Tonia Woolever 
“ I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
So spoke Jesus to Mary in the moments before he raised his beloved Lazarus from the dead. This story, recorded in John Chapter 11, is not only the greatest demonstration of Jesus’ power through the Holy Spirit. It also reveals the full depth of His human experience.
Obstacles to abundant life offered by Jesus come to us all. How we respond to them is determined largely by our perspective.
One of my favorite things is retreating to a quiet setting with a small group of women who love the Lord and want to know Him better. It is good to step away from the world as usual to gain perspective and renewed focus on our most important relationship.
In the weeks leading up to the retreat, as I prayed and prepared, the Spirit chose the subject of His living waters. We would explore focus points from John Chapters 4 and 7, where Jesus speaks of the streams of living waters that would flow into, and go forth from, those who drink of Him.
Today marks the conclusion of what Jesus’ Jewish culture called The Great Feast. Also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, a week-long celebration that coincides with the beginning of the harvest season. God instituted this feast by a law given to Moses, described in Leviticus 23. The law required God’s people to set …
As I write this, we are in the middle of what worshiping Jews call “The Days of Awe,” observed during the first ten days of every Jewish New Year. Observant Jews focus on reading Scripture, dedicate extra time with God, and examine one’s heart and life in light of God’s ways.
Thus each Jewish new year is a time of renewal, taking stock, making things right with God and others. Such deliberate focus on God and His Word inevitably bring us face-to-face with questions like:
Am I walking rightly with the Lord? With other people?
Are there any sins I need to confess? Do I have any broken relationships which need to be mended?
Are you one of those reluctant to read the Old Testament prophet books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and those pesky little guys like Obadiah and Nahum?
Many are, which is why I wrote a Bible Study course called Finding the Heart of God in Every Book of the Bible. I wanted to entice readers to search for the treasure in every book. And what is that treasure? It is understanding God’s heart.
One year, preparing to lead a women’s retreat in Michigan, the Holy Spirit taught me something new about surrender. Our concept of surrender to God is giving everything up and yielding entirely to Him, which is accurate. The voices in our Bible — inspired by Holy Spirit — encourage us to yield our ways, plans …
A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite authors. He published a wonderful book in 1950 entitled “The Divine Conquest,” in which he identified a common problem among Christians that still exists today. Quoting a few excerpts: “Is it not true that for most of us who call ourselves Christians there is no real experience? We …
God has called me to write, but it doesn’t always come easy. I’ve gone through a season of really struggling with the writing lately. Even after clearing my schedule to make more time for it, and my dear hubby throwing all of his support behind me in this, I kept hitting a wall I couldn’t …
Lord, increase our faith! Luke 17:5 When the disciples cried out to the Lord in this way, was it because they hadn’t been able to heal someone or drive out a tormenting spirit? No…. it was because he had just told them that forgiveness should be continually extended to those who ask, even if you’ve …
Are you living by the energy of the Spirit? It is heartbreaking to see believers living in frustration, anxiety and even resignation over sharing life with their indwelling Lord. People shrink back from stepping out in their gifts. Often they just can’t get over their own perceived inadequacies. They may feel as if God is …
