Keys to Self-Control
The secret to self-control is to make decisions against your ego, flesh and second bests in life. Establish goals. An absence of goals is an absence of faith. Establish boundaries…
The secret to self-control is to make decisions against your ego, flesh and second bests in life. Establish goals. An absence of goals is an absence of faith. Establish boundaries…
Feelings of spiritual inadequacy can make us fearful of God, but not in the healthy way. This series explores how knowing the loving, gracious God of Scripture can overcome our…
Malcolm Gladwell on His Personal Faith Journey, the Intersection of Church and Politics, and How He Fuels His Curiosity. www.careynieuwhof.com.
Dear Roger, I was just reading Romans 12:1-2, where Paul says that total devotion to Jesus Christ is our spiritual worship. I sensed that Paul was talking about a level…
Time is measured in MINUTES, but life is measured in MOMENTS. You don’t FIND TIME, you have to MAKE TIME. How? For starters, curse the barren fig trees. These are…
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they that build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1 KJV “Unless the Lord builds” is a conditional clause. If God doesn’t lay the foundation,…
What plan do you have for your spiritual life? Where do you want to go spiritually? And how are you going to get there? My hunch is that most of…
To call someone a fool is serious business. Jesus warned against it in the Sermon on the Mount: “Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew…
At the age of thirteen, I deceitfully hid her desert saga inside my textbook during class, trying to steal any precious reading time I could find. I was tempted to…
Paul writes that we should refrain from quenching the Holy Spirit as He works to make us look more like Jesus. Preached at the Village Church.
Introduction Certain things hopefully come with age as we grow and mature: more understanding, more wisdom, more responsibility and more expectations. Parents recognize this as they approach their children in…
Our thoughts are important. Our minds are a factory of thoughts, some intentional, some not intentional. We strategize, reflect, and ruminate. And sometimes we experience intrusive thoughts, those thoughts that…
Life, like gardening, is dynamic. If it’s not pests, then it’s weather. If it’s not weather, then it’s critters. If it’s not critters, then it’s poor soil. If it’s not…
DISCIPLINE GOD’S WAY PROVERBS 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the…
As a celebration for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary my husband, Gary and I saved, sacrificed, and trained to carry backpacks across Italy on a Eurail Pass. Now, that Gary has…
This morning, I’m reflecting on the fact that I’m going to die soon. I don’t know how soon. I don’t know whether I’ll live to be 90 or just have…
If you feel disconnected, hopeless, or you just know something is missing—it’s not the end of your story. It’s an opportunity to reconnect. To find hope. And to rediscover what…
Years ago, on the advice of an older and wiser Christian, I began trying to pray through the Psalms once every month. Don’t be too impressed—I seldom make it through…
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes…
The world clamors for efficiency and productivity. But the life of prayer is neither efficient nor productive. Instead, as we learn in the psalms, prayer calls us to wait, to…
The Bismark was the pride and terror of the German Navy in WWII. It could outrun and outgun anything in the English Navy. But when being pursued by the British on…
In the Bible, Jesus tells us a story about two men who built their houses on two very different foundations. While one was built upon the sand with little difficulty,…
All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37 We all know that community is important for mental health, but…
Christianity is a faith of relationships. This means that we were created to be with one another. From the beginning of creation when God saw that the first man, Adam,…
Max Lucado teaches that God never gave us leftovers. He gave us His best! “Suppose I were to drop by your house holding a foil-covered saucer. “Hello, friend,” I say.…
I’ve decided that my life verse is Jeremiah 29:11-13. I’m usually not one to post about the new year. However, the lessons I’ve learned from studying these verses were ones…
I’ve decided that my verse for the new year is Jeremiah 29:11-13. I’m usually not one to post about the new year. However, the lessons I’ve learned from studying these…
Our emotional lives are driven by what we think. There is plenty of scripture instructing us how to think –taking captive every thought out of obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).…
Do you crave God’s Word? Why or why not? Dr. John MacArthur writes: “Babies crave milk, and only milk. Parents care about the color of the blanket, the pattern of the curtains,…
#1 Thinking of Prayer as a Way to Manipulate God We’ve all done it. Prayed a certain prayer and then when things don’t turn out the way we want them…
What do you want out of your Christian experience? If you’re like most people you might answer that you are looking for peace, strength during difficulties, or even some level…
Spiritual Weapons “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:4— that is, they are not merely human. This is not a…
Spiritual Weapons “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:4— that is, they are not merely human. This is not a…
Intercessors live on the frontier of change. We are positioned to stand between the needs of man and the provision of God. Because we are the agents of redemption, Satan…
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 NIV Margaret Feinberg explains why waiting in God’s presence is key to…
Life can be very challenging. We are constantly facing stressful situations at work, home, school, in the car…you name it. In many cases, our reactions to these situations can make…
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 We all have those times we wish the voice of God…
Are you open to criticism? Do you listen when people oppose you or do you raise your defenses? Pastor Tim Keller shares his thoughts on handling criticism with grace: “Recently…
Long before Jesus took on the imagery of the vineyard for Himself, God had been using vineyard imagery to communicate His heart to the people. The Song of…
Almost everyone tries to develop new habits and make improvements at the beginning of a new year. But by the time March rolls around, most of the diets have crashed…
We learn to find joy in our walk with God as we remember who God is and what He has done for us throughout our lives. Matt Chandler gives us…
Kevin DeYoung shares his thoughts on how his life changed with just a week of limiting his use of technology. This article was originally titled “What I Learned on my…
Dear Roger, In our Bible study group last Thursday night, one of our ladies brought up the shrinking middle class in America. “It’s just not fair that the rich…
STOP: Trying to make it happen and get it done. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Ps. 37:7. STOP: Focusing on yourself, your issues, your…
Are you in serious need of a makeover? Not the kind that refers to your “Mom jeans” or your hair color. I’m talking about a makeover of your heart. Used…
Tony Reinke, author of 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, carefully examines the blessings and challenges of technology in our lives. If you live long enough, pray earnestly, and…
What makes you happy? Can you imagine that true happiness comes only from loving God completely? The Bible describes this delight in experiential terms — an existential reality that is…
Dear Roger, My friend and I got into a discussion about whether or not God would actually hurt or punish a Christian. I said, “No. He loves us too…
Why does Jesus call Pergamum’s church the place where Satan’s throne is? Revelation 3:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the…
Two thousand years ago, Jesus approached twelve seemingly unsuspecting Galileans and bid them: “Come, follow me.” For the next three years, they walked alongside him as he discipled them. Toward…
Vets tell us that our canines have the emotional and intellectual capacity of two-year-olds. I beg to disagree. Toddlers are much dumber than dogs, and I have hard evidence to…
Peter teaches how deeply Jesus values you and showers you with unconditional love, grace, joy and blessing for the good purpose of blessing others. Imagine the audience in 1 Peter.…
We must be “plugged into God” in order to successfully live the Christian life! Spiritual disciplines like Bible reading/meditation, prayer, solitude, fasting, service, worship, generosity and simplicity all deepen our…
Two religions that put special emphasis on men are America’s fastest growing, according to a study released this week. Mormons and Muslims are adding the most members, while mainline Protestants…
God is not just seeking worship, He is seeking worshippers. He longs for an intimate relationship with you!
We mature spiritually by processing through identifiable stages of development: children, young men and women and spiritual mothers and fathers.
Learning to compromise is a sign of maturity. But compromising our values, morals, ethics, character and bodies is not. Jezebel represents the war between the temptations of Satan and the…
God is the source of all agape love, the essence of His character. Believers, indwelt with the Holy Spirit, have that same capacity.
Knowing and loving God is facilitated by the revealed light of Christ and His Word and by intimately connecting with Jesus on a personal, experiential level.