You may think my title is paradoxical. Perhaps you’ve been fed a syrupy, gooey gospel that would not allow for the legitimacy of godly grief. I find the term comforting. It can be found in scripture—it is legitimate and the outcome of it is beautiful. Continue reading “A Godly Grief Embraced”
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. –ESV
This verse is from the Bible so we must begin with the premise that it is true. But many times we look around and see what we perceive as righteous people cowering before an onslaught of evil bullies. I’m not talking about martyrs facing persecution. Even in this it is possible to be bold as a lion. Continue reading “A Lion In The Kingdom”
I’ve heard many references given to the idea of being a living sacrifice for God. But recently I came on a fresh perspective by Sarah Liberman on her Facebook page. She simply stated that “God’s fire does not fall on an empty alter.” It was a profound statement I thought. It said so much with so few words. Continue reading “A Living Sacrifice”
Something I thought of recently was the way various groups of people reacted to the wonders Jesus performed when he came into their communities. In some cases, they attracted people. Mostly those who needed deliverance or healing. This seems pretty natural. Then there were those who felt threatened by His works because they upset a power structure they wished to maintain. But there was still another reaction some people had: fear. Continue reading “How Do We Look At The Wonders Of God?”
The Israelites were in bondage to Egypt for over 400 years. There came a time when God finally raised up a man to deliver them. Through this man, Moses, God brought plagues on Egypt to incentivize Pharaoh to free the Israelites. 9 plagues of the worst kinds were not enough to completely convince Pharaoh to release his captives. Continue reading “Passover: Origin, Practices and Christian Significance”
Ephesians 5:11-14 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper,and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.” –ESV Continue reading “Light With Which To Expose”
Ezekiel 20:30-31 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. Continue reading “I Will Not Be Inquired Of By You”
Something I have noticed throughout my Christian walk is that many times God lets me see what I would be left with if He would not move on my behalf. Sometimes I see a problem on the horizon and I work ahead of time to try and solve it before crunch time. I pray about it, but I also do everything I can to avoid disaster. Continue reading “If God Would Not Move”
Wales has a history of a few revivals, but the one most talked about is the third one, which by most accounts started in early 1904. In a town called New Quay there was a preacher named Joseph Jenkins. He is considered to be the leader of the early stages of the Welsh Revival. Continue reading “The Third Welsh Revival”
Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! –ESV
How often have we stood in the shadows and watched as others partake of the goodness of God, thinking instinctively that we have no portion in this? Even many who have some type of relationship with God, do not realize what is theirs experientially in Christ Jesus. Continue reading “Taste And See That The Lord Is Good”
It’s like there is a lullaby playing on a PA system that reaches around the world. Spiritual slumber is settling like a cloud on hordes of Christians. With the availability of so many things that are spiritual poison to those who languish in them, many have done exactly that. Distractions, entertainment, ease, and comfort, help us along in our drowsy state if we revel in them. I am no exception. Continue reading “The Slumber Of This Age”
You may have read the title of this post and wondered if I have gone off the deep end. Well, I haven’t. The purpose of this post is not to try and soften my characterization of evil in any way. I am not trying to justify evil by showing how it can serve God’s purpose. Rather, I am simply after two legitimate points: Continue reading “When Evil Serves The Purpose Of God”
The mind has been referred to by many as a battlefield. It is true, there are many ideas that contend for supremacy in the mind of man. The victorious one will dictate the actions of a person and will leave their mark on history. The others disappear and will never be known in the external world. Continue reading “Think About Such Things”
Isaiah 59:14-15 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice –ESV Continue reading “Truth Has Stumbled In The Public Squares”
Matthew 24:11-12 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. –ESV
We are living in a time when this prophecy is being fulfilled. In general, it describes the condition of the modern church. And yet the dominant movement of tolerance in the modern church is said to be rooted in love. Many say or imply that it is a form of Godly love to have little or no regard for sin in the church body. Sin is lawlessness and according to the above referenced verses, it leads to a waning love. Continue reading “The Love Of Many Will Grow Cold”
Many in our nation are weeping, mourning or lamenting in the wake of another political attempt to solidify our standing as a culture of death. I am one of them. It saddens me but I am not surprised. With the track record New York state has because of its heavy influence by New York City, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that they have legalized late term abortion. Continue reading “A Culture Of Death And Darkness”
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. –ESV
This chapter in Hebrews is notorious. It has many graphic illustrations of faith–practiced by those of whom the world was not worthy. I recommend reading the whole chapter if you want a deeper faith. But in this post I would like to explore this one verse. And share a simple illustration for those who may be struggling to understand faith at all. Continue reading “Faith—A Simple Illustration”
If you have been walking in the faith for any amount of time, you have probably wondered what your purpose is here on earth. Why were you made? What plan does God have for you? And what does any of this have to do with the title of this post? Continue reading “When heaven descends”
As I go through life, many times simply trying to get through the next big hurdle, trying to meet the next deadline, or achieve my next self imposed goal, (not to be confused with a Kingdom goal) I can get pretty absorbed in mundane matters before I know it. When I start down this road, I catch myself eventually and remind myself of the dangers of this road if traveled for too long. Continue reading “The Fingerprints Of God”
Well 2018 is coming to a close, Christmas is over and the new year is about to begin. It is a well known tradition to make resolutions for the coming year, but I’ve found that for most people, those are setups for failure and disappointment. Most likely it’s because we enter into these resolutions with our own will and strength. And most of us know that nothing of eternal value is done with our own strength or will anyway. Continue reading “Kingdom Goals For 2019”
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. –ESV Continue reading “For To Us A Child Is Born…”
I know some of these plays on words are cliché by now, but it struck me how true this one is, and I have never seen it before as far as I know, so it might even be original. Being holy before the Lord is not something written or talked about much in the church today, since the popular message seems to be grace. And the way grace is talked about in many cases is not necessarily Biblical. Continue reading “Holy (& Wholly) Unto The Lord”
Many things in life are illusions, deceptions and counterfeits. If we have the Spirit of God as our counsel, and a healthy hunger for the truth, then this soon becomes obvious. The more we walk the walk of faith, the more we come to realize how little in this life is honest, real, and lasting. Continue reading “Stimulation Does Not Equal Life”
Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Continue reading “Nothing Can Separate Us…”
The history of American Thanksgiving is a rich one, and is very illustrative of our nation’s Christian roots. As early as the 16thcentury, there were days of thanksgiving held by Spaniards and French people on our soils. Continue reading “The History Of American Thanksgiving”
Matthew 5:14 & 15 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. –ESV
What does it mean to be a light? I have written before about receiving light in the midst of darkness, but I would like to explore the idea of being a light. Continue reading “A Lamp On A Stand—A City On A Hill”
Some of the posts I publish are nothing more than a reflection of my own mistakes and the lessons I learned from them. Lucky for those who read my posts, I have made plenty of mistakes and shouldn’t have a shortage of materials any time soon. I am reminded, because this post definitely falls in this category. Continue reading “Going Through Life Like A Battering Ram”
The history of Halloween is a long one. Many cultural practices have conspired to create the product we have today. I’ll try to present this information chronologically to avoid confusion, and will add a few of my own thoughts at the end. I do not claim to have created a comprehensive account here; only a brief over-view, since many are not familiar with the basic history of Halloween. Continue reading “The History Of Halloween”
Everyone has times when they feel alone and like no one understands their situation or their life. This can especially be the case for believers. Since our relationship with God is personal on most levels and corporate on a smaller level, there is a lot of room for misunderstanding. Continue reading “When Others Don’t Understand”
There are many analogies thrown around, many metaphors given, and many philosophical statements made, in an attempt to encapsulate life and the world we live in. These methods create points of reference and pictures in our minds. So bear with me as I present yet another analogy. Continue reading “The Tightrope Of Life”
Here is a subject that seems appropriate for the fall season. It is a time when many in rural areas are harvesting what they have planted in the spring. You see pumpkins and cornstalks lining shops in town. Local produce has been available for some time now. Soon the leaves will change and fall—nuts will drop to the ground in abundance. Squirrels and other animals harvest these nuts and have a nice store for winter. Continue reading “When The Harvest Is Not Yet”
What is wisdom? I believe its definition has been broadened and cheapened over the years as society has devolved. If you do not set a correct premise and beginning for wisdom, then what grows from there is automatically faulty. Continue reading “Intelligence—A Poor Substitute For Wisdom”
The priorities of the human mind amaze me. The way we embrace delusion for reality, and temporal over eternal many times. Even the most strategic businessmen—who are well acquainted with waiting patiently for a reward—do not necessarily know much about storing up eternal wealth. Also, many people in the faith do not behave as though there is another world coming. One more important than the one in which they find themselves. Continue reading “Temporal Or Eternal—Where Is Your Reward?”
This week we observed the 17thanniversary of the attack on NYC by Islamic terrorists. Most of us do not spend every day thinking about it, but when the anniversary comes around, many of us remember that day very well. There are other times some of us think about it—when everyone else seems to have forgotten. Continue reading “But We Have Forgotten—9/11/01”
One would think that between light and darkness, the choice would be easy. If we were presented with a straight forward option between the two, it probably would be. The problem is, there is a friend of darkness who has strategies of glamorizing darkness and lying about its consequences. He presents doorways into darkness and calls them portals of light. This is especially the case in the age we find ourselves in. And this friend of darkness—Satan—has hordes of helpers—spiritual and physical, who are quite willing to be an echo chamber for him. Continue reading “Light—In The Midst Of Darkness”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. —ESV
How many times do we go through life reacting to the circumstances around us, and feeling justified in doing so? It is tempting to be thankful when things are going good, and to complain when things are not going as planned. Continue reading “An Attitude Of Gratitude—No Exceptions”
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. —KJV Continue reading “Mortifying The Flesh—In Order To Live”
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. –ESV
This is a familiar verse to many of us. It has probably also been an inspiration to many. How many of us became born again, and did not learn to despise our old ways? It is impossible. Do the old things tantalize us from time to time? Sure, but then we remember what Christ has done for us and the death that comes with sin. Continue reading “The Old Has Gone, The New Has Come”
The battle of the will is one that has spanned the ages. But no matter how many decades, centuries and millennia pass by, man is not content to honestly settle the issue of who knows best. Or who has supreme authority. This can extend into human authority that God has ordained as well. Continue reading “My Will Be Done, Or God’s Will Be Done?”
We’ve all heard the old saying: “the truth hurts.” On face value it appears to be that way many times. You say something to someone without thinking. That person takes offense at what you said, even though you didn’t mean to be offensive. You have hit a nerve you didn’t know was there. Continue reading “The Truth Hurts—But Only If You’re Living A Lie”
Last week I wrote a post titled “The Fiery Trials Of Life.” This is a lite version of that post. Disappointments are not necessarily fiery, but they present trials in their own right. If a person does not learn early in life how to deal with disappointments, they often have stunted growth—in character and spirit. Continue reading “The Disappointments Life Brings”
Refining lives through trials is something we hear a lot about as believers. We nod our heads and recognize the self-evident truth of the matter. But when our turn comes we tend to be a little more skeptical about the necessity of the procedure. Continue reading “The Fiery Trials Of Life”
Are you hearing God’s voice speaking into your life? Many people make this out to be a mystical, unattainable thing, reserved either for lunatics or great men of God. And then there are some people who think there is no difference between the two. I’m not speaking to that person—I am speaking to the person who would like to hear from God, but is struggling. Continue reading “Making Room For God’s Voice”
We live in sleepy times. Times when people would rather shrug their shoulders and turn the other way than stand for something decent. On the other hand, there seems to be no trouble in finding people willing to stand for what is immoral, and hold it up as the highest of virtues. Alarm clocks and wedding bells. Continue reading “Alarm Clocks & Wedding Bells”
As you have probably heard by now, the Supreme Court reached an important decision on Monday June 4th2018. They were hearing the case of Masterpiece Cake Shop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission Continue reading “SCOTUS Cake Shop Decision”
How many military victories have been obtained by surrender? To the best of my knowledge—none. Traditionally, the nation represented by the military force that surrenders gets the lesser end of the terms laid out by their adversary. In extreme cases, they forfeit all they have and become slaves to the ones they have surrendered to. Continue reading “Surrender—A Paradoxical Path To Victory”
Last week I wrote a post called Tomorrow—A Day That Never Comes. The week before that I had one called Yesterday—A Thing Of The Past. I’ll finish on this theme this week by focusing on today, or the present. Continue reading “Today—A Day The Lord Has Made”
Last week I wrote a post titled Yesterday—A Thing Of The Past. I Decided to keep things going on this track for two more weeks. This week I want to address the time we unnecessarily spend thinking about our future. Or the future of a corporate body we may be a part of. We’ve all heard the saying “tomorrow never comes.” It’s true, but we fail to grasp it at times. Continue reading “Tomorrow—A Day That Never Comes”
How much time do we really spend in the present? It obviously varies from person to person. I know I have had to learn to do it—it doesn’t come naturally for many people. The temptation is to either dwell in the past, regretting things you have done, or else to look to the future in fear. Also there is the possibility of looking at the past through sentimental eyes, wondering why your present doesn’t match up. None of these are healthy—we miss what God has planned for us right now. Continue reading “Yesterday—A Thing Of The Past”
“What do youknow about? Words & Wonders?” My brother asked me when I told him I had no interest in a particular conversation going on around me, for my lack of knowledge on the topic. This got us going about my blog, and I started digging for the meaning of my tagline. I finally decided it was a good time to identify what it means and share it with my audience. Continue reading “Words & Wonders”
How often do we find some version of this admonition in the Bible? It was most famously spoken in preparing Joshua to lead the Israelites into Canaan, but a version of it is scattered throughout scripture so often, I think my time would be more effectively spent otherwise, than to get an exact count. The point is, the principle of courage and over-coming fear is one often repeated in the Bible—and for good reason. Continue reading “Be Courageous—Fear Not!”
How many times do you find yourself slogging through life, thinking you’re on your own, and you have to figure everything out from scratch? I know I do it from time to time, and I used to do it a lot. Pride can be a factor in this, as well as inferiority. Funny how these two are found together so many times. The thing is, two opposite extremes tend to be very comfortable in the same environment—they feed off each other and react to one another. But that’s not the point of this post—maybe I’ll do one on that later. Continue reading “The Art Of The Question”
How many of you have uncircumcised Philistines in your life? Maybe they live rent-free in your head, mocking your dreams, visions, and goals, especially if they are Divinely inspired. Or they use other people to do it. Perhaps they speak through certain members of the media, or their political counter-parts, taunting the armies of God. Whether on a personal or corporate level, these are giants that can intimidate, bully, and shame you to ineffectiveness if you let them. Continue reading “Uncircumcised Philistines”
OCD has become a bit of a buzz word among millennials, and those who have bits and pieces of it, seem to wear it as a badge of honor. You will hear phrases such as, “I’m really OCD about keeping dust off my computer but a cluttered room doesn’t bother me.” Or you may hear one of dozens of other variations of this line, depending on the preferences of the individual. The way it is said, makes you aware the person saying it is proud of his or her idiosyncrasy, and thinks it is a part of what makes them unique. Those who have more than just bits and pieces of OCD don’t seem to be quite as proud of their situation. They just quietly do what their OCD requires and wish many times they could just let some things go. Continue reading “From OCD To Excellence”
the human spirit longs for it; people steal for it, go broke for it, even murder for it…and then there are people who actually fight for it and find it. This may come off as a strange or mysterious way to describe this cosmic battle. But as all things must, we will view this through the lens of spiritual understanding. Most take for granted that freedom is a good thing. There are exceptions to this rule. Mainly you find them in people who want to take away others’ freedom. Or else people who have a sycophantic view of those tyrants. But you will find in the main-stream human being, a general acknowledgment of the virtues of liberty. Continue reading “Freedom—”
or soon you will have no time. No one can add a single hour to their lives by being anxious according to Matthew 6:27, and yet it comes naturally for many of us.
Why do we have such a hard time believing that worry has no merits? First of all, many of the things we worry about do not come to pass, which makes it seem like our worry is being rewarded, thus giving it credibility in our minds. We do not allow that these might be coincidences, (or God’s mercy) and yet the many small (and sometimes large) miracles we receive from God daily, we so easily put down as coincidences. This is trickery from the enemy; we are misplacing our faith. Continue reading “Don’t give worry time to demonstrate it’s value—”
