New York Times best selling author, latest, Glory Days (2015)
Written 32 books
Ministers at Oak Hills Church where he has served the people for over 25 years
Max’s words have traveled the world in more than 54 languages via more than 120 million individual products, 92 million of those are books
BA in Mass Communications, Abilene Christian University
MA in Biblical and Related Studies, Abilene Christian University
Max and his wife Denalyn (of 34 years) have three grown daughters and two sons-in-law
Guest Bio
Max Lucado: Claim Your Inheritance!
CBN.com
–GLORY DAYS
During the Glory Days of Israel, the seven year era that shines between the difficult days of Exodus and the dark age of the judges, Max says, the Hebrews were unstoppable. They won twenty battles, conquered seven kings, and reclaimed 10,000 square miles of choice property. Just like Joshua and the Israelites, Max says you can move from a wilderness existence into a promised inheritance. You might not need to cross the Jordan River, but you do need strength to get through the week. You might not be facing Jericho, but you might be facing rejection or heartache. The Amalekites may not stalk you, but disease and discouragement and danger might be dragging you down.
Max offers encouragement to Christians who feel “stalled out” in their spiritual growth. He draws inspiration from his favorite book of the Bible, the book of Joshua, and dares us to believe that our best days are ahead of us. He believes God has a Promised Land for us to take. Max says, “That land is defined by grace, refined by challenge and aligned with a heavenly call.” He says there is only one condition: you must turn your back on the wilderness. Just as Canaan represents the victorious Christian life; the wilderness represents the defeated Christian life.
In 2007, the REVEAL Research Project went on a search for “Joshuas” and surveyed the members of more than a thousand churches. They wanted to find the percentage of churchgoers who are actually propelled by their faith to love God and love others with their whole hearts. The result: eleven percent! Nearly nine out of ten believers say they languish in the wilderness. These Christians are saved but not empowered. They are out of Egypt, but not yet in Canaan. They are “stuck” in the wilderness.
PROMISED LAND LIVING
“You were made for the Promised Land and your Glory Days lie ahead,” shares Max. He offers the following advice to help you live your Promised Land now:
- Read the Bible and meditate on it day and night. “Wilderness people trust Scripture just enough to escape Egypt. Canaan dwellers, on the other hand, make the Bible their go-to book for life,” shares Max.
- Face your Jericho. Your Jericho is any attitude or mindset that keeps you from joy, peace, and rest. It stands between you and your Glory Days. Promised Land people do not deny the presence of problems.
- Keep God center stage. Daily use the weapons of worship, Scripture, and prayer.
- Immerse your mind in God-thoughts. In the book of Joshua, Caleb could have cursed God. He didn’t deserve the wilderness. He had to put his dreams on hold for four decades. Still, he didn’t complain. When the time came for him to inherit his property, he stepped forward with a God-drenched mind to receive it.
- Trust God’s promises. Choose to believe that God is up to something good even though all we see looks bad. “Our Promised Land isn’t a physical territory, but a spiritual reality. It’s not real estate but a real state of the heart and mind,” reveals Max.
Max offers two reasons why many Christians do not live the Promised Land life: (1) we don’t know about our inheritance. No one ever told us that we fight from victory, not for victory; (2) and, because we don’t believe in our inheritance. That was the problem of Joshua’s ancestors who didn’t believe that God could give them the land.
ABOUT MAX
Max grew up in a small town in Texas and went to church with his family. When he became a teenager, he walked away from his parent’s faith. One night, after he downed a six-pack of beer, he started to ponder if there was more to life than partying and chasing girls. Soon after, Max joined a Bible class at a university where his heart was moved by the love of God. After graduation he became an associate pastor at a small church in Florida where he met his wife Denalyn. During this time he also wrote a column in the weekly church newsletter which ignited his passion for people, ministry and writing. In 1983, Max and Denalyn moved to the mission field in Rio de Janeiro to help plant churches. Through his experiences there, Max wrote his first book and launched his extensive writing career. He also serves the people of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio where he has been on staff since 1988.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
