Tag Archives: prayer

The Gifts of the Wise Men: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Mark Cole

“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”—Matthew 2:11 The story of the wise men is familiar to us, especially at Christmas. We picture exotic travelers, following a star across deserts, finally arriving … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus, Worship | Tagged a gift for God, allegiance, bow in worship, Christ Jesus, Christmas, costly, death, devotion, divine, frankincense, gifts, gold, King, kingship, lordship, manger, myrrh, obedience, our heart, our hearts, prayer, royalty, salvation, Savior, Saviour, self-denial, suffering, Surrender, the cross, treasure, treasure chests, true worship, Trust, wise men, worship Him | Leave a comment

The Most Important Spiritual Discipline: Daily Bible Reading

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Mark Cole

I recently heard a statement that stopped me in my tracks:Daily Bible reading is the most important spiritual discipline. Everything else flows from it. The more I’ve reflected on that idea, the more convinced I’ve become that it’s true. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged Bible reading, consistency, daily, daily reading, faith, God speaks, God's character, God's promises, guardrail, guide, His promises, humility, hunger, lamp, light, light for my path, light for today, most important, no fear, not culture, not fear, obedience, prayer, renews our mind, scripture, spiritual discipline, true, wisdom, Worship, Your word | Leave a comment

“You Made Me; You Created Me”

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Mark Cole

A Prayer for Understanding and Obedience(Psalm 119:73) “You made me; You created me.Now give me the sense to follow Your commands.” There is something beautifully honest about this verse. It begins with a declaration and ends with a request. First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Wisdom | Tagged created, created me, Creator, declaration, designer, discernment, divine intention, God, heart and mind, humility, identity, insight, lead me, limitations, live it, live it well, my decisions, my gifts, my Lord, my obedience, my story, obedience, prayer, psalmist, sense, spiritual maturity, teachability, temperament, Trust, understanding, what we need, who God is, wiring, Your commands | Leave a comment

The Secret of True Contentment

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Mark Cole

Lessons from Paul’s Words in Philippians 4 In a culture that constantly pushes us toward more—more success, more possessions, more experiences—finding true contentment can feel elusive. Yet, the Apostle Paul, writing from a Roman prison, shared a profound truth that … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged active trust, all things, Apostle Paul, content, contentment, do all things, experience, His sufficiency, house arrest, inner peace, joy, perseverance, prayer, prison, secret of living, strength, true, Trust | Leave a comment

7 Characteristics of Growing Churches

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Mark Cole

Church growth in North America isn’t accidental—and it isn’t primarily about style, denomination, or budget. Growing churches tend to share a set of intentional characteristics that shape everything they do. They don’t abandon theology or tradition, but they continually ask … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Healing, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged anxiety, applied, baptisms, belonging, church, church growth, clear, encounter God, engaging, excellent, experienced, first impressions, God still, growing, growth, guest experience, heals, How do we reach them, joy, leading, marriage, mission, Music, new life, outsiders, pathways, prayer, preaching, reaching, restores, saves, sermons, serving, singable, testimonies, transformed, truth, vision, vision-casting, work, Worship | Leave a comment

“So My God Gave Me the Idea”

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Mark Cole

Learning to Recognize God’s Guidance from the Life of Nehemiah While reading the book of Nehemiah, one short phrase jumped off the page and grabbed my attention: “So my God gave me the idea…” (Nehemiah 7:5, NLT) It’s a simple … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged action, advance, assigned, bless, care, courage, faith, fasting, from God, gift, God gave, God is the source, God-given, good, how God works, how we should live, humility, idea, leadership, listen, obedience, obey, organized, perfect, persevered, pray, prayer, prayerful, prepared, rebuild, rebuild lives, restore, strengthen, time with God, works | Leave a comment

Lessons We Can Learn from the Life of Nehemiah

Posted on December 25, 2025 by Mark Cole

The book of Nehemiah is not just a story about rebuilding a wall—it is a masterclass in leadership, prayer, courage, and faithfulness. Nehemiah was not a prophet or a priest. He was a cupbearer serving in the court of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged accountability, action, calling, church, community, courage, deeply moved, discontent, divine, faith, faithfulness, family, finishing well, focused, fully surrendered, generations, he prayed, His purpose, inspire, integrity, Jerusalem, layperson, leader, leadership, lessons, Nehemiah, obedience, obey God, opposition, ordinary people, perseverance, prayer, rebuilding, reform, reformer, serve God, sought God, success, vision, wall | Leave a comment

The Prayer Lives of Great Men of the Bible

Posted on December 22, 2025 by Mark Cole

What They Knew That We Often Forget When we read about the great men of the Bible, it’s easy to be impressed by their courage, leadership, miracles, or faith under pressure. But beneath every public act of obedience was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership | Tagged Abraham, aligned, aligns hearts, Bible, broken, builder, conversation, Daniel, David, discipline, face to face, fasted, father of faith, first instinct, friend, God's promises, God's will, great men, honest prayer, honesty, hope, human will, in private, joyful, keep praying, lifeline, Moses, Nehemiah, persistent prayer, powerful prayers, prayer, prayer life, prayer lives, Psalm 23, Psalm 51, relationship, releases God's power, repentance, rooted in love, saturated with prayer, shaped character, standing in the gap, sustains faith, trusted God, trusting, urgent prayers, walking closely | Leave a comment

Winning the Battle of the Mind: How to Control Negative Thoughts

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Mark Cole

A Biblical Perspective Most spiritual battles are not fought in public. They are fought quietly—between our ears. Negative thoughts don’t announce themselves as enemies. They sound reasonable. Familiar. Even responsible. What if this goes wrong? You’ve failed before. You’re falling … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Healing, Health, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged actions, admirable, anxious, anxious thoughts, battle of the mind, battlefield, captive, decisions, emotions, every thought, excellent, faith, feed your mind, feelings, filtering, God's Word, He cares, hope in God, listen to, lovely, mental filter, noble, Obedient, Peace of God, perfect peace, petition, prayer, process, pure, read, rehearse, replace lies, right, spiritual, thoughts, transformed, true, truth | Leave a comment

The Top 10 Questions Jesus Asked

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Mark Cole

(And Why They Still Confront Us Today) Jesus was a master teacher—but interestingly, He often taught by asking questions rather than giving answers. The Gospels record over 300 questions asked by Jesus. He wasn’t short on truth; He was drawing … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Healing, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged behaviour, believe, call me Lord, clarity, confession, countercultural, desire, discipleship, do not do what I say, do you love me, do you want to get well, Empty tomb, expectation, faith, fear, follow, Gospels, healed, honesty, invitations, lose your own soul, love, motives, obedience, personal response, prayer, public opinion, question, questions, reflect, repent, restores, scripture, searching, self-examination, Top 10, Trust, truth, what do you want me to do for you, Who do you say I am, why are you afraid, why do you worry | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: prayer

The Gifts of the Wise Men: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh

The Most Important Spiritual Discipline: Daily Bible Reading

“You Made Me; You Created Me”

The Secret of True Contentment

7 Characteristics of Growing Churches

“So My God Gave Me the Idea”

Lessons We Can Learn from the Life of Nehemiah

The Prayer Lives of Great Men of the Bible

Winning the Battle of the Mind: How to Control Negative Thoughts

The Top 10 Questions Jesus Asked

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