It started mid-morning when the routine of the day felt lifeless. Without thinking, I opened the browser, typed "Fa," and autofill did the rest sending me directly to Facebook. After an unknown amount of time, looking at vapidly entertaining content, I jumped over to Twitter, and it was more of the same. I checked to see what was … Continue reading Distracting Ourselves to Death
No matter how much I struggled, there was no relief. I could not win the fight. At the time, none of it made any sense. Who or what was this enemy anyway? All I saw was wave after wave crashing upon me. I fought and fought but to no avail. At first, I was resolved to win, but the battle continued, the … Continue reading When God Contests His Children
I have been having more difficulty writing lately. I think it all started in January when work became extremely busy. It is not that I stopped using my creative energy; it is simply depleted by the end of the day with my other obligations. In one sense, this shows my priorities are correct. After my … Continue reading Writing As a Spiritual Discipline
She stopped by again today and gave me one of those looks. The beauty of her face set against the backdrop of the tumultuous sky promised me peace. It was soft and gentle. It was like she was telling me, “I know life is not perfect, and I can help.” There was a grace in … Continue reading The Misleading Beauty of Temptation
They will be like dew sent by the Lord. - Micah 5:7 The lives of godly people are sometimes compared to the dew. One point of likeness, is the quiet way in which the dew performs its ministry. It falls silently and imperceptibly. It makes no noise. No one hears it dropping. It chooses its … Continue reading The Quiet Christian Life
In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. - 1 Peter 1:6 Those two little words, “if necessary,” contain a world of truth. In the prior verses, Peter has just informed us of our glorious salvation in Jesus and the new birth he has … Continue reading If Necessary, You Have Been Grieved
This morning I had the privilege of joining the Kurt and Kate Morning Show on Moody Radio in Florida. The purpose of the visit was to discuss a recent devotion I posted by J.R. Miller on Self-Denial. In our culture, it seems contradictory to say that self-denial could be a good thing because, according to … Continue reading Christian Self-Denial
The sin of pride is one of the most destructive things in our lives. For the non-believer, since they do not honor God and trust in Christ for their salvation, their entire life is controlled by it. However, for the Christian, even though we look to Jesus, pride can still hold sway. It lures us … Continue reading The Mighty Hand of God
What is God doing when he tests our faith? Why is it necessary that our faith be tested? What are some of the ways he tests our faith? How are we to respond in times of testing? I recently had the privilege of preaching a sermon called, The Test of Your Faith at Bethel Grace … Continue reading The Test of Your Faith
If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. - Luke 9:23-24 This law of the dying of self, and the magnifying of Christ is … Continue reading Self-Denial Leads to Happiness
The Fight of Faith 