Joe Barnett

Do you believe that I am able to do this?              —Matthew 9:28 If your life is a mess, it isn’t because you haven’t read the right book, attended the right seminar, or listened to the right preacher. It’s because you haven’t tapped into the right power. The words “him […]

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for.     —Hebrews 11:1 A line is drawn in the sand; it’s called “Faith.” You can’t straddle it; you have to plant your feet on one side or the other. Inflexible faith is not easily achieved; in life’s stormy seasons it’s challenged. You’ve turned a

Be strong and courageous.        —Joshua 1:6 When Joshua was named the successor to Moses as Israel’s leader, he received four words of advice from three sources. The four words were: “Be strong and courageous.” The three sources were: Moses (Dt 31:7); God (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9); the people he would be leading

Be careful not to forget the Lord your God.   —Deuteronomy 8:11 Alzheimer’s! We all know someone who has it. We’ve seen its devastation. It has us on edge: when we have a memory lapse, it triggers a haunting feeling that we may be heading into the twilight zone of the dreaded “A.” Mindless forgetfulness

All things work together for the good of those who love God.      —Romans 8:28 Joseph got a bunch of bad breaks: sold into slavery by jealous brothers; sent to the slammer by the false accusation of a lying woman. Years later, hindsight revealed that God had crafted rewarding results from excruciating experiences. When

In God I trust; I will not be afraid.   —Psalm 56:11 “The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield’” (Gn 15:1). It’s a hostile world; fear is chronic. Not only to Abram, but also to Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Mary, Paul, and

Forget not all his benefits.           —Psalm 103:2 Turn pouting into praise by focusing on what you have, instead of fixating on what you don’t have. Psalm 103 hands you twenty-two verses of what’s already in your bucket. Verse two says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all

You should want praise from God and not from humans.      —Romans 2:29 Are you sensitive to what others think of you? Aren’t we all? Dr. Raj Raghunathan, a professor at the University of Texas, teaches a course about happiness. At the beginning of the semester, he asks his students to tell him what

Because you say so, I will let down the nets.       —Luke 5:5 Jesus, the carpenter, told Simon, the fisherman: “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4). There were two things off base with this charge: 1) Nighttime was the right time to fish; it

Grace be with you.  —2 Timothy 4:22 I get misty-eyed reading 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter. He was terribly lonely. “Everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me,” he wrote (1:15). “At my first defense, no one stood with me . . . all forsook me” (4:16). “Only Luke is with me” (4:11). He