Christianity cannot be understood by beginning with moral improvement, religious activity, or promises of a better life. It begins at the cross, where the holiness of God, the guilt of man, and the only ground of forgiveness are revealed. If we do not understand why Christ had to die, we do not yet understand either God or ourselves.
The cross declares that our sin was too evil to be excused and our guilt too great for us to repair. The Son of God stood in the place of His people, bore the curse of the law, satisfied divine justice, and purchased their redemption with His blood. God displayed Christ “as a propitiation in His blood” so that He would remain “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:25–26; Galatians 3:13).
This is why Paul wrote, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The message of the cross crushes human pride because it leaves us nothing to contribute and nothing in ourselves about which to boast. “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Anyone who treats the cross as an elementary teaching to be left behind has missed Christianity at its foundation. We never graduate from the cross. We only grow in our understanding of what God accomplished there. A message may retain Christian language, quote Scripture, and speak often about Jesus, but if Christ crucified is no longer at its centre, it has lost the gospel.
Dear Lord, our Gracious Father, we give You thanks today, as we do all days, first and foremost for the gift of creation and the gift of life. For the roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs, for our health, and our wealth of blessings, for this opportunity to worship and for the freedom to pray these words without fear, in any language, in any faith, in this great country, whose landscape is as vast and beautiful as her inhabitants. We earnestly and humbly pray that You will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist. We give all the glory, honor and praise to You in all things. For You are love, peace, kindness and joy. You are the author and finisher of our faith, snd the creator of all things. In Jesus name we pray, Amen 🙏✝️
Psalm 108: 3
“I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.”
Dear Lord, our Loving Father, Your steadfast love never ends, Your compassion never fails and how great is Your faithfulness. As Your eyes are on us on this beautiful morning we place all our hopes in Your unfailing love. Give us Your inspiration to be an encouragement to others in the same way that You have been such an encouragement to us. There have been times of fear, weariness, sickness and times when we have felt ready to give up, but always at the right time there was a short note or a simple call or a little token of Your love for us, which You sent by means of the many people that You have lovingly placed in our lives. Thru Your Holy Spirit, fill our souls with Your love, joy and grace, so that we may be a minister of Your encouragement to others in their time of need. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we pray, Amen🙏✝️
Ephesians 4: 29
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Dear Lord, our Father in Heaven, on this blessed Sunday evening we pray for every soul on earth to embrace Jesus Christ. May the light of the gospel, of the glory of Christ Jesus, who is Your very image, be made known to those who are lost. Draw them close and remove whatever is blocking their minds to receive the gospel. Like a lighthouse beaming its steady light through stormy nights, not judging the ships caught in the waves but offering a reliable beacon of hope, a guiding point in the darkness. May we embody that same unwavering presence, by offering a safe harbor of love, compassion and understanding for those lost and navigating their journeys. May Your spirit deepen our anguish and touch our heart so that it longs for the salvation of every person in every nation throughout the world. Through Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray, Amen 🙏✝️
2 Corinthians 4: 4
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, we come to You this eve in search of Your strength, trusting in Your grace, that through our faith we may fear no earthly evil, nor fix our hearts on earthly goods. The story of Peter’s ability to walk on water came from his faith in Jesus’s command and teaches us to have faith in tasks that seem insurmountable. When he took his eyes off Jesus in fear he began to sink. Lord, give us the strength and faith so that we never turn our eyes away from You. When evil darkens our world, give us light. When despair numbs our souls, give us hope. Help us to trust Your heart and believe that there is more to life than the heartache of this world. Allow us to lean ever closer to You in the midst of this fallen world. Thank You God for hope, peace, Your love, Your comfort, and Your salvation. through Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen🙏✝️
Psalm 31: 24
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”
It’s amazing how quickly the gatekeepers of culture decide what’s acceptable.
In June, every logo becomes a rainbow. Every stadium, every jersey, every broadcast gets a political message.
But put a Bible verse on your cap? Suddenly that’s “controversial.”
Put an American slogan front and center? Suddenly that’s “divisive.”
The NFL had no problem painting political movements in the end zone. Major League Baseball has no problem turning every June into a month-long corporate activism campaign.
Yet the moment someone wants to celebrate faith, patriotism, or traditional values, we’re told those things don’t belong in sports.
Funny how the people preaching inclusion always seem to have a very specific list of viewpoints they’re willing to include.
If rainbow logos belong in sports, then so do Bible verses.
If political messages belong in sports, then so do messages celebrating faith, family, and country.
The double standard isn’t subtle anymore. EVERYONE sees it.
Peter began to sink the moment he stopped looking at Christ and started looking at the storm.
Most of us know that feeling.
The waves become louder than faith.
Fear becomes louder than prayer.
The wind becomes louder than hope.
But even sinking, Peter discovered something beautiful:
Jesus still reaches for drowning people.
The Woodson Center Mourns the Passing of Founder and President Robert L. Woodson, Sr. - A visionary leader whose life's work transformed communities from the inside out.
Read our full statement here: https://t.co/0rp3nhxynq
Some people didn’t walk away from God…
They walked away from people who claimed to represent Him.
A man’s phone rang in church by accident.
Instead of grace, he received dirty looks.
Instead of compassion, embarrassment.
Instead of love, condemnation.
So he never came back.
Later that same day, he walked into a bar carrying the weight of shame.
He spilled his drink expecting the same reaction.
But this time…
Someone helped him clean it up.
Someone showed him kindness.
Someone made him feel human again.
And sadly, the place called “worldly” gave him more grace than the place called “holy.”
This is the danger of religion without the heart of Christ.
Jesus never humiliated broken people.
He restored them.
The woman caught in adultery?
He defended her.
The tax collectors and sinners?
He ate with them.
The lepers?
He touched them when nobody else would.
The Church was never meant to be a courtroom for the wounded.
It was meant to be a hospital for the broken.
Yes, truth matters.
Yes, holiness matters.
But if people encounter your religion before they encounter the love of Christ…
you may be pushing souls away instead of leading them home.
Some of the reason people run to the world is because the church gave them judgment when they were looking for healing.
May we never become so “spiritual” that we forget how to love people.
Because grace is what changed us too.
I just finished an interview with Brad from Across Nigeria… and honestly, I’m sitting here stunned.
Today, he buried 14 Christians in a mass grave.
Two were infants.
One was a 4-year-old child.
And this isn’t some recycled internet story or political talking point. Brad was literally there today helping bury them. While on the way to investigate one attack, another Christian community was attacked. He said the violence is happening so fast they can barely keep up anymore.
What shocked me even more is this:
Brad shared that 72% of all Christians killed worldwide last year were killed in this region of Nigeria.
72%.
And hardly anybody is talking about it.
The mainstream media should be all over this. Instead, most people scrolling social media today have no idea our brothers and sisters in Christ are being slaughtered while churches are being forced underground.
Guys… this matters.
Please watch this interview.
Please pray for these families.
And PLEASE share this everywhere you can.
At this point, WE are the media.
WE are how people find out.
WE are the distribution network.
If enough ordinary people start sharing the truth, eventually the world will have to pay attention.
Watch the full conversation and help us get this story out.
The biggest shift in my prayer life was moving from desperation to authority.
There was a time I thought prayer was about begging God…
Crying louder, fasting longer, hoping maybe heaven would notice me.
But then light came.
God is not asking us to beg…
He is asking us to believe.
Begging comes from uncertainty.
Authority comes from revelation.
When you don’t know who you are in Christ, you will pray like a victim.
When you know who you are, you will pray like a son.
The Bible says:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace…” (Hebrews 4:16)
Not crawling.
Not shrinking.
Boldly.
Why? Because you are not a stranger trying to gain access…
You are a child who already belongs.
Listen—prayer is not convincing God to do what He is reluctant to do.
Prayer is enforcing what He has already made available in Christ.
That’s why you will never pray amiss if you pray scriptures.
Because when you pray scriptures, you are not speaking your emotions…
You are speaking His will.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” (1 John 5:14)
Scriptures reveal His will.
So when you pray the Word, heaven has no option but to respond.
Instead of saying:
“Lord… please help me, I don’t know what to do…”
You rise and declare:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
Instead of saying:
“God, I’m afraid…”
You stand on His Word:
“For God has not given me the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Instead of begging for victory, you declare:
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
This is the difference.
Desperation prays from lack.
Authority prays from finished work.
Jesus already paid the price.
He already secured the victory.
You are not trying to win…
You are enforcing what has been won.
So when you pray, don’t come like someone trying to persuade God.
Come as one who knows:
“I have access.”
“I have backing.”
“I have authority in Christ.”
Let your prayers be filled with Word.
Let your mouth speak what heaven has already said.
Because when God hears His Word in your mouth…
He confirms it.
Stop begging.
Start believing.
Stop pleading.
Start declaring.
You will never pray amiss…
If you pray scriptures.
To say “I prayed for you” isn’t just words…
It means in the middle of my own chaos,
I paused.
I thought of you.
I carried your name, your situation, your pain…
and I brought it straight to God.
It means you mattered enough
for me to step outside of myself
and stand in the gap for you.
Because prayer isn’t small.
It’s not just something we say when we don’t know what else to do.
It’s love.
It’s covering someone when they’re too tired to fight for themselves.
It’s asking God to step into places we can’t reach.
So when someone says, “I prayed for you”…
please understand,
they didn’t just think about you.
They took you to the only One
who can actually change everything. 🤍
One of the U.S. Navy’s first-contact team members released new video of the Artemis II recovery following their Pacific Ocean recovery, captured by Reid Wiseman
Artemis II Astronaut Victor Glover shares words of wisdom to his neighbors as he arrived home to a crowd 🇺🇸🙏🏼
“Let’s be this more. Let’s be neighbors. I don’t know if you heard me say it but God told us to love Him with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves.”