Charisma Magazine

In December 1926, I was elected girl class speaker for the Moody Bible Institute graduation exercises. I prayed for a message and took as my theme “The Print of the Nails,” based on Thomas’ words in John 20:25: “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (KJV).

You may be walking through the driest, darkest, most desperate situation of your life, but hold on—joy comes in the morning. Remember, weeping lasts only for a night. The army of God goes forth in the morning and marches under the banner of light (John 9:5).

Jesus declares, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Stop drinking from the old wells of your past traditions and worldly pre-occupations. Refuse to drink the stagnant, sin-infested, putrid waters of this world, and dig new wells deep into the pure waters of God.

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.

On the day before a big race, my dad asked the officials to let him stand in my lane just beyond the finish line. He was convinced that if only I kept my eyes on him, my tendency to veer off course would be remedied.

When the demoniac of Gadarene saw Jesus coming, he ran and worshipped Christ (see Mark 5:6). The man was instantly healed when Jesus commanded the legion of demons that had possessed the man to leave and enter a nearby herd of swine. The Bible says when the residents saw him, the man was "clothed, and in his right mind." One personal encounter with the Lord can change your life, no matter what your past mistakes, economic standing or mental state. Jesus still wants to change us. Watch the video below.

An enigma is something that is puzzling, hard or difficult to explain. It is similar to a riddle. The cross is an enigma to many who wonder why the center of our religion is a symbol of death and despair. What does it mean for a disciple to “take up his cross daily,” as Jesus said we must do to follow Him?

God’s wisdom and plan for the cross is  more than a one-time salvation event. It is the strategy for the kingdom of God. The cross is God’s strategy to empower His disciples to oppose the kingdom of darkness.