"Follow your heart" is one of those feelgood themes that shows up practically everywhere—movies, books, music, and memes. Similar advice, such as "trust yourself" and "chase your heart" often go hand-in-hand with the guarantee that "your heart will never lead you astray." But you know what? That's not the advice the Bible gives. The human heart is

Deciding on college related things is the first of many major choices most of us make as we grow past our teenage years. Which school you attend, if you go at all, how long you will wait before deciding, and what you do in those years after high school will all have a tremendous impact on what sort of person you become and what direction you go in

We've all been there. Somebody says something that we disagree with, and we jump to defend ourselves. Or maybe somebody doesn’t send a text back, and we automatically think, “Oh no, they're mad at me, but I didn't do anything!” Learning how to not take offense at little things is a difficult task, but with God's help, we can manage it. Our minds ar

All Christians struggle to control their sinful impulses at times, and it's definitely nobody's favorite. We want to do the right thing, but sometimes the lure of sin is so strong (James 1:14).Even the apostle Paul struggled with this issue! Romans 7:14-25 says, "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do

While I'm sure the internal struggle with body image and comparison has always been present, there may never have been a time in human history where body image has been such a complicated topic. The rise of social media has allowed for an endless flood of images of others’ bodies, often carefully curated, filtered, and edited. The “right” bodies ar

When life is seemingly spinning out of control, when terrible tragedies are imposed upon our friends and families, when one person's careless decision affects us in horrible ways, it's really difficult to reconcile how a loving God would have participation in such pain. To say that "God made this happen" is too hurtful to even conceive because woul

In the still and quiet, you hear a voice. No, it's not Jiminy Cricket. It could be your own voice, talking to yourself. Or is it Satan tempting you with desires? Or is God calling, waiting for you to pick up the phone? There are three possibilities, but who does that voice belong to? How do we "take every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) when

The Latin word soli means "alone" and Deo gloria means "the glory of God." So soli Deo gloria means "to the glory of God alone."Soli Deo gloria is part of a group of theological terms called The Five Solas. These are Latin phrases that became the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s.The Five Solas:Sola scriptura: "Scripture

“Jesus saves” is one of those Christianese terms that many of us have heard. While it’s a phrase that’s repeated in Christian culture, some may not truly understand what it means. But understanding how and why "Jesus saves" is probably THE most vital thing to understand in one's life! Let’s break "Jesus saves" down with some core questions...What d

Good Friday or "Holy Friday," depending on your traditions, is the Friday right before Easter Sunday. Good Friday is not so much a celebration as it is a remembrance. It's a time for Christians to remember the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. The Bible doesn't command us to set aside a certain day to remember Christ's sacrifice

In the moment, discipline stinks. I'm just putting it out there. But you know what one thing I've learned with every year older that I get? When my mom warns me against doing something, she is always right. Always! Sometimes her always-right-ness drives me crazy, but it also leads me to trust her when she tries to warn me before I make a terrible m

People think of a lot of different things about the concept of forgiveness. To some, forgiveness is desired and freely given. To others, forgiveness should only be granted under certain circumstances. For yet others, forgiveness is an invitation for continued harm and should never be given—ever. When we talk about biblical forgiveness, it's the act

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” —Philippians 4:13The Apostle Paul said these words to the believers in Philippi to explain something about his faith in Christ. Unfortunately, his statement that "I can do all things through him" (that is, Jesus Christ) is often terribly misunderstood. Many like to pluck this verse out of contex

The Bible records various amazing ways that people heard from God in the past, including dreams, prophets, and an audible voice spoken directly to them. We might be tempted to wish we lived during the Bible times so we could have access to these incredible means of hearing God speak. However, God has given us a great gift for us to hear from Him to

If pride is all about feeding the self's ego most of all, then humility is about feeding the self's ego least of all. To be humble, we cannot think about ourselves all the time. As C. S. Lewis rightly points out, being humble means we think of ourselves LESS. Not LESSER, but LESS. A humble person doesn't require praise from others, rather they're f

First off, lots of kids and even adults struggle with being shy. You're not some kind of social misfit for feeling this way. ☺ If you're in an unfamiliar or scary situation with people you don't know well, it's not totally uncommon to want to shrink back in fear or disappear into your own little corner. But 2 Timothy 1:7 says that "God gave u

First things first, we want to assure you that if you have at one time accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, then YES, you are saved (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." If you have believed, yo

As with most questions that go along the lines of "Is _______ a sin?", unless it's morally obvious, we have to ask ourselves mostly about our motivations behind doing the thing in question. And seeing's how the Bible never says, "Thou shalt not be a Whovian," we've got to turn to biblical principles rather than one specific "do or do not" passage.

Music can be a unique and powerful way to process our emotions—or just to have fun. There's a good chance that some of your favorite memories are tied to the song that was playing at the time. From the radio in the car to the loudspeakers in a grocery store to the Spotify playlists we share with our friends, music follows us wherever we go.But what

"C'mon, it's just one beer." "Seriously, your parents will never find out about one joint." "Why don't you cuss like everyone else?" "Are you a prude or something?"Peer pressure. We've all been there. It's hard to deal with because if we give in, we feel awful for not standing our ground. If we don't give in, we end up getting teased or have to dea