To Be Right With God

“When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. ‘Let me have this power, too,’ he exclaimed, ‘so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!’” (Acts 8:18-19 NLT) What Simon the sorcerer thoughtContinue reading “To Be Right With God”

What Is Backsliding? (Part 2)

“Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.” (Proverbs 14:13 NLT) Yesterday’s post ended with this sentence: “These are seasons of decision. Will I trust the Lord to draw me out of this mire of indifference and distance from Himself, or will He allow me to continue to driftContinue reading “What Is Backsliding? (Part 2)”

Have You Been Filled with the Spirit?

“While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ he asked them.” (Acts 19:2 NLT) Too often in our indoctrination into the Christian Faith we assume that everything we’re taught is BiblicalContinue reading “Have You Been Filled with the Spirit?”

Proof of Life

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”Continue reading “Proof of Life”

Is It Worth It?

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9:25 NLT) Every human being will one day stand before a holy God to give an account of the way we have lived our life. We will then realize that if our choice wasn’t to submit toContinue reading “Is It Worth It?”

Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

“I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before Him and tell Him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, You alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.” (Psalm 142:1-3 NLT) It’s not hard for meContinue reading “Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?”

Can I Know for Sure?

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we alsoContinue reading “Can I Know for Sure?”

Will This Be the Day? (Part 2)

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NLT) Yesterday’s post addressed the fact that every one of us will one day die unless the Lord returns first. But even then, if we’re not hiddenContinue reading “Will This Be the Day? (Part 2)”

The Opposite of Joy

“What sorrow awaits you who say, ‘If only the day of the Lord were here!’ You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion – only to meet a bear. Escaping the bear, heContinue reading “The Opposite of Joy”

Are You Radically Christian?

“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” (Ephesians 2:10 NCV) While visiting in another country I was privileged to speak with men of God who had far less than me materially, but whoContinue reading “Are You Radically Christian?”