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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Dare to Believe   CURRENT TV SERIES Dare to Believe

He is like a tree planted by streams of water….                                              --Psalm 1:3 A true man or woman of God is like a tree planted by a river. They’re grounded and settled. They have deep roots. Their waters run deep. They have depth of character and strength of will because they have roots. I’m sure you know people who are all showcase and no warehouse. They talk a big game, but when the storms of life blow, their façade crumbles! Friend, God wants you to be strong on the inside. He wants you to be strong and stable so that you can stand in the midst of the gales of life. What are you doing today to deepen your roots in Jesus Christ? Do you find yourself sacrificing your time with God when the storms of life aren’t blowing? I’d like to challenge you today…wherever you are in your walk with Christ…take some time to situate yourself near Him so that you’ll be ready when life’s storms come upon you. Because He’s the only way you’ll be able to stand strong when these times come! A true man or woman of God is grounded in Jesus Christ. The Song of the Redeemed by Dr. Paul Chappell “Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;” Isaiah 51:10–12 There is a beautiful story of a pastor who went to the pulpit with an empty birdcage. He told how the week before he had met a small boy who was carrying the cage with several birds inside. When he asked the boy what he planned to do, he was told that the boy would feed them to his cat. He said he offered to buy them and was told, “Mister, you don’t want to buy these birds. They’re not good for anything. They don’t even sing well.” The preacher holding the empty birdcage told the congregation, “That boy told me the birds were not songsters, but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!’” While not all of us have great musical talent, every Christian has a wonderful song to sing because we have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. There is a great temptation, especially for those who have been saved for many years to forget just what a wonderful blessing we received in salvation, and to lose sight of the cage of sin that once held us and the fate that awaited us. It is vital that we keep our focus on what God did for us so that we will praise Him as we should.   Today’s Growth Principle:  A Christian who properly remembers His redemption will have a grateful, singing heart.