond their years. And they're full of surprises: you think you have them boxed in, but they turn out to be unpredictable. When you're around them you feel slightly off balance because you don't know what to expect next. Over time you learn that their unexpected ideas and actions can be trusted.

Why? Because these people have a strong relationship with the Lord - one that's renewed day by day. David said: "Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night."

They have a spiritual root system that reaches down to streams of living water. Consequently, what they put their hand to prospers. Too few of us ever reach this level. How come? Because we're just too busy!

The arch-enemy of spiritual growth is business, which is closely tied to something the Bible calls "worldliness" - getting caught up with society's agenda, to the neglect of walking with God.

Anyway you cut it, a key ingredient in real Christianity is - time.

Not left over time, not throw away time, but quality time.

    Time for contemplation.

    Time for meditation.

    Time for reflection.

Unhurried, uninterrupted time with God!!!

-dave langerfeld 

...revival

The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” Matthew 12:41

The greatest revival in human history that we know of took place in the city of Nineveh. The population of Nineveh at that time was around one million people, and an awakening swept through the entire city.

Yet it wasn’t thanks to Jonah, the prophet whom God sent. When the Lord told him to go to Nineveh and preach, he caught a boat going in the opposite direction. He was swallowed by a great fish, and after he repented, the fish vomited him onto dry land.

Jonah wasn’t happy about preaching to these people. He didn’t even care if God judged them. So he simply told them, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Jonah 3:4. Loosely paraphrased, Jonah was saying, “You’re going to burn, so deal with it.”

There was no offer of forgiveness, yet amazingly, God worked in Nineveh. The people turned to Him. They repented. And because of that, God spared them.

Later Jesus said, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” Matthew 12:41

The people of Nineveh didn’t have the message that we have today. They didn’t hear that God loved them so much that He sent His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay for their sins. They didn’t hear that if you will put your faith in Jesus, you can know that when you die, you will go to Heaven.

And they didn’t know that forgiveness could be given and received instantaneously if a person would believe.

If your life is falling apart right now. Christ can transform it. 

-greg laurie

.....unless

Then Moses said to him, 'If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. Exodus 33:15

Moses was in the middle of his journey through the wilderness, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. The people had just sinned by worshiping the golden calf. Moses interceded for them and God spared them their lives. Moses then talked one-on-one with the Lord. He knew he could not lead this stubborn people without God's presence. 

He had come to realize that without God's presence, he could not do anything. "How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" Exodus 33:16

Moses did not want to move further without the assurance that God was moving with him. He knew it was a life-and-death situation. He sought the Lord with his whole heart on this one matter.

The question is a good one. If we are to be effective in anything we do for the Lord, the Lord must be in the midst of it. Unless the Lord's power is seen among us, we will be just another person who has religion. Unless we manifest His life to others, they will see only good behavior that is easily counterfeited by moral people. Moving out in presumption will end in failure and frustration. 

Ask the Lord today to assure you of His presence and power in your activities. Then you will be assured that you will be distinguished among all the other people on the face of the earth.

-os hillman

....become

 ...The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. Judges 6:12

God always looks at His children for what they will be, not what they are now. The Lord already had seen Gideon as a leader of others, not just a laborer who threshed wheat.

Gideon was an Israelite who lived during a time of oppression from the Midianites. God had allowed Israel to be oppressed because of its rebellion. However, the Israelites cried out to God, and He heard their cry for help. He decided to free them from the oppression of their enemies. God chose a man with little experience in such matters to lead an army against Midian.

When God came to Gideon through a visit by an angel, the angel's first words to him were, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." God always looks at His children for what they will be, not what they are now. The Lord had already seen this man as a leader of others, not just a laborer who threshed wheat.

The apostle Paul said, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" Phil. 4:13. God has reserved an inheritance for you and me. He has foreordained that we should accomplish great things in His name-not so that we will be accepted or become more valued, but to experience the reality of a living relationship with a God who wants to demonstrate His power through each of us.

What does God want to accomplish through you today? He used Gideon, with only 300 men, to deliver Israel from an army of more than 100,000. He demonstrated His power through one man who was willing to let God use what little faith he had to free a nation from oppression and bring glory to the God of Israel. 

The Lord delights in showing Himself strong through those who will trust Him.

-os hillman

....memory

 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

I’m amazed sometimes at all the things we fill our minds with. For instance, some people know the names of every character in the Star Wars films along with all the plot twists. Others seem to know the scores of every professional baseball game that has been played in the last four decades.

As for me, I have in my memory banks the lyrics to songs I’ve heard years ago, including the theme song to The Flintstones. I don’t know when I consciously learned them, but I know them.

We have all kinds of data floating around in our minds, but do we know the Word of God? Do we know what verses deal with specific subjects and what the Bible says about certain topics?

In our own strength, we don’t have the power to resist temptation. That’s why we need to take time to memorize the Word of God.

When Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, the devil came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” Matthew 4:3.

Yes, Jesus had the power to do that. No doubt He was hungry—hungry to the point of starvation, even.

But with His response, Jesus gave us an example to follow. He showed us how to deal with temptation. And He stood on ground that we, too, can stand on.

Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” verse 4. He fought temptation with the Word of God.

It’s good to carry a Bible, but the best place to carry the Word of God is in your heart. Memorize it so you can draw upon it when temptation comes knocking at your door. And indeed, temptation will come.

-greg laurie

.....works

You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. Deuteronomy 8:17

We've all heard someone say, "He's a self-made man." What are they saying in this statement? Are they saying that this individual achieved success by his hard work and sweat?

Many a person has achieved success through honest hard work. There is a danger for any of us who may have achieved significance through our work. That danger is the belief that we achieved it through our own efforts apart from God's grace and mercy. When we live in this belief, we assert that we are entitled to certain rights and privileges because of the position we have earned and feel we deserve.

The prodigal son's brother who refused to celebrate the wayward son's return was a man who felt he was entitled to certain rights. He saw himself as one who had been faithful to his responsibilities and deserving of more attention. He could not appreciate his brother's failure and the pain of falling into a sinful life because, in his mind, he had never failed. 

This pride kept him from experiencing God's real grace. This is how legalism develops in believers. It grows into a cold heart and an insensitive attitude toward others who may have stumbled in their lives. This same brother did not truly understand the love of his father apart from works; for he felt he gained acceptance only by doing his job.

Do you feel accepted by God, regardless of what you do? Have you wrongfully viewed your works as something you alone have achieved? These are the minefields of which each of us in business must be aware. God has gifted us to accomplish anything through His grace, not by our works. 

-os hillman

....overlooking

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11

I have a friend who tells a story of a lesson the Lord taught him through his wife. It seems that every time he and his wife would get in the car to travel somewhere, his wife had a strong need to direct his driving. She would tell him where to turn and when to turn, even in their own subdivision. It was such a horrible habit that it drove my friend crazy and became the source of many an argument. Finally, one day my friend concluded that the Lord was trying to teach him something through this experience.

He decided he would let go of his need to be free from this correction. He began to affirm his wife and even thank her for her input. It was excruciatingly painful to do this from where he sat.

A few months passed. He let go of the entire situation and actually got to a place where it just didn't matter to him anymore. An interesting thing happened a few months later. One day his wife looked at him and said, "John, I just realized that I have been directing your driving all these years and now realize why I do that. It goes back to my childhood when I had to direct my younger brothers and sisters. I am so sorry I have been doing that." My friend nearly fell out of his seat!

Whenever we work close to another person, whether in an office or home, small offenses can become the source of great conflict. Resentment and irritability soon follow. God brings these "offenses" into our lives to develop character qualities in us. He uses individuals in our lives to accomplish his goal of making us more Christ-like. 

So the next time you complain or resist a habit or action from someone close to you, ask God if it has been placed there to develop some quality in you. Pride is the root source of the need to change another person. A man's wisdom gives him patience-to let go of little offenses. 

This is where spiritual maturity is seen in the day-to-day activity of life. Is there someone close to you who has some habit you really want to change? Give up that desire to the Lord. Who knows, He may even change it after you let go of the need to change it. 

-os hillman

....help

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

A young man found himself lost as he attempted to drive through an unfamiliar city where his cell phone would not work.  He was determined to find his way, so he continued to drive around wondrously lost not knowing where he was going. Hours passed by and the young man finally decided to stop at a service station and ask someone. After leaving the service station, just minutes later he was on the right path.

It then dawned on him how help was always available, but pride prevented him from asking for help. Frustration settled in because hours had passed, and daylight was gone  - all because he refused to ask for help.

There are many times in life that we exhibit pride similar to that of the young man.  Many times, we will buy something new and spend hours trying to figure out how it works before picking up the directions. We will spend hours trying to learn the features of a gadget before picking up the manual. Most of all, we waste a lot of time and effort trying to figure out certain things in life. We have a "determined to figure it out on my own" mind set.

Days, weeks, months, or years have passed and we have found ourselves at the same point. This attitude has allowed discouragement, doubt, fear, loneliness, and other negative things to settle in, simply because we refuse to tap into the Help that is available to us. We need to be encouraged to struggle no longer alone, but "ask Him for Help!"

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

-timothy jackson, jr.

......why

Have you ever uttered the words "Why is this happening to me?" I mean after all, we try to live right. We pray, we go to church, we read our Bible, we try to be that good husband (or wife), but still this terrible thing has happened to me. 

What did I do to deserve this? 

Why did they treat me so badly? 

Why do things happen to hurt me so much? 

Where is God when I need him? 

Why did he allow this to happen?

More than likely you don't deserve all the bad stuff that is happening to you. 

Where is God and why didn't he stop it? He's still in heaven watching over his creation. 

Why didn't he stop it, for the same reason he didn't stop it when they came and took his son to be crucified.

Some things we just have to see through to the lens of the great controversy between good and evil, between Jesus Christ and Satan, not because He doesn't care, not because He doesn't love us, but because that is one way our faith and reliance upon Him grows and is strengthened.

A man discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree. He noticed that a butterfly was trying to emerge from the cocoon. He waited a while, but it took so long. Finally, he decided to help the poor creature along. Slowly and carefully he tore the cocoon to help the butterfly escape. The butterfly started to come out, but its wings were folded back and crumpled. The butterfly valiantly struggled but could not make it and soon died. The man had forced the butterfly to come out before its time without a struggle. As he held the little body in his hands he realized the terrible thing that he had done. It was the struggle to come out of the cocoon the butterfly needed to pump the fluids into it's wings and give it strength, without the struggle it died.

If you are going through tough times right now or if you do in the future, don't label God as uncaring and don't give up on Him. It may be that you need to strengthen your wings of faith to be what you're supposed to be. If He reached out and interfered you may never grow into what he has intended you to be.

Paul writes "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

 

May you find "God's way out" to endure the test!  

....pouring

Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

The hike up Stagecoach Trail was worth it. We were rewarded with a spectacular view at over ten thousand feet. Still, we weren’t above the timberline. ‘Older than dirt’ towering pines and spruces dotted the landscape. Just a little further down the trail, a symphony of rushing waters beckoned us.

The Cascades water flowed down so dramatically. It pooled, and it poured out. Pooled, poured out. Continuously it pooled, and poured out.

We all "pour out" in one way or another. We give of ourselves at home, at work, in our churches, communities - everywhere we are, we give of ourselves. It could be something big or it could be something as seemingly insignificant as a smile.

We each have a sphere of influence whether we are aware of it or not. God plants us precisely where He wants us, for our good and for the greater good of others. He always intends to bless us and at the same time there is always a bigger picture.

Just as in the natural world, where the waterfall pooled and poured out, we need to "pool" in order to pour out. Sometimes, we try to run on our own steam for a while, but then – we realize we can't do it on own - and realize we need time alone with God to "refill".

We can not run on empty - although I have to admit, I get caught up in things and then find that I am actually trying to do that very thing. It just doesn’t work. We are designed for pooling and pouring, then pooling and then pouring.

 

Thank you, Lord, that when we are "still" with you, we are refilled and renewed for pouring again!

-dave langerfeld 

....priorities

 "...Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel...." Zechariah 4:10

As children in grammar school we often played pick-up football. Two captains would alternate making the best choices among schoolmates to make up the two teams. I was often chosen first because I was a good athlete. It felt good to be valued by others for what they perceived I could contribute. Conversely, it must have felt crummy to be the last chosen or not chosen at all.

Such was the case for Zerubbabel. He was a man chosen by God to rebuild the temple. God saw something in Zerubbabel that He could use for His purposes. The people also recognized that Zerubbabel was a man in whom they could place their faith. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people Haggai 1:14.

Are you part of the remnant of workplace believers whom God is calling out today? Do not let the business of today's workplace sidetrack you from the importance of God's agenda for you. Can you recall the day God's Spirit rested on you? Have you walked in that anointing since that day? Satan's strategy is to keep us distracted with the urgency of the moment versus the importance of eternity. 

Ask God what your priorities should be today. Make His priorities your priorities. 

-os hillman

....dead

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11

What are the things that arouse the strongest emotions in you? Perhaps it is a rude motorist who cuts you off in traffic. Perhaps it is the anger you feel when you are wrongfully accused. Perhaps it is frustration that results from not having enough money to meet perceived needs. When do emotions turn into sin? Anger itself is not sin. Jesus had righteous anger when they sold doves in the temple.

Whenever our peace is upset over events and circumstances in life, we have moved past emotions into sin. Sin says that circumstances of life now dictate anxiety, worry, fear, or anger. Consider the attributes of a dead man. He does not get angry when slandered. He does not worry about the future. He does not fear what can be done to him. Why? Because he is dead. Nothing can harm a dead man.

Christ said we are to live as if we are dead - dead to the temptation of responding to stimuli in our life that are designed to stir up the sinful nature that resides in each of us. We do not have to respond to that nature; we can consider it dead. Christ said He is enough. 

When He is our all in all, nothing can move us. If we are moved, then Christ is not our all in all. This does not mean we cannot have strong emotion about our circumstance, it means we do not sin. Christ had strong emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He sinned not. 

-os hillman

....available

A man saw a job ad posted on a construction site, "Handy man wanted; apply within", so he went in to speak with the foreman.

     "Can you drive a Bobcat?" the foreman asks.   "No."

     "Can you plaster?"  "No."

     "Have you ever done any carpentry?"  "No."

     "If you don't mind me asking," says the foreman, "what's so handy about you?" 

     "Well, I only live about five minutes down the road..."

It has been said that "The greatest ability is availability."  It is certainly true that some of the greatest members of the kingdom of God are not those with the most talents and abilities.  Rather, they are people who have made themselves available.  They are always there when you need them, always willing to see the need and respond.

No matter what skills you may have, you can't be helpful to someone else unless you are available.  You can't help a friend who is hurting unless you are available.  You can't lend a listening ear unless you are available.  You can't show the love of Christ to those who are in need unless you are available.  One thing I have learned through the years... what people remember most about people that they love is - that they were there for them when they needed them.  

Availability.

I am reminded of Isaiah who felt very unworthy to the task to which God had called him, but he said, "Here am I!  Send me."  Isaiah 6:8.  Wherever you need me to go, whatever you need me to do, I'm here and I'm available.

May that be our daily attitude toward God, and toward those around us -- "Here am I!  I'm available." 

-david langerfeld

....forgive

Corrie Ten Boon survived the Holocaust, but her family did not. They were Dutch Christians caught by the Nazis for hiding Jews in their home. She watched the horrors of the genocide from Auschwitz, and barely survived.

Following the war, she became famous for her book "The Hiding Place," which shared the story of her family. The popularity of the book gave her the opportunity to share her faith with thousands of people on speaking tours.

One such evening, after she had spoken about the forgiveness of Christ, a man approached her whom she recognized as one of the guards from Auschwitz. She immediately felt all of the horror, pain and hatred from those years of persecution.

He told her that he had listened to her talk, and informed her that he had been a guard at the death camp. She told him that she recognized him. Crying, he asked if he might receive the forgiveness of Christ of which she had spoken. She thought to herself that she could not, there was no possible way she could forgive him for the horrible things he had done.  But she remembered the command of Christ to love your enemy and to forgive seventy times seven the person who has wronged you.

She prayed that Jesus might give her the strength to forgive the man, and as she prayed, she felt a sensation begin in her heart and flow through her hand as it touched his. Then she heard herself saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive you."

The man collapsed to her feet and wept a prayer of thanks. She later discovered that he had become a minister of the gospel, and that many people had come to Christ through his ministry.

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Matthew 5:44 

....major

David just showed up that morning. He had left his sheep-watching to deliver bread and cheese to his brothers on the battle front. That’s where David hears Goliath defying God.

 

Read the first words he spoke:  "David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26

 

David shows up discussing God.  The soldiers mentioned nothing about him, the brothers never spoke his name, but David takes one step onto the stage and raises the subject of the living God...

 

No one else discusses God. David discusses no one else but God!!!

 

David sees what others don’t and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David’s, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk....,  The people know his taunts, his demands, his size, and his strut.

They have majored on Goliath.  David majors on God.

He sees the giant, mind you; he just sees God more so.  Look carefully at David’s battle cry: “David said to the Philistine, You come against me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Sam. 17:45

-david langerfeld

....4th

  

"And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."  John 8:32

 

We all know that the Bible says that man was created in the image of God. As God's highest creation, and in that image, it is a given that man should be free. 

There is no scriptural foundation for any other teaching. That is one of the reasons that America is a great nation. It is founded on the liberating Biblical concept of freedom.

When the citizens of the early colonies declared their freedom from and independence of England, it was a great day for freedom and the church. The United States was born. Since that time we have taken great pride in our freedoms and our independence from other tyrannical nations.

 

It is a good thing to be free to worship God and that is what our founding fathers worked, fought and died for. Sadly enough though, too many have taken that independent spirit too far and have become totally independent of any and all powers and entities, resulting in rebellion.

 

As a Christian, independence is never more demonstrated than when we exercise total dependence on God. We were never intended to be independent of Him or His ways. He created us to depend on Him and thus to find our total fulfillment in Him, to find His perfect strength by acknowledging our own weakness. 2 Cor. 10: 9-10

 

On the close of this holiday weekend that we as Americans proudly give honor to our country, one nation under one God, let us also along with this day of independence declare that this is our Day Of Dependence. A day that we acknowledge that we depend on God for everything in this life. A day that we know that "we live and move and have our being in Him".  Acts 17:28 

....works

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Have you ever gone through a very difficult time in your life? These times make us value life. They make us appreciate the simple things that we took for granted before the crisis.

When we are restored from such a trial, it is as though we have been given a new beginning. We can place a greater value on what we had before and use it for His purposes. Perhaps for the first time we can identify with others who find themselves in a similar trial.

I recall having an attitude of superiority over those who went through a difficult financial crisis. Because I had never experienced any financial crisis in my life, this pride kept me from identifying with such people. Then the Lord brought such a trial into my life. I learned a great deal during that period. I learned that the world and even Christians often treat such people as lepers. 

Like me, they didn't know how to relate. Now, I appreciate the little things that I never would have valued without that trial. The experience taught me greater dependence and faith in the provision area of my relationship with God.

When God brings death to one area of life, he resurrects it in a new way. Death works in us to bring new life and new perspectives. These are designed to keep us pressing  us forward in ways that we never would have moved without the experience. 

God knows how much this is needed in our life to gain the prize He has reserved for each of us. It is His strategic mercy that motivates Him to bring such events into our life. Press into Him, learn of Him, and rely on Him. 

- os hillman

....role

 "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:4

Have you ever tried to do anything that you were not gifted to do? I am not a handy man. If there is a household project, like a plumbing leak or anything mechanical - forget it. God has not given me any "natural" gifts for such things. And I'd prefer not buying anything that requires assembly!

I have a friend who can fix or assemble anything. It comes naturally to him, and he loves to help me. This same person looks at some of my abilities and marvels. We appreciate the gifts God has given to each of us. These differences have created a need for one another. God wants each of us to need one another. 

The Scriptures describe the Body of Christ in the same way. Each person is a member of His Body with gifts and talents designed to make His Body perform as a multi-talented group, all playing to the same tune. It is when one member is "out of tune" or decides he doesn't like his gifts, or decides to do something he is not designed to do that the orchestra begins to sound off key. 

Imagine if the parts of the human body decided they didn't want to fulfill their parts any longer. That body would no longer function effectively because one or more of its members were not performing the functions they were designed for.

What has He equipped you for? What role has he called you to play in God's Kingdom? When one link in the chain is weakened, the whole chain is susceptible to breaking. God made it that way so that we could help that weak link. He made it that way so we would be forced to depend on one another. Are you being a strong link in the chain of God's Kingdom?

-os hillman

...cause

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

What does it mean for workplace believers to live for a cause greater than themselves in our day and time? Jeremiah Lanphier was a businessman in New York City who asked God to do this in his life in 1857.

In a small, darkened room, in the back of one of New York City's lesser churches, a man prayed alone. His request of God was simple, but earth-shattering: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 337]

He was a man approaching midlife without a wife or family, but he had financial means. He made a decision to reject the "success syndrome" that drove the city's businessmen and bankers. God used this businessman to turn New York City's commercial empire on its head. He began a businessmen's prayer meeting on September 23, 1857. The meetings began slowly, but within a few months 20 noonday meetings were convening daily throughout the city. 

The New York Tribune and the New York Herald issued articles of revival. It had become the city's biggest news. Now a full-fledged revival, it moved outside New York. By spring of 1858, 2,000 met daily in Chicago's Metropolitan Theatre, and in Philadelphia the meetings mushroomed into a four-month long tent meeting. Meetings were held in Baltimore, Washington, Cincinnati, Chicago, New Orleans, and Mobile. Thousands met to pray because one man stepped out. Annus Mirabilis, the year of national revival, had begun.

This was an extraordinary move of God through one man. It was unique because the movement was lead by businessmen, a group long considered the least prone to any form of evangelical fervor, and it had started on Wall Street, the most unlikely of all places to begin.

Could God do something extraordinary through you? Take a step. 

Ask God to do mighty things through you. 

-os hillman

....prove

They bruised his feet with shackles; his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true. Psalm 105:18-19

God spoke to Joseph as a young boy through a dream and vision regarding his future. He could not understand its complete meaning at the time, but he knew it had great significance. Joseph knew God had a destiny for his life. However, the proving out of that word from God was filled with 13 years of waiting, rejection, pain, sorrow, and no doubt, questioning God's faithfulness.

His life was all but a life of influence and impact as a prisoner and slave. No doubt he wondered whether that dream was simply some vain imagination. David must have felt the same when he was anointed king over Israel as a young man only to spend years of fleeing from King Saul. God's preparation for greatness in His Kingdom is often filled with difficulty. God is more concerned about developing the inner life of his servant. That inner life can only be prepared by removing all self-confidence and replacing it with God-confidence. God-confidence is only developed in the furnace of life.

Is the Lord proving His word in your life? Perhaps He is using circumstances and events to move you into a place of patient waiting as He puts you in the place He desires for you. This is the place where the foundations of your soul mature. Let Him prove your faith.

-os hillman