Worship involves sacrifice
Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. – Romans 12:1b I was once a part of a training event that simply required my presence. I didn’t have to pass a test, participate in the conversation or engage in any activity. Simply being there […]
Included in his kingdom
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33 Jesus often spoke about the kingdom of God during his ministry, and continued to speak about it after his resurrection. He suffered, died and rose from death so that each of us could […]
The things that shackle our hearts
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:32 Every man has the opportunity to live free. Free of shame, anger, bitterness, addictions, etc. The things that shackle our hearts has a key. That key is held by Jesus, and He wants to set us free. But it […]
Our war
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12 We may carry the metaphor of “the sword of the spirit” too far – envisioning ourselves hacking through […]
Headed towards…
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this… – Psalm 37:5 Where are you trying to go? Are you trying to get away from something? Are you trying to get to something? Every man is on his way to something while coming from something. We are coming from or […]
In the stillness
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10a The times when we need to be reminded that God is God and still in control are usually the times it is unreasonable to be still. And God […]
Uncertain
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding – Proverbs 3:5 Most of the frustration in my life comes from a place of feeling out of control. By being in control I can lean heavily on what I have learned through experience and advice. Not leaning on the […]
The enemy of despair
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58 Despair is one of the fiercest enemies to conviction. It looks at us as fools and […]
So easy to tear someone down
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29 It only takes an hour to completely decimate a house with a bulldozer that took a month to build. It’s been […]
You will worship other gods
I will not deny my integrity. – Job 27:5b What’s integrity? If you ever went to Sunday school as a kid, you’ve probably heard about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Do you know why they were thrown in the furnace? It was because they had integrity. They were told they had to worship other gods. They […]