If I had my choice to write on any topic for this article, this would not be it. However, I try to let my scripture reading dictate what I will write about, and today's reading was from Zephaniah chapter one. Readers prefer positive content, but this article is the opposite. It does not speak of … Continue reading The Great Day of the Lord
God’s mercies are new every morning, and they are also new every year. However, sometimes, we can expect too much from the turning of the calendar. If we look back over the past year, even with its joys and graces, many aspects of this fallen world still plagued us, including personal battles with sin. This … Continue reading The Turning of the Calendar
Sometimes our lives can grow dim because we are no longer walking closely with the Lord like we used to. However, our God is so gracious that even after we have wandered away, he not only forgives our sins, but he also gives us times of refreshing (Act 3:19-21). In Acts chapter three, the phrase, … Continue reading Times of Refreshing
It is not God's will that we know everything about him or his plan. He has given us everything we need to know pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), but he has not given us everything. At one point in Revelation, John sees a mighty Angel. He is so large that he has … Continue reading The Knowledge God Keeps From Us
Remember from where you have fallen (Revelation 2:4). Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die (Revelation 3:2). These two phrases, the first spoken to the church in Ephesus, and the second spoken to the church in Sardis, summarize the condition of our spiritual lives from time to time. For countless Christians, it is easy to reflect … Continue reading Strengthen What Remains
No matter how hostile the world may become towards Christians, the Lord always has fellow believers available to us for support. We were never meant to stand alone, and we should be available to encourage other believers as well. The apostle Paul faced countless persecutions as a Christian. From stonings to beatings to imprisonment, all … Continue reading Together in a Hostile World
There is joy and peace in believing. Once we know Jesus and the forgiveness he has granted us through faith, joy and peace begin to flow. The problem is if our faith weakens and our spiritual-mindedness begins to diminish, so does the joy and peace that flows from it. There is peace in knowing that we are no longer at … Continue reading Joy and Peace in Believing
When we read God's statement in scripture where he says, "For this very purpose I have raised you up," commonplace religion has conditioned us always to expect the reason to be something positive for the person addressed. Perhaps God raised this person up to save a group of people from genocide, like Esther. Maybe God raised this … Continue reading For this Purpose I Raised You Up
Sin is filth. It is soul pollution. It makes us vile in the eyes of God, and no matter how much pride we take in our sin now, we will one day even be offensive in our own eyes. As sinners, we may do everything we can to maintain our delusion that we are honorable, but every … Continue reading The Filthy Will Be Filthy Still
We have already given too much of our lives doing things godless people do. It is time we consider ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11). We were born in iniquity. Adam's sin brought condemnation to us all (Romans 5:8), and before we complain that we should not be condemned for Adam's transgression, let us be sure that we have done … Continue reading Consider Yourself Dead to Sin
The Fight of Faith 