All posts tagged: God

6 Questions that defy all Odds

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The following questions from Romans chapter 8 are so compelling. They serve as a strong defense for the unbending and unchanging love of God for us. They are compelling questions that will help you to believe God and trust HIM no matter what. Here they are: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen – since it is God who justifies? Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Logical Conclusion: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, …

A Little Alcohol Is Too Much

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The Christian who advocates or condones “drinking in moderation” is providing Satan an opening he would not have with an individual committed to total abstinence. By medical definition, alcohol is a drug. The moderate drinker is naive if he does not recognize the peril of eventually becoming addicted himself. The condition of the drunkard is tragic; and God’s Word gives clear warning of the final tragedy. The individual who refuses to have anything to do with such a dangerous taskmaster is wise indeed. No alcoholic ever intended to become an alcoholic when he/she took the first drink. And no individual who persistently refused to take the first drink ever became an alcoholic. The church of Jesus Christ must take a bold stand against this evil that in the end “bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:32, NKJV). The effects of alcohol are vividly described in Proverbs 23. There is a physical and emotional impact. “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? …

Holy Spirit Fall

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Sometimes I wonder why Acts of the Apostles is actually called – Acts of the Apostles. From my understanding of the entire book, there is just one person fueling, empowering and anointing these apostles to work miracles, signs and wonders – the Holy Spirit. So, why is the book not called – The Acts of the Holy Spirit? What I mean to say is: If we are to wait for, seek the power the Spirit, that should tell us that we can do nothing without him… Acts 1:8 – you shall receive power… If we are to walk by the Spirit to be victorious over the flesh, that should cause us to rely on him more… Gal. 5:16-18 – live by the Spirit… If the only way we can belong to Christ or be a part of Him is through His Spirit, that should speak volumes of how desperately we need him… Rom. 8:9 – we don’t belong to him… If apart from Him we can do nothing – that we should do everything in our power …

Fear is not real – It’s a choice…

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2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and sound-mind. The only thing we have to fear is fear it’self – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. FDR – First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933 What are fears but voices airy? Whispering harm where harm is not. And deluding the unwary Till the fatal bolt is shot! Wordsworth Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake. Edgar Wallace – The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1916) All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears–of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words “Some Assembly Required. Dave Barry Am I afraid of high notes? Of course I am afraid. What sane man is not? Luciano Pavarotti Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. German Proverb I was particularly struck by Will Smith’s …

7 Dimensions that make for Effective Praying

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Prayer – what is prayer? I love the definition in “My Orthodox Prayer Book.” Prayer is doxology, praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. “When I prayed I was new,” wrote a great theologian of Christian antiquity, “but when I stopped praying I became old.” Prayer is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God’s kingdom. In short, prayer is not just asking and receiving from God it is life with God, intricate, deep, living, a thing not only to enjoy – but also understood. There are all kinds of prayer in the Bible, but for our purpose today I would like to leave you with 7 of them from the book of James …

Merry Christmas

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Wishing you the 5 words of Christmas So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love… 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV Behold… I bring you good tidings of great joy. Luke 2:10 Glory to God in the highest and on earth, Peace. Luke 2:14 May Faith come alive in you this Christmas because it makes all things possible May Hope shine through for you this Christmas because it makes all things work May Love burst forth in you this Christmas because it makes all things beautiful May Joy abound for you this Christmas because it makes you strong in the Lord. May Peace abide with you this Christmas because it surpasses all understanding and guides the heart and mind. Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Savior is Foretold

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Christmas has always been about God fulfilling his promises to his people. Just like it was two thousand years ago so it is again this year. There are four promises according to this passage that God wants to release upon us this christmas. Jeremiah 33:14-16 Parallel Translation: The Promise of Justice The Promise of Righteousness The Promise of Salvation The Promise of Well-being he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely… God always keeps his promises, and as he did in time past to direct the future (Jeremiah 33:1-5), heal the land (Jeremiah 33:6-13), and fulfill the Davidic covenant (Jeremiah 33:14-26), so will he fulfill all his promises toward you at christmas. May this message create in you an expectation for great things this Christmas.

Don’t let it get to your head!

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Mark 1:4-8 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” When your birth was foretold by angels, your first encounter with Jesus came while you were still in your mama’s womb, and your dad’s mouth was locked for many months so that he could not speak until you were born, that can call for some real arrogance and self importance if you let it het to your head. Today many fall prey to the spirit of pride because they allow …

How to rise above Discouragement

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Luke 7:11-17 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. This story is one of the saddest in the gospels. It describes the life of a single mother who had just lost her only …

Making Sense of Sandy

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My Intro: In the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastating blow to many families and cities across America, one question that stands out and demands an answer is – where is God in this mess? In my search to make sense of the disaster, I’ve come across some very great articles. Allow me to share with you one or two. Below is an excerpt of each article and a link for further reading: What Jesus might say about Sandy By Mark Galli As usual, great weather events bring out the Christian crazies, like those proclaiming that Hurricane Sandy is God’s judgment (“God sent the whirlwind. Thank God for righteous judgment,” said one) against (pick one) homosexuals, pornography, materialism, secularism, Darwinism, and so on and so forth. But I’m not linking to these statements because, well, you’ve got better things to do with your time than read sub-Christian, one might even say non-Christian, theology. Granted when storms do appear in the Old Testament, they are often seen as God’s act of judgment, to prod repentance. The classic …