Nothing more effectively protects us from sin or compels us to greater service than remembering the sufferings our Savior endured because He loves us.

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In the spring of 1958 I was 7 years old and the fastest runner in my first-grade class. I did have a problem, however. I tended to veer off course when I ran.

My father worked with me every day. Speed wasn't the problem. Direction was. read more

7:00PM EST 3/31/2001

JOY IS MORE THAN A PLEASANT FEELING. IT IS THE ABIDING HAPPINESS THAT COMES FROM LIVING TO PLEASE GOD.

When Jesus was speaking to His Father just before He died, He prayed that His followers would have His joy fulfilled in themselves (see John 1:13, NKJV).

This privilege, like all privileges of the Christian, has been purchased by the blood of Christ and is therefore a high and holy responsibility. That is to say, the provision on God's part of privileges for us creates the obligation on our part to attain to their enjoyment. read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2004

The Holy Ghost is in us to do more than make us shout. He has come to give us the power to live holy.

This year marks the observance of the 100th anniversary of the Church of God in Christ, the body of believers I am privileged to serve as general supervisor of the Department of Women. Our founder, Bishop Charles H. Mason, was sovereignly led to establish the denomination after having experienced the great move of God during the Azusa Street Revival. Four years later, Mason called Mother Lizzie Woods Robinson to serve with him as the first organizer of the women's department.

During the early years, the women came together on occasion to fellowship, encourage one another and pray. Eventually, their soul-winning and evangelistic work would lay the foundation for the birthing of churches and the expansion of the ministry. read more

8:00PM EDT 9/30/2007

God’s women today are taking on greater responsibilities and leadership roles. Now the task is to guard the anointing we’ve been given so we can pass it on.

You may feel that you're the least qualified for God to use and the most unlikely candidate for His Spirit to fall upon. Guess what? You're just the kind of person He chooses! God is glorified in your weakness.

The apostle Paul wrote, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Cor. 12:9, NIV). If you fall into the category of the least likely, you are a prime target for the Lord to come and wrap Himself around you. read more

8:00PM EDT 7/31/2007

Knowing how precious you are to your heavenly Father changes everything.

I'm going to share something with you that not very many people—even my close friends—know about me: I'm a doll collector. I absolutely love dolls. Though I have some I have saved from the time I was a young girl, my interest in dolls has grown since my three children have advanced in age—perhaps because I miss having little ones around.

Whatever the reason, the dolls are a great substitute: They're always pleasant to look at, they don't talk back, and they're maintenance free! read more

7:00PM EST 11/30/2007

NOT EVERY POLITICAL ISSUE IS DEBATABLE FOR BELIEVERS. SOME CHOICES CAN BE READILY DISCERNED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD AS RIGHT OR WRONG.

On Resurrection Sunday this year we had a special visitation in our church service, but it was not from the Lord. A group of men and women from New York visited my congregation that day.

From an insider I learned that most of the people in this group were on paid leave from their regular jobs in New York so they could work on a "special project" in Florida. This project entailed recruiting and encouraging people to vote in the upcoming election. read more

8:00PM EDT 9/30/2004

One day when I was driving down the highway, a song came on my CD player. Some of the phrases rang in my spirit: "I am so tired of compromising/ I am so tired of lukewarm living/ I want to go against the grain/ Set me on fire." As I listened, I was struck by the thought that many Christians today live in a state of compromise.

It hasn't always been that way. There have been times in history when the church lived by a different standard than the world. During the days of the early church, for example, the new believers went straight to the marketplace after being baptized in the Spirit and declared what had happened. As far as we know from the biblical record, no one told them to do that; they just had such an intense awareness of who Jesus is--glorified and risen--that they were compelled to share it!

Even in the midst of the persecution that attended their testimonies, they could not keep silent. The Bible tells us that many were scattered to other regions, and "those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4, NIV). Miraculous signs followed those who believed. read more

7:00PM EST 1/31/2001