By Shirley Dobson



The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.(James 5:16)



I'll never forget the evening that Jim and I, exhausted after a long day, collapsed into bed without completing our usual practice of praying about many things, but especially for our children. We were almost asleep when I remembered.



"Jim," I said, "we haven't prayed for our kids yet…

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."

John 4:14

He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy…

"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold."

—Job 23:10

When you go through a hardship, it will make you better or bitter. I have found it is usually one or the other. And guess who decides…

Jesus chose to be a child of the valley. Before He came to earth He was living in greater glory than we could possibly imagine. The Son of the King of the universe. He sat at the right hand of God. He is God. And yet He chose to step down from His throne and enter the world of the valley. He chose to live among the hopeless and lost of creation. He humbled Himself, denied Himself, emptied Himself for our sake. And He went to the cross in shame to…

 But Moses replied in the LORD’s presence, “Since I am such a poor speaker, how will Pharaoh listen to me?” — Exodus 6:30 HCSB



It used to be that if you had a problem with your toilet, you would call a plumber. If you had some faulty lighting, an electrician was the person to call. Whatever your need may have been, the logical thing…

Abraham was a man whose life was consumed by a faith that reaches out. He knew that faith without works is dead (see James 2:17). Genesis 14:11-16 uses simple yet clear words to reveal the scope and beauty of his decision when he learned that Lot and his family had been taken captive and had lost everything. “As soon as Abraham learned this . . . he brought…

"And he requested for himself that he might die."

1 Kings 19:4

It was a remarkable thing that the man who was never to die, for whom God had ordained an infinitely better lot, the man who should be…

"Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again."

Genesis 46:3-4

Jacob must have shuddered…

"And all the children of Israel murmured."

Numbers 14:2

There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out…

"Then the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' "

—Genesis 3:9

God wants to meet with you and me on a regular basis. Think of it, like having and keeping an appointment with God!



I wonder just how many times each day that God wants to speak to us and He can't get a word in edgewise? The Lord might say,…

"That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death."

Hebrews 2:14

O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's…

"On him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus."

Luke 23:26

We see in Simon's carrying the cross a picture of the work of the…

"Strong in faith."

Romans 4:20

Christian, take good care of thy faith; for recollect faith is the only way whereby thou canst obtain blessings. If we want blessings from God, nothing can fetch them down but…

Here are four ways you can identify a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Maybe you can add a fifth way.

 They Feed Themselves

Wolves in sheep’s clothing don’t really care about feeding the sheep but only feeding themselves. They only feed the flock sugar cubes to attract more sheep. Ezekiel…

"Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark."

Genesis 8:9

Wearied out with her wanderings, the dove returns at length to the ark as her only resting place. How heavily she flies--she will drop--she will never reach the ark! But…

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour."

Matthew 5:43

"Love thy neighbour." Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest every day his estates,…

Your Sphere of Influence

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

—Proverbs 11:25

I believe the hardest part of evangelism is getting started. But once you get started, and once God starts speaking through you, it can be…

"I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it."

—Revelation 3:8

Know this: it's not always easy to bring people to Jesus.



Don't expect a standing ovation in hell when you bring your friends and family to Jesus. Expect and prepare for radical satanic…

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? It could’ve been a spouse breaking their marital covenant or a boss breaking his or her promise of a promotion. Maybe a parent or sibling promised to help you with something and they let you down. Regardless…