By Alvin VanderGriend Sin hinders prayer. A person may pray and pray without receiving an answer, and then conclude that the problem is in God. In reality the problem may be in the person’s heart. David understood that if he cherished sin in his heart, the Lord would not hear him. One of the worst…
Having a Life Coach is a popular phenomenon these days. Many people—especially leaders–have someone who can look critically at a person’s effectiveness in their life work, relationships, etc., and offer tips and suggestions on how to improve in their areas of weakness. I don’t knock that practice, but I have never had such a person…
My favorite car of all time was a 1993 Nissan Sentra. I bought it brand new at the end of 1993, and had it until 2013. It was extremely dependable, costing me little in repairs. It had roughly 170,000 miles on it when I sold it. I loved that car. But in its later years,…
In my life the #1 method of prayer has been praying Scripture or praying God’s Word back to Him. It brings the most power, the most comfort and peace, and the greatest results. It is extremely simple to do. While there are multiple ways to insert verses of Scripture into your prayers, here is the…
In Jeremiah 29:7, the prophet challenged people to pray for the city you live in, because if it prospers, you will prosper, too. Praying for God’s blessing on our communities is a powerful topic we all should consider praying for regularly. Here are 7 prayer points with Scriptures that you can use as you pray…
My wife and I travel back to her hometown in Lancaster County, PA, once or twice a year. It’s a long, 11-hour drive. When we first come into western Pennsylvania on I-70, there is an interesting stretch of road I like to call “the chute.” It’s a 35-mile or so stretch of road that has…
When we pray, most people just pray in their head, silently. There is nothing at all wrong with praying that way. But there are some extremely valuable benefits to praying out loud—even if you are praying by yourself. Here are 3 benefits to consider: Praying out loud stops your mind from wandering! Many of us…
I have never been an overly social person. So the idea of connecting with neighbors was never a high priority with me. I like the garage-door culture that is middle America. But a number of years ago, when my wife and I built a home, things changed. Our home was the second one completed in…
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Isn’t it awesome when you try something and it actually works? I have little ability when it comes to fixing things—and, unfortunately, all five of the people in my household are gifted at breaking things. Being the dad, I am the first one called upon,…
Since we want to grow in our prayer life, maybe a good model for us is Jesus. What did He pray about while He was on earth? If we know what He prayed over, perhaps it would be good to include those areas in our own prayer life as well! Let’s take a quick look.…
