I have a good friend who is going through a trial. As she shared some of the detail with me, I asked how she was handling the obvious thoughts of fear. She said, “Well, I’m quoting a lot of scripture.” “That’s good,” I said, “But it won’t run the dog off.” And she looked at me with the same face ...

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Can we stress this part again: “…knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.” ...

Probably one of the most difficult instructions in the Bible is “…walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).  In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul encouraged the believers with this truth, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going” (2 Cor. 5:7, Message).  The point is: Every Christian must walk by faith. ...

The Apostle Paul might have answered this question best when he said: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). The Amplified Bible says it this way: “All things are legitimate [permissible–and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things ...

Part 1 | Part 2 Recently, I talked about the importance of discretion. And I made statement I want to clarify: A lack of discretion is a sign of insecurity. We can blame ignorance on our lack of discretion (Oh, I wasn’t thinking…. or I didn’t know…) but I can tell you from first-hand experience that insecurity might be the ...

Part 1 | Part 2 I recently posted a status on Facebook and Twitter that received a lot of attention: I can think some things… I can know some things… But I don’t have to “say” everything I think and know. #discretion This is an area I still want/need to grow in. It’s a crazy temptation to want to tell others ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 We’ve been addressing the troublesome question: Is God in control of everything?  Let’s be clear what we’re talking about… Everything is a BIG word. It describes the total of all things. Yet when we look at our world, and compare what we see with scripture and our understanding of our Good God, ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 I asked this question in last week’s post, and came to the conclusion that no, God is not in control of everything that happens. Jesus Himself helps substantiate this in His teachings. For example, let’s look at the Parable of the Wedding: And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 You hear this sometimes… when a tragedy has happened, or something is unexplainable: “Well, you know God has a reason… He’s in control of everything that happens…” Is He? If this is true, then why did Jesus tell His disciples how to pray? If God is in control of everything, why do ...

When you develop your relationship with the Holy Spirit and maintain a steady diet of God’s Word, the Lord will speak things to your heart. For example, I was praying and thanking God for a new day (one I desperately needed after feeling unnecessary pressure from the previous one) when this scripture rose up in my spirit: The blessing of the ...