With all the problems in our country and around the world, many people lack any sense of peace and stability. And it’s all too easy to point the finger at some group or individual who we believe is to blame. Often, we blame one political party or the other. We think a different political leader or a different political philosophy is the answer. And, there is always someone willing to tell us what we want to hear. But are peace and stability even possible in turbulent times? And if so, does the answer lie in the political realm?
Evil seems to come at us from everywhere, sometimes, even from those closest to us. Yet, we’re commanded to overcome evil, not using the world’s tactics and not what seems right to us. God has given us a much more powerful weapon to overcome evil. Read about three women who overcame evil in the most unlikely ways.
We’ll also talk about what it means to have a steadfast heart and how doing so can help us get through the most difficult circumstances in our lives.
If you’ve been around church for a while, you have probably heard someone teach or talk about strongholds. Depending on your church background, you may have different ideas about what the word means. When the Apostle Paul talked about strongholds, what was he referring to? Could we have strongholds in our own lives? And, if so, how do we get rid of them?
We’ll also look at the Sovereignty of God, how to be more sensitive and discerning in our personal ministry to friends and family, and ask ourselves a couple of important questions: Could we be drunk on something other than drugs and alcohol? If so, how could it put us in a stupor that is just as dangerous?
The Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom and its flip side, foolishness. In this series, we’re looking at what it means to be a wise woman and, by comparison, what it means to be foolish and how […]
Wars, terrorism, viruses, riots and civil unrest, natural disasters, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, rapidly changing cultural shifts, and partisan politics. It seems like our nation and the world are spinning out of control. And if we put our trust in human institutions, people, living in the right country, winning elections, or having the right set of circumstances in our lives, we will never experience lasting peace.
But there is a peace, a far superior kind of peace, that is available. It’s not the peace of some idealized life without storms, losses, or hardships. It’s a peace that can come in spite of them.
We will all live forever. The question is … where? Will it be in a place of eternal punishment, where Jesus said there is fire that’s never quenched and the worm doesn’t die? Or will we spend eternity in the presence of God where He will wipe away every tear and where there will be no sorrow or pain?
We all sin in many ways. Even when we desire to do right, our motives can be self-serving. Even David, the man after God’s own heart prayed, “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.”
What are presumptuous sins and why was David so concerned about them?
Also, read about the danger of taking God’s grace for granted and about times when we need to lovingly confront someone concerning sin or even be confronted ourselves.
Just as we should not put off getting our lives right with God initially, neither should we put off obeying God in the ongoing day-to-day areas of our lives. Find out why delayed obedience = disobedience.
And if you’re struggling to obey in some area, you’ll also find out where you can turn to for help and a list of some of my most frequently used and most helpful resources. These resources can help you or someone you know grow and walk in more faithful obedience.
We’re called to be different by shining God’s light into a dark world! But when it comes to responding to our circumstances, the tests and trials of life, the state of our nation, and other things, are we really acting that differently? Are we responding like the world or like Christ? Are we whining or shining? What can help us be a reflection of Christ?
And in an appropriately related passage from our reading in Psalms, have we become like chameleons, blending in with the darkness around us instead of being who God created us to be?
Good doctrine … there I said it … the “D” word. It seems, in many churches, we’re afraid of the word and of calling many biblical concepts by their traditional or biblical names. I understand the value of making preaching and teaching relevant. But have we gone to such lengths to avoid using biblical terminology that we have become a generation of biblical illiterates?
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, doctrine is, “a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.” Biblical doctrine is made up of the ideas and beliefs that the Bible teaches to be true. It’s the Bible carefully studied and understood.
Good doctrine matters because what we believe about God, His sovereignty, and His dealings with those He loves, determines how we’ll respond to the tests and trials of life, among other things. It also determines whether we witness, how we interact with others, especially our spouses and children, and whether we have peace at the end of our lives. Good doctrine matters more than we know and bad doctrine, even when it sounds very appealing, has a nasty downside.
