Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7, NIV) As believers, God is with us. It’s not mystical but relational and practical. One of the most important aspects of God walking with us is hearing His voice. Let’s make a connection between God’s presence and His guidance. Dallas […]
God’s Presence and Guidance Read More »
Christianity is relationships. Having great interactions with others means practicing Biblical rules of communication. For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech (1 Peter 3:10, NIV). I’ve learned three things not to say in conversations: Ghosts, Generals, and God-Speak. Let me give you
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Second Timothy 3:16 is the most famous verse in Scripture on Scripture: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (NIV). With the Bible breathed out from the God of the universe, the inspirational works of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Mark Twain, and David Baldacci pale in comparison. Mere human thoughts attempt
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During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9, NIV). During the Apostle Paul’s second missionary trip, as he considered where to travel next, he received a vision beckoning him to Macedonia. I’m not the Apostle Paul, but my “vision” was
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We overlook 2 Peter because it has a “2” instead of a “1” as in 1 Peter. We find the same problem with a “2” and even a “3” as in 2 John and 3 John. So, we might demean these epistles in favor of books with a “1.” Well, at least I memorized 1
Psalm 78 is a history lesson of Israel. How does this Psalm portray Israel? They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel (v. 41, ESV). I believe this history lesson is for the church today—all of us who follow Jesus. As one historian wrote, “The one thing we learn from history is
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Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question (Luke 22:34-35, NIV). I’ve listened to many people question God. Citing evil in the world, the actions of Christians, natural disasters, and personal pain, we might feel justified in challenging God’s goodness. We
‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, And your young men will see visions, And your old men will have dreams (Acts 2:17, NASB). I became a Christian during the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. Set
Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21, NASB). I love to disciple others, and a significant aspect of my discipleship involves encouraging those I’m discipling to memorize Scripture. Often, I hear this push-back, “It’s difficult for me to memorize.” Before I write
Yes, I Can Memorize Scripture Read More »
Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions (Luke 2:46, NLT). Jesus traveled with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover. When his parents left, Jesus stayed behind. After a day of travel, thinking Jesus was walking with other relatives, they noticed
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