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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Faithful and True

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Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. —Revelation 19:11

In the eyes of the nonbeliever, God is never fair in what He does. When men suffer the consequences of flaunting God’s grace or breaking His commandments, they blame God and call Him unjust. The fact is that God is completely just. He is faithful and true. Writing about Jesus, the apostle John said, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” (Revelation 19:11).

In contrast to this, the devil is unfaithful and a liar. Jesus described him as “a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

One thing we learn about the Lord after we have walked with Him for a while is that He keeps His promises—all of His promises. For instance, He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to bring His peace into our lives (see John 14:27). He has promised to come again: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).

In fulfillment of His promise, Jesus will come back and will judge the earth. And it will be fully deserved. There is nothing arbitrary or unjust about His judgment. Some might ask how a God of love could bring judgment. But how could a God of love not bring judgment? God has said there are penalties for sin. Yet He offers so many opportunities for us to believe.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Keep Praying!

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“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” —Luke 11:9–10

Part of the problem with our prayers is that we give up too soon. We simply assume that it must not be God’s will: “I prayed four times for an awakening to come to America, and it didn’t happen, so it must not be God’s will.”

The early church prayed—and then kept on praying. They continued to bring their need before the Lord. This is one reason their prayer for Peter’s release from prison was answered.

But what about those times when our prayers are not answered? Sometimes we will pray for something and God won’t give us what we want. We will say, “God didn’t answer my prayer.” Actually, He did. He said no. And no is an answer.

Sometimes God says no. Sometimes God says slow. Sometimes God says go. And sometimes God says grow.

The apostle Paul had what he described as a “thorn in the flesh,” some kind of a physical infirmity. He prayed three times for God to take it away. But essentially God’s answer to Paul was grow. He was saying, “I’m leaving it in your life because it will cause you to grow spiritually.”

Then there was Moses, who wanted to deliver the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. Let’s just say he was a little early. He took matters into his own hands and made a mess of things. God said to him, in effect, slow. He sent him out to the wilderness to whip him into shape. God made him into the man He wanted him to be.

But sometimes God says go. You will pray about it, and God says yes, let’s go now. You pray, and it’s done. Sometimes that happens.

So keep praying. Keep seeking. Keep asking. That is what the Bible tells us to do.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – America’s Only Hope, Part 1

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What is the future of the United States of America? Are we doomed to just go the way that so many other once-great nations have gone? Is America headed to the ash heap of history? Are our greatest days behind us, or could they still yet be ahead? Is there any hope for America?

No one can answer those questions with any certainty, but we know this much: America is the not the superpower of the last days. The greatest nation on earth is conspicuous in her absence from the world stage in the end-times scenario given to us in the Bible. America is not the first, nor will it be the last, nation to rise and fall. Every nation’s days are numbered; America is no exception.

Rome was once the mightiest empire on the face of the earth. But she collapsed internally before she was conquered externally. We as a country can be diligent to guard against enemies on the outside, but we would be wise to look within.

Historian Will Durant, in his book on Rome’s history, Caesar and Christ, said, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. The essential causes of Rome’s decline lay in her people, her morals. . ..”

The difference between Rome and the U.S. is that we were founded on Judeo-Christian values. We’ve strayed from the original vision of our founding fathers, the vision that produced “America.”

What was once “freedom of religion” has now become “freedom from religion.” We have succeeded in getting God out of our schools, sporting events, public venues, and workplaces. Instead of Christmas, when we should focus on Jesus, we have Happy Holidays and Winter Solstice. Instead of Good Friday and Easter, we have Spring Break. It seems to me that America has gone out her way of late to turn from God. But America needs God’s intervention.

We saw many turn to the Lord after 9/11. Remember those prayer vigils on street corners and packed churches? Remember the members of Congress spontaneously singing “God Bless America”? These memories give me hope that there could be at least one more great revival in America’s future.

If we do not have revival, I do believe that judgment is inevitable. Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the U.S. Senate once said, “The choice before us is plain: Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration.”

God was able to turn the very wicked nation of Nineveh around in the days of Jonah. We know there have been some great spiritual awakenings in our history as well. Let’s pray that America will turn back to God in these last days.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Put Your Heart into It

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“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” —Jeremiah 29:12–13

A lot of times we don’t have what we need in life because we don’t pray for it. James 4:3 says, “You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” God promises that His people will find Him when they search for Him with all of their hearts (see Jeremiah 29:13).

The Bible tells us that while Peter was in prison, the early church prayed for his release with passion and persistence: “the church prayed very earnestly for him” (Romans 12:5). The New King James Version puts it this way: “Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” The words “constant prayer” also could be translated “prayed with agony.”

This was not a flippant yawn of a prayer on Peter’s behalf: Lord, please save Simon Peter . . . or whatever. No, this was a storm-the-gates-of-heaven prayer. I wonder if the church had prayed as fervently for James. Maybe they thought he would get out of that situation. Then they got the news that he had been executed. Peter was arrested next, and they saw how desperate the situation was. They saw how much they needed God.

God could have answered their prayers straightaway. But instead He took His time because it was His perfect time. That means the disciples prayed through the night. They had no guarantee their prayers would be answered in the affirmative. They didn’t know whether Peter would be delivered.

Have you seen the urgency of your situation? Have you prayed like this for your marriage? For your family? For your children? For your husband? For your wife? Have you prayed like this for your church? For your country? If we don’t put any heart into our prayers, then God won’t put a lot of heart into answering them.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Start with Praise

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Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” —Isaiah 29:13

Did you know that it is possible to say your prayers but not be praying? We can run through our ritualized requests and not actually pray. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me’ ” (Matthew 15:7–8). Not all prayers are offered to God.

You can sing praise songs and send up prayers to God but have no thought of Him. Do you know why? Because you are thinking about you. Or, you are thinking about someone else and the way they look or thinking about how good you may look.

Jesus told the story of a Pharisee who went to the temple to pray and “prayed thus with himself” (Luke 18:11). That Pharisee’s prayer didn’t go any higher than the ceiling because for him, it was all about putting on a show. As a result, his prayer wasn’t heard by God.

Yes, our prayers need to be offered to God. It is very important for us to remember that we are talking to God Almighty. Therefore, it’s a good idea to slow down and contemplate the awesomeness of God. When I do this, my goal is to get my will in alignment with His. Prayer is not getting my will in heaven; it is getting God’s will on earth. And when you know God and spend time in communion with Him, you will know what God wants.

It is okay to bring your needs before the Lord. But start with praise and adoration and get a sense of the awesomeness of God. The more you realize how great God is, the smaller your problems will become in His presence.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Prayer Changes Everything

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But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. —Acts 12:5

I want to tell you a story about a sleepless church that was involved in desperate and deep prayer. They were coming under intense persecution, and they were facing what appeared to be a hopeless situation.

It had been some time since the last attack, which resulted in the martyrdom of Stephen. But God used that for His glory. The problem was that the church tended to hang back a little in Jerusalem and stay in their little holy huddle of sorts. Jesus had told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel, but they weren’t really doing that. But when persecution came, the church spread out. It ultimately resulted in good. They remembered their objective was not to isolate from the culture but to infiltrate the culture.

As Acts chapter 12 opens, Herod is leading a new wave of persecution, and he murders James, the brother of John. Being the consummate politician, Herod saw this pleased his constituents. So he arrested the undisputed leader of the church, Simon Peter. Pretty much everyone looked up to Peter. He was the spiritual leader. And it looked as though Peter would be executed next.

So what did the church do? They unleashed their secret weapon: “While Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him” (Acts 12:5). All other doors may have been closed, but one door remained open: the door of prayer—the door into the presence of God. The church prayed, and everything changed.

Prayer is our secret weapon too, and we don’t use it enough. We will try everything else, but how often do we seriously pray? Prayer is frequently the last resort, the only thing left to do after we have exhausted all other options. But the first thing we should do is pray.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – No Worries!

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Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. —Philippians 4:6

I find it interesting that the word “worry” has its origins in a word that means “to choke.” That is exactly what worry does. It chokes us. It holds us back. Worry doesn’t help at all. It actually makes things worse. Worry adds to our problems.

“Don’t worry about anything,” the Bible says, “but pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6).

Ephesians 6:18 tells us to “pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Notice the use of “all” and “every”: All times . . . every occasion . . . for all believers everywhere. When we pile up these words, we get the idea that God is telling us to do this all the time about all things that concern us. Also, a literal translation of the word “pray” in this verse means “be sleepless to this end.” In other words, keep praying.

The Lord said to Solomon, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let’s pray to that end, not only for our nation, but also for all things that concern us in life: our physical needs, our financial needs, our needs to be led, our needs for wisdom and protection—all the things we need in life. When we are in need, we need to pray.

What is bothering you right now? What is troubling you? What is concerning you? What is your need? Pray about those things. It is what the Scripture tells us to do.

 

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – An Invasion from Heaven

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Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? —Psalm 85:6

What does the word “revival” mean? We can gain a better understanding of this word by looking at its close relative, “revive.” To revive something means to bring it back to life again. We could just as easily use the word “restoration” in its place. To restore something is to return it to its original state.

Revival is kind of a church word. By that I mean, the secular culture doesn’t need revival; they need evangelism. Here’s the interesting thing: evangelism doesn’t necessarily produce revival, but revival always produces evangelism. Whenever there has been a spiritual awakening, there has been an evangelistic thrust that has come as a result. When God’s people are awakened, when they are restored, when they are revived, then they go out and start doing what they should have been doing all along, which is proclaiming the gospel.

One author wrote that revival is “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit, producing extraordinary results.” Another said, “Revival is a community saturated with God.” And A. W. Tozer defined revival as “that which changes the moral climate of a community.” When we pray for a revival, we are praying for a restoration.

In Psalm 85 we find this prayer for revival: “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (verse 6).

A revival is an invasion from heaven. It is when God is at work and we can’t explain it. That is what I want to see again—a time in which Christians are saying, “We don’t know how this started or entirely what is going on. All we know is that people are packing out our churches. People are coming to Christ. People are praying.”

We need revival, and the world needs the gospel. Let’s pray that God will revive us.

 

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Is It Possible to Change Ourselves?

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We like the idea of change, of starting over again, of becoming someone different than we are. Sometimes we move to a new place, thinking we can escape our problems. Sometimes we think if we had some new friends or get married that life will be better. Then we think if only we had kids things would be different.

Others think a change in their appearance will do it. A survey revealed that 80 percent of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance. And research has also shown that the more time people spend consuming media, the more unhappy they are with their bodies. They think that if they could look like someone in a magazine, it would meet the deepest needs of their lives.

If you think you would be happier if you were really handsome or strikingly beautiful, consider this statement from actress Halle Berry: “Being thought of as a beautiful woman has spared me nothing in life. No heartache, no trouble. Love has been difficult. Beauty is essentially meaningless and it is always transitory.”

A professor of sociology said, “The demand for instant identity transformation has never been so pervasive. People want change, and they want it instantly. From fame to the instant thrills of Botox or liposuction, the capacity to reinvent ourselves has become fundamental.”

But can we really reinvent ourselves? Can we really change? Here is the answer: No. You cannot change who you are on the inside. You can change your appearance. You can change your location. You can change your relationships. But you can’t change yourself any more than a drowning person can save himself.

Sometimes it is said the answer is within, but the reality is the problem is within. And that problem inside of you and inside of me is called sin. We have all sinned. And we can’t change our essential nature. The Bible says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT). There is only one person who can change the human heart, and that is God. God can change your life. It is possible.

There is a story in the Bible about a woman who got caught committing adultery. Some religious leaders found her and decided she ought to be executed for this. We don’t know what happened to the man she was with, but apparently he walked away free. But they brought this woman to Jesus and threw her down at his feet. Now, they didn’t really care about this woman. What they really were trying to do was to trap Jesus. They wanted to know what he would do.

They said to him, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8:4–5) Now, Jesus was on the horns of a dilemma here. If He said, “Stone her,” he would have been justified, technically, but that would have been pretty harsh. If he said, “Let her go,” then he would have been seen as being too lenient.

So what did he do? He looked at them and started writing in the sand. What was he doing? I don’t think he was playing tic-tac-toe. I think he wrote something significant. And when he was finished writing in the sand, he stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (verse 7). Then he stooped down and started writing again.

We don’t know exactly what Jesus wrote, but I think he probably wrote the names of the religious leaders next to the commandments. Yeah, Caleb, I know what is up with you. . . . Hey, Joshua, I know where you have been. . . . Eliezer, I know all about you, buddy. And then they left, from the oldest to the youngest. And why did they leave in that order? I think it’s because the older guys had more sins they had committed. They got busted. Instead of condemning the woman, Jesus condemned the self-righteous condemners.

Then Jesus said to her, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (verses 10–11).

Some might say, “How could Jesus pardon her? She was caught in the act. She wasn’t even a believer.” But I think she was. Why? Because she believed. I am not sure exactly when she believed, but probably right before she said, “No, Lord.” How long does it take to believe in God? Only an instant.

Jesus said four things to her that were very important.

Her sins had been forgiven. He said, “Neither do I [condemn you]. Go and sin no more.” God can forgive you of all of your sins. And not only will he forgive them, but he will forget them. They will be behind you. The Bible says it will be like they are buried in the depths of the sea (see Micah 7:19).

She did not have to fear the judgment day. There is a day of judgment coming when everyone will stand before God—the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown. And the question in that final day will not be whether you lived or a good life or were a nice person or whether you recycled. The question will be: What did you do with Jesus Christ?

She had new power to face her problems. “Go and sin no more,” Jesus told her. God will give you the power to be the person he wants you to be.

I never wanted to be a religious person. I never wanted to be someone who went to church. But when Jesus started changing me, I said to God, “I don’t even know how to pray. But I will say this: if you are real, then you will have to make yourself real to me.” And he started changing me. He will start changing you too. You will see.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Revive Us Again!

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O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. —Habakkuk 3:2

From 1857 to 1859 a revival swept New York City that became part of what is called the Third Great Awakening. Jeremiah Lanphier, a forty-eight-year-old businessman, began a prayer meeting on Fulton Street. Not many people attended the prayer meeting at first. But then the stock market crashed. Soon hundreds of New Yorkers were gathering for prayer. Within months, six thousand people were gathering at noon for prayer throughout New York City. It is reported that fifty thousand New Yorkers came to faith and an estimated one million people came to the Lord during this time.

Sometimes we want to pray for a robust, strong economy in our nation. I am not suggesting we pray for a bad economy, but here is what we should pray: “Lord, send a revival to America, no matter what it takes.” Sometimes when there is an economic downturn or a military threat or other events we are concerned about, we will turn to God.

Remember how so many Americans showed up in churches in the aftermath of 9/11? It almost seemed like an awakening of sorts. Remember the members of Congress standing outside on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and spontaneously singing “God Bless America”?

Our country needs a spiritual awakening. The prophet Habakkuk understood the need for a revival in his day when he prayed, “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

That needs to be our prayer, too, as believers living in the twenty-first century: O Lord, revive Your work. I thank God for what He has done in the past, but here is my prayer: Do it again, Lord. We need another revival.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Paradise Found

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You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. —Psalm 16:11

Whenever we took the freeway through Anaheim when I was a kid, I would gaze out the car window at a familiar image in the distance: the Matterhorn at Disneyland. To me it represented the Promised Land. I remember making a vow to myself that when I became an adult, I would go to Disneyland every day.

When Disneyland first opened in 1955, visitors were charged for each attraction. Apparently there were a lot of complaints that Walt Disney was nickel-and-diming people, because Disneyland came up with a ticket book. There was a certain ticket in the book that was more important than the rest. You guessed it: the E ticket. That is what got you on the Matterhorn (the best ride back then) as well as the Monorail and the Submarine Voyage.

I still enjoy going to Disneyland, though I haven’t kept my vow to go every day. But there is a far better paradise that I am looking forward to now. The final chapters of the Bible describe that paradise, which God has created for us in heaven. In the first book of the Bible, we see paradise lost. But in the last book of the Bible, we see paradise found.

The good news is the admission price to heaven already has been paid. There won’t be any nickel-and-diming, and there won’t be any need for E tickets—or any other tickets for that matter. The admission was purchased for me—and for you—by Jesus on the cross.

One day there will be restoration. Handicaps will be gone. Mental and physical disabilities will be nonexistent. There will be laughter. There will be joy. C. S. Lewis said it well: “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” In God’s presence is fullness of joy—no E ticket required.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Preparation for Heaven

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Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. —Hebrews 11:10

We think so much about the here and now, but God thinks more about the by and by. We need to remember that heaven is being prepared for us, and we are being prepared for heaven.

As Randy Alcorn wrote, “We live between Eden and the new earth, pulled toward what we once were and what we yet will be.”

Heaven is not some mysterious, atmospheric realm of smoke and mirrors. Heaven is a real place for real people, where we will do real things. Hebrews 11:9 says that Abraham, “even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.”

Abraham did this because he “was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God (verse 10). Abraham recognized that this world was not really his home and that his real home was eternal, built by God.

Deep down inside, I hope we realize that too. Our real home is heaven and the new earth that is to come. Heaven is the real place that Abraham was searching for, and it is the place we are all searching for, really. The Bible says that God has placed eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Putting it in context, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” That is what God wants in our lives. He wants eternal weight.

The things that we go through in life are not just preparing us for the opportunities God will reveal during our time on this earth. God is also preparing us for heaven.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Appointment with a Stranger

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Not a Default Destination

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” — John 7:37-38

Years ago there was a woman who went to draw water from a well. She had been married and divorced five times and was living with a man. This was not culturally acceptable, and as a result, she was an outcast. She would go to the well at the hottest time of the day when she most likely would be alone. On one such day, she was surprised to find a stranger sitting there, a Jew. And then the stranger asked her for some water.

This woman was a Samaritan, and Jews and Samaritans didn’t speak to each other. She asked, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”

As they talked, this stranger, who happened to be Jesus, told her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13–14).

Jesus was talking about the well as a metaphor for life. If you drink from the well of success, you will thirst again. If you drink from the well of accomplishments, you will thirst again. If you drink from the well of experiences, you will thirst again. Whatever it is, it will leave you empty.

Maybe you have tried to satisfy your spiritual thirst with the things this world has to offer and haven’t found the satisfaction you are looking for. You didn’t find it in that relationship. You didn’t find it in that object. You didn’t even find it in religious activities. The only place you will find it is in Jesus Christ.

Are you spiritually thirsty today? Christ can satisfy your deepest thirst.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Not a Default Destination

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But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. —Revelation 21:8

I believe there are people inside the church today who will be outside the gates of heaven. Being in a church does not mean you are getting into heaven. We, as individuals, must put our faith in Jesus Christ because one day we will stand before God all by ourselves.

Heaven is not the default destination of every person. It is promised only to those who have believed in Jesus Christ. We have this warning in Revelation 21:8: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

It takes courage to be a Christian. People will harass you and make fun of you. You may even be physically harmed. Some have lost their lives because they believed in Jesus. It takes courage to make your stand for Christ, especially in our culture today.

The cowardly won’t make it into heaven. Some are afraid of what others think, which I have always found amazing. I don’t think we would be as concerned about what others think of us if we realized how rarely they do. If you are cowardly, meaning that you won’t stand up and follow Jesus, then you won’t have any value system. You won’t have any absolutes. You will pretty much do what you want.

That leads to being abominable—being wholly caught up in wickedness and evil, pulling out all the stops and removing all restraints. It is going whole hog into evil.

Revelation 21:8 is a warning that we need to heed. Some people may say, “Well, I don’t agree with that.”

God makes the rules, and we can either follow them or reject them. But it is not for us to edit God.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Even Atheists Have Moments of Doubt

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Perhaps you have heard of George Bernard Shaw. We was a highly regarded thinker and writer and, among other things, won a Nobel Prize in literature. He also was an avowed and vocal atheist. Shaw firmly believed in science and what mankind could accomplish. But toward the end of his life, he realized this was a misplaced hope. He wrote, “The science to which I pinned my faith is bankrupt. Its counsels, which should have established the millennium, led, instead, directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once. In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions of worshippers in the temples of a thousand creeds. And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who lost his faith.”

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Even atheists have moments of doubt.” Problem is, George Bernard Shaw put his hope in the wrong thing. Do you have hope today? Victor Hugo said, “Hope is the Word which God has written on the brow of every man.” That all sounds good, but the question is: Hope in what or whom?

When I use the word “hope,” I don’t mean a blind optimism. The modern idea of Hope is “to wish for,” “to expect.” This may be based on fate, serendipity, good luck, or perhaps, wishing on a star. As the great theologian Jiminy Cricket sang to the wooden puppet Pinocchio, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.” But that really isn’t true is it?

Some will say, “I just know it will get better!” but it won’t always. Some put their trust in their investments; the things of this life than can quickly disappear. The Book of Job reminds us, “The hopes of the godless comes to nothing. Everything they count on will collapse. They are leaning on a spider web. They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it fast, but it will not endure” (Job 8:13-15).

That is especially poignant in this economy; is it not? We need to put our hope in God. We should not have hope for hope’s sake; we must have hope in God. The Psalmist writes, “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God” (Psalm 42:5). This will give us the strength to go on in life, because we know there is a heaven where wrongs will be made right. The hope of a Christian is a quiet confidence. It is a supernatural certainty.

And where do we find this hope? In the pages of Scripture. Paul reminds us that the Scriptures were written to “give us hope” (Romans 15:4). So put your hope in God today. He will never disappoint.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – An Eternal Perspective on Pain

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. —Romans 8:18

As much as we may try, we can’t control the universe. Like it or not, pain will come knocking at our door in some, way, shape, or form. We can try to turn it away, but pain will come in anyway. We have a choice as to how we will deal with it. We can either waste our pain, or we can use it for God’s glory.

How can pain be used for God’s glory? Two people come to mind. The first is Joni Eareckson Tada. At age 17, a diving accident left her a quadriplegic. Yet she has brought inspiration and hope and encouragement to millions of people around the world. Had she lived her life without this disability, I am sure she would have been used by God. But would she have been used in the same way? It doesn’t seem likely. God took this pain and used it for His glory.

Then there is Nick Vujicic. Born without arms or legs, he was so despondent as a youth that he was suicidal. And yet he has sought again and again to bring encouragement to people throughout the world.

Joni and Nick are living proof that God can take the pain in our lives and use it for His glory. So we have to look at it with an eternal perspective and realize that it will all work together for good (see Romans 8:28). The hope of a new heaven and a new earth by and by helps us to keep perspective in the here and now, during times of trial.

There is coming a day when wrongs will be righted, when pains will be healed, when sorrow will be eradicated. God will make up what we have lost here on earth. God will make all things new.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – All Things New

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture is Revelation 21:4: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

One day all pain will be gone. All sorrow will be gone. All mourning will be gone. That is the promise from God. There will be no more physical or emotional pain—no pain from a broken body or a broken heart, no more broken marriages, and no more broken lives. Why? Because God will make all things new.

But even today God can make your life new. Maybe you have made some mistakes in life and have done things you regret. Maybe you are trapped in a cycle of sin right now that you don’t feel you can ever break free from. Here is the promise of God to you: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What old things have passed away? Your old sins. God not only forgives them, but He also forgets them. He promises in Psalm 103:12 that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

You change when you truly follow Jesus. Old values, ideas, plans, loves, desires, and beliefs vanish, and they are replaced by new things. You have a new desire to know God and learn more about Him and a new desire to be led by the Holy Spirit and be used by God. You have a new desire to bring glory to God—and yes, even a new desire to one day see God in heaven.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – No Appointment Necessary

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And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  —Revelation 21:3

Under the old covenant, God would meet His people in the tabernacle, which is another word for tent. They set up the tabernacle, and the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This ark contained the commandments of Moses, the rod of Aaron that budded, and some manna. The priests would go into the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement and represent the people. Later the tabernacle was replaced by the temple.

God was distant and was to be approached through the High Priest. Few people had a close relationship with God under the old covenant. Abraham was called “the friend of God,” but most people didn’t know Him that way.

But that all changed because of what Jesus did through His death and resurrection. We read in Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ ”

If I could have lived at any time in history, I would have chosen the first century. I would have liked to have been here when Jesus walked this planet. Certainly I would have liked to have been one of His disciples. At the very least, I would have liked to have been one of the multitude that was clamoring to get a glimpse of Jesus. I would have liked to have heard His voice with my ears. We all would have loved to have been there for that. But we weren’t given that privilege.

One day, though, we will have it. We will be able to walk and talk with God—no appointment necessary.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Heaven on Earth

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And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ–everything in heaven and on earth. —Ephesians 1:10

We have all heard the expression: It was like heaven on earth. Maybe you have said this after a fine meal or a great vacation. You said, “It was amazing! It was like heaven on earth.” We don’t mean this literally, of course. But we use this expression as a point of reference to describe something that is the best possible situation.

It is difficult for us to wrap our minds around this place we call heaven. We understand earth because it’s a real place. We do real things with real people. We live in a real body. But heaven sounds so surreal, so distant. It is hard to grasp. Yet it is a real place.

God’s plan is to one day bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head: Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 1:10). Peter preached that Christ “must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). God will not abandon His creation; He ultimately will restore it. He will restore lives. He will restore bodies. He will restore our very planet.

Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book called Heaven, wrote, “We won’t go to heaven and leave earth behind. Rather, God will bring heaven and earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard heaven’s perfection from sinful mankind.”

One day there will be heaven on earth because a new world is coming. One day heaven will come down to earth. It will be out with the old and in with the new. There will be no more terminal diseases. No more accidents. No more disasters. No more funerals. No more breakdowns or breakups. No more suffering. God will make everything new.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Everything We Need

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“Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” —1 Samuel 17:47

When David faced Goliath, he knew the battle belonged to the Lord. He told the giant Philistine, “The battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47).

Giants defeat us again and again because we face them in our own strength. We can’t overcome our giants in our own ability. We need help. The battle belongs to the Lord.

This is why, before the apostle Paul mentioned a single piece of spiritual armor, he said, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). We recognize we are weak, but at the same time, we acknowledge that God is great, that God is powerful. Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

We need to know about our incredible resources that God has made available to us as Christians. Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would discover what God had done for them, asking that “the eyes of [their] understanding [be] enlightened; that [they] may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

In the same epistle Paul goes on to say, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–6).

As believers, we positionally share in the power that Jesus has given to us. Therefore, we don’t fight for victory; we fight from it. We have everything we need to prevail against the giants in our lives.

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Not Helpless

The scene Jacob came upon, described in Genesis 29, was common in ancient times. The sheep were thirsty, and they knew where to find the water…but they were completely incapable of getting it on their own. Only the shepherd could move the stone and draw water from the well. Until then, the sheep could only lie beside it and wait, utterly helpless.

As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it. Genesis 29:2

In America, water is so plentiful it’s almost impossible not to take it for granted. This is not the case in the Middle East – not now, and not when Genesis was written. But imagine your world today without access to clean water. All of a sudden, every other pursuit or pleasure would be rendered pointless.

That, in reality, is the situation facing your friends, coworkers and loved ones who don’t have a relationship with Christ. As you pray for America’s leaders today, ask God to come beside you and give you wisdom and discernment in showing others how they might find the shepherd of their souls. Whether they live in the White House or in your neighborhood, pray they will not be left helpless without Him.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 44:1-8