How Do We Replace the Works of the Flesh with Other Things?Christian teaching includes both the positive and negative, as mentioned earlier. Hence, it isn’t only denying sin; self-control is also of the Spirit, but we should also participate in the Kingdom and seek righteousness. The apostle Paul’s writings explain how believers should replace thes

Many times, we misunderstand favor in our society. God’s favor is not all about blessing, good breaks and open doors in order to increase personal or social status. Rather the purpose of divine favor is to allow us to accomplish what God needs done in our lives.- Joseph found favor with Potiphar, found favor in prison, and found favor with Pharoah…

1. Pray and Provide for Them This may come as a shock, but our pastors need encouragement and support as much as anyone in the church. Yes, God offers guidance and strength to our leaders and elders, but we have to stop thinking that our pastors are somehow set apart from and set above the body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 10:17). They a

11. AtaraCheck out this super cool name meaning “crown.” This name will be a showstopper for any newborn. She was a wife and mother in the Bible.1 Chronicles 2:26 says, “And Jerameel married another wife, named Atara, who was the mother of Onam."12. SeraiahThis Hebrew name means “Yahweh is ruler.” It is hard not to love this name with such a strong

1. We Forget the Purpose of Our Quiet Times In seminary I had the opportunity to take a class with Donald Whitney. Dr. Whitney literally wrote the book on spiritual disciplines. Many things stuck out to me from that class. One particular lesson involved fasting.Towards the beginning of our semester, Dr. Whitney assigned us a day of fasting. No expl

Finally, Elijah did the same, preparing the firewood and the sacrifice, but taking the extra measure to drench both the ox and the firewood with four buckets with water. Then Elijah called out his prayer of petition: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have don

Both hold the idea of survival of the fittest. Nietzsche saw the goal of mankind as becoming stronger by embracing the ideas of nihilism. He called this strong man the Ubermensch, which means “over-man.” He says that humanity is not the end of creation, but only that we should continue to strive to improve the species and become stronger spirituall

How to Celebrate Advent with a WreathObtain an Advent Wreath: You can purchase a ready-made Advent wreath or create one using an evergreen wreath, candles (usually three purple and one pink), and a white Christ candle.Place the Wreath: Find a central location, such as a dining table or a prominent spot in your home, to display the Advent wreath.Lig

The Law contains God’s commandments and instructions. Jesus perfectly embodied its moral and ethical teachings, sacrificial system, and ceremonial requirements. He became the substance of all symbols within and the righteousness no one could attain. By offering himself as the perfect sacrifice, he satisfied the Law’s requirements and more for full

Christians point to many verses in the Old Testament they believe affirm that Jesus is the Messiah, come to save first and then to return later to rule and reign. While practitioners of Judaism and Christianity today would not agree on certain passages Christians believe are prophetic, there are some upon which both groups agree.At the time of Jesu

The father goes in for a celebratory hug with his older son, but is met with coldness. He cannot rejoice. He’s offended. That hug, that return of the brother is costly. Think about this for just a moment. What does accepting the brother back mean? What does it mean for him to now be treated as a son instead of a servant? An inheritance would have b

Are we to assume that in the two earlier proverbs, he literally meant that discipline comes from taking a rod to some part of a child’s body? Can discipline take other forms?As Dr. Barrier said above, discipline could have many purposes and, therefore, could take many forms–they don’t have to be things that physically hurt the child. God treasures

Who Were These Magi? And Were There Only Three? The word “magi” refers to a group of men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science. They came from the East, probably Arabia. They were well-respected (as seen by Herod’s reception and trust in them) and were likely advisors to their own king. They had studied the prophecies and God ha

What Does the Bible Say about the Gospel? By observing how the Bible speaks of the gospel, we learn that it is all about Jesus. Consider these references.The gospel of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23; Luke 16:16)The gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)The gospel of God (Mark 1:14)The gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24)The gospel of God’s Son (Rom

1. On Never Giving Up Oh, God,My heart is breaking as I grieve my loved one who has left your way. But I know I can trust in the words of my Lord and Savior, your son Jesus Christ, who assured us that “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).I am placing my hope in you, Lord, for I know you are the only one who can truly do anything abou

2. It’s Likely HappeningLooking at the statistics from earlier, it’s likely that 1/3 of your congregation has either faced this, is presently facing it, or is going to face it. Let’s say for a moment that statistics in the church are better. (Though, sadly, the statistics don’t actually seem to prove that). Let’s lower it to 20% instead of 33%. If

Asking the Wrong Question“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’" (John 9:1-2).Notice the type of relationship the disciples had with Jesus: if they were confused about something they simply asked Him about it. And one

King Ahaziah, son of Ahab, would die from an unceremonious injury, seeking counsel from a pagan god instead of the God of Israel.King Ahaziah of Judah would die at the hands of Jehu, whom God had commissioned to rid Israel and Judah of the evils of the house of Ahab.What Can We Learn from Ahaziah Today?When it comes to the two kings named Ahaziah,

Why Does Paul Say Eyes Did Not See What Jesus Was Doing?Throughout Jesus’s ministry, He repeats wording to the effect that those who have ears, let them hear (Matthew 11:15). And throughout Scripture, it is a common sentiment to pray that God would open our spiritual eyes to see Him and to see His work (2 Kings 6:17, Psalm 119:18, Isaiah 32:3, Matt

When you connect this to “thy will be done,” it forces us to check our motives. If you are going to be honest, we have all prayed prayers that were motivated by our own desires. I know I have on many occasions. Thankfully, God did not answer those prayers.Let’s be practical for a moment. As a parent, if your child asks for something that you know w