Christianity is meant to be lived out loud so when I learn something, I can’t help but want to share it with others. And my current lesson is this: be slow to emotion. James 1:19-20 says, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of ...
“Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The definition of righteousness in this passage describes blameless conduct and integrity. It insinuates that the justice, right actions, and right attitudes that God has and desires would be in His people also. God is our divine Creator and we are called to imitate Him in ...
As Christians, we know God has called us to reflect Him to the world and to each other in love, kindness, strength, peace, and so forth. We could say, it’s expected. Not that it’s always easy, but for the most part, we understand these expectations. So I understand that my decision to choose love, have patience, forgive others (and myself), ...
Agitating passions. Moral conflicts. I don’t know why these two phrases jumped off the page to me, other than they perfectly described what I was looking for help with. Agitating. Like a washing machine. The dictionary says it means to move or force into violent, irregular action. Or we could say, rolling something over and over to the point of ...
A lady in my church once told me, “Pastor Tod shouldn’t get upset if he sees us fall asleep in church. Some of us live in such chaos that we just can’t help but nod off in the peace and presence of God.” I laughed when she said this, but then realized how true it really was. Our world has become ...
You may or may not have heard this story before, but I want to look at two men who both did something honorable. Remember, righteousness isn’t only what Christ has done for us, but what we now do for Him. Righteousness is an action as well as a position. In the Second Book of Samuel, we find that King David ...
Here’s a quick lesson in reconciling: Most of you have some type of bank account, and every month you receive a statement from the bank showing the pluses and minuses for the month. Now whether you do it or not, the bank sends you that statement so you can reconcile your information with what they have on file. Reconciling is ...
In my humble opinion, I believe there’s an attack on identity like never before. It may be more prominent in the United States, but I believe it’s world-wide. It’s an outright attack on people made in the image of God. For example, June is recognized as PRIDE month. First instituted by President Clinton in 1999 in response to riots in ...
Solomon wasn’t wrong. He just didn’t know Christ. I woke up thinking about Ecclesiastes (a little nudge in the spirit to go read it). And in just the first few chapters, it’s obvious Solomon’s observations of the world and his own life are truthfully said– there is no hope without Christ. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, ...
There is one thing that all people (regardless of race, age, gender, or even religious belief) have in common–and that is desire. What I mean is, every person has something they really want. Of course, motive is something entirely different… but let’s assume we’re talking about genuine desires like a child wanting a bike for his birthday, or a young ...
I recently saw someone at church I hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as we had a chance to greet one another, I made a bee line to him to say hi and give him a hug. He was obviously uncomfortable and a little shy of looking anyone in the eyes, but he hugged me back as others ...
“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). If you’ve followed me for very long, you know that I love the word righteousness and all that it means for the believer. Therefore, this scripture (along with many, many others) is highlighted in my Bible for the sheer ...
Fear has become the great enemy of our generation. I’ve personally dealt with it, seen it first-hand at home with one of my children, and in the many lives of people God brings across my path. And in all honesty, it angers me. Fear can be a debilitating disease, hindering people’s growth and endangering their future. And in the famous ...
I was recently listening to a podcast with Dan Mohler, who came highly recommended because of his teachings on our identity in Christ. Many of you know this is one of my favorite topics, so I was pretty excited as I listened to Dan explain this thought: Jesus didn’t die because you have sin. He died because you have destiny. ...
I recently had the opportunity to minister to a group of ladies at a women’s conference. I shared with them from 2 Corinthians 3:18, which says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” I ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network One of my favorite definitions of vision is “something seen otherwise than by the ordinary sight.” In other words, what you see in the natural should never limit what you can see by faith or by revelation. Too often, we are moved by what we see naturally— and this isn’t a ...
The greatest oxymoron to ever exist is the phrase defeated Christian. It’s heartbreaking to think most believers are living with masks on, hiding what’s behind their facade. They overcome, but never seem to conquer… They’re frustrated, but don’t know why… They’re saved from hell, but living in some form of it every day. THIS HAS TO CHANGE. The three major ...
God doesn’t want any of us walking in the dark. He knows the light of His Word and His presence bring comfort, faith, and confidence. This is true of every obstacle or area of confusion. God is the first one to say, “You want to understand? Let me show you.” In the book of Micah, the writer makes an interesting ...