Too many Christian parents today are wasting time worrying about their children.

Years ago, Gloria and I saw the devil trying to get a foothold in our children's lives, so one weekend we got our concordance and four or five translations of the Bible. We began to search out scriptures and write out agreement prayers concerning them.

We tore into the devil with the Word of God and started saying, "Thank God, our children are not going to hell. Thank God, they are taught of the Lord and great is their peace!" Instead of walking the floor and worrying about the problem, we walked the floor and praised God for the solution.

Things didn't change instantly. We still had to go through some tough times, but the Word began to turn things around. Today, our children are serving God with all their hearts.

If your kids are headed for trouble, don't waste time worrying. Start believing! Get the Word working in their lives. Bind the devil with it and tell him he can't have them. Then follow the instructions in Matthew 9:38: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, the he will send forth laborers" into the field who can reach your children. God knows who they'll listen to, and He knows how to bring those people into your children's lives at just the right time.

Grab hold of God's Word, refuse to let go where your children are concerned—and sooner or later, that Word will grab hold of them.

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 127

In the years I've spent living by faith, there's something I've learned to do that helps me receive from God in the toughest of situations. It's something I call stepping over the faith line.

A faith line is what you need when you want God to do the "impossible" in your life. It's what you need when you want to be firm in your faith and yet you keep wavering back and forth between your circumstances and God's promises—believing first one, then the other.

It's what can make you like faithful Abraham. You know, Abraham had natural facts to deal with just like we do. He knew there was no natural way for God's promise to him to come true.

Yet the Word says Abraham considered not his own body. In other words, Abraham ignored the natural evidence around him and believed only God's promise.

Somewhere he stepped across the line of faith.

He made an irreversible decision to go with the Word of God. He made a final commitment. He chose to step past the point of no return. And if you and I are ever going to see God do the impossible in our lives, we're going to have to do the same thing!

How do you draw that faith line?

Begin with the Word. Search the promises of God and purposely believe what He has said, and is saying, about your need. Meditate on those promises until faith rises in your heart.

Then draw the line of faith. Draw it in your mind and heart. Draw it across the floor in your prayer room. Say, "In the presence of God, in the presence of all the angels in this room, and in the devils face, I am stepping across the line of faith. From this moment on, I consider this matter done. From this day forward, I give God the praise and the glory in the Name of Jesus."

From that moment on, speak only as if your miracle has already happened. Turn your back on the problems, on the doubts, and turn your face toward Jesus.

God will do the impossible in your life. Dare to step across the faith line!

Scripture Reading:
Romans 4:13-21

Are you destined for greatness in the kingdom of God?

Ask most believers that question and they'll humbly assure you they're not. "You know we can't all be golden vessels" they'll say. "Like the Bible says, some of us are just called to be little clay pots."

Praise God, the Bible doesn't say any such thing!

Certainly there are going to be some golden vessels in the kingdom and there are going to be some clay pots, but we are the ones—not God—who determine which kind we will be. Second Timothy 2:21 tells us that "whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work" (The Amplified Bible).

Golden vessel or clay pot—the choice is up to you!

Why then do so many believers choose to do menial work in the kingdom of God? Why are they content to remain clay pots?

Because they lack one thing every golden vessel must have. They lack dedication. They haven't made a quality decision to separate themselves from contaminating influences. They haven't been willing to turn away from the ways of the world and go on with God past the point of no return.

My friend, God is doing some exciting things on this earth right now. He's working signs and wonders, paving the way for Jesus' return. This is a thrilling time, but it's definitely no time for clay pots! So if you haven't yet made the kind of commitment that will turn you into a golden vessel, admit it. Then take the time to get before God and study His Word and get your will in line with His. Let the Holy Spirit deal with you until you're willing to leave the ways of the world behind and walk in higher ways—the ways of God.

Do it now. The hour is late. The glory of God is spilling over the earth in one final thrilling wave. It's not trickling out of clay pots. It's being poured through golden vessels—and that's exactly what God is calling you to be.

Scripture Reading:
2 Timothy 2:15-26

Don't ever be so afraid of making a mistake you miss out on the joy of acting on the voice of the Lord. Instead, trust the leadership of the Holy Spirit and let Him show you how. He'll begin by speaking to you about the little things in your life, and as you grow accustomed to hearing and obeying, He'll speak to you about weightier things.

That's how it happened with Gloria and me. When we first accepted Jesus as Lord, we didn't have any idea how to hear God. Our spirits weren't yet trained to distinguish His leading. But since the Bible promised we could do it, we began to approach our prayer time and Bible study time expecting to hear God's direction and He began to give it.

I'll never forget the first time it happened to Gloria. She'd been reading the Bible and she just stopped for a few minutes to see if God would say something to her. Right down on the inside of her, she heard the Lord say, The light is on in your car.

It didn't occur to her that God would speak to her about something so trivial, so she just brushed that thought aside and went on listening. Pretty soon, He said the same thing again. He kept on repeating it until finally, she got up and walked out to the car. Sure enough, the light was on.

Why would God bother with something as insignificant as a car light? Because He cares! He knew Gloria was home alone that night with two small children, and if that battery had run down, she'd have been stuck there. God was watching out for her, and He told her just exactly what she needed to know right then.

Yet, at the same time, He knew she was a beginner where listening to His voice was concerned, so He gave her an instruction she could follow without much risk. I mean, what if she had gone out there and the light hadn't been on? What if she'd missed it? She would have felt foolish but that wouldn't have hurt anything.

If you'll trust Him, the Holy Spirit will do the same thing for you that He did for Gloria and me. He'll bring you along one step at a time in a way that will help you, not hurt you.

The biggest mistake you can make is to be afraid to follow that inward witness which is the No. 1 way God leads all His children (Romans 8:14). So don't be afraid. Take time to listen today. Expect to hear in your spirit. God has something to say to you.

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 2:6-16