1. A Christian Dad Is Present for His ChildrenGod is the source of all life, and Psalm 139 reminds us He fashions each person in the womb. He is also present for His children. God never left His people alone (Exodus 29:45-46). He took care of them in the wilderness and provided instruction and motivation through His Word and the prophets — for thos

Why is this important? Only that which is in Christ will remain. They must be hidden within him to escape the coming and inevitable destruction. Being within Christ means a believer’s life sits at God’s right hand (Colossians 3:3).This transforms our perspective. First, Christians enjoy complete oneness with the Trinity. Second, believers are given

Before his crucifixion, Jesus promised his believers, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).That’s exactly what hap

What Do People Mean When They Say "Let Go and Let God"?This familiar expression may accompany a sigh of relief when life spins out of control. Our efforts to manage too many balls in the air or a particularly difficult situation are surrendered to God. He has a plan for our lives, as it says in Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,

1. Advent Wreath Creating a family Advent wreath can be a great place for your family to start embracing Advent. You’ll need four candles — most people have three one color and a fourth pink — and a green wreath or something similar to symbolize life and hope. Arrange the candles in a circle with candlesticks. The pink candle represents joy. Each w

1. Sizes and Schedules of a Study Group A Bible study can take shape as a small group in your home: 4-10 people for example, which is relatively intimate. You might simply meet with one or two friends at home, in a coffee shop, or even in the park at a bench. You could be the leader of a larger study advertised by and hosted at the church building

1. God Is Infinite – He is Self-Existing, Without Origin "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” – Psalm 147:5The fact that God is self-existent -- that he was created by nothing and has always existed forever -- is perhaps o

1. Psalm 119 is an Acrostic.Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem, a structure in which each of its 22 stanzas begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Every verse or line within a stanza also begins with the same letter. The stanzas go in order, what we would call alphabetically. For example, an English acrostic poem would have the first stanza as A,

1. Laugh with Your Happy FriendsHappiness is not the purpose for which God placed us on earth, but he fills believers with joy. As Jon Bloom puts it, “hope in the glory of God’s grace, received by faith, fills us with deep joy in the Spirit.” While joy is more than happiness, we can feel happy in the midst of suffering when we remember who we belon

This is a profound reality for those who struggle with fear that the enemy in their lives is too big to defeat, that they are too sinful to be saved or too overwhelmed by shame to ask the Lord for help. Satan tries to overwhelm us with temptations, with shame, and with sins committed against us. We are too weak to defend ourselves and, without Chri

Like Joseph, Jesus was also rejected by His own people. In the beginning of John’s Gospel we read, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). The Jews weren’t interested in a Messiah who came to save them from their sin; they were looking for a Messiah who would grant them immediate deliverance from their Roma

However, the verse also highlights human failure to honor this trust. The people defiled the land and made God’s inheritance detestable through their actions. The defilement began with idolatry, worshipping other gods than Yahweh, which led to oppression, violence, and sexual sin. As God created the planet, rebellion against him spiritually effects

What Can INRI’s Meaning Teach Us Today?There are at least three things we can learn from the title King of the Jews:1. Jesus was God’s plan for salvation from the beginning. In John 1:1-5, John tells us that Jesus was with God in the beginning and that He was God. God was already our King, but He chose Jesus, holy and without blame, as the means of

Biblical courage is fueled by sincere faith in God. It’s walking by faith, not by sight. In “Let Your Heart Take Courage,” John Bloom wrote, “Courage is always an act of faith, because the courageous person acts on what he believes despite the threat.” God has not given us a spirit of fear, a timid response to the enemy’s attacks. He calls us to be

How Did Worship Change after the Reformation?One of the most radical ways that worship changed was in the language. In the Roman Catholic Church, up until Vatican II between 1962-1965, worship was done in Latin. Mass, music, and the liturgy were all conducted in Latin.One of the key points Luther made was the importance of all people being able to

God accomplished and finished all of this through his Son so we could believe and have eternal life (John 3:16). Because of his love and power, we have such a living hope. What Is Our Living Hope and Inheritance?Now we have hope, a confidence in the future based not on our ability or power but God’s. We live in this hope — active, enduring, and anc

The occult has featured the upside-down cross, especially in satanic rituals and black magic or witchcraft. Satanists and occultists sometimes include it during rituals or services to express loyalty to Satan or earthly spiritual powers counter to Christ and God. Not all Satanists use the symbol, as some today claim more atheism and self-reliance t

Fallen Angels Know Their Destiny, and Who Controls It“When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? H

They’re able to teach what they’ve learned. Children who learn God’s Word become truth bearers through the testimony of their words, actions, and decisions. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).They grow spiritually. Layer by layer, truth forms a foundation upon which more can be added. “Whoever has

“Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?If I go up to the heavens, you are there;if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.If I rise on the wings of the dawn,if I settle on the far side of the sea,even there your hand will guide me,your right hand will hold me fast.If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide meand the