The Root and Purpose of Pain
It can be confusing at times what role God plays in pain, hardship and suffering versus what is sin or the fall. We see in scripture that God created a good earth and that everything he’d created in those six days was good. Then sin enters the scene, and much of the good is spoiled.…
How to Recognize the Born Again
When a baby is born, the baby’s usually screaming and crying. A newborn wants the mother’s milk, and if it’s uncomfortable, it’ll cry even louder. These are not signs of trouble. The nurses don’t worry when the baby is hungry, crying, wants to be cleaned or wants mom. Those are signs of health. If the…
A Call to Radical Generosity
There was a time when I was pastoring in Canada, and an associate pastor told me that the motor in his car had just blown up. He sat across the desk from me, saying, “I don’t know what I am going to do. I don’t have any savings. I don’t know how I am going…
The Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a way of life, meant to bring us into every blessing in Christ. “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…”…
Four Expectations of God
God is a promise-maker and promise-keeper, and he has spoken to my heart about four places where God’s people should trust him. These expectations are based on promises God has made to us. Expect to be rewarded as you diligently seek the Lord. “[God] is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6,…
God Has Not Passed You By
One of the greatest burdens I have as a shepherd of the Lord is “Oh, God, how do I bring hope and comfort to believers who are enduring such great pain and suffering? Give me a message that will cancel their doubt and fear. Give me truth that will dry up the tears of the…
The Lord’s Mercies
In ancient Israel, the ark of the covenant represented the mercy of the Lord, a powerful truth that came to be embodied in Christ. We are to receive his mercy, trust in the saving blood of his mercy, and be saved eternally. You can ridicule the law. You can mock holiness. You can tear down…
A Table before My Enemies
We’re in a season right now where, as bad things are happening in our country, there is an opportunity for the church to move. Believers need to awaken from the common, nominal, social-club version of Christianity. Those who are oftentimes coming to church for the social life or the feel-good messages are realizing that they…
The Fortitude of God’s People
Caleb, whose name means “forcible, fortitude,” was the type of Christian who goes all the way. He was inseparable from Joshua who represented a believer who continually walks with the Lord. Caleb had been over the Jordan with the spies Moses sent into the land. While there, he was drawn by the Holy Spirit to…
The Prayers of Ordinary People
In the Book of James, there’s a verse that a lot of believers quote, but it’s followed by another verse that I’d bet most of those same people don’t know. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great…