Though they never seem like it in the moment, the hardships we face in life are truly a gift. But only if we allow them to be. Every time you face a difficult circumstance, experience deep pain, suffer a tragic loss, etc., endurance is worked in you (James 1:3). The word endurance (some versions say patience) can be translated as “a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance”. James explains later in that passage that it’s this patient enduring and perseverance that leads us into maturity, to where we are perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But something I noticed this morning as I was reading this passage is that James exhorts (more…)

This morning was pretty normal – for me at least. I woke up and came to the prayer room at midnight like I do every night, ready to spend six hours praying, worshiping, studying the Word, etc. But today something was different. I walked in, set my things down, found an open aisle, and began to pray as I paced back and forth. It didn’t take very long before the Lord put it on my heart to walk up to the large map of the world that is plastered to the back wall of the Global Prayer Room and pray for a specific town. I made my way to the map and placed my hand on the general vicinity of this town and began to pray for the Lord to break in with salvation and encounter individuals as they sleep tonight. Within a few seconds my heart was moved and I began to cry as the weight of lost souls sank in. I prayed for another moment and went back to pacing and praying for the Middle East with the rest of the room. As I joined back in with the corporate intercession, the Lord began to (more…)