Articles
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27 NASB) When Jesus spoke the word, “peace,” storms stopped and seas stilled. This is the peace He offers us....
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . .” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Change is inevitable but growth is optional. Gas and grocery prices change daily. Our jobs, health, and finances can change without warning. Of course, there’s the...
“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion . . . and everlasting joy will be yours.” Isaiah 61:7 (NIV) Guilt and shame are the natural responses of our inner justice system that demands that wrongdoing (sin) be punished. The problem is that we don’t want...
Forgive
“Forgive one another . . . Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Col 3:13 (NIV) We receive all of the blessings of God’s grace when we receive Jesus (Eph. 1:3). However, in God’s economy, our personal experience of those blessings is proportional to our giving them away....
Why Worship Matters by Louie Giglio
Why Worship Matters by Louie Giglio When the subject is worship, the stakes are high—because worship is what God is all about. Worship should matter to you simply because it matters to God. And worship matters to God because He knows He’s worthy. I know that doesn’t...
BattleGround
‘“This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.’ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 3:17-4:1 NIV) Here’s a biblical pattern; battleground follows holy ground. This is because God measures our maturity, not by...
Service
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1Peter 4:10 NIV) In God’s economy what we give away comes back to us in increasing measure. When we use our spiritual gifts to serve others...
Resisting Conflict
By Darlene Franklin, who wrote prayers for, A 12-Month Guide to Better Prayer for Women (Barbour Books), is scheduled for a February 1st release. Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12, NIV Like a church, life inside the...
Purpose
Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. (Psalm 25:12-14...
Vision
“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, so he may run that reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV) Have you ever noticed that there are some people who accomplish more in a year than many people do in a lifetime? We often rationalize that these high achievers are...
Commit
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3) The Hebrew word translated “commit” in this passage literally means, “to roll out.” When a Hebrew in ancient times wanted to present a gift to someone they would roll it up in cloth or...
Courageous
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9b NIV) Nothing hinders our efforts as much as fear and discouragement. Most of the time our fear is the paralysis of analysis. We...
Pastors and Pietism: KEY TO SPIRITUAL RENEWAL, Part 5
Copyright © 2017 Roger Helland On October 31, 1517, a massive theological tsunami slammed the shores of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther—gripped by a fresh understanding of salvation by faith and grieved by the abusive corruption of the papacy—launched a new...
SAMSON INTERVIEWS with Eric Wilson, author of the new novelization
"Samson", a novelization by author Eric Wilson, releases tomorrow. Here is an exclusive sneak peak interview with the author. What inspired you to write a book about Samson? The world is looking for heroes. This is evident in movies and books. And more...
Press On
"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." (Hosea 6:3 NASB) This passage encourages us to “press on to know the Lord.” Paul wrote,...
Word
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 NIV) Jesus is the first and the final Word on God because Jesus is God. Fully God, He became fully human, so we could fully understand the fullness God. And, it’s by the...
Ways
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) You know, sometimes my way just seems better than God’s way; my understanding wiser than God’s...
Hypocrisy
“Do not judge, lest you should be judged.” (Matthew 7:1 BLB) “There are too many hypocrites in the church, so I don’t go.” That was the first sentence out of the young man’s mouth after he found out that I was a pastor. I was walking my dog and stopped to talk to a...
Advantage
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21 NIV) The Greek word translated “gain” in this verse means “advantage.” Departing from this life actually benefits followers of Christ. It means we trade the tattered tents of our earthly bodies for...
Consolation
“He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25b NIV) His bones ached. For the past several years, getting out of bed in the morning had been the most difficult part of his day. Today was no different. His old body protested the thought of getting out from...
