Life Action Ministries

Revival Articles

Wed, Nov 5, 2008

Articles In This Issue

Mon, Jan 9, 2012

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Solid Foundation for Hope

With the beginning of a new year, there is a lot of talk about hope for the future. This is an election year. Once again, "hope" is central to everyone's appeal. What is our hope? What are we looking for? Are we looking for a better job—or just a job—in the days ahead? Maybe we hope that somehow a difficult relationship will be healed. Maybe we hope for better health. It is true that hope keeps us going. The most important question is, what are we basing our hope on? A lot of people just rely on ...

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Mon, Dec 19, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Advent Began the Great Rescue of Man

The Christmas message can get lost in all the hubbub surrounding the season. Christmas is a time for families to gather, gifts to be exchanged, festivities to be observed, and possibly some time for reflection on what was really going on in the spiritual realm. The world is in a fallen state; that is, mankind is corrupted by sin. This began when Adam chose against God in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). The first murder in human history happened right outside this idyllic garden where God intended His best for Adam and Eve and their offspring (Genesis 4 ...

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Thu, Nov 3, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Can Almighty God Do in All This Chaos?

It would be easy to get caught up in near hysteria and despair about the state of the world these days. Governments are toppling from internal revolt, national economies range from near bankruptcy to unheard-of riches, and confusion abounds. It seems the world is in a downward spiral with no bottom in sight. If all you did was listen to the news reports, there would be no reason for hope. But nothing that is happening should catch a Bible student by surprise. The living God of heaven lays everything out in His holy Scriptures. The only thing God leaves out ...

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Fri, Oct 7, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Almighty God Is a Desert God

God does not live in the desert. He lives in the heavens and inhabits the earth by His Spirit in the lives of every person who has put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. God is a desert God because the desert is the place where He can best display His handiwork. When you think of maturity and development in human terms, you think of growing to a point of independence, a place where you no longer need all the support systems that a less mature person needs. That is not the way with ...

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Fri, Sep 2, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Have We Crossed the Line with God?

God is a personal God—loving, leading, and nurturing in our personal lives. As personal as God is, He also works on a larger scale. Colossians 1:17 declares, "He [God in Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together." The context is the creation. God through Christ is literally running the universe. In Psalm 108:6-9, we read of God's ownership and ruling the nations of Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. We cannot dispute God's overruling hand. As Benjamin Franklin said, "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground ...

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Fri, Aug 5, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God’s Justice Rules Over Fairness

Someone has said, "God is not necessarily fair, but He is always just." There is an internal craving in all of us for justice; that is, for things to turn out right. We want the good person to win, we cheer for the underdog, and we love "happily ever after." So many things happen that we don't understand. The categories of fairness and justice don't seem to apply. This is when we must rest in the sovereignty of God. In Acts 12, we see justice and sovereignty intermixed in a strange set of circumstances. The setting is Jerusalem ...

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Fri, May 6, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Wise Build, the Foolish Tear Down

Proverbs 14:1 says, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." This speaks of women, but the same is true of men also. Wise and foolish are not words we personally identify with. We think to be wise one has to be older than we are or much smarter than we think we are. We think in similar terms as it relates to the foolish. Acts of foolishness are relegated to the stupid; therefore, we exempt ourselves from that category also. Someone has said, "You are what you do," so ...

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Fri, Apr 8, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Don't Let Trouble Get You Down

Life can be filled with trouble. The Old Testament character Job declared, "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). Someone has said, "It's not what happens to you that matters, it's how you respond to what happens to you that matters." In James 1:2-3, we read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." We conclude that trouble can strengthen us and make us better people, if we keep the proper perspective. Michal ...

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Thu, Mar 3, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

All of God's Plans Are Centered on Redemption

There is a prevailing thought that the living God of heaven is against.... He is seen by many as a God who rejects, a God who is arbitrary, a God who cannot be pleased, appeased, or approached. The truth is, God is holy, righteous, and just. The term holy is difficult for us, but think about holy as pure, sinless, and without any evil at all. God is not like us; He does not have a dark side. He cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13). When God created man and woman, He created them in His image (Genesis ...

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Fri, Feb 25, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Desperate Seeker of God Will Be Rewarded

God is the great seeker. In Luke 19:10 we read, "The Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save what was lost." We human beings are the lost ones. It's important that we take note of the fact that God loved first—He gave His Son. His seeking us because of His great love for us precedes any quest of our own. Romans 3:11 declares, "There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." The fact that Jesus Christ came to earth, suffered and died for our sins, and was raised from the ...

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Sun, Feb 20, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God’s Requirements Are Not Tedious

God is Almighty. God is eternal. God is holy. God is so much higher than we are that we think, first of all, that we don't matter to Him, and second, that there would be no way we could ever come close to fulfilling any criteria He has for us. One must assume, as a given, that we are not some intentional rogue, that we are familiar with the moral law of God (i.e. the Ten Commandments), that we are living within their protective mandates, and that we have surrendered to Jesus Christ the Son of God as ...

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Fri, Feb 11, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Look Up, Our Redemption May Be Near

Life is filled with uncertainties, but even the person with the least knowledge of the Bible has heard that this world as we know it will someday end. In Luke 21:8-36, Jesus was telling the people some of the signs of the end. Television documentaries abound that warn of objects from the heavens like asteroids, comets, and huge meteorites striking the earth and creating mass destruction. There are also predictions of earthquakes and volcanoes with magnitudes not known in recent history. The Bible speaks of all these types of events, and they will be part of the final hours ...

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Fri, Feb 4, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Have You Found What You Are Looking For?

There was a man described in the New Testament who was looking for one thing, but found something much more valuable. The man was a cripple. He had been a cripple since birth (Acts 3:2). This man was enterprising, in that he solicited someone to carry him to a place to beg. He was not content to languish in some forgotten place. They, whether family members or friends, carried him to the temple gate. The temple was a place for religious worship. Because he was crippled, this man was denied the privilege of making an offering to God, especially ...

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Fri, Jan 28, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

We Must Acknowledge Almighty God

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." This statement is found in Psalm 33:12. "Blessed" is a desired condition. In Proverbs 10:22 we read, "The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it." We may not understand blessing, but most of us know about trouble. The United States is a nation that has been blessed. It is impossible to deny the benefits of living in this nation. As a nation, we have had good times, and we have had some bad times, but for the most part, the course has been ...

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Sun, Jan 23, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Seek the God Who Wants to Be Known

We know of the game "Hide and Seek." Someone is designated "It," and all others go hide, while whoever is "It" counts to a set number and then begins the search. When "It" discovers someone, the race is on to see who can reach "base" first and be safe. The fun of the game is not to hide so well that you can never be found, but to be discovered for the thrill of the race back to base. The prophet Isaiah said of God Almighty, "Truly you are a God who hides himself" (Isaiah 45:15). The God of ...

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Fri, Jan 14, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Which Direction Is Your Lifestyle Headed?

It is a sure thing that if we want to go one way and our lifestyle is headed the other way, we will never get to the desired place. If we want to be thin and fit, we cannot habitually eat high calorie fast food. If we want to have a sweet spirit and a pure life, we cannot hang around with people who are negative, critical, and self-seeking. Choosing the right path is simple, but staying on it is not easy. The psalmist shares with us, "Blessed is the man [person] who does not walk in the counsel of ...

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Fri, Jan 7, 2011

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Prepping for Eternity

"What is your life?" That question is asked in James 4:14. It is asked in the context of people making plans, determining goals, etc. An old TV show displayed the activities of people with a show called "This Is Your Life." This was a historical account simply telling what someone had done and where they had been. We know our history, but none of us knows our future; hence, the stirring question, "What is your life?" It is a question worth answering. When you are young and looking forward, life seems to go on forever; but when you are ...

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Fri, Dec 31, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Making New Beginnings

"Now do it!" These were the words of Abner, a key lieutenant to King Saul, to the elders of Israel about making David their king after the death of King Saul (2 Samuel 3:18). Abner preceded that statement by telling them, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king" (2 Samuel 3:17). We all have desires that we would like to see fulfilled. We are powerless over some of those desires because we cannot change circumstances, but there are other desires that we can act upon and see them come to fruition. It is well ...

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Fri, Dec 17, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Seek Hard After God

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" This question is asked in Romans 8:31. Truly, if God is for us, then no one could stand against us. He is Almighty God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Even Satan, His arch enemy, has only the power allotted to him by God Almighty and must bow to God's power (Job 1:9-12). So who can be against us? God Himself can be against us. In the Old Testament, it's recorded that the children of Israel were led out of Egypt by God's mighty ...

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Fri, Dec 10, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Jesus Has It All Covered

"Do not let your hearts be troubled." These were the words of Jesus, in John 14:1, to His troubled disciples as they faced His departure. Jesus said He was going away to a place they could not come, at least not yet. It was a troubling time as well because Jesus had explained that He would suffer many things at the hands of the Jewish leaders and be killed by them (Matthew 16:21). He also said He would be raised from the dead, but that fact had not penetrated the thoughts of the disciples. Jesus went on to ...

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Fri, Dec 3, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Are We Doing About the Children?

The future of every society is linked directly to the attitude they have about children. Social architects tell us that any people group who are not producing children at a rate greater than two per family is doomed to extinction. The birth rate in the United States is currently below two children per family. Everyone has some concept of God, and the reigning attitude about God is, "What has He done for me lately?" We want blessings—good jobs, good relationships, things, security, peace, etc. Certainly, all that we have is from God and we enjoy it at His pleasure ...

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Fri, Dec 3, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Faith Can Come from Almost Nothing

In Hebrews 11:1, faith is described: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is being sure and certain of something without any tangible evidence outside of the Word of God. Abraham is the great pioneer of faith. It is said of him that "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:3). God promised Abraham a son. Abraham was getting old and had a barren wife. The years progressed, and Abraham saw no progress, not even a hint that God would keep His ...

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Fri, Nov 19, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

If You Build It, Will They Come?

The mission of the church is to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. The idea is that people will hear about Jesus, be converted to faith, and join the movement to gather others into God's kingdom. When the church began in the first century A.D., the program instituted by Jesus Himself was, "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). There have been various stages of "going" ever since, but the growth of the church overall has not kept up with general population growth. If the status quo persists, the church will ...

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Fri, Nov 12, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Life Is to Be Lived!

Someone has said, "Use it or lose it." In other words, take every opportunity to use every resource available to live life abundantly. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Jesus was not necessarily speaking of more years; He was talking about living a life of reckless availability. You can either live your life, or you can seek to control your life, but you cannot do both. Many people seek to control every area of their life. They might say they are good managers. They take few risks ...

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Fri, Nov 5, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Worship Must Permeate Our Lives

Genesis 47:31 says that "Israel [Jacob] worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." What? He was not in a church service. He wasn't singing or clapping his hands, and he didn't have his eyes closed in some rapturous pose. No, he was just standing there, acknowledging the living God of heaven. We have somehow relegated worship to a certain place and a certain set of actions. Worship is simply giving God worth proportionate to who He is, and valuing Him accordingly. If we "worship" only in church, we may feel free to live any ...

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Fri, Oct 29, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Sabbath Was Made for Us

"Remember the Sabbath" is the fourth commandment in the Ten Commandments, that list that seems to stir more controversy than any other list we know of. God was more calling this to our mind than handing down glaring rhetoric. Why? Sabbath means to rest. In God's system—the creation of every living thing—He instituted rest. Rest is a comfort word and carries positive feelings. Rest is probably more sought after and not found than any other facet of life. God set the supreme example for resting when He rested on the seventh day, after six days of very ...

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Fri, Oct 22, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Father's House

Jesus talked about His Father's house. He said, "In my Father's house are many rooms" (John 14:2). He said He was going there. Jesus was talking to His followers and explaining what was going to happen. They were in Jerusalem. The time of the crucifixion of Jesus was drawing near. Jesus had told them He was going to die and be raised from the dead (Matthew 16:21). These facts were very troubling to the disciples, and Jesus was comforting them by telling them about the future. Jesus said He was going to His Father's house ...

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Fri, Oct 15, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Do You Think About God?

A recent publication reported the results of a poll which asked people about their view of God. The answers were grouped into four categories. The first category includes people who believe that God is active, controlling every facet of life, watchful of our response to every circumstance, and meting out judgment or blessing depending on how we do. The second category includes people who believe that God is Creator, that He put everything in place and is keeping track of us, but that He keeps His distance and allows life to happen. This group of people believes God will reward ...

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Fri, Oct 8, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Is True Greatness?

We all want to be great, honored, revered, and well thought of. But what is true greatness? We should want a greatness that will last and lift others up when they hear our story. The Apostle John speaks of two men he knew. One was named Diotrephes. John said of him, "[He] loves to be first [and] will have nothing to do with us" (3 John, verse 9). Diotrephes strove to be first by his own manipulation. John said he was a malicious gossip (v. 10). Gossip is a tool used by "wannabes" to level the playing field by tearing ...

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Wed, Oct 6, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Who Are Those "Other Gods"?

In the list of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20, number one clearly states, "You shall have no other gods before me." These commandments were given by Almighty God, the Creator of the universe. All of us were created by God's power and fashioned for His glory. The rules of relationship between us, God, and our fellow man are the Ten Commandments. The second commandment goes on to talk about idols and anything else that could capture our heart and worship. The third warns against our using the Lord's name in an unholy manner. The fourth highlights ...

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Fri, Sep 24, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Is So Controversial About Jesus Christ?

History does not argue the existence of Jesus. He was born in poverty and obscurity. He never owned anything except the clothes He wore. Jesus had followers, but He never developed an establishment-type organization. The wise men from the East who came to visit Jesus as a child asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). He was a king, but He never raised an army, never went out to conquer, and never levied any taxes. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, said of Himself, "I am gentle and humble in ...

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Fri, Sep 17, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Will Get the Last Laugh!

It's hard to imagine God laughing, even though He is the most joyous being in the universe. A more common picture of God is anger and judgment. His anger and judgment are real, but there are also occasions when God laughs. In the Old Testament book of Psalms, we read, "The One enthroned in heaven laughs" (Psalm 2:4). Here God is not laughing in joy but in derision. The scene in Psalm 2 is the end of this age as we know it. Jesus Christ the Son of God is returning to set up His kingdom on earth ...

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Fri, Sep 10, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Who Can Find a Faithful Person?

In Proverbs 20:6, a piercing question is asked. "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?" What does it mean to be faithful? Loyal may be a more familiar word. To be faithful means to maintain allegiance, to be constant. Loyalty is defined as faithfulness. To maintain or be constant requires deep commitment and strong character. Faithfulness is taking the high road of self-denial rather than the low road of self-indulgence. The fact that Scripture asks such a question about finding a faithful person denotes that faithfulness is somewhat rare. Faithfulness is ...

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Fri, Aug 27, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Let Us Encourage Each Other

In the course of any normal day, complications and stress pile up. As we go on day after day, the stress of daily life and pressure can bring us to a point of discouragement. Discouragement can lead to distress and depression. All of us are looking for something to lift our spirits, to elevate us above our circumstances. Someone said, "Count your blessings," and that's good counsel. We're always better off than we think we are, but there is something we can do for each other that can carry us through the difficulties of life. We can seek ...

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Fri, Aug 20, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Who Is Worth Listening To?

There are many voices these days all vying to be heard. There are leaders, teachers, promoters, hawkers, politicians, etc., and every one of them has a message. Who should we listen to? First of all, we must look at ourselves. The Apostle Paul warns, "To suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:3). We can have ears that itch to hear flattery, empty promises, or words to soothe our conscience, declaring that we are victims and that all that is wrong ...

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Fri, Aug 13, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

No Time for Complacency!

Look around. What do you see? Are things getting better? The human spirit can accept almost anything and call it normal. The abused spouse or child will often settle for what they have, keep quiet, and hope that their circumstances will change without intervention. People groups and nations drift along, dreaming of better days but never thinking anything could ever change. In Old Testament biblical history, about 2,800 years ago, the nation Israel was in declension. They were on the verge of the serious judgment of Almighty God. Some people believe the best God can do for them is ...

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Fri, Aug 6, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

There Is an Escape!

Fear dominates our lives. We double lock our doors. We put alarms on our cars. We seek every means to protect our identity from cyber thieves. Uncertainty rules our land. There is no reliable forecast that makes us confident of investing our money. Jobs that were once plentiful are drying up. Real estate, the one good investment a few years ago, is now the riskiest place to put money. Corruption is everywhere. Trust in leaders is at an all-time low. Church attendance is waning in many places. The pursuit of God by desperate people has been detoured by churches that ...

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Fri, Jul 30, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Wherever You Are, Be All There!

Wherever, whoever, or whatever we are, we need to make the very best of it. In our day we hear much of discrimination for almost every reason. There is oppression. There is injustice. None of us chose where to be born or who to be born to. Success seems to be the ultimate goal, but the definition of success is so subjective that there are as many definitions as there are people. When Jesus Christ the Son of Almighty God entered the world as the God-man—100 percent God and 100 percent man—He came not as one of the ...

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Fri, Jul 23, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Does "Holy" Mean?

We have heard people use the word holy in profanity. We see the word on almost every copy of the Bible. For some reason, Bible publishers brand the book, "Holy Bible." The Bible is holy because it is the Word of Almighty God, but what does holy mean? For some of us, holy is something extreme or radical. We hear the phrase "holy war," or we think of living in a monastery with vows of poverty, silence, or something else we consider to be "far out." To begin to understand what holy means, we must first consider God. He is ...

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Fri, Jul 16, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Does Anyone Have a Plan?

We need a plan. "Plan" is one of those words that rests well in our minds. If a plan turns into a schedule, we resist; but as long as it is a plan, we can anticipate hopefully. Did you ever hear someone say, "God has a wonderful plan for your life"? God does have a plan for our lives, but too often when a person tells us that, we feel like we are being set up. God does have a plan, and it is wonderful because it is His plan. But let's be more specific. In Jeremiah 29:11 ...

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Fri, Jul 9, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Questions About the Future?

Most of us are likely thinking, "What's next?" Economic problems, ecological disasters, national dilemmas, and international confusion seem to be running amok right now. Even if one is not a devout believer in Almighty God, one might be looking up, questioning divine authority about what lies ahead. There is biblical precedent for looking up to God in times of trial and uncertainty. One such incident was in the days of Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah was God's man commissioned to preach God's words to the nation of Judah during their moral declension. In Jeremiah 12, he had some ...

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Tue, Jul 6, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Secure in God's Everlasting Arms

The words "underneath are the everlasting arms," found in Deuteronomy 33:27, are comforting and reassuring. "Underneath" provides protection from falling. Almost everything bad in our lives involves going down. Faith, relationships, health, security, etc., are all good when high, but what if we fail or fall? Who or what is our security net? We don't know much about what it means for something to be everlasting. Everything we see is temporary-it's getting old, wearing out, changing, going away, being taken, etc. We cannot comprehend "everlasting," but it is very good to know that we have an eternal ...

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Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Who's In Charge?

We need to know who's in charge. Who can we call? Who can we blame? Who do we criticize? Those are all good questions, especially when life circumstances seem to spin out of control. There are leaders and experts, even leadership bodies, but many times everybody is short on answers. A person who knows and fears God would say, "God is in control." That is the right answer. But when you say God is in control, several dilemmas remain. What about disasters, natural and man-made? What about sickness, premature death, tyranny, etc.? Let us go back to the beginning ...

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Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Think INSIDE the Box

We have all heard the challenge, "Think outside the box"; that is, stretch your possibilities beyond what you can see. That is good advice. But for most of us, the first thing we need is for someone to define the "box." The box is who we are, what we have, and what we know. It is the world we live in, even if we have retreated there. There is no doubt we need to be stirred up and challenged to engage. Paul told Timothy to "stir up the gift of God which is in you" (2 Timothy 1:6). Paul ...

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Fri, Jun 11, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Courage Is Pushing Through Fear

In the biblical context, we are told to "fear the LORD," that is, have a respectful dread, awe, and reverence for God. To fear the Lord is healthy. It causes us to live our lives in view of our Creator and Master. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life" (Proverbs 14:27). Bible verse after Bible verse speaks to the positives of having a fear of the Lord; but conversely, when God spoke to a person, often the first words were, "Do not be ...

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Fri, Jun 4, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

More Than "Thou Shalt Not"

The average person's view of the Bible is that it is a list of everything you should not do. The Bible does contain many admonitions of things we are to abstain from, but there are more exhortations of how we should live life. Two things the Bible rates very high are wisdom and virtue. Wisdom is seeing and living life from God's perspective, and virtue is a life lived Godward. Proverbs is called the book of wisdom. God exalts wisdom highly and gives multiple examples of wisdom. One example is in Proverbs 14:1, where we read, "The ...

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Fri, May 28, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Template for Flourishing

Is your life flourishing? Strange question? Not really, as it is a question all of us should contemplate. In thinking about what it means to flourish, one might consider a plant or a garden: Is it growing? Is it blooming? Is it producing fruit? Jesus tells us, in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The impact of our life should be ever increasing. How does that happen when you get old, lose energy, and have fewer opportunities? There is a story of two men in Luke 18:10-14. One ...

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Fri, May 21, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Whatever Happened to Love?

There is a lot to be said for being the right person at the right time in the right place doing the right thing in the right way. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 12 when he explains the body of Christ—that is, the people who are followers of Jesus. Every person in the body has been given gifts, talents, abilities, and position in the body (vv. 14-25). Paul continues, in verse 28, outlining the appointments of God as far as rank and authority are concerned. Sounds like it should function as a well-oiled machine, right ...

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Fri, May 14, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Is There a Middle Road with God?

There are a lot of people going to church today who seem to not even remotely reflect the values once championed by the church. We all know the culture has slipped and is slipping further into post-modernism, where absolutes do not exist. Maybe that is the "middle road," where you can talk one thing and live another. Regardless of how far the culture slips and the church with it, unchurched people retain a high view of God, resulting in the idea that most church attendees are hypocrites. The Bible does not reference a middle-road life. In Matthew 7:13-14, we ...

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Understanding Young Dreamers

Tue, May 11, 2010

Bill Elliff

Revival Articles

Understanding Young Dreamers

"Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more" (Genesis 37:5). There's nothing more perplexing than a young dreamer. Unproven and untested, it's easy for others to rush to conclusions. "He has no idea ... Wait until he gets out into the 'real world' ... Who does he think he is? ... We've already tried that before ... That will never work ... Blah, blah, blah." As pastors, we often find ourselves as the visionaries; but we also may have young men and women around us that we see in this light ...

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Mon, May 10, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What If We Have an Issue with God?

The Old Testament character Job had an issue with God. Job talks about it in Job 9:32-35: "He [God] is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot." Job had trouble—more trouble than most of us can ...

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Wed, May 5, 2010

Del Fehsenfeld III

Revival Articles

Rediscovering George Whitefield

You know what I hate? Showing up to preach on a topic, only to discover that the people inviting me know way more about the subject than I do. So when I showed up for a meeting recently and one of the pastors told me he was doing his doctoral thesis on the sermons of George Whitefield, one of the foremost revivalists of the First Great Awakening, I started looking for the exits! Then the pastor asked me if I would help him by analyzing ten of Whitefield's sermons. That sounded like a lot of analysis, but I did ...

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Sat, May 1, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

How Do We Rate as People?

If our family, our friends, or our neighbors rated us as a person, what would the rating look like? What kind of people are we? We tend to live our lives in a tunnel, rubbing elbows with as few people as possible, trying to make ourselves vulnerable to none. That kind of a life would rate poorly. There is a higher order to life. Romans 12 tells us much that we need to know about being the kind of person who could receive rave reviews on any rating, even God's. Verse 9 says that "love must be sincere." We ...

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Tue, Apr 27, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What If the Church Were Revived?

The church has received a bad rap in some recent surveys and polls. Random people were asked what they thought about the church. The answers included boring, corrupt, irrelevant, intolerant, and on and on. Those same people were asked what they thought about the biblical God and Jesus Christ. In almost every case, the people who gave low marks to the church gave high marks to both God and Jesus Christ. If the church contains supposed followers of God and Jesus Christ, and the church gets low marks, then one must conclude that some of the people making up the ...

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Mon, Apr 19, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

“All Aboard” for the Promised Land

In biblical context, the Promised Land is Canaan, that narrow strip of land that lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. This land was chosen by God and is esteemed very highly by Him. Next, God needed a people. He selected Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) who lived in the "fertile crescent" in modern day Iraq. The place where Abraham lived was a good place. Many things were predictable, including the rain, the crops, the pasture, and the culture. The place God was calling Abraham to was unknown to him. The lure had to be the promises and the ...

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Tue, Apr 13, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Rewards Those Who Seek Him

"Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" This is the question asked by Elisha in 2 Kings 2:14. Elisha had been the understudy of the great and mighty man of God, Elijah. Elijah had just been caught up into heaven, and Elisha was left alone on the banks of the Jordan River. Elisha was a God-seeker. He desired to know the power and presence of God. From the day Elijah recruited him (1 Kings 19:19-21), Elisha was intent on being everything God wanted him to be. He knew God was about to take Elijah from the ...

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Fri, Mar 26, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Why Worry When You Can Pray?

There is almost always cause for concern. Life happens at a rate that overwhelms us. We live in a fallen world with everything working for our spiritual demise—except God. God is the anchor. He is the anchor for our soul in a windswept sea filled with crashing waves. The anchor of God is embedded in eternity. We who have given our lives to Jesus Christ as the saver of our souls have a firm hold on the future. Life circumstances could sweep us away tomorrow, but the anchor holds firm within the power of Almighty God. God does not ...

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Sat, Mar 20, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

When Best Made Plans Go Awry

Weddings are typically the best planned events ever. The time, the place, the guest list, the attire, the food, and the schedule have been thought about and prepared for. One would think that a wedding is the last place where you would need an emergency plan. In the early days of the ministry of Jesus Christ, Jesus went to a wedding (John 2). He was there with His mother and His disciples. Things were going along well until the unthinkable happened: they ran out of wine. The weddings in Jesus' day were planned and hosted by the groom. Thus, all ...

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Fri, Mar 12, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

We Are What We Have Been Becoming

Who or what we are today is the result of a process. Our lives are a series of attitudes, reactions, and behaviors; some good, some maybe not so good. Society, or culture, is defined by certain lifestyles that have been and are developing. What if we evaluate our lives and don't like who and where we are? What do we do? How can we change? We can work on behavior modification; that is, try to condition ourselves to react and act in certain ways that meet criteria. That's hard work and, as well as we do, we can ...

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Sat, Mar 6, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Live a Life That Matters

To live a life that matters, you must have purpose, or vision. God declares in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (KJV). You must have a driving passion for your life. Hannah, the wife of Elkanah (1 Samuel 1), was a woman in Old Testament times. In those days a woman was defined by child bearing, but Hannah was childless (1 Samuel 1:2). She was not content to live as she was, even though her husband was very good to her (1 Samuel 1:8). Her vision was to be a mother. To live ...

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Fri, Feb 26, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Why Not Seek the Living God of Heaven?

When trouble comes, we seek answers. We ask why. We want to know the cause and the outcome of our troubles. Some say we shouldn't ask God why. But Jesus Christ the Son of God certainly voiced that question as He hung on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 26:46, emphasis mine). The issue is not the questions; it is who we are asking. There was a certain king in the Bible who might have asked the right question, but he sought to ask the wrong person. Ahaziah was the king of ...

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Tue, Feb 23, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Leaders We Should Follow

Every leader leads from authority. Most authority is given from an external source. Government officials can lead because there is an immense force backing them up. Corporate executives lead because they are elected or appointed by some ruling body. These people can have tremendous power because of the organizations behind them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are good leaders. Good leaders are out in front inspiring, giving vision, and serving. People align themselves with and give allegiance to good leaders. Good leaders are in short supply; most people in authority push and shove to get what they want ...

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Fri, Feb 12, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

“Whoever Trusts in the LORD Is Kept Safe”

Safe is a relative term. Being safe from a storm could still mean being wet and frazzled, but alive. Safe is a good word. It carries comfort and warmth. Proverbs 29:25 serves as the context of the statement "whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." The first part of the verse warns that the "fear of man will prove to be a snare." This is a stark contrast: man versus the LORD God. We can see men; we can't see God. If we kept a disappointment score of the times we expected someone to do something and ...

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Fri, Feb 5, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

There Is a Way to Prosperity

When we hear prosperity, we think rich. When we think rich, we think opulence, which is luxuriant. But prosperity means successful, not necessarily rich. Success is a solid, biblical word. God promised it to Joshua, as recorded in Joshua 1:8, when He told him to meditate on the Word of God day and night. Success or prosperity should be the goal of every person. The writer of Psalm 1 couples the concept of "blessed" with "prosper" in verses 1 and 3. Psalm 1 describes the way to prosperity or success. First of all, it says, "Do not walk in ...

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Sat, Jan 30, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Has a Plan

God's plan is to redeem all creation to Himself. The apostle Peter declared this in 2 Peter 3:9b: "He [the Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Repentance is necessary because we live in a fallen world--a world that has chosen and is choosing against God. It didn't begin that way. God created everything perfect and pristine, but He would get no glory from robots, so He gave us a will with which to choose; and He created the choice--between good and evil. God is good--completely good. Evil ...

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Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Agreeing with God Is the First Step

There is a God. He is Creator, He is Almighty, and there is no other. God has always been; He always will be. Why not just agree with Him about that? God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God created humans and gave them two things that set them apart from animals: (1) an eternal soul, and (2) the ability to reason facts to a conclusion. God gave us the Bible, which is His Word, His message to us. When we read the Bible, one of the things we see is failure; not God's failure but ...

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Fri, Jan 15, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Grace Is the Foundation of Peace

Grace and peace are mentioned together multiple times in the Bible. The writers of Scripture, writing under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit of God, would often open or close their writings with, "Grace and peace to you." We are more familiar with the thought of peace than the thought of grace. The desire for peace dwells in all of us. We define it differently and at times will go to great measures to obtain what we think might be peace. Even wars have been fought, with great loss on every side, in pursuit of peace. Peace can be ...

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Fri, Jan 8, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Forgiveness Is Key to Good Relationships

Forgiveness is the greatest gift to receive, but the most difficult to give. To forgive means to "give up resentment against." We can feel resentment for a lot of reasons. Someone can willfully hurt us with the intent to injure. We may feel we have grounds to resent, but our resentment toward another yields no good result. We can resent people because of the way they are: someone might just irritate us, or we may resent a person's skin color, religion, lifestyle, etc. For whatever reason we might feel resentment, we must forgive. Jesus Christ taught His disciples in ...

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Tue, Jan 5, 2010

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Give Careful Thought to Your Ways

The admonition of the prophet Haggai to the people of Israel in 526 B.C. is always good advice: “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:7). But today it might be crucial. The beginning of a new year is the traditional time to reflect on the past and to plan for the future. This reflection may result in some New Year’s resolutions; but, if not firm commitments, maybe some alterations in lifestyle, habits, etc. The issue in Haggai’s time was carrying out God’s mission. The people had returned to Israel after being in exile in ...

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Sun, Dec 20, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Appreciating God's Gift

"To us a child is born" is a statement by the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 9:6, that sums up the real meaning of Christmas. A child, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born into the world. Jesus Christ is God the Son. His Father could have sent Him to earth in whatever manner He chose. Jesus could have just walked into town one day and started His ministry. The miracles, the apostles, the teaching, the crucifixion, and the resurrection all would have taken place; but for a reason, God the Father sent Jesus Christ as a baby. A suitable woman ...

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Fri, Dec 11, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

We Can Live a Bountiful Life

The Christian life should be a bountiful life. Not necessarily bountiful in material things, but bountiful in qualities that are above and beyond what we conclude are normal. The apostle Peter outlines for us all the benefits and resultant behaviors that should characterize a Christian. First of all, in 2 Peter 1:4 we are told that Christians "may participate in the divine nature." This is the key. A genuine Christian is a person who has been born again--that is, indwelt by the living Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. That indwelling is by the grace of God ...

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Tue, Dec 1, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Shalom!

There are many words of greeting in our culture, like "hello," "hi," "hey," "howdy," "what's up," etc. Most of these are mere acknowledgements of someone's presence, and except in rare cases when said with warmth and feeling, do not convey much. The word Shalom is different. There is deep meaning associated with this word. We mostly limit the word Shalom to mean peace, but there is much more. The word Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. So when you say "Shalom" to somebody ...

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Fri, Nov 20, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Join the Greatest Momentum Ever

"Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" This question was asked by Abraham of God, in Genesis 18:25, when Abraham was pleading with God to spare the few righteous souls from the impending doom pronounced against Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20). Abraham did not think righteous people should be destroyed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. God granted Abraham's request and sent angels to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom (Genesis 19:12-13). We know that God will do right because He is righteous and just. The question ...

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Fri, Nov 13, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Keep Looking Up, Jesus Is Coming Back

"Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." These are the words of Jesus Christ spoken in Luke 21:28. Jesus was speaking of the end times, the close of this age. There have been periods on earth where God worked in particular ways with people. There was the age of innocence before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and the ravages of sin filled the earth. After sin entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12-14), the world spiraled downward until it was so wicked that God brought judgment in the form of a worldwide flood ...

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Mon, Nov 9, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Where Is God in America?

Couldn't God do more? This is not an arrogant question. This is the thesis of the God-seeker: believing that God has done and will do more than we think He might be doing right now. The essence of prayer is seeking the Creator of the universe and petitioning Him to move in mighty power. The Lord declares, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV). Obviously, there are some things we do not know, some things we have not seen, and God is ...

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Mon, Nov 2, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Spiritual Battles Fought on Two Fronts

Is prayer by itself enough? Certainly we have not done all we can do until we have prayed. The exercise of prevailing prayer is undergirded by so many other spiritual disciplines, including faith and perseverance. The prayer of faith is almost always accompanied by acts of faith. We can pray for the poor and needy, but until we share what we have with them, we have not exercised our full responsibility (James 2:15-16). This concept is illustrated in the life of Moses as he led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. In Exodus 17:8-13, the ...

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Mon, Oct 26, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Disappointment Builds Discipline

There are no shortcuts to anything in the world worth arriving at. There is no short road to learning. There is no shortcut to mastery of art. There is no shortcut to character. We exert ourselves, hoping a minimum of effort expended will produce a desired result; but alas, we find that it takes a series of trials and failures to perfect the process of attainment. That is why it's called work. We also find that through the process of work, we can achieve. We live in a God-ordered world. In other words, God is in control. God is ...

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Fri, Oct 16, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What If Today Were the Last Day?

We hear much these days of the final apocalypse. There is the prediction of the Mayan calendar. There are the continuing stories on cable TV science channels about super volcanoes that could cover us with ash and choke out our existence, or the possibility of a stray asteroid hitting the earth with grave consequences. We edge closer every day to nuclear holocaust with rogue nation after rogue nation, perfecting their bomb-making and delivery technologies. Bible readers have skimmed over Revelation 9:16, which speaks of an army of 200 million men, thinking, "How could that be?" We know now that ...

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Mon, Oct 12, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Living for Things That Really Matter

What is so great about being a Christian? This may seem like a strange question, but it is obviously being asked by many who either claim to be Christian and have not darkened the door of a church in a long time, or who profess no interest in spiritual matters. On any given Sunday, the majority of people in most communities are anywhere but in church. What is so great about being a Christian? We are all human, and despite all kinds of diversity, we yearn for the same things. We want to be accepted. We want status. We want ...

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Fri, Oct 2, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Taste and See

The Bible is the Word of God--divinely inspired, written by God through the minds and hands of men, and preserved by the mighty power of God through the ages right up to this present day. God speaks to us through His Word. He will not and does not bully us into submission; He has a gentle touch. He is ever there, closer than our breath, providing and protecting. But, He waits for us to respond to Him. We are not without encouragement or challenge from God. In Psalm 34:8 He says, "Taste and see that [I am] good." Taste ...

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Sun, Sep 27, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Looking for Good Things?

Are you looking for good things to come your way? We all want something good to happen to us. We go to the mailbox with anticipation of good news or a benefit. We labor in our jobs longing for good outcome and a good report. There is in all of us a desire to be blessed. We live in a fallen world. Value systems are upside down. Many times the best efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded. We will rarely find blessing if we only look to the world system or wait for people to recognize us. Only Almighty God is ...

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Mon, Sep 21, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Who We Trust Is the Issue!

Trust is a love word; that is, trust requires commitment and focus. When love is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13, trust could be substituted for love in several phrases. First Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love is patient." Trust must be patient, or longsuffering. First Corinthians 13:7 continues, "Love always hopes, always perseveres." For trust to be trust, it must always hope and never give up. The issue between us and God is trust. Will we trust Him? God is the maker of heaven and earth. He created everything, and the Holy Scriptures tell us that one day He ...

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Sun, Sep 13, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Where Are the Prophets of God?

There are a lot of voices these days, but who is speaking for God? In Amos 3:7 we read, "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." The Bible tells us of God and His ways. We know that God has moved in judgment in times past when His people drifted from His principles and precepts. There was always a prophet, a man of God, who spoke out in warning before God moved. When Sodom and Gomorrah were steeped in unspeakable moral depravity and wickedness, God had determined to destroy the cities ...

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Mon, Sep 7, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Can Make Us Different

God is God. He is other; that is, He is not human. We humans were created in the image of God, but are the created and, as such, are less than the Creator. God created humans male and female (Genesis 1:27). He created us and designed us for His presence. God placed His created beings, Adam and Eve, in a pristine environment (Genesis 2:8). God is lover. God is giver. God seeks relationships (Genesis 3:8-9). When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they were in the presence of God daily and comfortable with Him ...

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Mon, Aug 31, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Stand in the Gap

There are two things we as people are quick to forget. One is the power and might of Almighty God and His desire to bless those who seek Him. The other is the power of the Word of God-spoken, written, memorized, pondered, etc. God is not dead, nor is His hand slack. The apostle Peter reminds us, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God is waiting for us to believe Him and take ...

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Fri, Aug 21, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Remember God's Works

Most of us have some trouble from time to time. Life is not always a breeze. When life circumstances go awry, some look to the almighty God of heaven. Psalm 77 rehearses a familiar theme to us. The psalmist was in distress (v. 2). He cried to God for help, and he cried for God to hear him (v. 1). The psalmist stretched out his hands through the night, comfort did not come, he groaned, and his spirit grew faint (vv. 2-3). This is not unfamiliar territory for the Christ follower. We believe there is a God. We believe He ...

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Mon, Aug 17, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Only God Can Effect Real Change!

Change is one of the most dynamic words in our culture today. Few of us accept the status quo. Advertisements flood our thinking with opportunities to live in a nicer house, drive a better car, link up with more with friends, lose weight, grow hair, look younger, have fun, etc. We have bankrupted ourselves with the drive to "live the good life." Change is important. Upward mobility should drive all of us-not the emptiness of some cosmetic façade, asset accumulation, or temporary pleasure, but real change that alters our character and modifies our wants. Acceptance is important to all ...

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Mon, Aug 10, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

A Love That Matters

Love is a warm, fuzzy word that evokes our deepest emotions. The apex of a relationship is to hear someone say, "I love you." Even in our broken inability to receive love, we are still lifted by someone reaching out to us in love. Love can be the most selfish thing imaginable. We can express and show love to someone to get what we want, or we can align ourselves to whatever we need to so that someone will love us. We are told in the Holy Scriptures, "God is love" (1 John 4:16). We want God to love ...

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Mon, Jul 27, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

One Prayer We Should All Pray

In the Old Testament, David asked God to grant him a request that could likely be the most far-reaching prayer any person might pray. The prayer was, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). This prayer of David closes out a psalm where David is giving praise to God and extolling the virtue and power of the Word of God. As we think about it, we must admit that if every word we spoke were pleasing to God, our lives ...

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Mon, Jul 20, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Gospel That Sets People Free

There is "a righteousness from God, apart from law." This statement from Romans 3:21 is the most liberating statement ever made. This righteousness is the state of being accepted by Almighty God, being in His favor. This is the gospel--the good news--yet it is also the most divisive concept ever. Why is it that we as people are always looking for "something for nothing," yet for the most part we reject this magnificent offer by God, defiantly declaring we would rather "do it ourselves"? We will be dependent as long as we can keep control, but when dependence takes ...

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Sun, Jul 12, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Where Do You Look?

We all need help from time to time. It's ludicrous to think one could go from cradle to grave without needing assistance. The question is, who or what are we looking to when we need help? The first line of help would likely be family, neighbors, and friends. Most of us need not look beyond that scope because we find their resources adequate. If our need is great, prolonged, or complicated, we may need to look beyond family and friends. Where is our next line of help? The civil government in most places has established a social safety net ...

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Mon, Jul 6, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Do We Really Want Independence?

Independence Day, July 4, 1776: the day the founders of this country declared, "No more rule by Red Coats!" They persisted in their quest, routed the colonial power of England, and founded the United States of America. They wanted independence from unjust taxation and government intervention into every area of life. They believed and stated in the Declaration of Independence that every citizen had the equal right to become unequal; that is, the power to achieve and to enjoy the fruit of their achievement. Today, 233 years later, freedom is eroding quicker than a high wind erodes the dirt of ...

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Tue, Jun 23, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Wants Us to Wait on Him

"Where now is the LORD?" This question was asked by Elisha in 2 Kings 2:14, after Elijah was taken up into heaven. Elijah was the prophet of God at the time. He had finished his race on earth and had been commanded by God to appoint a prophet in his place (1 Kings 19:16). Elijah was gone, Elisha had his mantle of power and anointing, and now Elisha was quick to determine if the Lord was with him as He had been with Elijah. He came to the Jordan River desiring to cross the river on dry ground ...

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Mon, Jun 15, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God's Love Covers Our Sins!

What? Who would use God and sin in the same sentence? Some do not want to hear of God, much less of sin. Sin is a fact. Call it what you want, but we cannot deny the malady that affects our world. We want what we cannot have; we get and it does not satisfy. Pleasure does not last, riches sprout wings and fly away, and at the end of the day, we need something to deal with the pain. The path of sin only begets more sin, ever deeper into the mire. Then we hear, "God's love covers ...

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Fri, Jun 5, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Put Out to Pasture

Whatever we have has come from the hand of God. The Apostle Paul asked a poignant question in 1 Corinthians 4:7: "What do you have that you did not receive?" The man Job acknowledged that God is the giver of all things when he said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away" (Job 1:21). Boasting about whatever is in our possession is totally out of order. Whatever position we have is because God put us there. Paul said, "There is no authority except that which God has established" (Romans 13:1). Good or bad, rulers, leaders ...

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Fri, May 29, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Is God Doing Now?

It would be presumptuous for anyone to declare exactly what God is doing this instant. The Apostle Paul declared the greatness and majesty of God with a question: "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" (Romans 11:34). We can't know the exact mind of God, but He has left us with a slate of activities outlined in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. We as humans have a line of thinking that says we need to help God--take up where He leaves off, find areas of need and call His attention to them, etc. A very wise man ...

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Tue, May 26, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Followers of Christ Will Meet Opposition

You would think that any person seeking to follow and imitate Jesus Christ, the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6), would find harmony and tranquility with everyone in their journey. Not so. Any time heaven touches earth, since that day in the Garden of Eden when man rebelled against the will and way of God, conflict erupts. The world system (Gr. kosmos) is temporarily Satan's organization. The operating principles are force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure. Every one of these principles is diametrically opposed to God's principles, which are humility, self-sacrifice, service at one's own expense, and ...

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Fri, May 15, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

When Resources Run Out

As well as we plan and prepare, sometimes things don't work out like we thought they would. Such was the case at a certain wedding described in John 2. The wedding was in Cana of Galilee. The bride and groom were prepared, the guest list was complete, and the festivities had begun. Jesus Christ the Son of God and His disciples were invited to the wedding. Jesus' mother was there as well. The party progressed until the unexpected happened: They ran out of wine. Having a suitable beverage and an adequate supply at an occasion like this would be ...

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Fri, May 8, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Choice That Really Matters

Life is filled with choices. Many choices involve choosing between the lesser of two evils or selecting the best over better. But choices face us continually. Choosing between our way and God's way sounds simple, but it's not easy. The Bible tells us of a man named Jonah. His story is found in the Old Testament book of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet; he spoke for God. (You would think that would be a very worthy profession, worth honoring with highest regard.) But Jonah had a problem: he preferred his way over God's way. Jonah was commanded ...

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Mon, May 4, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Jesus Is the Great Caregiver

In 1 Peter 5:7, the Apostle Peter exhorts us to "cast all your anxiety on him [Jesus] because he cares for you." Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is God, and He can do anything. In a brief period of time, as reported in Matthew 8, Jesus healed a leper (vv. 1-4), healed a centurion's servant (vv. 5-13), healed Peter's mother-in-law plus many demon-possessed people (vv. 14-17), calmed a storm (vv. 23-27), and released the two maniacs of Gadara from the bondage of multiple demons (vv. 28-33). Jesus Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of ...

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Wed, Apr 29, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Is In Control!

Several times in Psalm 37, King David comforts us with these words: "Do not fret because of evil men" (v. 1), "Do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes" (v. 7), and "Evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land" (v. 9). We know that God is in control, but it's easy to fret and get worked up when it seems that evil is sweeping across the land. There are at least two things in play here. We know that evil exists ...

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Fri, Apr 17, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

How Can You Know What To Do?

Most of us face circumstances every day when we do not know what the next step should be. Life is complex. Situations can be intertwined, and when we face so many "what ifs," it's easy to just shut down. Knowing what to do when difficulty arises is wisdom. Wisdom is usually associated with older people who have experienced many circumstances firsthand. But the most reliable source of wisdom is God and His Word--the Bible. In James 1:5-6, James gives us this direction: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without ...

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Mon, Apr 13, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead caught the world by surprise, even though Jesus Himself spoke of it specifically (Matthew 16:21). The disciples of Jesus were huddled in fear after the crucifixion, and they responded in unbelief to the news of the resurrection: "They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense" (Luke 24:11). Jesus appeared to His followers and assured them that truly He was risen from the dead (Luke 24:36-40). The Apostle Paul spoke of the importance of the resurrection to those who doubted the truth: "If Christ ...

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Sat, Apr 4, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Power in the Cross

There is power in the cross of Jesus Christ! It seemed to be the weakest moment ever; that is, the Man who claimed to be the Son of God walking right into the hands of the Jewish rulers who had been plotting His death for months. The Apostle Paul states, "To be sure, he [Jesus] was crucified in weakness" (2 Corinthians 13:4). Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, declared, "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus said, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my ...

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Sun, Mar 29, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

"I Can't Forgive . . ."

What would it mean if you said, "I can't forgive that person?" We live in a fallen world; that is, what we see is not like it began. Almighty God, the Lord of heaven and earth, created everything we know and see. He created man and woman in His image (Genesis 1:27). Man and woman were superior to all the other creatures God created in that they had the capacity to know and respond to Him. In the beginning God placed man and woman in a pristine garden designed to be just right and to fulfill every need ...

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Sat, Mar 14, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Growing Smaller with Age

Most of us do not get smaller physically as we get older, but it is possible for our spirits to shrivel as we age. This was the case of a man in Luke 15, known only as the "older son" (v. 25). This older son grew up in a rather typical Jewish family. They were farmers. There was a younger brother who rebelled at his position in the family and life, and he desired to try it on his own (v. 12). The father of these two sons was a gracious man and allowed the younger son to have his ...

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Fri, Mar 6, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

True Greatness

Jesus Christ said of His cousin John the Baptist, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). What was great about John, and how can we aspire to be great in the eyes of God? John knew his mission. In John 1:6, we read that he was sent from God to be a witness of the Light. The Light was Jesus Christ. John was not the Light, and he knew it. It is important to know who we are and what our mission is. John focused on his mission ...

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Fri, Feb 27, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

It Is Faith in Almighty God That We Need!

In Hebrews 11:1, we are told, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." We have heard a lot about hope lately. "Hope and change" has been a recurring theme, but hope must be in something or someone that has the power to deliver what we hope for. The only One who can deliver is Almighty God. Hope in the futility of man's plans and programs based on the wisdom of this world is like building your house on shifting sand; it will not last. A reasonable person would ...

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Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

How Can We Handle Suffering?

Suffering in various degrees seems to be aligned with the human condition. There are many types of suffering, including physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. Even the so-called "rich and famous" do not escape, as evidenced by stories of broken relationships, wayward children, abusive behavior, sickness, financial reversals, etc. Without a doubt, suffering will come our way in some form. For the sake of argument, let us assume there are basically two groups of people in the world: those who seek to follow God and live righteous lives, and those who do not regard God or seek His ways. One might ...

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Fri, Feb 13, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

What Real Ministry Looks Like!

Every follower of Christ should be a minister. There should be no looking to the clergy for any more hands-on ministry than to any other individual. Those who are clergy are tasked with what is stated in Ephesians 4:12: "Prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." There are no exceptions. We all have individual responsibility before God to minister. What is ministry? In our day, we have likely expanded the definition to include several self-serving things that may bless some people, but not minister at the level required ...

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Wed, Feb 11, 2009

Life Action

Revival Articles

The Intimacy Test

Its easy to have union, but it takes a lot of work to have communion. The following intimacy test was created to help you gauge the level of communion in your marriage. Rate your relationship with your spouse on a scale of one to ten using the following statements:

I Love You                      (Not True)   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10   (Very True)

I Care About You          (Not True)   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10   (Very True)

I Need You                     (Not True)   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10   (Very ...

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Fri, Feb 6, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

A Little Humility . . .

A little humility goes a long way with God. In fact, nothing moves the heart of God like humility. In the great revival promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the first prerequisite to getting God's ear and His ultimate blessing is humility. Both Peter and James declare in the New Testament that God pours grace on the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). How much humility does it take to move God? We hear of those who make long pilgrimages on their knees or prostrate themselves before God in other ways, but what is God really looking ...

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Fri, Jan 30, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Desires to Bless His People

"They ate, they drank and they were happy." Sound like the last line of a fairy tale? It was no fairy tale. This was said of the Israelites soon after Solomon became king (1 Kings 4:20). There was peace and prosperity. What was happening in Israel at the time could only be duplicated by two other occasions: the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8-15) and the promised reign of Jesus Christ yet to come (Revelation 20:4). So what was going on during Solomon's reign? Why were times so good? Solomon was a wise king, but it was ...

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Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Robin Hood and King David

Robin Hood is a mythical character with roots in medieval England during the days of the lords and the common people. Most people were serfs, owned and assigned to the land by wealthy landowners. The serfs were oppressed by the system. There was no upward mobility in the system. Robin Hood was the people's champion. He spurned the authority of the tyrant King John and lived with reckless abandon in Sherwood Forest, waylaying the rich and sharing the plunder with the poor. Almost every person yearns for such a champion, someone who will bring justice and equity. There never ...

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Fri, Jan 16, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

"Hanging In" with God

There was a biblical Old Testament character named Naomi (Ruth 1:2). Naomi's husband was named Elimelech. They lived in Israel, in Bethlehem, which means "house of bread." The bread ran out in Bethlehem during a famine (Ruth 1:1). Naomi's husband decided to take his family (his wife and two sons) and move to Moab, because he heard there was food there. Naomi's first act of "hanging in" with God was to follow her husband's leadership. While they were in Moab, Naomi's husband died. Both her sons married girls from Moab, but both sons ...

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Fri, Jan 9, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Recipe for Success

There is a recipe for success in this New Year. There is nothing special about the calendar turning to a new year. But it can be a time of remembering the good of last year and resolving to go deeper and better for this next year. Most people like new things, new opportunities, and new adventures. At this time in our lives and culture, we are facing challenges: world unrest, economic uncertainty, and the continued erosion of moral stability. New challenges are what life is all about. We should not be asking God to give us a more comfortable life ...

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Tue, Jan 6, 2009

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Best Bailout Plan

When times are hard financially and we're near the end of our resources, we naturally look for help. We tap family and friends, and even research all the government help plans available. Every one of those sources is finite; that is, limited in ability to help as many as need help. But there is a source that is unlimited. Almighty God reigns in heaven, owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and declares in Haggai 2:8, "The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine." Logic dictates that we look to God, who is the ...

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Wed, Dec 31, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

How Strong Are We?

In Proverbs 24:10, this statement is made: "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." Adversity comes in different waves. There are challenges to large groups, to families, and to individuals. Whatever the adversity is, if we inventory what we have in ready resources against the need, it will always seem deficient. We are not strong, but God is, and it is only when we stand in His strength that we can prevail over obstacles. In the Old Testament book of Joshua, God commanded the people of Israel to cross the Jordan River at flood ...

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Sat, Dec 20, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Second Advent Is Coming

This is the season of "Advent," the four Sundays before Christmas. Christians celebrate these four Sundays by lighting candles and remembering every facet of the first coming of Jesus Christ. Advent carries with it anticipation, longing, and hope. The Jewish people longed for justice and liberation from the tyranny of Rome. They looked for the promised return of Israel to glory and power among the nations. Both the first and second advents of Jesus Christ are well documented in biblical prophecy. The prophet Micah spoke of the coming of Christ in Micah 5:2-5. The prophecy declared that Bethlehem would ...

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Mon, Dec 15, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Freedom Comes Through Submission

True freedom will come when we submit to God's will. God is neither silent nor inactive. He is Creator; He is sustainer. The apostle Paul declares, "By him [Jesus Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:16-17). In those two verses, the phrase "all things" is used four times. We must conclude He means all things. Not just the atoms, the ...

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Fri, Dec 5, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Jesus Christ Is a Person to Be Dealt With

          Jesus Christ polarizes people. There are places today where the mere mention of His name wreaks dire consequences. Even in so-called free societies there are movements to eradicate any vestige of the name, the teachings, or the deity of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
            This is nothing new. When Jesus walked the earth as the God-man, there was equally strong feeling on both sides as Jesus carried out His ministry.
           Why would Jesus evoke such diverse sentiment?
          First of all, it was the will of God. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah prophesied, "He was despised and rejected by men ...

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Fri, Nov 28, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

God Is on the Throne!

In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, David’s son and king of Israel, shared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God some thoughts about life. The words of Solomon in Scripture, as well as every other word in the Bible, are totally relevant to our times and situations. In Ecclesiastes 7:14, Solomon declared, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” We have difficulty linking God to everyday life. If times are good, we are happy but typically take the credit ...

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Wed, Nov 5, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

The Dynamics of a Changed Life

There are many things that can change a life, and there are several directions life can go. The life changes that are most important are those that alter our eternal destiny, change us from grabbers to givers, from self-destructors to those who build up, from settlers to pilgrims, etc. Life can be compared to a clock with a mainspring. When we are born, the mainspring is tightly wound and gradually winds down through the years until death takes over. Unless some source of power is infused into life, it will take the normal course of deterioration. Not much can be ...

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Wed, Nov 5, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

There Is a Recipe for Revival

Revival is the undeniable presence of the Lorda time when even the secular press admits that certain events have no natural or plausible explanation. These events might include public confession and restitution for sin that had not been exposed in any way other than the overwhelming conviction of Gods Spirit on individual hearts. Revival must include a move toward holiness.

In the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, the nation of Israel was in a state of confusion. Eli had been the priest, the spiritual leader of the people. Elis sons were priests also, but they were scoundrels. They held ...

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Sat, Jan 26, 2008

Dan Puckett

Revival Articles

Why No Revival

There are revival meetings-times when the church seeks the Living God of Heaven for spiritual renewal and a spiritual awakening among the lost. But why has not God answered in such a significant way that even the "nay-sayers" would have to admit a divine happening had occurred? Revival is an undeniable intervention of God. The Old Testament book of Nehemiah records such an event in chapters 8 and 9. There have been three divine interventions in the history of the United States: the first in the early to mid 1700's, the second around the turn of the 19th century ...

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