I am grateful God made us to experience romantic love, but the huge emphasis on this kind of love on Valentineβs Day always makes me think of how incomplete it really is. Romance may be fun and sweet, but true love originates from God and is what we really long for.
DOES GOD REALLY WANT US TO PRAY NON-STOP?
How is it even possible to pray without ceasing? If we are honest, most of us are probably closer to ceasing to pray than we are to praying without ceasing. I believe continual prayer is perfectly possible if we have a different understanding what that really means.
HOW IS YOUR SOUL?
As with any growing ministry, there comes a certain danger of busyness. There is only one way to maintain peace amidst chaos. We must continually be growing in our intimacy with God. How is your soul today?
WHY IT MATTERS THAT JESUS WAS SWADDLED
We may not know what was happening in Jesus' life one week after his birth, but one thing we do know is that he was wrapped in swaddling cloths. But why would that matter? Perhaps God uses ordinary things communicate extraordinary signs.
HOW TO WAIT WELL
Most people donβt like to wait. It is not much fun and often feels like we are wasting time. Scripture doesnβt teach us how to handle automatic answering devices, but it does suggest the attitude we should have when waiting.
THE GREATEST EVENT IN HISTORY
As this weekend marks the second Sunday of Advent, let us celebrate, as we prepare ourselves to re-live the moment of indescribable beauty when the God of the universe became a beautiful baby.
HAL PERKINS - GUARDING YOUR HEART
Hal Perkins is a true discipleship coach. His focus is on making disciples of Jesus, rather than making disciples for Jesus. In this podcast, Hal discusses his standpoint on the lost art of being and making disciples of Jesus, and the importance of guarding your heart.
GETTING IN SPIRITUAL SHAPE
Getting in shape takes time and can be painful, but the payoff is worth it. Our relationship with God deserves more effort than our physical bodies. Do you know how to best get in spiritual shape?
THE POWER OF A "THANK YOU"
Gratitude is a positive leadership trait. Leaders who practice gratitude all year experience greater results in their personal life and leadership. Check out these five reasons it pays to be grateful!
BILL BLANKSCHAEN - FAITH WALKER
Bill Blankschaen identifies true Jesus followers as "Faith Walkers." Too often, leaders lead from a position of self-reliance rather than a deep, vitalizing faith in God. In this podcast, Bill challenges that reality and offers a great βfield guideβ for moving into a life of authentic faith.
THE POWER TO DESCEND
We all need those mountaintop experiences, those deep, intimate times with the Lord; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual lives is the power to descend.
DON'T BE FOOLED
Jesus said to be on our guard toward deception. But not all scams are evident. How can we easily identify deceit so we are not fooled?
AL VOMSTEEG: PRAYER, SCRIPTURE, AND OBEDIENCE
Al VomSteeg is the Senior International Director for ILI. In this podcast, Al describes βthe hanger illustration"βa great way to introduce the foundational disciplines of prayer, scripture, and obedience.
FAITHFUL TO THE END
Taking a stand for Christ isn't easy. We can flee for our lives, deny our faith, lie, or even kept our mouths shut... Or we can be faithful to the end. Will you take a stand for Jesus?
HOUSE HUNTERS
Finding the right home is a big task. Wouldn't it be nice if someone did it for us? Even if someone was willing, we would never trust anyone to buy a place for us to live. Is there anyone you trust to do your house hunting?
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
The God of the present tense, βI AM," calls us to present tense obedience. It's never too late to begin obeying. So, what are you waiting for? The time is NOW!
FITNESS BASICS
It is great to be physically fit and healthy, but it is even greater to be spiritually so. Spiritual fitness is about having a deep, intimate relationship with God. I think now is a good time to βwork out.β What about you?
THE WORST AND BEST OF TIMES
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..." (Romans 8:28). This is a great verse, but it is one we would prefer was needed to encourage others rather than ourselves. What would happen if we totally bought in to Romans 8:28?
WHEN TRAINING LEADERS IS NOT THE PRIORITY
There is a time to hold a conference and a time to respond to a crisis. When we truly have a Passion for the Harvest, we find that training leaders is not limited to a classroom.
DARLENE LEADING FROM INTIMACY WITH GOD
Darlene Franks serves as a key ILI leader in Northern California. She encourages leaders to step away from an events-oriented style of leadership and into a relational style of leadership. Darlene discusses what leadership looks like from an intimate relationship with God and the importance of developing a biblical culture of discipleship.