Devotions – Hour of Power

Giving Voice to God’s Heart

“Then the high priest asked Stephen, ‘Are these charges true?’ To this he replied: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ ” – Acts 7:1-3 When Stephen said yes to helping feed widows, the Holy Spirit came upon him and he began to preach boldly and perform many miracles. That’s when the Jewish officials took notice, and he became a target of the Sanhedrin. When he was brought before them, he taught them about the Old Testament. As he told the stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, he spoke with authority while boldly calling out the Isrealites long-standing resistance to the Word of God. But why would an intelligent man stand in front of

May 28, 2023 1 Comment

A Soul Like Stephen’s

“This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” – Acts 6:5,6 The early church was governed from Jerusalem in the heart of Judea, and there was a group of believers there called the Hebraic Jews. On the other hand, there were the Hellenistic Jews who lived in the region of Galilee. Early in church history, the Hellenistic Jews registered a complaint against the Hebraic Jews, claiming that their widows were not receiving enough food in the daily distribution. Though the matter seemed trite to the church fathers, they decided to appoint a board to oversee the handing out of rations to ensure that everything was fair. Interestingly, Stephen was the

May 27, 2023 No Comments

Making Your Life Bigger or Smaller

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” – Job 42:2 Today, I’d like you to meditate on this: Your life is either ever-expanding or ever-shrinking according to the choices you make. These decisions are made every day of your life, and they are making your life bigger or smaller. The choices you make are either giving you more opportunities or fewer opportunities. It’s always easier to make decisions that shrink our life, and it’s usually harder to make decisions that grow it. Here’s an example of how this thinking works. There’s a beach I love to go to, probably because it’s the closest one to my house. It’s where I enjoy reading and swimming. One day, I felt my heel pop and it was covered in blood. Limping up to the lifeguard, I was in great pain. “That’s a stingray,” he said.

May 26, 2023 1 Comment

Personal Therapy Works

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalms 139:23,24 I am not a therapist, but I have a new theory. My apologies to therapists, but I don’t think couples counseling is always a good idea. I think individual therapy is more beneficial. Going to individual therapy and saying, ”I want to become a better person. It is important to me to find out what is missing in my life,” will yield better results. I’ve seen over time that when people attend couples counseling, the therapist often becomes a referee. The couple accuses each other of wrongdoing and tries to earn enough points for the therapist to say, “He’s the bad one,” or “She’s the bad one.” In individual therapy, you can say, “I want to dig

May 25, 2023 1 Comment

You Can Do It

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” – Isaiah 54:2 Today I would like to discuss with you the importance of possibility thinking and why I think it is so powerful. According to my grandpa, Dr. Robert Schuller, “Possibility Thinking” means falling in love with everything possible and growing that seed into victory. One great possibility thinker comes to mind. The author of “The Shack,” Paul Young, tried repeatedly to publish his book. Both secular and Christian publishers rejected him. With the help of friends, he self-published his book. Guess what happens when you self-publish a book that ends up being wildly popular? You make more money and impact more lives! That’s what publishing industry professionals call a win. Self-publishing opened up God’s possibilities for Him. I am also reminded of “The Chosen,” a Christian historical

May 24, 2023 1 Comment

Fall in Love With What’s Possible

“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, ‘The Lord is great!’ ” – Psalms 40:16 When we fall in love with what’s possible, our life changes forever. The possibilities in your life are endless — nothing is impossible! However, oftentimes the thing that stands between you and what is possible is a price, and that is what you need to consider. It’s time to change the way you think. An example of how something seemingly impossible became possible is when we were worshiping at our former location in Garden Grove, California. The ministry expenses were over the top. Our monthly rent was outrageous and our utilities were exorbitant because the buildings were old and in disrepair; it was an incredibly difficult financial burden. So we had this idea. What if we could find someone willing

May 23, 2023 1 Comment

23 May Powerlines

PLUG IN AND CONNECT TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD Technology: You either love it, fear it, or are somewhere in-between. You may also feel indifferent. No matter your position, you probably would agree that technology’s benefits outweigh its flaws. As with many things in life, there are always positives and negatives, and the advent of modern technology is no different. I heard a saying the other day: “The same sun that scorches also heals and makes things grow.” We all have our opinions about the internet and social media in our increasingly online world, but it looks like these technological advancements are here to stay. The key is to learn how to use them to your benefit, in a healthy way, without sacrificing anything in your life. Over the years, I have done my fair share of preaching on the need to unplug — to put your phone down and

May 22, 2023 No Comments

A Fork In the Road

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ” – Isaiah 30:21 As we continue to explore the importance of not limiting life with our thinking, our choices will sometimes lead us to a fork in the road. I want to share the story of David Goggins, whose book is titled, Can’t Hurt Me. In the Air Force, he was training to be part of the Pararescue Special Operations Command, which recovers and treats civilian and military personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. The program was very challenging, and he shared how he feared swimming and water. Having come to a fork in the road, he chose to drop out. He said this decision against his dream and his soul caused him to become apathetic and mediocre. He became an exterminator and

May 22, 2023 1 Comment

The Gift is Not Getting Off the Hook

“You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” – Exodus 4:15-17 I believe that the Lord’s greatest gift to Moses was not letting him off the hook. After God became angry with Moses’ excuses, He showed mercy by telling him that he would send his brother Aaron along to help shoulder the burden. Together, they would lead the people, and Aaron would do the talking. I know I’m really thankful that the Lord was not convinced to revoke His call on Moses’ life. As much as he thought he knew what he

May 21, 2023 1 Comment

Do the Impossible

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” – Matthew 19:26 It’s amazing what’s possible when you don’t know what’s impossible! Here’s an incredible story my grandpa, Dr. Schuller, heard from a gentleman he met on a flight. His name was George Dantzig and he told a story of when he was a first-year Ph.D. mathematics student at UC Berkeley. Due to his busy schedule, he arrived late to class and saw the homework assignment on the board: Two math problems. He quickly wrote them down in his notebook and when class was over, he went back and started working on them. Despite feeling inadequate because it took two or three days, he continued to work on solving these problems. On day four, he solves the problems and brings them to Professor Jerzy Neyman. Even though his assignment is

May 20, 2023 22 Comments

Giving Voice to God’s Heart

A Soul Like Stephen’s

Making Your Life Bigger or Smaller

Personal Therapy Works

You Can Do It

Fall in Love With What’s Possible

23 May Powerlines

A Fork In the Road

The Gift is Not Getting Off the Hook

Do the Impossible

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