You cannot change anyone. Ask any husband or wife if they’ve been successful in changing their spouse. . . . It doesn’t work. They may hope and resolve that their marriage will be different or better than some marriages they’ve seen or known. They may privately think, My spouse will change. I can do this. I will change them. . . . It doesn’t work. My first big mistake when Donna and I got married was that I was going to help her organize

Here’s an intriguing approach for prayer – “Lord, cause me. . . .” Maybe you’ve never prayed this way before. I have. “Lord, cause me” can mean that I need God to push me to do what he wants me to do. Maybe I’m stubborn and unwilling, and I know it. But I’m also willing to be made willing, because I know in my heart that God’s way is best. God didn’t compel the Israelites to enter the Promised Land against their

“Lord, restore me, renew me, revive me, refresh me” are interrelated themes that express our need and desire for God’s continued work in us. “Lord, restore me. Bring me back to my former relationship with you. Establish me once again with the closeness I used to feel with you.” That’s what David expressed: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). He messed up badly. But he remembered his salvation and longed to experience that same joy again. “Lord, renew me.

How often we need a touch from God in our physical bodies! We face sicknesses, ailments, pains, diseases. We cry out in faith, “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed” (Jeremiah 17:14). Matthew tells us: “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases’”

While Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he became the target of a malicious rumor. Calmly he denied these false accusations. “These are things you have come up with in your head, and they are not true.” He refused to bow to pressure. Outwardly, Nehemiah was unwavering and steadfast. Inwardly, however, he realized that his leadership had been hammered a heavy blow. This verbal attack hurt. It doesn’t matter how strong you are or how thick your skin, cutting remarks hurt. Nehemiah’s