Topic: Faith

How to Encourage Yourself When It Looks Hopeless

Is there someone or something in your life you’ve labeled “hopeless”? Using the story of Humpty Dumpty, Dr. Mike Ladra reminds us that even when no one else can put our broken pieces back together, God can. He shares how he went from atheist to believer while studying the evidence for the resurrection. He also tells the story of a man given no hope who clung to Jesus’s promise, “With God, all things are possible.” He shows how to take responsibility for our own encouragement, stop calling people “hopeless” and call them “challenging” instead, and decide to do whatever it takes.

Can Our Prayers Change What Happens?

Do your prayers really change anything, or is God going to do what He’s going to do? Dr. Mike Ladra takes on “Christian fatalism” with Jesus’s own words: “Ask, and it will be given to you.” He shows from Scripture how prayer has changed outcomes, from Hezekiah’s 15 extra years to Moses pleading for Israel. He explains that “no” is also an answer, and why unanswered prayers can be blessings in disguise. He encourages us to pray big, bold prayers from a right relationship with God, because unprayed prayers never get a yes.

When You Are In A Hurry And God Is Not!

What are you waiting on God for? A job, a spouse, a healing, a breakthrough for someone you love? Dr. Mike Ladra looks at Abraham and Sarah, who waited 25 years for the child God promised. He shows how Sarah’s impatient shortcut brought more heartache, and how God’s question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”, turned her doubt into faith. He shares three ways to keep going when God’s timing isn’t ours: remember that impatience makes poor decisions, build your faith on God’s track record, and count your blessings while you wait.

Are You Tired Of Bad News? Fighting FEAR!

After a year full of bad news, fear can feel normal, but God commands us again and again to “fear not.” In Mark 4, the disciples panic in a storm while Jesus sleeps in the boat. Dr. Ladra shows how to break the fear habit: remember that Jesus is in your boat, hold on to His promises, and stop letting “what if” imagination run wild.