Category: Deliverance

1/22/2026 0 Comments

I Have Observed

I remember, as an eighteen-year-old, living with my aunt and uncle in Coeur ‘d Alene, Idaho, who graciously took me into their home while I awaited my move to New York to attend West Point. Norm let me drive his Ford Ranchero and paid me to move pipes and water his crops. Whenever I got in a bind, he would flash his trademark Norwegian grin, which could be translated as “You are such an idiot.” I felt like a little kid in his presence. Given my mechanical stupidity, I’m sure he wondered how I would ever make it in an engineering school. Had it not been for God’s help and classmates like Kevin Stewart, who spent hours tutoring me, I would never have survived the Academy, and I wonder what would have become of my life. Wondering can be a healthy exercise in appreciating God’s sovereignty. This surely must have been the case for one of the world’s greatest leaders.

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12/21/2025 1 Comment

When is it Good to be Terrified?

As far as I know, I have never been visited by an angel, but I do know people who have. In those instances, they did not realize it was an angel until after the fact. Some have shared stories of being rescued from immediate danger where intervention was obvious, yet the hands that protected remained invisible. I imagine there are probably far more instances of God’s protection than we realize.

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9/27/2025 1 Comment

Afraid to Ask

Have you ever had a time in your life when the Holy Spirit or God’s Word spoke to you, but the truth of the message did not make sense? The prophet Daniel, aware of God’s judgment over Israel and having received terrifying visions regarding future events, called out to Him and shared his concerns (Daniel 9). God sent an angel to minister to him. “He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!’ As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me’” (10:19).

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8/5/2025 1 Comment

Rescuers

I was reading in my quiet time Jeremiah 22, and I was struck by how David’s message praising God’s actions in Psalm 146 was like what God, through His prophet Jeremiah, called the king of Judah, his officials, and the people to do.

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6/24/2025 1 Comment

As Good as Dead

October 7, 2023 Survivor

In Genesis 18:11, it states that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had passed the age of childbearing. Yet the Lord told them that she would give birth to a son. Sarah laughed at the absurdity, but the Lord said to her, “Is anything impossible for the LORD?” (vs. 14). Years before, God promised Abraham “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Your offspring will be that numerous” (15:5). Despite his age, Abraham believed God and it was “credited to him as righteousness” (15:6). He was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born (17:7, 21:5). Through Isaac and his descendants came the nation of Israel, the very country whose survival is threatened by those who would annihilate them.

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6/5/2025 0 Comments

Understanding Protection

In the war of the colonists against Great Britain, Benjamin Franklin wrote:
In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor . . . And have we now forgotten this powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

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5/20/2025 0 Comments

Wounded Tiger

T. Martin Bennett writes a remarkable nonfiction book, Wounded Tiger.[1] It narrates the true story of Mitsuo Fuchida, Jake DeShazer, and the Covell family, showcasing the intersection of their lives during World War II and its aftermath. I highly recommend this book for its profound depiction of God’s redemptive hand at work.

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3/19/2025 2 Comments

Overflowing Hope

L-R: Bill Wadley, Dan York, Laura Wadley

He had a pretty rough upbringing with three different mothers and two different fathers.[1] His dad was an alcoholic and gambling addict. His 16-year-old birth mom was a drug and alcohol abuser. At the age of five, he had to take care of three half-siblings in the apartment, and if anything was broken or went wrong, he was beaten. He was seventeen before he found out his stepdad was not his real father.

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1/28/2025 0 Comments

Shooting from the Shadows

When I asked West Point classmate Greg, if he had ever been shot from the shadows, he wrote:
I was thinking back to a time in a position of supervisory responsibility for 50 federal employees in eight different locations, enabling almost 5,000 other federal employees. We were working hard to meet tasks and missions professionally. We even received an award for excellence at the Executive Building next to the White House.

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12/24/2024 0 Comments

Insignificant

He was born in a lowly place—a smelly stable in a manger, nursed among unclean animals because his parents were required by edict to register in an obscure village—Bethlehem, the town Micah, the prophet, foretold (Micah 5:2). His father, Joseph, nearly in secret divorced the unborn Child’s mother, Mary, until an angel intervened and informed him that she conceived through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:19,20). Joseph was a humble carpenter, whose trade he would pass on to his Boy, raised in the Galilean town of Nazareth. “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Nathanael asked him. ‘Come and see,’ Philip answered” (John 1:46).

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12/17/2024 1 Comment

Miracles: We Have Never Seen Anything Like This!

Roberta was Stacy’s laundry mat owner and insurance agent in Mexico City. Needing to renew her insurance policy, Stacy scheduled a meeting with Roberta and was prompted by the Holy Spirit that she was to share the gospel with the result that Roberta would be saved. When they met, Roberta confessed, “Sometimes I sit at a stoplight and wonder, God, how can I know You?” That gave Stacy an opening to share the gospel. Roberta responded, “You’re telling me I can walk out of here forgiven for everything I’ve ever done?” Stacy answered, “Yes—everything.” Roberta reacted incredulously, “Even an abortion?”
“Yes, even an abortion.”
“I want that because I’ve gone to a church for 18 years, and the leaders told me that was not possible.” Roberta then prayed and asked for forgiveness for her sins and for Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of her life.

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12/10/2024 0 Comments

Omnipotent

There are two unsolvable problems all humans face: sin and death. The reality of sin is the inability of any person to refrain from doing something wrong or evil, whether it be lying, stealing, cheating, etc. The reality of death is we all age and eventually die. The beauty of Christianity is that it solves both of those problems.

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10/10/2024 0 Comments

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931—August 13, 1995) was a Hall of Fame Center Field player for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. [1] During his illustrious career, he was a 3x Most Valuable Player (MVP), Gold Glove winner, Batting and Triple Crown (batting average, home runs, and runs batted in) winner, and Major League Player of the Year. Mantle played in the All-Star game 16 times. He was part of seven World Series-winning teams. He is considered one of Baseball’s best players and sluggers. He is the only player to hit 150 home runs as a left and right-handed batter.[2]

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10/3/2024 0 Comments

Peerless

In Isaiah chapter 45, God communicates to King Cyrus nine times that He has no peer; there is no other God. This message extends far beyond a pagan king; it applies to all people.

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9/24/2024 0 Comments

On a Quest

Have you ever felt like you were on a journey to nowhere? Does life seem unfulfilling and taxed by unnecessary hardship? Do you find that what you thought would be meaningful is meaningless or empty? Imagine how the Israelites felt as they were exiled from their land by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Their lives revolved around loss, shame, and suffering. God told them, “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing” (Isaiah 30:14). Like most people, the Israelites believed that they could solve problems and live however they wanted. God restored them to a worthwhile life only when they came to the end of themselves and recognized and renounced the evil of their rebellion.

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7/15/2024 3 Comments

Assassination Attempt

The report was shocking. How did Thomas Crooks get into a line-of-sight position after being spotted by local Trump supporters and then fire off multiple shots, killing former fire chief Corey Comperatore and critically wounding others while grazing the ear of his intended target, former president Donald Trump?[1] But for an inch . . . had the Secret Service been more vigilant, Crooks might have been neutralized before shooting anyone. But for an inch . . . Trump could have died. But for an inch . . . an entire nation might have experienced gargantuan turmoil.

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5/18/2024 1 Comment

Not Shrinking Back

What is the purpose of your life?

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4/8/2024 0 Comments

Woodchoppers

He doesn’t care about me. If He did, I wouldn’t have all these problems. If He did, He would explain why life must be so challenging. If He did, I would be included and be part of a family instead of feeling alone, excluded, and misunderstood. Ferdi wrestles with a whole lot of insecure thoughts and emotions. His Venezuelan birth mom gave him up to an adoption agency. He’d lived in six different foster homes before his 18th birthday. Without ever knowing his real father, he struggled mightily to trust his Father in Heaven, whose Son he had put his faith in as a 26-year-old single dad. Hard living creates hard questions for the man who chops wood and sells firewood to pay bills and put food on his table. The name Ferdi means to be brave, but that is not always easy when life is a giant question mark.

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2/6/2024 1 Comment

You Must Be Quiet

I was talking to my stressed certified public accountant (CPA). It is that time of year when he prepares tax returns for all his clients. The strain on his face was palpable, so his answer was no surprise when I asked him what I could pray for him. “Ask God to relieve the stress and anxiety of this tax season.”

Eric requests prayer for Ben and Kelly’s failing marriage. Erwin needs intercession for his beloved wife, Sue’s deteriorating health. Jerry seeks wisdom in his job addressing conflicts with Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Israel, and Hamas. Nanette argues passionately for the right to see her grandson to the deaf ears of a drug-addicted daughter. Her prayer is for reconciliation and healing.

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1/31/2024 1 Comment

God Will Speak

Stac saw an older man in Kroger with an Army Vietnam Veteran cap, so she thanked him for his service. They talked for a while, swapping stories, and just before she left, he asked if he could share one more story with her. Mike said that while serving in Vietnam, he was in his Quonset hut one night, lying on his cot all alone, when a voice told him to get up and move away from it. He thought that was strange and ignored the message and tried to sleep. But again, he heard a voice telling him to move. He did nothing and fell asleep, only to be shaken awake and ordered by a clear voice a third time to get up and move outside the hut. Finally, he listened and went outside. Almost immediately, a mortar round crashed through his hut, destroying his cot. Had he not gotten up and moved, he would have been killed. With tears in his eyes, he smiled and said God is so good. Stac answered, “He certainly is.” Mike hugged her, and they parted with Stac, saying if we don’t see each other again, we’ll see each other in heaven.

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