Few people wake up one morning intending to ruin their testimony.
They don’t plan to drift from Christ, compromise the truth, or throw away years of faithful service.
Yet it happens with heartbreaking regularity.
Pastors. Ministry leaders. Faithful church members. Even people we once admired.
Rarely does it begin with outright rebellion. More often, it starts with something much subtler—flattery, fear, success, money, influence, relationships, or simply allowing distractions to pull them away from God’s priorities.
Nehemiah faced all of those temptations while rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall. Yet he refused to allow the enemy to sidetrack him.
How did he recognize the enemy’s tactics? And what can we learn that will help us guard our own hearts, ministries, and testimonies?
Today’s readings offer timeless wisdom for anyone who wants to finish faithfully.
For many of us, our prayers revolve around solving problems, meeting needs, protecting loved ones, and helping us get through difficult situations.
None of those things are wrong.
But what if our prayers are often too small?
What if God is willing to do far more through ordinary believers than we ever dare to ask?
In today’s reading, Elisha makes a startling request. As Elijah’s ministry comes to an end, Elisha doesn’t ask for comfort, safety, wealth, or success.
He asks for a double portion.
Why would he ask such a thing?
And why do so few of us pray that way today?
Is it humility? Fear? Unbelief? Or have we simply forgotten that God delights in displaying His power through weak people who trust Him?
Today’s reading challenges us to think bigger—not about ourselves, but about what God can do through those who are willing to say, “Lord, send me.”
David, the Apostle Paul, and others in the Bible understood their need to trust in and rely on God and not their own abilities or anything else. What about you? In what are you trusting with the things going on in your life and the world around us? Whether it’s the images on the nightly news, the threat of continuing inflation, political issues, or worries about your family, health or personal finances, where is your trust? Is it in the government, in medical intervention, or in your own abilities? Or are you ultimately trusting God and God alone?
We live in a world that can be dangerous at times. And there is wisdom in being mindful of genuine danger. But could there be a kind of fear that is wrong, even sinful? Could it lead to guilt, anxiety, and paranoia? And when it does, could it be part of God’s early warning system to keep us from experiencing deeper emotional or spiritual issues?
In today’s other readings, we’ll look at God’s faithfulness in hard times. And on our part, the importance of doing what is morally right and not what appears to benefit us at the moment. We’ll also talk about a biblical view of authority and contentment in our circumstances, whatever they may be.
Today we’ll look at how guilt and shame are tied to other negative emotions like fear and shame. We’ll also see how the culture has tried to remove all restrictions, including God’s law, to alleviate feelings of guilt, instead of dealing with the root issues. Then we’ll look at what guilt is biblically and how God says to deal with it.
When sin entered the world it was accompanied by an uninvited guest … FEAR. Yet, the Bible tells us over 450 times, “fear not” or similar words. Find out the two root causes of fear and learn to overcome it biblically in your own life.
Aging parents, health concerns, rebellious children, financial worries, safety issues and more. For many of us, they can lead to increasing fear, worry, and anxiety ranging from mild to paralyzing.
As believers we know we should trust God rather than be fearful and worried, but the peace we desire and God wants us to have, sometimes seems elusive.
We know the answer lies in our relationship with Christ, but sometimes we need practical advice on how to break those old habit patterns.
LIVING BETWEEN THE ALREADY & THE NOT YET – Part 3 Several weeks ago I started this series, “Living Between the Already and the Not Yet.” “The already” is who we are in Christ and have been since the day that...
