Something about this story stirs a desire in me that to see the miraculous power of God take over my town. I’ve heard other stories about revivals that emptied and eventually shut down bars. Then there are the tales of entire factories full of workers falling to their knees, weeping in repentance, simply because an anointed man of God walked through the door. These stories are fascinating, but I don’t want to be merely a historian of others’ stories. I don’t want to settle for reading the books of other mighty men of God. I want to partner with God in writing some new history books.

Doubtless, these stories did not happen to just anyone, anywhere. It required sacrifice, submission, and faith. Yet it proves that God can do and desires to do amazing things in America. Am I willing to do my part?

I heard a story a few weeks ago about an old time pastor and his wife who went on a 30 day period of prayer and fasting. This pastor would start praying at 12 midnight and pray until 12 noon. His wife would sleep during this time as well as get the kids ready for school. She would then begin praying at noon while he would sleep and get ready for the evening service. She would sit in the back and pray during the service. Then at midnight he would resume his 12 hour vigil. This continued for the duration of the 30 days. When my astonished mind finally registered the magnitude of this couple’s sacrifice, I profoundly uttered one word. “Wow.” Their church began seeing the results of this intense prayer. As soon as people walked through the doors they would instantly feel the anointing and power of God. Revival swept many souls into the church.

While I’m not attempting to persuade you to embark on such a radical prayer mission, perhaps there is something God is looking for from you that will open the door to another spiritual awakening in your area. Pause and consider: why did God put me where I am? What purpose am I supposed to be fulfilling?

Is it crazy to ask God to give us an Azusa Street style spiritual experience? Is it extreme to ask God to give New England another great awakening? Is it ignorant to ask God for a demonstration of the miraculous, leading to a mass exodus of the hospitals and nursing homes? If so, then I will proudly announce that I am crazy, extreme, and ignorant, because those are exactly the sort of things I am asking and believing God for. The time for stories is past; the time for deeds is here.

There are many different dimensions of being led by God, but to get to any of them you need one essential valuable substance in your life: a daily walk with God. This isn’t just for the “elite” — God isn’t a respecter of persons. It’s a process, and to begin, we need to learn to recognize God’s voice for ourselves. Indulging in reading and learning God’s Word helps us to do that. The Bible is God’s thoughts to us. It’s His love letter, it’s our history, it is His principles on how he expects things to be done. It shows us the meaning of true love, and it gives us new hope on a life that can be dreary.

Fellowshipping with God is also important. We can’t learn to listen to Him if we never stop and give Him attention. He inhabits our praise, and that’s how we can learn to feel the presence of God. Being aware of his presence in every situation will help us to perceive a greater amount of things.

When you start making time for God, don’t be surprised if He starts ‘whispering’ to you. A good friend of mine called the voice of God “the whispers of God.” He doesn’t speak in a booming announcer voice. Elijah saw this when he was hiding in the cave. He had to go past the fire and the rain to listen to the “still small voice,” that voice of assurance that sweeps into your mind and breathes into your soul. A strong foundation of being with Him daily will begin to let you recognize and hear His whispers in your every day life.

Spending time with God, falling in love with Him more, can’t help but affect your attitude. Maybe you are more fervent when you pray or praise. Maybe you are more outgoing when it comes to proclaiming your dedication to Jesus. A daily decision to listen those whispers will transform into something greater. You will start to notice that you have words to say — things that may sound silly to you but are meaningful when spoken into someone else’s life. Maybe you just go on a rant and when you are done you don’t even know how you said so much about a subject. Those whispers can grow stronger as you obey them. The more you seek, the more He’ll speak. Every step closer to God will be evident to those around you.

I’ve heard so many miraculous stories from men and women of God who listen to His voice. I’ve caught myself mistakenly believing that God only speaks to them. I’ve seen prophets speak into people’s lives not knowing anything about their situation. I’ve heard about preachers praying to know which restaurant to go to, and God answering them, and then they know specifically which waiter or waitress they would get. I’ve heard of prayers answered on the spot. It’s exciting to think that I can experience those things for myself, too! I can have such a strong relationship in God that I’ll be able to speak and act out exactly what he desires. It just takes one step at a time.

The Bible talks about the importance of our thought life. Jesus taught in Matthew that if a man was to look at a woman in order to think a lustful thought, he had committed adultery with her in his heart. Is a mere thought a big deal? Yes. It is of the utmost importance to be pure in our hearts and thoughts. In Matthew 15 Jesus taught that the words we speak proceed out of the heart; and those words can defile us. Then He added evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, all sexual sins, robberies, false witnesses, and blasphemies to the list. All of these proceed out of our heart. This is confirmed by Proverbs 23:7, which teaches that “as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Our thought life is crucial to our purity.

If we are to take the proverb literally, then our identity is defined by our thought life. The enemy has an opportunity to take us out if he can influence the way we think. One of his greatest weapons is his voice. The Bible calls the devil the “father of lies” and “accuser of our brethren.” Because we have the Holy Ghost we have authority over the devil, yet he still finds ways to influence our thinking. For instance, in the Garden of Eden, God reigned supreme. He was the Creator of this beautiful new world, and He had given his greatest creation, man, dominion over the Garden (including serpents). Because the serpent had no authority, he had one tactic to use: his voice. He lied to Eve, and she believed him. Because Eve believed the lie and let it influence her thinking, the entire human race fell into sin. Whenever you believe the lies of the devil you give him access and authority to steal from you. What did Eve do next? She disobeyed God, or sinned, by eating the fruit. All this is because she allowed the serpent — who she had been given dominion over — to influence her thinking. It is out of the heart that sin proceeds.

Now, this is not as scary as it sounds. The devil can’t just drop thoughts into our minds and instantly defeat us. We must fellowship with it, and then accept it. Have you ever been praying and had some ridiculous thought distract you? Well, usually you can’t stop a bug from getting in your house, but it’s up to you to kill it once it gets in. This is how we must treat the devil and his clever mind games. He will use all sorts of tactics, like twisting people’s words, actions and even motives to cause us to mistrust one another. Thoughts of doubt, fear, and worry will try to steal us of our shield of faith. If our thoughts do not agree with the word of God then we must squash them like a pesky mosquito. If we allow them to gain a foothold in our minds, then we may begin to believe them and that would grant the enemy authority which he otherwise does not have.

Whether it’s the roars of a lion or the hisses of a snake, the enemy will try to influence our thinking. But we have authority over him: we have the authority to tell him and his lies to get lost. I expect him to try to influence me, and I won’t feel condemned when he tries, but I will exercise my dominion power and take on the mind of Christ.

I cannot think of many ways to explain it unity better than through the experiences I have had. A few times in particular stick out. I can remember being in prayer meetings when the power of God was so present that it brought our young group of believers into a place that surpassed every ethnic, economic, social, and gender barrier.  We were able to enter into a place where it did not matter what the person next to you was doing. This move of the Spirit brought us into one mind and one accord. The power was amplified many times over as the spirit directed us to intercede, to worship, to enter into warfare, or to just be in awe.

When this happens, the Spirit guides each of us to surrender individually, and bond corporately. The rest is inevitable; as we draw closer to His will, we will all work together towards the same goal. It is an act that overcomes every obstacle and lets us be a part of something much bigger.

One instance in the Bible stands out as an instance of a time when great things happened because everyone was in unity. The book of Acts recounts when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the upper room. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

That is an example from the Bible of what happened when the believers were unified. I believe that there are going to be great things that occur as we are unified under Jesus in this coming year!

In my case it’s usually everyday things like washing clothes, cleaning my room, keeping my desk clean, doing school work, and playing video games. All these things distract me; I forget that I can keep my attention upon God through the repetitive aspects of the day. Also, sometimes I play more video games than I should — I have to break that cycle by putting aside my amusements and spending a little extra time with God.

You could substitute anything for games: shopping, weight lifting, cooking, cleaning, boys/girls, a job, etc. Anything that gets your attention away from God keeps your mind from being wholly given to Him. I find that in these situations it’s best to just step back and refocus. Perhaps I need to spend a little more time in prayer and praise than usual — time that I’d otherwise spend doing the mundane tasks that are always needed.

When I take the time to pray, read, and praise, I often find either that the tasks that seemed so menial don’t drain so much energy, or that I have a spring in my step as I go to do them. Prayer brings a joy that I otherwise wouldn’t have had while doing the very things I often loathed to do beforehand.

Psalms 121:1 says it this way: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” The Lord is our help. He is the one who brings us through the day. When you’re down, when you’re depleted of all energy . . . lift your eyes to Him. Put Him in His rightful place as number one and see what He will do! He is the one who brings us through all tests and trials if we keep our eyes focused on him.

Be challenged this week to do just that: put God in His rightful place in your heart (and time priorities!), and see what He will do. Share some examples of distractions you’ve overcome in the comments section and the results that have followed.

I was stunned. It wasn’t because of the beauty of several dozen stickers — far from it. They did, however, lead me to think some things over. Admittedly, the stickers on my ceiling are not noteworthy, meaningful parts of my life. But somehow they got me to question my actions and the motives behind them. How often do I run around with all my energy focused on the task at hand, missing the “insignificant,” beautiful things in my quest to do something important? Am I trying to get to the end of a lesson and keep the class from an off-topic discussion, or did I just miss a chance to share the love of God with a child in a Sunday school? Am I so focused on trying to succeed in life that I forget to live it? I often find myself doing the same thing in prayer. In my rush to get to the “good stuff” — God’s ministry to me — I skip a vital part: the praise and worship. It seems less important to my silly mind, and yet so often praise is where I find strength, healing and hope.

It’s all too familiar; the beautiful sunset becomes nothing more than glare on the windshield. We miss the grandeur of the forest because of a few sticky pine cones. Our lives are so crowded with imperative nothings. In a misguided society where we face a constant onslaught of illusory importance, we all need to step back, look up, and remember what truly matters in the end.

Psalms 119:37 “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.”

What has caused you to take note of the truly important things lately? Are there worthless things you’ve left behind? How do you tell the difference?

The phone beckons you from its corner. You walk over to it and look at the caller ID. It’s Jesus! At that instant you decide whether to pick up the phone or to ignore the call and go about your day, eventually forgetting that the call was even made.

We do this time and time again, and each time we wonder why God isn’t talking to us – when all along He has been tirelessly calling us. This is a problem that many people face nowadays: we go through our day wondering where God is while He’s trying to talk to us every second of the day. He calls us and wants us to answer so He can have an open connection with us. I’ve been guilty of this many times over. I ask Him to speak to me, but when He does I seem to just leave the phone on the hook.

Scripture says in Isaiah 55:6 to “seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” We need to take every opportunity to answer that call. His call is a privilege; we are privileged just to get this call. Romans 8:28 tells us that “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.” We are the called! And if we are the called we need to answer the call!

Let’s stand up and answer, because if we answer we will get our answer! Maybe it’s a tongue twister, but that’s really how it works! I know that from this point on, I will focus on trying to listen more intently to the call. I hope you will, too, because if we do, we will finally be able to call ourselves “those who answer” and not just “those who are called”!

Do you intend to become someone who answers God’s call? Will you start to pay more attention to your inner caller ID and pick up more quickly when He speaks to you? Practice a little bit by answering those questions in the comments!

What do you do when it’s time to pray and you don’t have anything to pray for? If you don’t have any emotion left to give? If you’re just plain worn out? Well, you just pray anyway. Or that’s what I did. After a few introductory comments, our group began with praise and worship. Like a sprinter who has just run for miles to reach the actual event, I felt as though I lacked everything necessary for true prayer. I hobbled on as best I could, trying to figure out what to do next.

Prayer – even standing in an atmosphere of prayer – can change your situation. As my fellow prayer warriors began to lift up Jesus’ name, the atmosphere of the room changed. I stopped struggling to find words and started to let them bubble up from my heart instead. When I felt God responding to their prayers and ministering to them, I gained hope and faith that He would still respond to my prayers.

Since our meetings began, this situation has been repeated often. It’s not an overstatement to say that none of the young men who agreed to hold weekly prayer meetings truly understood how it would change our lives. We may arrive with no direction, no faith, and no emotion, but we rarely leave without new inspiration, devotion, and purpose.

There is much to be said for becoming part of a group of people with whom you can worship God. When an atmosphere of encouragement and edification is encouraged, fellow believers can do much to strengthen your walk with God simply by continuing their own walk with Him – and you can strengthen theirs. Whether it’s a young men’s prayer meeting, a prayer group, a church, or a Bible study, I encourage you to seek out the people of God and provide Him with one more way to enrich your life.

Have others encouraged you in a group setting? Do you want to help fellow Christians by organizing a prayer meeting or Bible study group? Would you like to find a group like that in your area? Drop us a line in the comments!

I came across that quote the other day, and it rings so true. I have done a little boxing in my life, but because of my lack of training I find myself panting heavily only halfway through the first round.

I’ve discovered that it’s not nearly as easy to dance around avoiding right hooks, left jabs and random bull charges (courtesy of my older cousin) as it looks when Sugar Ray Robinson, Ali, Mayweather, or any other boxing great steps into the ring.  What’s the reason for this?  Well, it seems pretty simple: training, training, training.  Every day, going to the gym and working hard.  Since I hadn’t been doing that I tired quickly.  The same is true in the spiritual realm.  As one of the speakers put it at Northeast Youth Explosion this year, “the things you do at home are the things that will come out in great moments.” That’s where daily prayer and Bible reading come in.

The most important part of my day is when I first wake up and commit my day to serving Christ. I crucify my fleshly desires, human lusts, and anything that would hinder God from using me or leading me. Then I put on the whole armor of God according to Ephesians 6:13. Here’s the thing: I want to live my life for God. All of it. Not just Sunday morning, midweek meetings, and youth group.  Not just when people are watching, but all day, every day. I don’t want to tire out before the end of the fight, like Paul talks about in I Corinthians 9. It’s not always easy, but as Ali also said, “we have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last.”

Do you want to finish strong? How do you train yourself in Godly discipline? Tell us in the comments.