How Can I Be Confident I’m Asking for God’s Will?People are selfish and sinful, and even after someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and receives the Holy Spirit, they may continue to struggle with understanding God’s will. The Bible reveals God’s general will for mankind about salvation, morality, purpose, and more, but God will re

To be a Christian was to accept almost inevitable suffering: so why take that risk if not for the promise of eternal joy with the risen Christ? They were, after all, aligning themselves with a way of life that spoke against the popular beliefs of their time and place. They chose Christ over socially acceptable, earthly distractions. They even oppos

1. A Prayer for Refuge and an Open Womb, Inspired by Hannah’s StoryHannah’s Story: 1 Samuel 1:2-3Hannah longed for a child. Month after month, she carried the weight of more disappointment. To make matters worse, her husband’s second wife, Peninnah, taunted Hannah mercilessly for being childless. Each time the family embarked upon their annual wors

When we have faith, we say that we have considered the facts about Christ. Arthur W. Lindsley writes “many believers today are not aware that the most brilliant minds of all history have been believers. Thinkers such as Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Edwards, and Lewis have given answers to the classic objections.” We have chosen to know him and want

So potentially, there were oxen, cows, sheep, donkeys, and camels.2. The Manger Was a Feeding TroughJesus was placed in the manger. A manger is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “a trough or open box in a stable designed to hold feed or fodder for livestock.” It is a strange thought that God was born and wrapped in clothes to be placed in a feedin

That Which Divides Us “You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings? (1 Corinthians 3:3-4).It has been reported that there exists anywhere between 30,000 and up

What Important Wisdom Did Jethro Share with Moses? In Exodus 18, Jethro sees how Moses was overwhelmed with his leadership of what the Bible says may have been a million people (Exodus 12:37). Moses singlehandedly handled all the disputes across the whole Israelite community. Moses would sit from morning to night as people waited in long lines to h

1. The Power of SilenceThe men who tended cattle in Gerar took issue with Isaac’s cattle herders as they tried to dig a well. They claimed that the water was theirs (Genesis 26:20), so Isaac’s men moved along to another spot and dug once more.But here again, the locals argued with them (v.21). Isaac “moved from there and dug another well, and they

And God knew it. In His infinite mercy God took away access to the Tree of Life so we would not have to live forever in an eternal state experiencing the consequences of sin – a life full of constant sorrow, toil, pain and suffering, of a fallen, broken body and a fallen, broken natural world. If He had left Adam and Eve with access to the Tree of

“Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous’” (Genesis 18:20).The motivation behind the destruction of Sodom was their sin. When you read the passage in Genesis, Abraham pleaded with God for Sodom. He asked God to spare the city if there were righteous people in it. Abraham started at fifty and

In this way devotionals can actually foster contempt for Scripture. Why spend half an hour wrestling with Scripture when you can read a simple three-minute devotional of an easy-to-understand, predigested message? This can seem like a win-win. A person doesn’t have to sacrifice any time out of their chaotic schedule, and they can feel like they tip

Advent Quotes from Christians of the Past"Man is lost but not abandoned. Had men not been lost, no Savior would have been required. Had they been abandoned no Savior would have come.” ― A. W. Tozer, Finding Christ in Christmas: An Advent Devotional from the Writings of A. W. Tozer“Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he

If the person still refuses to listen or change after your second meeting with them, then Jesus instructs you to share your concerns with the congregation and have the church address this issue. “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church” (Matthew 18:17a). If all else fails, Jesus then says that we are to leave this person to their own

1. Adam and EveWe should start at the beginning. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect paradise of Eden, surrounded by everything they could ever need. God had given them dominion over all creation, and they enjoyed intimate fellowship with him. Despite the abundance of blessings, they allowed the serpent to tempt them with the one thing God had forbid

Even in the account of Numbers 13, we see that attitude of the Hebrew spies was contagious.“There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night” (Numbers 13:33-34

Could the pastor do these things? They could, but when deacons take on these responsibilities, they lighten the load off the pastor’s shoulders. This allows them to focus on other aspects of ministry, like shepherding, preaching, and guiding the church in spiritual growth. Deacons are essential partners in ministry that help make the complete minis

1. The Songs of Moses and MiriamExodus 15:1-21 The greatest act of God’s saving power in the Old Testament is when He brought the Israelites out of Egypt and freed them from slavery. Prefiguring the salvation we have in Jesus, this event encompasses not only the Passover but also the parting of the Red Sea. When everything seemed hopeless and the I

He desires for us that we live with total generosity (Luke 6:38). Generosity almost always requires a level of discomfort. Maybe that’s financial discomfort to give faithfully to your church and community when needs arise. It could be physical discomfort as you give of your time or effort to love others who are in need.God calls us away from fear (

Advent Week 3: Pink Candle Means JoyThe third Sunday differs from the first two in that the candle is rose or pink and represents joy. It is also referred to as the Shepherd’s Candle, as we are encouraged to rejoice like the shepherds did on that first Christmas. On this day, some churches will be reading from Isaiah 12:2-6: “Surely God is my salva

Despite Peninnah’s treatment, Hannah kept the faith and petitioned God at the temple to bless her with a child, which she promised to return to Him in service. God answered her and blessed her with a healthy son, Samuel, and many other children afterward. This renewed not only Hannah’s faith, but also those of us who read her story today. We learn