1. Lose Your Insecurities Psalm 139:14 says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” – and that means you are uniquely designed, as well, to serve God and bring Him glory. So, when it comes to something in your past or something you struggle with in your present, consider that what you think might disqualify you from ministry might be the very thing

1. Preaching is Word-Centered (in a world that is people-centered).Preaching doesn’t ask first, “what works?” nor does it ask “what is personally satisfying?” Rather, preaching asks, most fundamentally, what does God have to say in his Word? Thus, preaching is a decisive challenge to the postmodern world because it takes the attention off of us and

In another sense, we might argue that Jesus’s kingdom dawns with the onset of his public ministry. His baptism at the hands of John the Baptist declares him to be the Son whom God loves (primarily denoting the Davidic king) and the Suffering Servant. Immediately after his temptation, he begins to preach in Galilee, in fulfillment of the prophecy of

What was Jonah's commission? "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it" (Jonah 1:2 KJV). It consisted of three main words. He was told to "arise." He was told to "go." He was told to "cry." This is precisely what we have been told to do in the Great Commission. We are to arise from wherever we happen to be seated. We are to go into

The Greatest Diversity Movement in the History of the World Jesus created each of us uniquely. Jesus is leading the greatest diversity movement in the history of the world, His Church. This is why Jesus’ prayer and desire for us as His Church is to live in unity and oneness. People need each other.Jesus believes the only way people will believe God

14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart… 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lus

Contrary to what we might expect, Jonah was the most effective prophet in the Bible. He ran from God, and sailors were converted. He went reluctantly to Nineveh with a five-word sermon (in Hebrew), and an evil city repented. He bitterly pouted over a withered vine, and the compassion of God was revealed in a prophetic book to a chosen but apostate

1. Recognize that God created you for a personal relationship.By design, the way you hear best from God is in the context of a friendship with Him. God intends for you to figure out His will freely and intelligently as you engage in regular conversations with Him. God’s will is to be personally present with you and speaking with you moment by momen

His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;    under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. (10:7)In the summer of 2012, northeastern Oklahoma was a tinderbox after weeks of drought and triple digit temperatures. On August 2 a devastating wildfire in Creek County burned 58,500 acres, destroyed 376 homes, and left hundreds of people h

1. Try to be the biggest servant in the house. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. JN 15:12And how did Jesus love us? By giving himself up for us (Eph 5:25). He came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45). Jesus didn’t ask “What am I getting out of this?” but concerned him

“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not . . .” (Jude 9,10a).So, while these defiled creatures are our adversaries, they possess metaphysical powers that a

5. The Psalms and Proverbs highlight the needs of the poorThroughout the book of Psalms and Proverbs — Israel’s book of worship and book of wisdom, respectively — we see that the God-fearing and wise choose to care for the impoverished and marginalized. We’re told that “the needy shall not always be forgotten; the hope of the poor shall never peris

A friend once said to me, “Mark, when I get back from my business trip this week, can you ask me if I watched TV in the hotel room? When I’m alone on trips I can be tempted to watch bad stuff. Knowing you are going to ask me will help me fight temptation.”7. Remember God’s faithfulness.“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond you

3. Delight in God’s helpWhen you hear that God commands you to delight in Him you may be tempted to think, I’d better pull myself up by my religious bootstraps and figure out how to enjoy God. But God does not want you to delight in Him out of duty. Rather, whatever God commands Christians to do, He always provides not only the ability, but also gi

Various manifestations of the brightness of the glory of God were constant reminders that the Holy One was in the midst of his people (Exodus 13:21 ; Exodus 15:11 ; Exodus 40:34). More than simply a show of searing brilliance, however, the God of Israel appears in ways that indicate his desire to communicate his very nature to his own.The One who i

1. "Use me to glorify you."One of the Lord’s greatest desires is to use us to glorify him. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to do or where he is directing us.  Simply ask him and he will answer. It could be something as big as starting a non-profit for a specific cause or something small, but just as powerful, like buying a homeless person a m

Does God love me when I have nothing to give? When we find ourselves questioning this, we should meditate on the thought that God loves us because of who He is, not because of what we can offer. To help you with that, read 1 John 4:19, which says, “We love because He first loved us.” God is the Creator and the starting point. He loved us when we we

ESV Study Bible, Personal Size (TruTone, Turquoise, Emblem Design)Grow with the Word of God with this beautiful ESV Study Bible.According to its description on Amazon, Over 1 Million Copies Sold & Winner of the ECPA Book of the Year AwardThe ESV Study Bible was designed to help you understand the Bible in a deeper way.The ESV Study Bible, Personal

“I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7)“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)“If you love me you will obey what I command” (John 14:15)“Your give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37)“A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit” (Matthew 7:18)“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8

The sin debt of any believer is heavy, but every bad offense we have ever committed has been covered over by the grace of Jesus Christ. We still sin, but Jesus doesn’t get back on the Cross. His death was sufficient for all our sins. There is “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ Jesus.Please don’t misunderstand, you may feel sorry for your