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Suddenly, on the third day, there was an earthquake! An angel came down from Heaven and rolled the stone from the door! The guards shook with fear and fell down as if they were dead.

Why is it that someone could be radically converted (or seemingly so) and passionate about their new faith and then, without warning, just give up? They seemed to have had the most amazing conversion ever, but all of a sudden, they just bailed and walked away. How could that happen?

Perhaps the most intense love and protective instinct in the experience of mankind is that of parents toward their children. There is little that most mothers or fathers wouldn’t do for a baby. If a truck posed a threat to the little one, it wouldn’t surprise us if they jumped in front of the moving vehicle without a second thought.

When we pray to be sanctified, are we prepared to face the standard of these verses? We take the term sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared for what sanctification will cost? It will cost an intense narrowing of all our interests on earth, and an immense broadening of all our interests in God.

Someone wrote to me recently asking what I meant by a statement which occurs in the booklet Paths to Power, which I wrote some years ago. The passage reads: ''No one was ever filled with the Holy Spirit without knowing it. The Holy Spirit always announces Himself to the human consciousness.''

Years ago, God temporarily allowed me to have such physical ailments that I could do nothing but lie in bed. At first, this felt frustrating, but eventually I began to realize His plan for this trial. Life had become too busy for me to hear something the Lord needed to tell me. He certainly managed to get my attention by stilling my physical body!

Although our circles of influence vary in size, we all have the power to affect others-either for good or bad. Whether at home, in the church, or in the world, our lives are on display. Many times we aren’t even aware of who is impacted by our words, attitudes, and actions.

When I tell abuse victims that full healing requires forgiving their abuser, many will argue. Their message is generally the same: “You don’t understand the hurt I’ve endured.” They’re right. But I do know that a bitter spirit penetrates every part of our life like a cancer.

Have you ever wondered if you were adopted? Some people have had that surprise in their lives, and Matthew Roberts is one of them. He found out from his sister when he was ten-years-old that he had been adopted.

Absalom follows advice of Hushai; David's troops battle Absalom and his followers; Absalom killed by Joab; David grieves bitterly

Families come in all shapes and sizes! Your "family" is the people you live with. Maybe you're related to all of them and maybe not.When you receive Jesus Christ, you're part of another family–God's family (John 1:12).

A Native American boy was talking with his grandfather. "What do you think about the world situation?" he asked. The grandfather replied, "I feel like two wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred. The other is full of love, forgiveness and peace."

That strength which God gives to His Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true--divine strength.

1774 - Pioneer Methodist bishop Francis Asbury wrote in his journal: 'Lord, ever draw my heart after thee! May I see no beauty in any other object, nor desire anything but thee!'

There are times when a faithful man of God will fall into financial difficulty. It does not mean he has been unfaithful or does not have faith. It is a test of faith. This man that served in the company of the prophets died in debt.

In The Handmaid’s Tale,Margaret Atwood describes a futuristic society in which the heroine comes upon an ancient graveyard. One of the grave stones has an anchor on it, an hourglass, and the words “In Hope.” She wonders: “Why did they put that above a dead person? Was it the corpse hoping? Or those still alive?”

1963 - The Baptist World Mission was incorporated in Chicago. This independent organization of Baptist tradition is engaged primarily in evangelism, church planting and education in 17 overseas countries.

It’s a regular question in my mind: How much does faith affect our lives in real, tangible ways? We pray, but miraculous divine interventions can seem few and far between. We go to church, but sometimes find division rather than healing. We know our ultimate destination, but what about today? Does my faith in God make a real difference in my life right now?

Have you ever been minding your own business, when wham!, you are hit with a heavy-duty temptation. It might be an evil thought, a lustful one, or even doubt. You wonder, where did that come from? Answer: the devil.

Hope is a healthy attitude. Anticipating good brings comfort to the mind and heart. In contrast, a state of hopelessness is a terrible condition in which to find oneself. It’s overwhelming and depressing to think that what you’re facing cannot be changed or resolved.

1744 - Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'We are a long time in learning that all our strength and salvation is in God.'

Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus?

Amid all the preparations, decorations, and celebrations of the Christmas season, we need to set aside some quiet time to reflect upon the divine gifts that forever changed the course of human destiny. When that tiny baby entered our world in Bethlehem, the first of a never-ending stream of blessings was unleashed from heaven.

1943 - German theologian and Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a letter from prison: 'Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.'

When storms come into our lives, some of them can be considered correcting storms. After Jonah disobeyed God and tried to run the other way, a great storm arose, and God took hold of the reluctant prophet and put him back on course. That storm was the result of Jonah's own disobedience to God and the call on his life.