Soul Survival - the bible for real life

Worried Asian woman with text that reads, If You Died Tonight … Where Would You Spend Eternity?

20 Aug

“If You Died Tonight, Would You Go to Heaven?” August 20

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day, Salvation

If you died tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?

Perhaps you have been in church most of your life. Maybe you were baptized, joined a church, walked an aisle, or prayed a prayer years ago. But do you truly understand the gospel? And can you know for certain that you have eternal life?

If you have doubts about your salvation, don’t ignore them or simply try to convince yourself that everything is OK. God doesn’t want us to leave our eternity to chance. His Word tells us how we can know that we belong to Him.

And if you are confident of your salvation, what do you need to remember when sharing the gospel with friends and family? How much depends on saying just the right words or making a convincing argument?

These are questions with eternal consequences, and today’s reading from 1 Corinthians has something important to say about both.

Roller coaster full of people with text that reads: 7 Ways to Keep Your Emotions from Running the Show

19 Aug

“7 Ways to Keep Your Emotions from Running the Show” August 19

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

When we’re going through tests and trials, our emotions can take us on quite a roller coaster. One day we’re trusting God and confident in His promises. The next day we may feel discouraged, fearful, angry, or even wonder where God is.

Those emotions are real, and they can be powerful. But as believers, we don’t have to let our feelings determine how we think, act, and respond. So, how can we learn to live by God’s truth even when our emotions are telling us something very different? We’ll look at seven practical, biblical ways to keep our emotions from running the show.

Also, doing all the “right things” as parents—as much as humanly possible—doesn’t guarantee that our children will grow up to love and serve God. After all, God is a perfect Father, and look at what some of His children do. There are four forces at work in our children’s lives. Understanding them can help us think more biblically about both our responsibility as parents and our children’s choices.

Woman leaving a darkened church and heading for the doors with text that reads, When It's Time to Go ... Leaving a Church

18 Aug

“When Is It Time to Leave a Church?” August 18

Posted by Donna Reidland Book Recomendations, God's Word Day by Day

Leaving a church can be a difficult and painful decision, especially when you’ve worshiped there for years, built relationships, served faithfully, and come to love the people.

Scripture warns us against being critical, complaining, stirring up division, or constantly moving from church to church because something doesn’t suit our preferences. But does that mean we should never disagree with church leadership? What if a church begins compromising biblical truth? When should we speak up—and when might it actually be time to leave?

We’ll look at some biblical principles that can help us distinguish between sinful divisiveness and legitimate concerns that should not be ignored.

Also, our reading in Proverbs raises another sometimes controversial question: Should spanking or physical discipline have a place in Christian parenting today? And if parents do spank, what should—and shouldn’t—be going on in their hearts when they do?

Woman with an open bible on her lap with text that reads: Why Believing Every Word of the Bible Is So Important

17 Aug

“Why Believing Every Word of the Bible Is So Important” August 17

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

Can we really trust every word of the Bible? And does it matter whether we believe what Scripture says about creation, Adam and Eve, and other events that happened thousands of years ago?

It matters more than we might think.

Genesis doesn’t merely tell us how the world began. It explains where sin and death came from, introduces God’s promise of a Savior, and lays the foundation for the gospel itself. In fact, the Apostle Paul directly connects the historical Adam with the saving work of Christ.

So, what happens when we decide some parts of Scripture don’t need to be taken seriously?

And in Job, we’ll see some remarkable statements about the earth and creation recorded thousands of years before modern science understood them. Yet, Job said that everything we can observe—from the intricacies of the human body to the awesome power displayed in creation—is merely “the edges of His ways.”

If those are only the edges, imagine the greatness of the God behind them!

One woman gently confronting another with text that reads: When Should Christians Confront Someone About Sin?

16 Aug

“When Should Christians Confront Someone About Sin?” August 16

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

Most of us dislike confrontation.

We fear saying the wrong thing, damaging a relationship, or being labeled judgmental. In today’s culture, speaking about someone else’s sin is more costly than ever.

So, isn’t it better to simply stay quiet?

Romans 15 says otherwise.

God has not only called pastors, elders, and biblical counselors to lovingly warn those who are wandering from the truth. Every mature believer has a responsibility to encourage, admonish, and, when necessary, lovingly confront a brother or sister caught in sin.

But there is a right way—and a wrong way—to do it.

Today we’ll look at when confrontation is necessary, what our motives should be, how Jesus instructed us to handle these situations, and a practical checklist to help determine whether it’s the right time to speak.

We’ll also consider what God’s sovereignty should mean for our civic responsibilities, how that truth should shape the way we vote and pray for our leaders, and why our confidence must always rest in God rather than politics.

Anxious woman biting her fingernails with text that reads: Could Violating Your Conscience Be Fueling Your Anxiety?

15 Aug

“Could Violating Your Conscience Be Fueling Your Anxiety?” August 15

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

Can something become sinful for you even if the Bible does not specifically forbid it?

Romans 14 says it can.

Christians sometimes reach different conclusions about alcohol, entertainment, food, music, holidays, and other so-called gray areas. Scripture may give believers freedom in those matters, but freedom is not the only issue.

What happens when you believe something is wrong but do it anyway?

Even if the action itself is not sinful, your willingness to violate what you believe God requires reveals a heart willing to disobey Him. That guilty conscience can produce spiritual unrest—and may even contribute to fear and anxiety that seem to have no obvious cause.

Today we’ll consider how to settle questions of conscience, why genuine freedom is found in surrender rather than self-indulgence, and why love may sometimes lead us to give up a legitimate freedom for someone else’s good.

We’ll also look at what Job believed about living faithfully during suffering, the one question that will matter when we stand before God, and why our worship songs and familiar prayers must remain grounded in biblical truth.

Gavel on top of a Bible with text that reads: How Should Christians View Those in Authority?

14 Aug

“How Should Christians View Those in Authority?” August 14

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

Authority is rarely a popular subject.

Most of us naturally resist being told what to do. Add our culture’s emphasis on personal rights, independence, and self-rule, and submission can begin to sound weak, outdated, or even dangerous.

And it is true that authority can be abused.

But does the misuse of authority cancel God’s design for it? Are Christians free to disregard parents, husbands, pastors, employers, police officers, or government leaders whenever we believe they are wrong?

Romans 13 gives us a clear but challenging answer. God is a God of order, and He has established human authority for our good. Yet no human authority is absolute. Every leader remains under God’s authority, and there are times when believers must respectfully refuse to obey.

So what does biblical submission look like? Where are its limits? And what does our response to authority reveal about the true focus of our worship?

Today’s readings challenge us to examine whether we are living under God’s authority—or quietly insisting on our own autonomy.

Woman Hand Cutting Paper With Scissors To Remove T Word I Can't Do It with text that reads: Our Impossible Calling

13 Aug

“Our Impossible Calling” August 13

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day

It’s one thing to love people who love us back.

But what about the person who criticizes us, overlooks us, mistreats us, or makes life difficult? How do we honor others, prefer them above ourselves, return good for evil, and bless those who persecute us?

Romans 12 calls believers to a way of life that is impossible in our own strength.

We’re called to become living sacrifices—not merely through religious service, but in our ordinary relationships. We are to love sacrificially, serve gladly, remain patient in hardship, care for those in need, and overcome evil with good.

How can we possibly live that way?

Today’s readings remind us that God never intended us to live the Christian life through willpower. We need His Spirit, His Word, prayer, and the help of His people. We’ll also consider the danger of becoming comfortable with worldly favor, what Job and Paul understood about perseverance, and why God remains faithful through both the highest and lowest seasons of life.

One woman praying with and comforting another with text that reads: How to Comfort Someone Who Is Grieving (Without Making It Worse)

12 Aug

“How to Comfort Someone Who Is Grieving (Without Making It Worse)” August 12

Posted by Donna Reidland Book Recomendations, God's Word Day by Day

Most of us will, at some point, stand beside someone whose world has fallen apart.

A spouse dies. A child walks away from the Lord. A cancer diagnosis changes everything. A job is lost. A dream comes to an end.

In those moments, we desperately want to help. But what do we say? What should we avoid? How can we encourage without unintentionally adding to someone’s pain?

Job’s friends started well. They showed up. They wept with him. They sat quietly.

Then they opened their mouths.

Instead of comforting Job, they became what he later called “miserable comforters.”

Today we’ll learn from their mistakes and discover practical, biblical ways to comfort those who are suffering—with wisdom, compassion, and the comfort we’ve first received from God.

Young man with red hair and a hand on his temple with text that reads: When Suffering Leaves You Demanding Answers

11 Aug

“When Suffering Leaves You Demanding Answers” August 11

Posted by Donna Reidland God's Word Day by Day, Salvation

“Why me?”

It’s often one of the first questions we ask when life takes a painful turn.

Why this illness? Why did that relationship end? Why is my child struggling? Why did I lose my job? Why now?

God is not threatened by the sincere questions of His hurting children. But like Job, we can cross a line from humbly asking for understanding to demanding that God explain Himself.

Could we be asking the wrong question?

Instead of focusing only on why the trial happened, Scripture encourages us to ask what God wants to reveal, how He wants us to grow, and what a faithful response should look like. And perhaps the most humbling question is not “Why has God allowed this hardship?” but “Why has He shown me such undeserved mercy?”

We’ll also revisit some familiar verses from Romans that are often used in presenting the gospel. Can repeating a “sinner’s prayer” or “asking Jesus into your heart” give someone false assurance? And how can we clearly explain salvation without leading someone to trust in words they repeated rather than in Christ?

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“If You Died Tonight, Would You Go to Heaven?” August 20

“7 Ways to Keep Your Emotions from Running the Show” August 19

“When Is It Time to Leave a Church?” August 18

“Why Believing Every Word of the Bible Is So Important” August 17

“When Should Christians Confront Someone About Sin?” August 16

“Could Violating Your Conscience Be Fueling Your Anxiety?” August 15

“How Should Christians View Those in Authority?” August 14

“Our Impossible Calling” August 13

“How to Comfort Someone Who Is Grieving (Without Making It Worse)” August 12

“When Suffering Leaves You Demanding Answers” August 11

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