WHEN OUT-OF-CONTROL EMOTIONS INVADE YOUR WORSHIP, THEY CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO DECEPTION.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Let's have a Holy Ghost time!" or "Let's have church"? These expressions are freely used in our churches today, and rightly so. We should expect that something powerful will happen in our lives when God shows up and manifests His presence.

The Bible is filled with examples of people who had supernatural encounters with God's awesome power in the Old and New Testaments. One such example is that of the priests who could not even minister in the temple because the cloud of God's glory was too dense (see 2 Chr. 5:13-14). read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2005

MIRACLES OF EVERY SORT HAVE OCCURRED WHEN MEN AND WOMEN OFFERED UP THEIR PRAISES TO GOD.

Have you ever noticed in reading the Bible how important fragrance is to God? His Word speaks about it in both a negative and a positive sense. For example, the sin of the Israelites is often described as a stench in the nostrils of God. Esther's preparation for her audience with the king, on the other hand, is shown to be at least part of the key to her receiving his favor. She bathed in special lotions and oils to give herself a pleasing scent.

The Wise Men gave frankincense and myrrh, two delightfully scented oils, to the Christ Child as a gift. And Mary broke an alabaster box of fragrant oil to anoint the feet of Jesus. Have you ever thought about the fragrance that filled the room as Mary poured her love on the feet of Jesus that day? read more

8:00PM EDT 5/31/2004

God isn't looking a perfectly sung worship chorus but for the simple expression of our hearts.

Hagan-Worship FILLER It always seems to begin and end the same--a torn envelope, then a tearful stream.

Birthday rituals, especially those between a papa bear and his cubs, have a way of doing that. I'm as normal, I suppose, as any papa bear at the moment when, just prior to the cake and candles, I begin the jubilee by accepting my birthday cards from the kids. Responding joyfully to their eager offerings, I quickly thumb open the cards with heartfelt surprise. Then, without trying to look unappreciative for the coins spent, I swiftly glance past all the artwork and poetry. read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2003

The flow of destiny has a rhythm to it, a choreography. It reminds me of ballroom dancing (once you get the hang of it). It has that kind of feel.

I remember watching all the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies when I was growing up, in which the two partners flowed with elegance and grace on the dance floor. They were so well attuned to each other that Ginger Rogers would follow Fred Astaire's lead intuitively. She felt it, and she moved with the rhythm. read more

7:00PM EST 3/31/2000

If you search for value and fulfillment in anyone other than the Lord, ultimately, you'll be disappointed.

The Lord loves women. Certainly, He always has. Jesus befriended a woman who was shunned by her entire community. He allowed a scandalous woman to anoint Him.

When Mary sat worshiping at His feet, He wouldn't permit the busy Martha to remove her. Even as He died on the cross, He was thinking of a woman. read more

7:00PM EST 3/31/2006

What happens when a woman decides to follow Christ? In the United States, it can mean peace, joy and freedom. In other countries, it can mean arrest, torture, rape--even death.

As a journalist, I've had wonderful opportunities to travel around the world and write about the amazing things the Lord is doing. What stands out to me most are the women I've had the honor of meeting--women who have counted the cost to follow Christ and are willingly paying it. read more

7:00PM EST 11/30/2000

You don't have to play the psychic just because you have a prophetic gift. Encourage other to hear God for themselves.

Our generation is hungry for the paranormal. People everywhere are looking for answers, and their search has led to an obsession with various forms of spirituality that are devoid of God's light and full of the lies of the enemy--witchcraft, astrology, necromancy, sorcery, spiritism and so on. Many have come to depend on psychics for the answers they seek.

We live in a time when the lost, often unwittingly, "[exchange] the truth of God for the lie" (Rom. 1:25, NKJV). Scripture foretold of this time: "'For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect'" (Mark 13:22). read more

7:00PM EST 11/30/2002