In Sermon Illustrations: "Heart"

Corrie Ten Boom Had To Forgive

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 30, 2020

Corrie Ten Boom's example of forgiveness (from The Hiding Place) in which she describes an unexpected encounter with one of the Nazi guards who had mistreated her at Ravensbruck concentration camp, where her sister had Betsie died and she herself had been subjected to horrible indignities. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Mercy, Forgiveness, Beatitudes, Holocaust

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Your Mother Is A Real Diva

Contributed by Wayne Solomon on May 8, 2021

Your mother is a real Diva. In the kitchen she is no Betty Crocker or Aunt Jemima But she is your mother And she’s a real Diva. Just remember Rachel Ray still can't make chitlins. And Emeril can't make collard greens. But your mother can, she's a real Diva. She can take you to the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3, Proverbs 31:25

Tags: Mothers Are Amazing, Mothers Are A Blessing

Denomination: Church Of God

Guidelines For Praying Succesfully

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 31, 2021

GUIDELINES FOR PRAYING SUCCESSFULLY Devotional by Larry Petton Text: John chapter 15 Our devotional time with the Lord must be a balanced blend of the Word and prayer, truth and Spirit touching the head and heart. If you only focus on Bible study, you will dry up. If you only focus on prayer ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7

Tags: Prayer, Will Of God, Seeking God, Answers To Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Graduate's Call

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Graduate's Call (Powerful thirst and hunger for the Word of God) The first step to walking on the path to Biblical success is to find God's plan for you through a powerful thirst and hunger for the Word of God. The New American Standard Bible holds this truth for the Christian graduate, "And ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:13

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Graduate's Call

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Graduate's Call (Are Only Stewards) A disciplined feeding on the Word of God and surrendering to the Lord in prayer leads to an understanding that mankind are only stewards to what God has given them. A man does not become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:2

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ever-Flowing Stream Of Grace

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Ever-flowing Stream Of Grace Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:28-31, Isaiah 9:6

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Walking In The Confidence Of God  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Walking in the Confidence of God Christians walk in confidence because they serve a "Providential God:" Christians serve a Lord whose plans and purposes come about. Psalms 33:4-11 says, "For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The LORD loves righteousness ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:4-11

Tags: Confidence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Go Home, Daddy

Contributed by Chris Surber on Dec 22, 2008

"I Go Home, Daddy." Christ offers the lasting hope and promise of a new and lasting home. My three-year-old son Sebastian is a wonderful little boy. My children’s antics and lives provide me with a wealth of sermon illustrations and stories. Not long ago, Sebastian had to go through some ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Christian Church

Science Proves Creationism

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jan 12, 2009

SCIENCE PROVES CREATIONISM Allen Rex Sandage, the greatest observational cosmologist in the world--who has deciphered the secrets of the stars, plumbed the mysteries of quasars, revealed the age of globular clusters, pinpointed the distances of remote galaxies, and quantified the universe’s ...read more

Tags: Creation

Denomination: Baptist

Giving

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Apr 17, 2022

Henry Parsons Crowell contracted tuberculosis when a boy and could not go to school. His Father and brother died of tuberculosis, and he should have died of it too. He made a contract with God. If he were spared he would use his abilities to amass large sums of money for evangelism. For the next 50 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Tags: Giving, Purpose Of Giving, Cheerful Giver

Denomination: Baptist

How God Changed Ireland Through A Dream

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 3, 2022

One incident helped change Western civilization—Paul’s vision of a man from northern Greece led him to take the gospel westward into Europe instead of eastward into Asia—with far-reaching results. Nearly 400 years later, a remarkably similar dream changed all of Irish history. Patrick, a ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Missions, Trinity, Dreams, Will Of God, Church Planting, Saint Patrick, Sovereignty Of God, Ireland  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grief

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 17, 2022

On Death and Loss… He was 50 years old. The cancer was aggressive and relentless. The pain was unmanageable and agonizing. In two months he was gone. I didn't have the opportunity to say good-bye and if I did, what would I say? Could I get the words out? Our last communication, me in Port ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25, Psalm 90:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:1-7

Tags: Death, Grief, Sickness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Marks Of A Christian

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 6, 2022

Galatians 2:1-10 THE MARKS OF A CHRISTIAN BY THEODORE EPP Four marks of a Christian are set forth in Galatians 2:20: First, a Christian is one who has the living Christ living in him. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Christ, Holy Spirit, Resurrection, Discipleship, Christian Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Are Fighting A Personal Devil!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 17, 2023

I had a seminary professor I loved and admired who did not believe in a personal Devil. He often said, “You really need to drop the letter D and just say Evil.” He went on to say, “Larry, sometimes, the way people talk, it almost makes you believe there is a PERSONAL Devil!” I was ...read more

Tags: Hell, Satan, Devil, Angels, Rebellion, Lucifer, Spirits  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Emily's 9-5 Struggle

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

Emily, a young woman from the MZ generation, recently started her career with a standard 9-5 job. She quickly finds herself feeling trapped and miserable in this routine. Every morning, the thought of going to work at 9 AM and staying until 5 PM feels unbearable to her. She often voices her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-22

Tags: Letting Go, Spiritual Growth, Comfort, Purpose, Danger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Donkey On The Way To Moriah

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 24, 2025

My name? Oh, I’m Steady—because that’s what Abraham always called me. I’m not fast, I’m not fancy—but I can walk a long way without complaining. I’ve carried all kinds of things for my master: water, wood, even tents through the desert wind. But one morning, he packed something different—firewood ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:17-19, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 37:5

Tags: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Journey, Provision  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

I Surrender All – Judson W. Van Deventer, 1896

Contributed by Richard Goble on Mar 19, 2008

I Surrender All – Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896 Van DeVenter beautifully describes the process of absolute surrender in his timeless hymn I Surrender All. If I may impose my perception of this hymn, I would suggest that He reveals the struggle involved in surrendering all that he is to the Lord. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Healing The Wounds Of War: The Kim Phuc Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2010

HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR: THE KIM PHUC STORY Probably one of the most well-known pictures to come out of the Vietnam War was Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo (show picture) of Phan Thi Kim Phuc (pronounced "fuke"). On June 8, 1972, a napalm bomb was dropped on her village, and Kim, who was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Hudson Taylor Learns About ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2010

Hudson Taylor Learns About Giving One wonderful testimony of faith from church history is that of Hudson Taylor, the first missionary to the interior of China (in the mid-1800s). He was a great evangelist because he learn “to move man, through God, by prayer alone.” To prepare for the loneliness ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:16

Tags: Giving Yourself

Serving Others

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost”. - Arthur Ashe In a small, dusty town in western Oklahoma one November there lived a young single mother struggling to make ends meet. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:12-14

Tags: Humility, Christian Service

Denomination: Charismatic