Maranatha Stories

Dana had a bad day. She woke up to find that she was out of cereal, so she decided to go get coffee. On the way, someone ran a red light and almost hit her, but she swerved and made it to the other side of the intersection safely. “Whew,” she said to herself. “That was a close one.”

She made it to the train station and got on her usual train to work. As she was riding, she saw on the news that there had been a train crash on the same line that she takes to work. Dana was shocked and scared. She didn’t know what to think.

She arrived at work and her coworkers were talking about the crash. They were all shaken up. Dana was too. She couldn’t believe that she had almost been in the crash.

Later that day, Dana was working in her office when the fire alarm went off. Everyone evacuated the building safely. Dana was relieved, but she was also starting to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Why was she having such a bad day?

That night, Dana was reading her Bible when she came across a verse that spoke to her:

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Dana knew that God was watching over her. She was grateful for His protection. She also knew that she needed to trust Him more. She decided to pray and ask God to help her to trust Him more.

Dana’s bad day was a reminder that life is fragile and that we should never take it for granted. It was also a reminder that God is always with us and that He will protect us.

“The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Psalm 121:7-8

“Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

Psalm 12:7

Once upon a time, there was a popular fast food chain. The CEO of the company was a Christian, and this fact was well-known. Some people criticized the CEO for closing the restaurants on Sundays, saying that they were missing out on a large market of potential customers. However, even though the restaurants were closed on Sundays, they were still very successful. In fact, the company’s profits were higher on weekdays than they were on weekends.

One day, a reporter contacted the CEO and asked to interview him. The CEO agreed, and the reporter asked him about the company’s decision to close on Sundays.

“I know that some people think we’re crazy for closing on Sundays,” the CEO said. “But we believe that it’s important to set aside one day each week to rest and worship God. We also believe that when we do things God’s way, He blesses us.”

The reporter was impressed by the CEO’s answer. He asked the CEO what his plans were for the future of the company.

“We’re not sure yet,” the CEO said. “But we’ll continue to pray and ask God to lead us. We know that He has big plans for us, and we’re excited to see what He does next.”

The reporter was so impressed by the CEO’s faith that he decided to start attending church. He eventually became a Christian himself.

The CEO’s story is a reminder that when we put God first, He will bless us. It’s also a reminder that we should never be afraid to stand up for what we believe in, even if it means going against the grain.

 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3

Sue was a 65-year-old woman who was a pillar of her community. She was always willing to help others, and she was always successful in whatever she did.

One day, Sue developed a bad cough that wouldn’t go away. She went to the doctor, and after a scan, the doctor told her that she had lung cancer.

Sue was devastated. She didn’t know what to do. She went home and cried for hours.

The next day, Sue started researching lung cancer. She read everything she could find. She also started reading the Bible.

In the Bible, Sue found a verse that said, “My plan for your future is full of hope.”

Sue was encouraged by this verse. She decided to trust God and to believe that He would heal her.

Sue started going to church and she started praying. She also started attending a support group for people with lung cancer.

Sue’s faith and her support system helped her to get through her cancer treatment. She had surgery and she went through chemotherapy.

After a long and difficult journey, Sue was declared cancer-free. She was so grateful to God for healing her.

Sue decided to share her story with others. She started teaching a class for people who had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She wanted to help others to find hope and to know that they were not alone.

Sue’s story is a reminder that God is always with us, even in the darkest of times. He is a God of hope, and He will never leave us or forsake us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

James was a young man who worked at a cellphone store. He enjoyed partying on the weekends, going to clubs, bars, and strip joints. You could say he was addicted to pleasure.

One day, while walking to work, a man handed him a flyer and said, “I hope to see you there.” The flyer said: Baptist Outreach Ministry Concert
Come share worship with us!

James threw the flyer in the trash and started to walk away. But something caused him to pick it back up.

Later, after work, James decided to go to the concert just to see what it was like. As he came in, everyone was so nice and people were raising their hands in the air. He started asking his questions to the person next to him.

Then, they had an altar call: “Will all those interested in being saved please come forward?” James felt called to come forward, so he did and they prayed over him. He felt better than he had ever felt before.

One of the ministers talked to him about taking up his cross, which meant giving up worldly things like strip clubs and womanizing. At first, James felt that it was going to be too difficult.

“Pray for the Spirit to lead you and He will give you the strength to say no,” said the pastor.

So James went home and started to pray. It started to come out of him with relative ease. The big day would be next Friday after work. He decided to go to a park instead of going out or going home. He stayed at the park, watching nature and marveling at his new found faith.

On Saturday, he found that he had more time since he wasn’t hungover. He decided to go to the grocery store and cook lunch and dinner for a few friends. So he had a little party with three friends.

As he prepared food, he started talking to them about his new found faith in Jesus. He was worried they were going to laugh, but they were kind and said, “James, you’re our friend and we love you for who you are,” they said.

So he talked to them about Jesus and they listened intently. After talking to them, they all decided to come to church with him on Sunday. After hearing the sermon, all three of them went up during the alter call and gave their lives to Christ.

James was so excited that he had brought them to Christ. He looked back and remembered the flyer that he almost threw away and was happy he had a change of heart.

“His kindness leads you toward repentance.”

Romans 2:4

There was once a professional football player who made a habit of getting on his knees and praying before every game. His fellow teammates would chuckle and laugh at him, but he continued to pray unabated.

As he played, he noticed that his performance was improving by leaps and bounds. Before he knew it, he was by far the best player on the team. His teammates recognized his increase in performance and asked him to forgive them for laughing at him. He forgave them.

Before long, he was the MVP and won a multitude of awards for his performance. When he was asked to speak, he simply acknowledged Jesus. He continued to pray before every game, and he never forgot the importance of humility.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

1 Peter 5:6

Shelly and Justin had been dating for a year when Justin proposed. Shelly was overjoyed and said yes immediately.

They had a beautiful wedding with all of their friends and family. They went on a honeymoon to Thailand, which was the time of their lives.

When they got home, they settled into married life. At first, it was fun having a partner to share everything with. But soon, their marriage started to crumble as they argued constantly.

Before long, Justin moved out of the house and they got a divorce. Shelly was devastated. She couldn’t believe that her marriage had ended so quickly.

She started to wonder what was wrong with her. Was she unlovable? Would she ever find true love again?

One day, Shelly was watching TV when she saw a pastor talking about the love of Jesus. She had never really thought about God’s love before, but she was intrigued.

She started to read the Bible and learn more about Jesus. She realized that His love was different from any other love she had ever experienced. It was unconditional and everlasting.

Shelly decided to give her life to Jesus. She was baptized and started going to church regularly. She found a new community of believers who loved and supported her.

Shelly is still on her journey, but she knows that she has found the ultimate love in Jesus. She is no longer afraid of being hurt or abandoned. She knows that God’s love will never fail her.

“Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:8

Jeana was a busy mother of three. She worked two jobs to make ends meet. Luckily, she was living in subsidized housing, which freed up some cash she used for her kids.

Jeana had recently been arguing with her neighbor Abram. Neither of them could remember the source of their enmity. One day, Jeana was carrying her groceries and said something mean to Abram. He became angry and said to her, “I’m going to kill you, Jeana, and your kids too.”

Jeana was terrified. She immediately called subsidized housing and told them what had happened. They said they would move her, but it would take some time. That night, Jeana couldn’t sleep a wink. She kept checking on her kids, who were also scared.

The next day, Jeana decided to move her family to an extended stay hotel until they could be moved to a new location. Her eldest son had to start working in order to help pay for the hotel.

It took a few weeks, but eventually Jeana and her family were moved to a new apartment in a much nicer neighborhood. Jeana was so relieved to be safe and secure. She could finally sleep soundly at night, knowing that her children were safe.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Psalm 4:8

Penelope was a young woman who had always been faithful to God. But one day, she was faced with a temptation that she had never faced before.

Penelope was walking home from school when she saw a group of boys playing basketball. She had never played basketball before, but she had always wanted to try. The boys invited her to join them, and she was so excited that she forgot all about her schoolwork.

Penelope played basketball with the boys for hours. She had so much fun that she didn’t even notice that it was getting dark. When it was finally time to go home, she was exhausted.

Penelope walked home slowly, thinking about how much fun she had had. She knew that she should have been studying, but she couldn’t help but think about playing basketball again.

The next day, Penelope went back to the park to play basketball with the boys. She played every day after that. She started to neglect her schoolwork, and she started to lie to her parents about where she was going.

One day, Penelope’s parents found out about her lies. They were so angry that they grounded her for a month. Penelope was devastated. She knew that she had made a mistake, but she didn’t know how to stop herself.

Penelope prayed to God for help. She told Him that she was sorry for her sins, and she asked Him to help her resist temptation. God answered her prayer. He gave her the strength to resist temptation, and He helped her to get her life back on track.

Penelope learned a valuable lesson that day. She learned that temptation is real, but that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can endure. If we are struggling with temptation, we can turn to God for help. He will give us the strength to resist temptation and to stay on the right path.

Remember, you are not alone. We all face temptation. But with God’s help, we can overcome it.

Here are some tips for resisting temptation:

• Be aware of your weaknesses. What are the things that you are most likely to be tempted by? Once you know your weaknesses, you can start to develop strategies for avoiding them.
• Build up your defenses. Spend time in prayer and Bible study. Surround yourself with positive influences. The stronger your faith, the easier it will be to resist temptation.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling with temptation, don’t be afraid to talk to a trusted friend, family member, or pastor. They can offer support and encouragement.

“I will not let you be tempted beyond what you can endure.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

John was a typical teenager. He woke up early, went to school, and went to soccer practice. Once a week, he went to piano practice, and to church.

He had always been going to church since he was little. He didn’t really think too much about it. He sang, and listened to the sermon without giving much thought to it.

One week, he was listening to the sermon and the pastor talked about the promises of God. The pastor talked about all the passages in the Bible that are promises. Promises are no mere Bible verse because they contain a morsel of faithfulness that God will never violate. God always keeps His promises.

John was intrigued. He had never really thought about God’s promises before. He started to read the Bible and learn more about them. He was amazed by how many promises God had made to His people.

John decided to start learning as many promises as he could. He began scouring the Bible. He couldn’t believe that God was so faithful to him. After building up a bunch of promises, he made sure to read them every day to remind him of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness.

John’s story is a reminder that God is faithful to His promises. He will never leave us or forsake us. We can always trust in Him.

“Not one of my promises will ever fail you.”

Joshua 23:14

“You can hold on to the hope that I will not change what I have promised.”

Hebrews 6:17-18

Mary and Winston were praying together as they did every night before bed. Among the usual prayer items, they prayed for Alisa, their daughter.

Alisa was a normal kid who did well in school and had friends. However, at some point, she fell in love with a boy who was a drug user. He didn’t really love her, but she thought he did. He just used her to get high. Eventually, she started doing drugs too and dropped out of school.

She and her boyfriend decided to go squatting instead of going home so they could do drugs. They had trouble eating, but Alisa’s mom would bring them groceries so they could eat. Mary knew she was enabling them, but as a mother, she couldn’t live with herself if they died. By now, Alisa and her boyfriend were doing heroin 3 or 4 times a day.

As Mary and Winston knelt down to pray, they once again prayed for Alisa to give up the drugs and come home. They had lost track of how many times they had prayed for her. But they knew that if they kept asking, they would receive. So they kept asking, every day.

One day, Alisa had a bad fight with her boyfriend. The only thing she could do was go home. He tried to stop her so he could continue using her. But she wasn’t going to allow him to do that to her anymore.

So, Alisa came to her parents’ house and was afraid to approach them, afraid that they would be mad at her. Before she could knock on the door, it swung open and they kept hugging her nonstop. They fixed some of her favorite foods as she was showering and getting cleaned up. Her parents were overjoyed.

As they knelt beside the bed, they changed their prayer from “Please save Alisa,” to “Thank you for saving Alisa.” As Alisa got settled into her former life, she started to have real happiness again. Finally, she went back to school and started to be a happy-go-lucky girl again. It took a while, but she eventually put everything behind her and resumed her normal life.

“For everyone who keeps on asking receives. He who keeps on seeking finds. To him who keeps on knocking the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

“For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

2 Chronicles 30:9