By Mary Carothers In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asked His disciples, Who do people say that I am? The disciples replied that some folks thought Jesus was John the Baptist, perhaps because John and Jesus ushered in a new era of God’s dealing with mankind. Other people thought He was Elijah, because both Jesus and Elijah were miracle workers. Still others …
Ever since I became a follower of Jesus I have heard people asking, “How do you know that Jesus is who He said He was?” Something happened in me when I knew Jesus was my Savior. Nobody said, “Merlin, you should tell people all over the world that Jesus is the Savior.” Yet a voice within me kept urging me …
You are His. (Isaiah 43:1) You are strong. (Psalm 68:35) You are protected. (Psalm 121:3) You are family. (Ephesians 2:19) You are the apple of His eye. (Zechariah 2:8) You were created for a purpose. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Years ago, Merlin and I were able to minister to inmates in a prison, he to the men and I to the women. When I had finished sharing and praying for the ladies, the prison chaplain presented me with this lovely white flower. It was lovingly made from the only thing that was available to them – toilet paper. What …
One of man’s most cherished longings is to find peace of heart and mind. Is this selfish? No, but the longing to have this peace is often man’s most elusive dream. Some strive to attain goals — only to find that success often brings discouragement. When others don’t reach their goals, they often languish in depression. Is there a path …
By Mary Carothers What a wonderful example Jesus set for us as He hung on the cross. We also are to forgive those who hurt us. We can’t in our own strength, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can. In fact, one of the Holy Spirit’s names is Helper. The other day I was thinking of the …
A pastor told me his heart ached when he attended his church’s annual ministers conference. When the ministers discussed their churches, one of the first questions they asked of one another was, “Is your attendance growing?” It seemed to my friend that many pastors had “big, bigger, biggest” attendance as their primary goal. But it’s easy to want bigger and …
You are loved. (Jeremiah 31:3) You are chosen. (John 15:16) You are special. (Ephesians 2:10) You are important. (1 Peter 103:12) You are forgiven. (Psalm 103:12) You are created in His image. (Genesis 1:27)
By Mary Carothers The whole world is under the control of the evil one (I John 5:19). A Christian friend quoted this to me in great disgust some time ago. Things were not going well for this young man, and he believed the reason was because the enemy controls the world. I was sorry that he felt this way, but …
How big do your problems seem? Problems you once had might have been overwhelming, but now have slipped into the no-problem category. Time, age, or various changes may have dissolved them. Right now your attention is on the present problems. Are you aware that God wants us to see all our problems from the “future perspective?” In 1, 10, or …
