Powerful Words from the Prophets“You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.” – Isaiah 9:3 (NLT)“Thank God for Guiding Grace and Intervening Angels” I took a father-son trip to Denver this past weekend with my younger son, Nate. It was a BLAST! We got to see the OKC Thunder beat one o...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” – Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)“Keep Calm and Shine On” I was reading a really interesting article today about the impact of the war in Ukraine. One fascinating story was from a hospital that was having to learn how to operate with the impact of the war go...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” – Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)“Is He YOUR Guiding Light?” Yesterday, I looked at this verse from the point of view that God’s Light brings us hope. Today, I want to consider it from a different angle. God wants to give our lives DIRECTION. Have you ever b...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” – Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)“Relentlessly Hopeful” My wife said she once had a client describe her as “relentlessly hopeful.” What a wonderful way to be known. She was described that way because, as a therapist, Wanda believes that with hard work and Go...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.” – Isaiah 9:1 (NLT)“Guiding Us Back to Glory” Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t ab...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsPeople who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. – Isaiah 8:20-22 (NLT)“The Poorest Rich Man ...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“Someone may say to you, ‘Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.’ But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.” – Isaiah 8:...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me. I will wait for the LORD, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.” – Isaiah 8:16-17 (NLT)“Keep Your Eyes on the Lord!” One of the lessons you have to learn early in your journey of faith is to keep your eyes on the Lord and not people. If you focus o...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, ‘Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe.’” – Isaiah 8:11-14 (NLT)“Doomsday...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“They are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah.” – Isaiah 8:6 (NLT)“Put Down Your Rock” Tony Tran was hired this past November by the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney’s Office, which is near New Orleans, LA. The District Attorney’s Office is charged with the responsibility of prosecuting criminals who are arrested for various cri...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsThen the LORD spoke to me again and said, “My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it. – Isaiah 8:5-6 (NLT)“Let the Doctor In!” A few years back, there was a 77-year-old man in South Carolina named Peter Kremlick who was involved in an accident. He swerved to miss another car and hit a utility pole. He had...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” – Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)“He’s Just a Prayer Away” As Isaiah assures Ahaz of God’s involvement in his current situation, he states what is also one of the most famous prophecies about Jes...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsLater, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.” – Isaiah 7:10-12 (NLT)“It’s Better to Ask Permission than Forgiveness” “It’s easier to ask for forg...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan…Go out to meet King Ahaz…Tell him to stop worrying.” – Isaiah 7:1, 3-4 (NLT)“God Says to Stop Worrying” “90% of what we worry about never happens.” Have ...

Powerful Words from the Prophets“But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down, so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.” – Isaiah 6:13 (NLT)“Seeds of Hope” I read a fascinating article about the CZU complex fire that happened in Northern California in 2020. It started with a thunderstorm that produced over 11,000 bolts of lightning, which started hundreds of fires. With strong w...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsThen I said, “Lord, how long will this go on?” – Isaiah 6:11 (NLT)“Are We There Yet?” When our boys were young, we took a 5-week, cross-country trip with them in our van. We traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to California and back again. My wife is the consummate tourist, so we visited every known (and unknown) site along the way, including every Spanish missio...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsAnd he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing.” – Isaiah 6:9-10 (NLT)“The Faith to Be F...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsThen I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” – Isaiah 6:6-7 (NLT)“Pick Me!” Have you ever wanted to be “picked?” Maybe it was when you were a kid, and you were smaller or slower or not as athletic as the rest of the kids. So when they were choosing teams, you weren’t chosen. Some ...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsThen one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” – Isaiah 6:6-7 (NLT)“Just One Touch” Do you remember these beautiful words from that wonderful old song, “He Touched Me?”Shackled ...

Powerful Words from the ProphetsThen I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” – Isaiah 1:5 (NLT)“Seeing God Makes Me See ME” Isn’t it funny how easy it is to feel better about ourselves by comparing ourselves to someone else who is worse? Like, I drive a bit fa...