Recovering from Failure One thing that changes when you come to belief in Jesus Christ is that you begin to feel awful when you behave in ungodly ways. The enemy jumps right on this and tries to get you to think you aren’t saved, or Father is disgusted by you. He often plants the idea…
Here’s one of the more useful things I’ve learned.
Worship John 4:24 tells us that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We worship Him in spirit because He is Spirit.We worship Him in spirit because we are spirit.We worship Him in spirit because we are one spirit with Him.(1 Corinthians 6:17) We worship…
The Gift The gift of God is righteousness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Righteousness (salvation) is a gift. Nevertheless, don’t be confused by those who say that everyone will eventually be saved. In the same way, don’t be confused by those who say that everyone is already benefiting from the contents of the gift, but…
Bearing Fruit LoveJoyPeacePatienceKindnessGoodnessGentlenessFaithfulnessSelf-control This cluster of traits and proclivities hang off you like grapes hang off a grapevine. Give in to the quiet urge, the still small voice within you that is encouraging you to grace others with these sweet things. That’s the way of grace. We got what we could never earn, so we…
Tight with God If something you hear in church makes you question your salvation, you can safely reject that teaching. If something you hear in church make it seem like you may need to rededicate yourself to God, you can safely reject that teaching. If something you hear in church makes it seem like you…
You Have Value Don’t feel badly if you are uncomfortable bringing up the topic of Jesus. We aren’t all built the same way. I knew a man who came to faith because his grandmother told him, “Jesus loves you.” over the years. I know of someone else who came to faith because the woman he…
Sin vs. Godliness Often, sin is presented as pleasurable and fun, and faith as dry and boring. Sin may feel good to our senses, but it leaves us hollow and dissatisfied. It damages relationships and causes mental anguish. When we walk by faith, trusting what the Spirit is doing in and through us, we begin…
Anointed Teachers If you are looking for an anointed teacher, you need look no further than the Spirit within you. You have been anointed by Him. His anointing will never be taken from you. You don’t need anyone to teach you because His anointing is real and teaches you about everything. (See 1 John 2:26-27)…
Don’t Get Mixed Up There is a lot of noise and confusion in the world and if we are not careful the same thing can be true for us in the Church. But Father is not a God of confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33) I want to encourage you to be watchful, alert, and aware of…
No Condemnation Mark 14:66–72 (NIV)66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re…
How to Expose Evil Ephesians 5:11 tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. But here’s the thing. Things in the dark are not exposed by standing in the dark decrying their evils. They are exposed by bringing light into the darkness, thus dispelling the darkness so…
We’re Waiting for Something Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that we are waiting for someOne. The return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is the event, and He is the someOne. The first time He came, He gave Himself to do some amazing things. Among the many things He came to do,…
Habitual Sin Have you struggled with an area of sinful activity that you just couldn’t conquer? What if you didn’t need to conquer it? What if the change that Jesus made in you were so profound that you were already free from it? Here’s some good news. That is exactly what He did. You are…
Making God First You may have heard that you should put God first or make God first in your life. You can stop trying to do that. God is not one priority among many.God is the source of every priority. He’s the source of life.He is above all, through all, and in you all. You…
Stand When difficult days come, Father has not left you defenseless. You have His armor and all of it fits you perfectly. Truth gives you a strong base of support. Jesus is the Truth. The Spirit within you guides you into all Truth. Truth makes you free. Like body armor, righteousness covers you. Jesus was…
Insightful Prayer Paul prayed some really insightful things. Here are some things he prayed for the saints in Colossians 1:9-11: Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Be filled with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Walk worthy of the Lord. Be fruitful in every good work. Increase in the knowledge of God. Strengthened with…
The Way of the Kingdom God delivered us out of the power of darkness and transferred us into His kingdom.(See Colossians 1:13) His kingdom is not about religious rules, rites, or rituals. It’s righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.(See Romans 14:17) So we have great freedom. So much freedom that all things are…
Christian Unity Unity in Christ isn’t about doctrine. It isn’t some far off ideal toward which we need to work and strive. As members of God’s family, it’s the state in which we live. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We…
The Old Testament The Old Testament books show us pictures, examples, and shadows of Jesus. Over and over these pictures show how God rescues humanity from death and slavery. They tell stories and show by example after example, how God pursues us and promises salvation, reconciliation, and restoration. The Old Testament Law was given to…
Jesus in Isaiah 53 There is much to learn about our lovely Lord Jesus in Isaiah. Chapter 53 is full of wonderful insights. Let’s look at some of them. Right at the outset we have a question that helps us be certain of the hope we have. Isaiah 53:1 asks, “Who has believed our message…
Jesus God made visibleCreated all things in heaven and on earth whether visible or invisibleBefore all thingsBy Him all things consistHead of the body of Christ–the ChurchThe beginningThe firstborn from the deadAll the fullness of God in bodily formPreeminent above all thingsMade peace by His blood at the crossReconciled all things in heaven and on…
The Fruit of the Spirit Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-control. You can’t produce it. You can only bear it; like the branch of an apple tree bears apples that are produced by the root. This is the reason it’s called the fruit of the Spirit, and not the fruit of the…
The Resurrection of Jesus His resurrection from the dead is the defining characteristic of Christianity. He laid down His life and He took it up again. No one raised Him from the dead. Being God, He raised Himself by the power of His own life-giving Spirit. That He actually rose from the dead is well…
God Gets You When you feel like no one understands what you’re going through, no one sees how hard it can be to walk by faith, no one realizes how difficult it is to resist temptation, no one knows your pain. Remember that your God came to earth in Jesus Christ, a human person, born…
