Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive”
A Story of Fear, Forgiveness, and Resurrection
There is something almost haunting about the beginning of Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive.”
It doesn’t begin with celebration. It begins in the dark. Peter is hiding.
The doors are shut. The windows are fastened. Outside is the world that has just killed Jesus, and inside is a frightened group of men who don’t know what will happen next. Peter cannot sleep.
Every sound must seem dangerous. Every shadow beyond the door could mean soldiers. But Peter is carrying something heavier than fear.
He is carrying shame.
Only days before, he had stood beside Jesus and promised that he would never leave Him. Yet when the pressure came, Peter denied knowing Him.
Not once. Three times.
And now Jesus is dead.
Peter has to live with the knowledge that the last thing he did while Jesus was alive was fail Him.
Then, before sunrise, Mary comes. She brings news that sounds impossible.
The stone has been moved.
The tomb is empty.
Jesus’ body is gone.
Peter and John run.
They reach the tomb and find the evidence for themselves, the stone rolled away, the burial cloths lying there, but no Jesus. John begins to understand. Peter doesn’t.
And that is one of the most beautiful things about Francisco’s song.
Peter doesn’t instantly become a man of triumphant faith.
He is confused.
He has seen Jesus die.
He knows what death looks like. An empty tomb is astonishing, but Peter’s heart is still trying to catch up with what his eyes have seen.
So he returns. And there, alone with his thoughts, the resurrection becomes something far more frightening.
Because if Jesus really is alive…
Peter is going to have to face Him. And what would Jesus say?
Would He remind Peter of the promises he had made?
Would He ask why Peter had denied Him?
Would He turn away?
Would He condemn him?
Peter has every reason to believe that he deserves it.
And then, in the beautiful dramatic imagination of Francisco’s song, something happens that Peter could never have expected. Jesus appears.
Alive. Not as a memory.
Not as a ghost. Not as someone Peter wishes he could see.
Jesus is standing there.
And Peter looks at Him.
The man Peter thought he had lost forever is alive.
But there is something even more astonishing.
Jesus isn’t there to punish him.
He doesn’t come with anger.
He doesn’t come with a list of Peter’s failures.
He comes with love.
Peter falls before Him, overwhelmed by the impossible reality of it all.
The Savior he denied is standing before him.
And instead of condemnation, Peter finds forgiveness.
Instead of judgment, he finds mercy.
Instead of the end of his story, he discovers that God has written another chapter.
And suddenly Peter understands.
The empty tomb wasn’t simply proof that Jesus had conquered death.
It was proof that Peter’s failure wasn’t the end either.
Jesus is alive.
And because He is alive, Peter can be forgiven. Peter can get up. Peter can breathe again.
Peter can live again.
And that is what makes Don Francisco’s “He’s Alive” so much more than an Easter song. It is a song about what the resurrection feels like to someone who knows they have failed. It is about the moment when shame tells you that you are finished…
and Jesus tells you that you are not.
Francisco originally tried to tell the resurrection story through Thomas, but the song came together when he began telling it through Peter. Francisco has explained that Peter’s guilt and shame were something he personally understood.
That choice changed everything. Because Peter wasn’t a perfect disciple.
He was impulsive. He was courageous one moment and frightened the next.
He promised more than he could deliver. He failed Jesus at the very moment he thought he would be strongest.
And yet Jesus came back for him. That’s the heart of “He’s Alive.” Not simply that the tomb was empty. Not simply that death had been defeated.
But that the same Jesus Peter believed he had betrayed beyond repair was standing before him with forgiveness.
The song takes the greatest event in Christianity and tells it through the eyes of a broken man. And perhaps that’s why it has endured. Because somewhere inside Peter, many of us recognize ourselves.
We know what it is to make promises we couldn’t keep.
We know what it is to look backward and wish we could change something.
We know what guilt feels like.
We know what it is to wonder whether we have gone too far.
And then comes the message of the resurrection:
You are not finished.
The stone was rolled away.
The grave was empty.
Jesus was alive.
And Peter, the man who thought he had failed beyond forgiveness was given another chance. That is why the final declaration carries so much weight. He’s alive.
Not merely alive in history.
Not merely alive in doctrine.
But alive in such a way that Peter’s story can continue.
And perhaps that is the quiet miracle at the center of Don Francisco’s song…
Jesus didn’t erase Peter’s past.
He redeemed it.
And the man who once stood outside a fire denying that he knew Jesus could now stand in the light knowing that Jesus still knew him.
He was alive.
Peter was forgiven.
And the story wasn’t over.
#ChristianMusic #CCM #DonFrancisco #HesAlive #JesusMovement #ChristianMusicHistory #GospelMusic #Resurrection #JesusChrist #ChristianSongwriting

Joshua 1:8-9 NIV
[8] Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/jos.1.8-9.NIV

TO MEDITATE ON
Today, perhaps there is something holding you back.

🏽 A fear.
🏽 A wound.
🏽 A past failure.
🏽 The opinion of others.
🏽 The fear of disappointing people.
🏽 The fear of starting over.
🏽 The fear of not being good enough.

But God is telling you today: Be strong and courageous.Do not remain forever in the same place simply because you are afraid of what lies ahead.

🏽 Get up.

Develop what God has placed within you.

🏽 Position yourself.
🏽 Move forward.
🏽 Learn.
🏽 Start again.
🏽 Dare.

And above all, never confuse the discomfort of the journey with the absence of God.God never promised you a road without difficulties. He promised you His presence.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43:2

So today, I want to leave you with this word:
You do not have to wait for fear to disappear before moving forward. You must learn to move forward with the certainty that God is with you.

Courage is not saying, I am not afraid.
Courage is saying, I may be afraid, but God is with me, so I will move forward.

Get up. Move forward. Stand out.Develop what God has placed within you. And trust the One who called you.

🏽 What God plants in you deserves to be cultivated.

🏽 What God cultivates in you deserves to be protected.

🏽 What God protects in you will eventually bear fruit.

🏽 And what God has decided to grow within you will not be stopped by fear.

Get up. Take courage. Keep your roots in God and cross over. Your next season requires the courage to leave the previous one behind.

May God bless you.

#Faith #Jesus #GodsWord #FaithOverFear #TrustGod #GodIsWithYou #BeCourageous #ChristianMotivation #BibleVerse #DailyDevotional #SpiritualGrowth #Purpose #Isaiah432 #SecretBible

Are You an Intentional Christian?

By Pastor Joseph Clark

Life does not simply happen to us. At least, it should not. There are circumstances we cannot control. There are things that happen to us that we never anticipated, and there are seasons when we have little choice over what comes our way. But within all of that, God has given us something extraordinarily important:

The freedom to choose how we will live before Him.

We should never be content merely to hope that our faith is genuine. We are called to deliberately follow Christ, deliberately obey His Word, deliberately love others, deliberately serve, deliberately grow—and deliberately bear fruit. The Christian life is not a spectator sport.

Let me be absolutely clear: we are not saved by our good works. The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not something we earn through religious accomplishments or our own efforts. We cannot purchase forgiveness by doing enough good deeds. We cannot impress God into saving us.

Paul writes:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works.”

Ephesians 2:8–9

Amen.

But sometimes Christians stop reading there. The very next verse says:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

Notice the order. We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works. Works are not the root of our salvation; they are supposed to be the fruit of our salvation.

That distinction is absolutely essential. A person does not become a Christian because he produces fruit. Rather, because he has been brought into Christ, his life should increasingly begin to produce fruit.

I have observed that some Christians use the “by faith, not works” argument as a cop-out to justify a lazy, fruitless walk.

Jesus Himself said:

“By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Matthew 7:16

He did not say, “Don’t worry about fruit because you believe.” He said:

“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

Matthew 7:17

There is a dangerous misunderstanding that can sometimes enter Christian thinking. A person says, “I am saved by faith and not works.” That statement is true. But then he concludes, “Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether my life produces anything.”

That conclusion is not biblical.

James puts the matter bluntly:

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:17

James isn’t teaching that we purchase salvation by our deeds. He is teaching that genuine faith is living faith.

If I tell you that I have a fire burning in my house, but you enter the house and find no heat, no light, no flame, and no evidence whatsoever of fire, you would have good reason to question my claim.

In the same way, if someone claims to belong to Christ but deliberately refuses to grow, refuses to obey, refuses to serve, refuses to love, refuses to forgive, and refuses to bear any spiritual fruit, we should not simply congratulate that person by saying, “Well, you’re saved by faith, so none of that matters.”

Jesus never taught such complacency.

Consider one of the most sobering statements Jesus ever made. In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus describes people who will stand before Him on the day of judgment. They will say that they did things in His name. And Jesus will say:

“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

Matthew 7:23

That should cause every professing Christian to pause.

Jesus did not say, “You weren’t sincere enough.” He did not say, “You didn’t perform enough religious deeds.” He said, “I never knew you.”

The issue is ultimately relationship with Christ.

Likewise, Jesus gives a similar warning in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Some of the virgins were complacent and unprepared for the bridegroom. When he arrived, they were shut out of the wedding feast. The warning is unmistakable: we must not live carelessly or presume upon the grace of God.

A person can say the right things, use Christian vocabulary, attend church, perform religious activities, and even speak about Jesus—and yet not actually belong to Him.

This is why we should never merely sit back and say, “I hope my faith is genuine.” We should examine our lives. We should pursue Christ. We should repent when we sin. We should seek holiness. We should love our neighbor. We should forgive. We should serve. We should pray. We should study God’s Word. We should proclaim the Gospel. We should bear fruit.

Not because these things purchase our salvation—but because Christ has saved us and called us to live differently.

Our fruitfulness should also be expressed through obedience to Christ’s Great Commission.

Jesus said:

“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”

John 15:16

That is not passive language.

Go. Bear fruit.

Christ did not save us so that we could sit comfortably on the sidelines of Christianity. He called us into a life of purpose.

Jesus also said:

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:8

There is that word again: fruit.

Fruit is evidence of life.

Wake Up and Bear Fruit

Do you see what is happening in this fallen world today?

Paganism. False religions.

They are boldly, deliberately, and intentionally seeking to influence and claim the hearts and minds of people throughout the world.

Our answer should be bold, fruitful evangelism!

Wake up!

Use your God-given gifts in any way you can to share His Gospel.

An apple tree doesn’t produce apples in order to become an apple tree. It produces apples because it is an apple tree.

Likewise, Christians don’t perform good works in order to become God’s children. We bear fruit because, through faith in Christ, God has made us His children.

This brings us back to our central question:

What are you going to do with the life God has given you?

You cannot choose every circumstance. But you can choose whether you will trust God in those circumstances.

You can choose whether you will forgive.

You can choose whether you will serve.

You can choose whether you will encourage someone who is discouraged.

You can choose whether you will open your Bible.

You can choose whether you will pray.

You can choose whether you will share your faith.

You can choose whether you will repent.

You can choose whether you will obey Christ when obedience is difficult.

You can choose whether your Christianity will be merely something you claim—or something you deliberately live.

Paul told the Philippians:

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Philippians 2:12

Paul did not mean, “Work for your salvation.” He was writing to people who were already Christians. The meaning is that the salvation God has worked into your life should be worked out in the way you live.

Your faith should become visible.

Your character should change.

Your priorities should change.

Your relationships should change.

Your choices should change.

Your life should increasingly resemble the Christ you profess to follow.

There is a difference between saying, “I hope I’m a faithful Christian,” and saying, “By the grace of God, I will deliberately seek to become a faithful Christian.”

The first can become passive.

The second is intentional.

What Will You Do With What God Has Given You?

Do you remember the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30?

Are you the servant who was given one talent and buried it in the ground rather than using it?

To that servant, the master said:

“You wicked, lazy servant!”

Matthew 25:26

The judgment concludes:

“And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:30

Or are you the servant to whom the Lord will say:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Matthew 25:21

Let me pause and ask you right now:

Is this message off-putting to you? Does this message offend you?

If so, ask yourself: Why?

Why does God’s Word—and a message consistent with His Word—bother you?

And don’t misunderstand me: you cannot manufacture spiritual fruit through human strength.

Jesus said:

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

Fruit comes from abiding in Christ.

But abiding in Christ is not passive indifference.

We choose to remain close to Him.

We choose obedience.

We choose repentance.

We choose prayer.

We choose service.

We choose faithfulness.

We choose to say yes when Christ calls.

In the Parable of the Talents, one servant received one talent and buried it. He did not steal it. He did not destroy it. He simply did nothing with it.

When the master returned, the servant had an excuse. But the master condemned him.

Why?

Because what had been entrusted to him was intended to be used.

There is a warning here for Christians who have been given time, abilities, opportunities, spiritual gifts, knowledge, and resources but deliberately refuse to use them for God’s purposes.

God did not give you your life merely to consume it.

He gave you a life that can be offered back to Him.

Jesus also told of a fig tree that was not producing fruit. The owner came looking for fruit and found none. The tree was occupying valuable ground, but it was not fulfilling the purpose for which it existed.

That should make us think.

What is your Christian life producing?

Are people encouraged because you know Christ?

Are people helped because you serve?

Are people forgiven because you have learned to forgive?

Are people hearing the Gospel because you are willing to speak?

Are people seeing Christ in your conduct?

Are you becoming more patient?

More loving?

More humble?

More truthful?

More generous?

More courageous?

More obedient?

Has God given you talents or resources such as public influence, good oratory, conversational skills, a good computer, social media, or other online tools?

Use them for Christ.

Do you enjoy Christian podcasts, Christian articles, or Christian music?

Share them online with others.

Do you know someone who is in need or grieving?

Be present to them.

Let them know you are praying for them.

Pray for them!

Make a prayer list and pray daily.

Pray for this fallen world.

Reassure others of the coming of Christ.

Use whatever God has entrusted to you to advance His Kingdom and proclaim His Gospel.

What fruit is your life producing?

You Don’t Have to Be Famous to Be Fruitful

You don’t have to be famous to be fruitful.

You don’t have to preach to thousands.

You don’t have to write books.

You don’t have to stand behind a pulpit.

A mother raising her children in the faith can be fruitful.

A man encouraging a discouraged neighbor can be fruitful.

A Christian visiting the lonely can be fruitful.

Someone praying faithfully for another person can be fruitful.

A believer forgiving an enemy can be fruitful.

A Christian refusing to participate in gossip can be fruitful.

Someone quietly giving to help another person can be fruitful.

Fruitfulness isn’t necessarily spectacular.

Sometimes the greatest Christian fruit is produced quietly, where only God sees it.

Jesus said:

“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:4

Your life will not be perfect.

You will fail.

You will sin.

You will sometimes become discouraged.

You will occasionally make terrible decisions.

But don’t confuse failure with fruitlessness.

A fruitful Christian is not a perfect Christian. A fruitful Christian is an obedient Christian who keeps turning toward Christ.

When he falls, he gets back up.

When he sins, he repents.

When he fails, he seeks God’s grace.

When he becomes discouraged, he keeps walking.

When God opens a door, he walks through it.

When Christ calls, he responds.

That is deliberate Christianity.

So don’t merely sit back and hope that your faith is genuine.

Pursue Christ.

Don’t use salvation by faith as an excuse for spiritual laziness.

Bear fruit.

Don’t try to earn God’s love through good works.

Serve because you have already received His grace.

Don’t live as though your life is something that merely happens to you.

By the grace of God, choose to make it count.

Jesus said:

“By their fruit you will recognize them.”

And He also said:

“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”

The Christian life is not about earning salvation.

It is about living out the salvation you have received.

So get up.

Pray. Believe. Repent. Obey. Serve. Love. Forgive. Speak. Give. Go.

Create content.

Share content.

Practice charity.

Use your talents in any way you can to share the Kingdom of Christ and reach pagans, non-believers, and those who do not yet know Jesus Christ.

Bear fruit.

You have been given one life.

Don’t merely wait to see what happens to it.

With Christ, deliberately choose what you will do with it.

And may your life bear fruit—not for your own glory, but for the glory of the One who saved you.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.

AMEN. AMEN. AMEN!

Be strong and courageous, God goes with you wherever you go.

Share this with someone who needs courage and reassurance today.

#Deuteronomy316 #BeStrongAndCourageous #GodIsWithYou #DoNotFear #NeverForsaken #TrustGod #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #WalkByFaith #Lordsbook

1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

PRAYER REQUEST
SHE IS ONE OF MY BEST FRIEND... ONCE SHE WAS VERY MUCH ENTHUSIASTIC, CHEERFUL, LOVING,CARING... BUT AFTER A GREAT LOSS IN HER LIFE SHE QUITE WENT TO DEPRESSION... SHE WAS NO MORE CHEERFUL, EVERYTHING FELT LIKE OUT OF HANDS FOR HER... RIGHT NOW SHE IS QUITE STRUGGLING WITH GETTING INTO A COLLEGE... SHE WAS A BRIGHT STUDENT.... ALL SHE WANTS IS TO BE MORE COURAGEOUS, TO GET RID OF THE ANXIETY AND STRESS WHEN SHE IS AMONG CROWD... SHE IS NOT A KIND OF INTROVERT AND SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE SO... PRAY FOR HER TO WIN THIS BATTLE IN MIND AND ALSO TO GET RID OF THIS ANXIETY... MAY GOD GIVE HER A GOOD COLLEGE... SHE IS QUITE INTERESTED IN MEDICAL RESEARCH...THESE ARE ALL HER DESIRES.. BUT ABOVE ALL GOD NEEDS TO WORK IN THIS...

Good evening, brethren.
1. Evening devotion for today.

ED.i. *DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST*
(COCIN DEVOTIONAL)

*DATE:*
FRIDAY 14TH AUGUST, 2026

*SUB-THEME:*
YOUTHS: VESSELS OF GOD'S GRACE.

*TOPIC:*
LIVING ABOVE REPROACH.

*TEXT:*
PSALM 34:4-5
4. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
5. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

*TOPIC:*
LIVING ABOVE REPROACH.

*THE MESSAGE:*
Living _above reproach_ is a life that is marked by integrity, godly character, and freedom from blame or shame. Today's text explains that those who sincerely seek God are delivered from fear and never brought to shame. While reproach involves disapproval due to moral failure, believers, especially youths, are called to live in a way that honours God. This does not mean being perfect but being intentional, obedient, Spirit-led, and uncompromising in faith. Ultimately, a life above reproach serves as a radiant testimony that points others to Christ. Who are your companions? Be warned, bad company corrupts good character. Do not be influenced by bad friends; instead, influence them with life of Christ in you.

*REFLECTION:*
Do not misuse God's grace.

*PRAYER:*
Lord, help me to live above reproach. Amen.

*MEMORY VERSE FOR THE MONTH:*
2 TIMOTHY 2:21.
"If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work.

*TODAY'S BIBLE READING PLAN:*
JEREMIAH 50-52.

ED.ii. IMAGINATION

"So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:27

To create something you need imagination; this means, you are able to imagine something that is not yet there - God did that too. He said: 'Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness.' He imagined in His mind an image that would resemble Him, however, this image was not there yet. We may not think this through, but it is a Divine quality.

A sculptor sees in a lump of clay or in a piece of stone, the entire image he wants to make - this is a Divine quality in him. Before he picks up the brush, the artist already sees what he is going to paint. A musician is able to write and play the music which he hears in his mind beforehand. God puts that in such person. The human being is able to have an image or an idea of something in his mind which still needs to happen.

Wrong use of imagination

Imagination can also be very dangerous. God put this in us to use it for good. But since the time man became corrupt, it has also been used by the evil one. By using their imagination people such as terrorists, come up with complicated and angry plans which is sometimes implemented later. Nuclear weapons were thought out; they were not suddenly invented. A man's thoughts can also be influenced by the evil one.

Creativity has been placed in man by God

Genesis 1:27 says that this attribute of creativity has been placed in man by God. Look, God did not quickly put man together. No, man with a soul and spirit has been made so superior because God thought about it. He created man with a lot of love. Everything in our body works perfectly. Just think of our brains and organs: everything is ingeniously made by God! How foolish to believe that man came from a primordial slime. Those poor scientists are completely lost with their theory of evolution.


https://www.theblessingdevotional.com

2. Evening Prayer for today.

EP.i. Evening Prayer

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. ⏤ Psalm 4:8

Christians are not perfect, but they should be perfectly restful. ⏤ A.W. Tozer

Lord, You alone make us live in safety. We lie down at night under the shadow of Your wings, and our sleep is sweet because You sustain us. We ask You now for another night of rest and comfort. As the sun has set and darkness covers us, we’re reminded of how much we need You. We have no power to keep or care for ourselves. Be our protection tonight. Let no harm come near us, let no sickness invade our home, let nothing cause us fear.

As the stars come out as the sun sets, we’re reminded of the promises of Your grace, which shine even brighter when the sun of our prosperity or happiness fades. We wouldn’t see the stars without the night, and we thank You for the many uplifting, comforting words in the Scripture that we wouldn’t notice without our troubles and sorrows. We’ve found many precious meanings in Your Word during times of trial that we never saw before. Make Your Word more and more a treasure house of goodness, which You will reveal to us as we need it.

Grant us an evening blessing. Bless our home life. May our love for each other grow stronger every day. Help us to see the best in each other. Help us each to give our best to one another. Protect us from impatience and lack of kindness, and give us the grace to be kind to each other. May we learn from Jesus how to love at home. Enable us to be helpful to each other, making each other better, stronger, and more courageous.

In Your great mercy, O God, forgive us all our sins, and bring us at last into Your heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/40/evening

#taptapstudio
#youdevotion.

Verse of the Day
1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 AMP
[13] Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong. [14] Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].

https://bible.com/bible/1588/1co.16.13-14.AMP