Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Someone has said that Jesus "died on the cross to save us from our sins; he arose and lives within us to save us from ourselves.” We need to be saved from our sins of the past. We also need to be saved from ourselves in the present. We are our own worst enemies. It is from our own lusts and desires that all temptation and sin arise. In every life there is a spi...

12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Introduction This is a simple statement about the life and ministry of Jesus, so commonplace that you might be reading the gospel of Luke and pass right over that statement about Jesus in prayer. I was in the pastor’s home of the First Bap...

  7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it...

With all of our vast knowledge of the order of our universe and how it works, can we still believe in prayer and miracles? Men have long prayed for rain, but can an honest man who knows anything about meteorology continue to do so? Men have long prayed for the restoration of the health of loved ones, but how can this be done by honest men who know something about mode...

The supreme argument for prayer is Jesus Christ. He lived the most meaningful life ever lived. The fact that he relied so very much on prayer as a source of strength and guidance is the one unanswerable argument for us to rely on prayer also. The person who would live a happy, meaningful, and victorious life must also learn the secret of prayer. The equipment of pray...

Ancient Sparta was a warlike nation that emphasized discipline and hardship and sacrifice. A king once wrote the Spartans a threatening letter, saying that they had better do what he told them to do, for if he came and took their country he would destroy their city and make them all slaves. The Spartans sent a messenger back with their answer, and when the letter was...

What is prayer? First, it is asking God for what we need. Jesus taught us to ask for things (Luke 11:2). If God is really our father and we are really his children, it cannot be wrong to ask him for things. Second, it is praising God for who he is. Jesus often turned to God for gifts, but at times he turned to him just for the sake of fellowship. Prayer is not...

I was in Mineola visiting with Marc about a book we are working on together. And he was showing me his computer. And he was putting something on the screen and he made a mistake and he pushed a button and it erased all of it. And he said to me, “That’s the undo button.” And I looked over and sure enough right there on the button was “undo.&rdqu...

I have a preacher friend who tells this story and I’m not sure that it’s true, but it is a good story and preachers don’t always tell the truth when they have a point they want to make. He said that there was a lady in his church who seemed to oppose him on every issue. It didn’t matter what he said, it didn’t matter what he presented to...