The world will tell us that the dominating influence in our life is our past. If we came from a difficult home, that will determine the direction of our life. If our culture was treated unfairly, that will dictate the condition of our life today. If we were hurt or abused or if our youth was...
In our zeal to please God and advance His kingdom, we can often take on responsibilities God never intended us to have. One of the great challenges of the Christian life is determining what God does not want us to do! Sometimes our good intentions cause more harm than good. The Holy...
The flesh, the world and the pride of life will cause us to be self-centered, shifting our hearts from God to self. Our default mode is self-centeredness. The Spirit guides us away from such slavery. The essence of salvation is an about-face from self-centeredness to...
God is love (1 John 4:16). His very nature is perfect love. Perhaps you were hurt by someone you loved, and your heart became hardened as a defense against further pain. You may love others but not know how to express your love in words or actions. You may feel frustrated because you have...
If you attend a Bible study will not give you eternal life. You could memorize the entire Bible and be able to discuss the smallest issues of biblical scholarship and yet fail to experience the truths found in its pages. It is a subtle temptation to prefer the book to the Author. A book will...
Our relationship with God ought to bring us more joy, satisfaction, and pleasure than any other relationship, activity, or material possession we have. Honestly, that is not a easy or simple endeavor. But there is nothing that the heart absorbs more than unconditional love and acceptance...
When we became a follower of Jesus, God gives us spiritual sight and hearing so we could begin experiencing His presence and activity all around us in a deeply relational manner. The Spirit helps us to develop these spiritual senses as we open ourselves to Him. This is not a primarily...
Pride is the great enemy of the Christian. Its stealth capabilities and cancer-like nature can affect everything! It motivates us to do things that we know are not Christlike, and it hinders us from doing what brings glory to God. Pride influenced Adam and Eve to attempt to become like...
One of the most freeing statements we can make is “I don’t know.” Our world is full of self-proclaimed “experts.” There are people everywhere who want to convince you of the wisdom of their opinion. This pressure can be exhausting. Yet God...
Living in the moment is a Godly characteristic (Phil 1:27-28). Living in the moment requires us not to be tied down to the past nor coasting toward the future, but living in faith now. The “now” requires a special type of faith because of the invisibility of the fruit of...