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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, --John 1:12 There is power in the name of Jesus! You know, we hear that phrase so much that we might become immune to what those words really mean. Miraculous things happen when we pray in his name and in his power. What happened to the lame man at the temple when Peter told him to arise in the name of Jesus? The man stood up! And not only that, the Scripture says he began to leap and dance and praise God. I love that! Later in the temple, Peter testified about the man this way, saying, “Look at this man, he stands before you whole and strong in the power of the name of Jesus.” And that’s exactly what Jesus does for us, too. In the name of Jesus, our bondage is broken and we are set free. In the name of Jesus, those who were once broken and downtrodden are able to stand up and testify to the grace of Christ Jesus in their lives! Is the power of Jesus at work in your life today? It can be. Just reach out and touch Jesus. Take a leap of faith and live for him! Repent of your sin and he’ll give you a new life to live in the power of his name. TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH AND LIVE FOR HIM!

A Prepared Heart

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”
Ezra 7:8–10

Through Moses and a number of prophets who followed, God warned the Israelites what would happen if they turned away from Him and began worshiping idols. They did not listen. One king after another led the people further and further astray. Things got so bad that a wicked king named Ahaz adopted the heathen practice of sacrificing his own son to a false god. “But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel” (2 Kings 16:3).
So just as God had said, the people were conquered by foreign armies. The God who had once defended Israel and given them victory in battle allowed them to be defeated. It was a judgment they deserved. But even in those days of judgment, God did not forget His people. When the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity ended, and the Israelites returned to the land, God sent a special teacher named Ezra to guide them to do what was right. Before Ezra was equipped to teach and lead Israel, he first had to prepare his own heart. It was not primarily his natural talent or his training that made Ezra effective. It was his love and devotion to God and His Word that made him a powerful influence on those around him.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We will not be able to effectively minister to others until our own hearts are fixed on God.