How Can This Rescue Your Prayer Life?Sometimes we hesitate to pray, because of unbelief. We're not sure God really cares about our needs. But this is to forget that we're praying to our Father, who already knows our needs and invites us to come to him as little children.At other times, we wrongly think we've got to manufacture certain feelings or e

How Do You Tie It Together?In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us the formula: do it in secret.When you give – do it in secret.When you pray – do it in secret.When you fast – do it in secret.Doing it in secret doesn’t mean no one will ever see what you do. It means that when you do it there are only one set of eyes that matter the most – those of your heavenl

The Lord Was with Israel in Battle As the armies lined up to do battle, the men of Israel, under the command of a freshly appointed general, named Joshua, could have looked up to a nearby peak and seen three figures – Moses, Aaron, and Hur - standing there overlooking the battle. When the first battle cry sounded and the foes engaged, none of the c

1. A Prayer to Let God’s Love Lead You“If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 NIV Father, I am completely in awe of the way You connect Your word and my prayers ev

It is likely that the writer of Hebrews is addressing Jewish Christians who are either being persecuted or who are very acquainted with persecution. In Hebrews 13:3, the writer instructs his audience to, “Remember the prisoners and those who are ill-treated”, and it is inferred that the incarcerations and ill-treatments are brought about because of

Perhaps you’ve found peace and contentment in spite of the global sense of dread brought on by the pandemic. Are your arms open and your face lifted up?“LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’ But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” (Psalm

Why Did the Magi Travel to Bethlehem? “We three kings of orient areBearing gifts, we traverse afarField and fountain, moor and mountainFollowing yonder star”(from the Carol “We Three Kings")The Magi were a class of scholars in Persia who were especially interested in astronomy and alchemy, a science related to chemistry. One of their influences was

Practical Advice for Guarding Your HeartTo guard your heart is to keep it in check, to make healthy (right) decisions for it. For our physical hearts, we eat right, exercise, and get regular checkups at the doctor. Our spiritual hearts need even more care and protection. Practicing righteousness (ie. applying the breastplate) does not just require

6. Identify where you might be misplacing your hope.We’re also really great idolaters, and by idolatry, I don’t mean that we erect golden calves or tall pillars and shrines. Most of us don’t engage in that kind of idolatry. Most of us are just really good at subtlely shifting our hope from the only source of hope, the Lord God, to anything and ever

1. Prolonged Welcome TimeNumber one on the list of scare-away-the-introverts is a long hand-shaking time during the church service. Most introverts don’t mind shaking hands for a little while. But introverts don’t usually enjoy a lot of small talk. And after greeting people nearby, long welcome times leave the introvert standing awkwardly, feeling

1. Courtship is important. This book is made up of different sections which show the progression of the relationship between King Solomon and his beloved, and it starts with a courtship. This is a phase where one “puts their best foot forward.” Lovers’ words are sweet and full of compliments to one another. Clearly, the characters in Song of Solomo

3. People like the freedom to watch services on their own schedule. Another already common practice in the United States, even before this pandemic, was the practice of many to participate in other activities and functions on the weekends instead of making the commitment to regularly attend church services.Although other activities are limited now

1. Hypocrisy: More Contagious and Dangerous Than Any Virus“Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy’” (Luke 12:1 NLT).The Pharisees were the religious leaders of that day. They “wanted to trap him [Jesus] into saying something they could use against him” (Luke 11:53-54). These rulers

When Did Jeremiah Live? It’s important to know the context of Jeremiah’s time in order to understand his life. Part of this requires a partial overview of the history of the Israelites in the Promised Land.King Solomon ruled over the Israelites, God’s people, in the tenth century B.C. However, the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam led to a schism

1. Before a Marriage Relationship Begins“For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31 NAS).God established marriage between a man and a woman. And He established the home before He established the church. The basis of any great nation is its Christian homes

What Does the Bible Say about Marriage? As was stated earlier, God was the one to establish the covenant known as marriage, determining in the Garden of Eden that it was not good that “man should be alone” and that God would “make a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18). The Lord even went further to say that in marriage, the man and woman should l

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”Those who are led by the Spirit of God are his children, by adoption. This has, in Paul’s mi

1. Abraham - Waiting for a Promise to Be Fulfilled“Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised” (Hebrews 6:15).Abraham was promised an heir through his wife Sarah despite her old age. This period of waiting lasted 25 years. Sarah did eventually give birth to Isaac “and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised” (Genesis 21:1

Is Your Motivation Christ-Centered?What makes someone feel lovely will differ from person to person as we all experience beauty differently. One person may feel like death without make-up while another may feel alive and brave. Each person needs to assess for themselves what makes them feel lovely and seek to understand why, asking themselves if th

1. Church membership is not a club Let’s begin by describing what I do not mean when I speak of covenant membership in the local church. Our aim is to avoid thinking of the local church in “religious” terms, such that “membership” is the card you carry that entitles you to show up when you please, consume only what you desire, and live however you