“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” The apostle Paul wrote these words about 2,000 years ago. When he wrote these words, he was in prison for telling others about Jesus.

How could someone say to rejoice — to be happy — even when in prison? He could say that because his joy, his happiness, came from Jesus Christ. When you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, here are just some of the things you can rejoice about. You are a child of God You will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ when you die Your sins are forgiven God loves you and wants the very best for you God will hear and answer your prayers The God of the entire universe is good, and loving, and kind God has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit to live in your life The fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life is love, and joy, and peace, and so much more

That is why Paul said rejoice in the Lord — because the source of our joy is God. The source of our joy is not our circumstances. And because of that, we can rejoice always — not just some of the time or when our circumstances are good.

So this week, let us rejoice. And let us pray

• God will bring joy through the Holy Spirit into your life

• God will help us bring millions to Jesus and they will experience God’s love, joy, and forgiveness this year

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. We are reaching many with the gospel, and some day in heaven we will meet and we can say THANK YOU in person for how much your prayers have contributed spiritual power to make this happen.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

“Be strong in the Lord.” Where does our strength come from?

We may think we are strong because of our money, or our health, or our good looks, or our position. But all these things can fade. Money can go away; our health may fail; we all get older; and we may lose our position.

But God will never fail us. When we ask Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, He comes into our lives by the power of His Holy Spirit. Jesus now lives in your life and in your heart — and He is stronger than anything in this universe. So you do not need to be discouraged, or downcast, no matter what happens. God is your strength — a very present help in times of trouble.

How do you access God’s strength? Through having faith in God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him; and He will direct your path.

So this week, let us pray

• God will give you strength to “stand strong in the Lord” no matter what the circumstance
• God will help us present the gospel to millions more this year — and help people grow in Christ

As we begin this new year, THANK YOU so much for your prayers. They are a tremendous source of the spiritual strength that we need as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the whole world.

“It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17

Jesus is the Son of God! As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us remember and honor Jesus Christ as the true and only Son of God.

The Bible says that Jesus was born of a virgin — that God Himself was the Father of Jesus Christ. This is a great mystery that our human minds may not be able to fully comprehend. God Himself became a man and lived among us. Jesus Christ was fully a man — He was a human being. But He was also fully God — the Son of God here on earth.

When Jesus was born, shepherd were out in the fields at night tending their sheep. Suddenly “an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord...” You can read the full story in the Bible in the gospel of Luke, chapters 1 and 2.

So Jesus is God’s Son. What does that mean to us? It means many things — among them, that

• God loves us
• God lived as a human among us so He understands us
• God was willing to come to earth and live and die for our sins so we could be forgiven

How great is God’s love for us! So this week, let us pray that

• God would bless your family this Christmas time with His peace and they would all follow Jesus

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers. You have no idea how much they mean to us. Your prayers can touch God’s heart and bring Him joy — and can bring much benefit here on earth.

“The angel answered (Mary, Jesus’ mother), “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God...For nothing is impossible with God.’” (Luke 1:35, 37)

This is the season we celebrate Christmas — the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord! Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ came to this earth to be born.

The Bible describes how “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary...The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the Name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High...His kingdom will never end.”

Even though Mary was a virgin and had never had relations with a man, God said she would give birth to a Son Jesus — and He would be called the Son of God. This was a great miracle — God became a man and lived among us.

How great is the love of God for us! God could have just judged us — He could have ignored us — but He did not. Instead, He came to earth to be born as a man and give His life for our sins. It is a privilege to serve such a wonderful God.

This week, let us join together and pray for

• The love of God to be poured out on everyone who comes to our web sites
• Jesus Christ would become known as Savior to all your famlly

Let us pray that, at this Christmas time of year, the hearts of people all over the world would turn to Jesus Christ the Savior. He alone can save people from their sins. He alone is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He alone will come again to rule the whole earth. He alone is worthy of all praise.

“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be done to me according to your will.’” Luke 1:38

“Give thanks to the Lord.” It is so important to give thanks to our wonderful God. In America at this time of year, there is a holiday Thanksgiving that is specially set aside to give thanks.

God is the source of every good thing in our lives. In heaven He will be with us forever and will give us every good gift. Here on earth, the greatest gift of all is His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all — how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

So let us give thanks to God. You can give thanks for who He is — our Savior, our Lord, the creator of the universe. You can give thanks for His character — He is loving, and kind, and forgiving, and just, and patient. You can give thanks for the good things in your life — for life, and air to breathe, and food, and your family. And you can even give thanks in the middle of tough times, because God will see you through them and even in difficult circumstances He can bring good in your life.

So let us give thanks! This week, let us pray and

• Give thanks to God for who He is and His wonderful love to us
• Give thanks to God by faith for His financial provision this year and next year for us all
• Give thanks to God for one specific thing He has done for you this year.

THANK YOU so much for your love and prayers. We are brothers and sisters in Christ with all true believers all around the world. People from countries all over the world get this prayer email; someday we will meet in heaven!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalms 100:4

God is faithful! Have you ever had someone who betrayed you — who you could not trust?

God is the exact opposite of that — He is totally faithful and trustworthy. “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” You can know for sure that God loves you — and that He will always do what is best for you. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

If you are walking across a bridge, you want to know that the bridge will hold your weight — that you can trust walking on it. Please know that God is altogether trustworthy — no one who truly trusts in Him will ever be put to shame. God is faithful, and loving, and kind — His nature is truth. You can trust in Him with your whole life and He will never let you down.

We want the whole world to know Christ! So this week, can you please pray that

• God will help you to truly trust in Him with your whole heart
• God will help us reach even more people for Jesus Christ using the internet

THANK YOU so much for your faithful prayers. God dwells within the praises of His people. He is pleased when you pray to Him and you talk with Him and you listen to Him.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9

Joy in the Midst of Sorrow. How can you have joy in the midst of sorrow? The best example of this in history is Jesus Christ rising from the dead almost 2,000 years ago.

The disciples, the followers of Jesus, were overcome with sorrow. Jesus had just been crucified and placed in a tomb. The disciples did not fully understand yet that Jesus would rise from the dead, so they thought that death had won.

But on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead! “Death where is your victory.” Jesus Christ had conquered sin, and death, and hell. He rose victorious — and granted us the gift of eternal life to all who would believe in Him.

What is your greatest trial, or test, or sorrow? Can you believe that, even out of death and disaster, God can bring good? When the disciples traveled with Jesus and were in a storm in their boat and thought that they would die, Jesus rebuked the wind and waves and it became calm — and He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

Let us place our faith in Jesus Christ — who can bring life from death, resurrection from a tomb, health out of disaster. God’s power is greater than all the adversaries in the universe — and He is our loving and kind heavenly Father!

So this week, let us pray that

• God will help you see good and find joy even if you have great sorrow and tragedy in your life
  

• God will help us see more than 10,000 people each day indicate decisions for Jesus Christ through our blog

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! Only in heaven will you truly know how much your prayers have contributed in giving the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.

“...Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 30:5

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” What is worship? It is telling God you love Him. You can do this in song; you can do this in talking to God; you can do this when you are driving; you can do this in church.

Our first command is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our heart, and with all our strength. A great way to do this is to use music to express our love to God.

We can thank God for all that He has done for us — and we can praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for creating the world; Praise Him for His love, and His mercy, and His goodness.

Finally, When you listen to Christian worship music, you can sing quietly along in your hearts. Listen to the words; and let your thoughts go to God and how wonderful He is!

So this week, let us pray and

• Thank God for all He has done for you!
• Tell God how much you love Him

Someday in heaven we will all be worshipping and praising God together. What a wonderful day that will be — we can all see our King face to face. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. What does this mean?

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus Christ shines light into our lives. Just as sunlight brightens up the day with warm colors, so Jesus brings joy and love and peace into our lives. Just as sunlight reveals things, so Jesus in His love reveals things so we can see clearly from God’s perspective what is true in our lives.

Just as light dispels darkness, so Jesus causes the dark things in our lives to flee. Someday in heaven, Jesus will be our true light. The Bible says heaven will “not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

Finally, Jesus Christ is the light of the world because He, and He alone, is the true source of all that is good and righteous and holy in the world. God alone is the source of all that is good. If you have the light of Jesus shining in your life, then let that light bring joy, and truth, and healing, and revelation to you — and let that light shine into all the world around you! God wants us to be a clear windowpane so the light of Jesus shines through us to others.

So this week, can you please pray for

• The light of Jesus to shine through your life to at least one other person this week — and then email us and tell us about it!
  
• The light of Jesus to shine through all our websites so that millions of people will come to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers. Only in heaven will you truly know how much your prayers have helped us at Global Media Outreach and how your prayers have touched the heart of God. God loves you so much! He loves to spend time with you.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. What does this mean?

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward Him he said "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" All of us have sinned -- we have done or thought many things that are wrong, and our sins deserve judgment. In ancient times in Israel, the priest would sacrifice a lamb for the sins of the people. The problem is that no sacrifice of a lamb can ever take away permanently people's sins.

So Jesus came to this earth and willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. He lived a perfect life and did not deserve judgment. We have lived sinful lives and deserve to be judged. But Jesus went to the cross -- He endured pain and humiliation and agony for us -- so that we might go to heaven and not be judged.

How great is God's love and mercy! "To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

So this week, could you please pray that

• People all over the world will come to know Jesus Christ who sacrificed His life so that they might live
• God would give us partners so we could see even more people accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

And for you, my prayer is that God will bless you and fill you with the knowledge of His love and joy and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John

Do not hurry. Sometimes we rush and hurry through life -- always trying to get quickly to the next place.

When Jesus Christ was here on this earth, He did not hurry. Even though He was the Son of God and had so much good to do for the world, He took time to spend with people. Once a woman who had been bleeding for years came up to Him and touched His clothing and was healed. Even though He was going somewhere else, He stopped and looked for her and spoke and ministered to her. He could have said "I am too busy and important and in such a hurry" -- but He slowed down and took time.

So you and I can slow down and take time to listen to Jesus. Once I was in a hurry to go somewhere and did not stop and help my neighbor who needed help moving something. If I were really listening to Jesus, I think I should have stopped and slowed down and helped my neighbor, then gone on my way.

These next few days, let us slow down a little bit and listen to God. Ask Christ how He would have you love someone around you. Spend some time with God; He is your heavenly Father and loves to spend time with you as His child.

This week, can I suggest that we pray

• That each of us will slow down and spend time with God and love one another
  
• That God would help us present the good news of Jesus Christ to a million people in the next 3 weeks

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. God has promised to hear and answer prayer. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will answer you."

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Jesus Christ is our secure hope even in times of trouble.

All around the world there are economic troubles these days. There are “storms” that could sink the boat we are riding in. Our natural reaction is to be afraid.

Jesus and His disciples were once in a situation much like this. “One day Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Sometimes Jesus calms the storm outside our lives. Sometimes the storm may still rage outside, but He can still give us His peace in our hearts. So let us let Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, reign as Lord in our hearts and lives always.

This week, let us pray for

• God to calm the storms in the world
• God to bring many people to Himself in the midst of these storms

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers. Jesus Christ is Lord! And He will win the victory.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea...” Psalm 46:1, 2

God says we as Christians are to be holy, even as He is holy.

How is this possible? We know that each of us are tempted to sin. What is easy is for us to judge other people’s sins — but unfortunately we can sometimes be blind to our own sin.

Maybe you have a problem with pride — maybe you look down on someone who drinks too much. What is important is not that we judge one another’s sins, but that we ask God to help us overcome our own sins and weaknesses by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Do you want to be holy? Then realize that just as you became a Christian by God’s love for you and Christ dying on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, so you need God to live a godly Christian life. Just ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.

Then, you might want to ask God to help you starting with just one area of your life. Pray and ask Him to reveal to you one area of sin in your life. It could be lying — or lust — or stealing — or greed. Don’t worry about your friend’s sins, just worry about yours. Then this coming week, ask God to help you not sin in that area by the power of His Holy Spirit. You may start small — but believe God great things can come as you yield your life to the power of His Holy Spirit.

So, this week, let us join together in praying

• God will help you — and each of us — begin to overcome one area of sin in each of our lives

Some day we will meet in heaven — what a glorious day that will be! Until then, let us join together in doing the work of the Lord. He is worthy to receive all our praise and honor and glory! Thank you so much for your prayers.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6:19

Let us seek to be holy people as Christians.

How can we be holy? We are certainly to avoid sin. Does this mean that we should have no contact with sinful people, or with the world around us?

It is a great mystery and wonder, but God said He would send His Holy Spirit to live in us as believers. So we can have holiness — God’s purity and love and spirit — in our hearts, even when we live in the middle of a world with sin and problems.

So, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not to leave this world — we are to be vessels of God’s saving grace and love to those around us. This does not mean you should be tempted, or put yourself in positions where sin is going on. It does mean that even in a world that is often far from God, we can let the love of Christ shine.

So this week, let us pray that

• God will keep you from temptation — and that you will live filled with God’s holiness
• God will help you be a shining light of Christ’s love to those around you

We are brothers and sisters in the family of God with all true believers in Christ — and are bound together in His love.

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.” Psalm 96:9

“I am the Lord your God...be holy, because I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44

God is holy. What does it mean to be holy? For God, it means He is perfect — He is without stain or blemish. There is no evil in God and never will be. God is holy — set apart from everything that is bad.

What does it mean for us to be holy? For us as Christians, it means to be set apart — to God and to His service. The Holy Spirit lives in us and can bring true holiness into our lives. We are still living in a world that has sin, and we ourselves sin even as Christians. But our goal should be to ask the Holy Spirit to transform our lives — that in our hearts and in our lives, we will be set apart to God and controlled by His Holy Spirit and not our old sinful nature.

So this week, let us pray that

• God will help us to be holy, even as He is holy
• We will be thankful for the fact that His Holy Spirit can make this possible

Thank you so much for your prayers. Let us all pray that God’s Holy Spirit will fill us all and help us to be Christ-filled ambassadors of His love to the world.

“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.” Leviticus 20:26

Trust and obey. When we follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we have the great privilege of trusting and obeying Him.

God is ultimately trustworthy. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.” When we trust Him with our lives, God will lead and guide us into all righteousness.

Is it hard to trust God? Sometimes we are used to having our own way and being in control — and we need to learn to “give the steering wheel” over to God. Should we obey Him? Absolutely yes. We can ask God to help us listen and obey Him by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

God loves us and knows what is best for us. If He says turn left, we should turn left. God instructs us by His Word, the Bible, and by His Holy Spirit. Let us seek in all our lives to trust Him with all our hearts — and listen to and obey His Word.

This week, can you please pray

• For God to lead and guide you as you seek to follow His will
• That God would help us reach and disciple many more people for Christ

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” Psalm 20:7, 8

You can have hope for the future because of Jesus Christ.

What is hope? Hope is the confident expectation that something good will happen. What is this good thing? As Christians, we can confidently hope for the following things:

1. The hope of heaven — we know that because we have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord we will spend eternity in heaven
2. The hope of God’s love — we know that in everything in life God will be with us and care for us
3. The hope of a better tomorrow — we know that God has the potential to bring good things to and through our lives

Without God, we do not have the hope of heaven or of God’s love and presence; and good things may or may not happen. But as Christians we know that God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His will.

We can’t control every event in life, but we can entrust ourselves to the most powerful and loving being in the universe, knowing that the future will only be better for all eternity and that good things can still come in this life.

So this week, let us pray for

• Funding so we can share Christ’s love with people every day
• The many hurting people around the world — that they will know the hope that comes from Jesus Christ

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. Someday we hope to meet in heaven in person — and then you will know the impact your prayers have had in reaching the world for Jesus Christ.

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7

“What is truth?” Pilate was the Roman king almost 2,000 years ago who asked this question of Jesus Christ.

People all over the world are seeking for truth. Who is the source of truth? Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He said, “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Do you want to know truth? Study Jesus. Learn God’s Word. Be a person of truth. Speak the truth to people; speak the truth in love, but do not lie. God loves the truth.

This week, can you please pray that

• God’s truth will be known all around the world
• God will help you speak the truth in your every day life.

“Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” Psalm 43:3

Faith is incredibly important in the Christian life. It is how we are saved -- “You are saved by grace through faith.”

How does this work? In our human minds, we may think that religion is just trying to be good enough. But Jesus Christ came and died on the cross in your place — and my place. He took our sins. So whatever your sins are, Christ died so you could be set free.

The Bible says, “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” So God does not love us because we are so good; He loves us because that is His nature.

By faith we believe that Christ died for our sins — and our faith is what brings the righteousness of God. This is what makes us a Christian.

So this week, let us pray that

• Millions of people will come to accept Jesus Christ as savior — by faith!
• You will be strengthened in your faith and your knowledge that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior

Faith is a wonderful freeing message — because none of us is perfect. God loves us and forgives us in Jesus Christ. “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’”

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:26, 27

“My strength comes from the Lord.”

Where does your strength come from? If it comes from your bank account — or your education — or your emotions — then these things can fade.

“If God is for us, then who can be against us.” As a Christian, your true strength comes from Jesus Christ who lives within you. The good news is — you can never truly be defeated! If someone is stronger than you — they are not stronger than God. If someone is wiser than you — they are not wiser than God. Christ in you is the hope of glory.

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.” So you can go into life victorious — because the God of the Bible lives in all those who have truly accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

This week, let us pray that

• God will help us reach even more people each week with the gospel of Jesus Christ
• God will help you know the power and strength that you have in Christ

God is in you! He is the source of the greatest power the world has ever known. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31 - 39)