Like a parched deer eagerly seeking water, our souls should desperately seek the presence of God to be refreshed and renewed. We often settle for less than the presence of God simply because we don’t want it bad enough.
Entertainment can inspire us to enjoy the wonder of the life God has given us, or it can entrap us into addictive and unhelpful patterns. We all have certain shows, movies, and media we love, but the danger comes when we lose our filter and limitations. It’s time to go the second mile in regulating your entertainment.
Why does money cause such conflict in our lives? We all need a certain amount, but the level of our want drives us to unhealthy mindsets and methods.
1 John 2:18-27 – Some people appear like they know Christ, but over time, the masks come off, and we see who they truly are. Beware of deceitful people who claim temporary or modifiable association with Jesus.
As we prepare for 2022, we know that we want to train our church to be Great Commission Christians. The preaching calendar reflects that heartbeat as we seek to be a healthy church getting healthier.
When Jesus delivered a man from demonic possession, the people had less acceptance of the deliverer than they had for the demoniac. When Jesus threatens our comfort and convenience, we can seek to rid ourselves of His presence as well.
Sleep is one of those necessary parts of life that gets in the way of over-achievers, but it is essential to your ability to sustain what God has called you to do. When we neglect it, the effects can dramatically change our hours and our habits.
Every parent has a target they are hoping their children hit. While it may never be simply expressed, it is consistently pursued.
The Old Testament prophets spoke a specific message to a particular people. We can safely unpack the timeless truth and correctly interpret it for our situations with proper hermeneutical guidelines.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in God’s house than be a master in my house. Let me dwell near the presence of God for just one day and it is far better than allowing my sinful heart run after every desire for 1,000 days.
With the rise of technology, we have learned that you never really have to leave work. You are a simple laptop away from robust apps or a phone away from your emails or a cloud away from all your files. But with the inability to clock out, our souls and families suffer. It’s time to go the second mile in leaving your work at work.
Many ministry teams fail because they struggle to achieve practical unity. We, unfortunately, miss unity when we actually long for uniformity.
Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament is that portion of Scripture that helps us understand how to apply God’s wisdom in our lives. It makes sense to reason that if the LORD created the world, He knows the best way to navigate through it.
1 John 2:1-11 – Assurance of salvation can often be an elusive thing to obtain. God’s Word provides specific characteristics of those who have been truly born again.
Some churches go all out, and some churches aren’t even aware that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. While there are many ways you can bless your pastor, this idea will serve him more than any other.
n your hectic schedule, do you ever feel like the most important relationships get the least amount of time? We only have so many hours in a day, and many of us are so burdened by tasks that we miss the relationships for which we are called to invest.
As we live our lives, love our homes, and lead our churches, there are many ways in which we can determine our direction. There are plenty of opinions out there, but is God’s Word reliable enough to transcend those fleeting thoughts?
In the opening books in the Bible, God establishes the Law upon which the Israelites were expected to live. As New Testament disciples, we must use careful interpretative guidelines as we study and apply this portion of Scripture.
1 John 1:5-10 – To deny sin’s presence in our lives only increases our level of guilt. The only way to walk in the light is by stepping out of the darkness in honest confession for true forgiveness.
Evaluating your parents’ marriage can drastically improve your own. This needed process will allow you to unpack some needed lessons and clarify some genuine expectations with your spouse.
The more that our society progresses, our souls seem to regress all the more. Our technological dependence forces us to stare at screens and avoid personal interactions. Our environments are caged in keeping us away from evidence of God’s Creation.
Do the right thing, right now, and trust God for the results. Yesterday cannot be changed, but today can be lived with integrity.
Narrative is the literary genre that communicates through story form. Within the Bible, narratives intend to teach truth through what has happened to highlighted individuals.
If you really want to experience the life God intended, you must know the God who created you. Too many followers of Jesus struggle with an assurance of salvation, the standard of truth, the call of obedience, and the path of unity. Don’t settle for a mediocre faith, but pursue a faithful life.
1 John 1:1-4 – Far too many professing Christians drudge through life, seemingly unaware of the joyful journey it is to follow Jesus. To know Jesus is to experience rescue from an ordinary life.
15,000 messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention commissioned the Executive Committee to conduct a complete, thorough, independent investigation into sexual abuse allegations. If they fail to comply, they leave impassioned ministers of the gospel with very few options.
Social media has given us a unique opportunity to know and to be known. As with any tool, it can be used for noble pursuits or nebulous purposes. We must determine if social media is using us or are we using it. And if we are using it, for what purpose?
For all the resources at our disposal, the one thing we are missing is intentional mentors discipling us. The best content in the world can never replace a person walking alongside us.
The Bible is one book made up of 66 smaller books with distinct genres differing from each other. To interpret the Bible accurately, we must understand the nature of genres and how the Bible is organized.
Psalm 131:1-3 – King David found the proper state of mind when he realized who he was and who he was not. We must fight against the tendency to assert ourselves pridefully among a culture built on self-promotion.
One size doesn’t fit all; one size fits one. Jesus knew that. He practiced it. He was developing the entire ragtag group of disciples, but he was employing distinctive approaches with each one.
We serve a God who commands us to rest. How could we ever doubt that he has our best interest in mind with such a directive? I grew up thinking the Sabbath was one thing but Scripture teaches something very different and life-changing.
If you really want to experience the life God intended, you must know the God who created you. Too many followers of Jesus struggle with an assurance of salvation, the standard of truth, the call of obedience, and the path of unity. Don’t settle for a mediocre faith, but pursue a faithful life.
Even without acknowledging it, we project our context upon Scripture in order for it to say what we want it to say. As we study Scripture, we must filter the reader’s context through the knowledge of the author’s context.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 – If we neglect God’s structure for our rhythms of work and rest, we will find ourselves eventually burning out. The gift of the Sabbath is a needed weekly pause amid a culture committed to constant hurry.
I don’t question God’s ability, but I really doubt my own. But in my self-doubting, I am subtly projecting doubt on God as well. If he made me and placed me, do I really believe that he can use me?
If you’ve been following Jesus for a while, someone has encouraged you to do a quiet time. Most likely, some of them made the unthinkable suggestion that the mornings are actually better, but you find yourself groggy and distracted as soon as you wake.
As we minister to people, we quickly realize that growth rarely happens overnight. If we are in the work of discipleship, we must be committed to exhibiting patient progress.
A study of Scripture lacking thorough interpretative guidelines can lead to inaccurate beliefs. The foundational task of hermeneutics is deciding who determines the meaning of Scripture.
Luke 5:15-16 – You will not grow closer to Christ by accident. Our spiritual conditions are contingent upon the intentional disciplines to withdraw from distractions and engage with devotions.