In between the bustle of Christmas and the expectation of January first, a lot of people start talking about their new word of the year. Sometimes called "One Word," it’s a tradition that has the same flavor as making a new year’s resolution without the bitter aftertaste of failure for breaking one. You simply pick… Continue reading Christian, “Providence” Should Be Your Word of the Year
Fire is fire, right? Apparently not when it comes to the fire in the temple of God. The story of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 might seem remote to us, but we have more in common with them than you might think. Like today’s Christians, God knew them by name, called them… Continue reading Are You Offering “Strange Fire” to the Lord?
The enemy is a master at taking good things and perverting them into something harmful. He can turn obedience into legalism and the blood of Jesus into greasy grace if we listen to his lies. This week, God showed me a lie that I had swallowed whole. As these things do, it came from a… Continue reading Is it Examining Yourself or Morbid Introspection?
The heart is the innermost part of a person. It’s who we are in the dark when no one is watching. It beats with a pulse of the thoughts, feelings, and purpose that course through the veins of our lives. It’s the background rhythm of our subconscious, and it is ever speaking to God since… Continue reading 3 Steps to Make Melody in Your Heart to the Lord
The prophet Micah asked the question in Micah 2:7, “Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?” In other words, can people’s actions restrict the power of God? The obvious answer here is “No.” God is all-powerful and has supreme authority. There is nothing people can do to limit God, right? Not so fast. There is actually… Continue reading Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?
As anyone who has spent even a little time in the Bible will tell you, there are some challenging verses in both the Old and New Testaments. Some are strict and speak of standards and requirements that must be met to be in right standing with God. Some are downright frightening as they describe the… Continue reading Does God Really Mean What He Says in the Bible?
As a high school English teacher, I’m only too aware that people are always “learning” what we teach them. Sometimes those lessons are intentional. Sometimes, they aren’t. But it’s just human nature to pick up certain ideas and habits based on what we see from those around us. We say, “That’s a great idea. I… Continue reading Where Are You Leading Those Who Follow You?
What do you think of when you think about Heaven? Most people, at least on some level, think of Heaven as the place “good people” go when they die. For some, it’s a place with pearly gates and streets of gold with no more sorrow and no more pain. For many, it's a place of… Continue reading What You Think About Heaven – Says About You
Acts 18:10 is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. That’s where God tells Paul that He has “many people in the city.” It reminds us that He is El Roi (Hebrew: אל ראי), the God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13). He knows both who His people are and where they are at any given time. He can use us in… Continue reading Acts 18:10: God Sees His “People in the City”
Sometimes the solutions to our problems are elusive. We have tried everything we know. We have prayed every way we can think of. Still nothing changes. We just can’t figure it out. What are we supposed to do? I was contemplating that very issue when I came across a puzzle on social media one day.… Continue reading A New Way to Pray: “Show Me How to Move the Match”
