I want to identify and explore three points of weakness that Satan can and will use to his advantage to manipulate followers of Christ to sin and to look at some ways we can counter his manipulation and strengthen these areas. These three points, I call “The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox.” The first of these is doubt. Doubt is something that comes quite naturally to the human mind. I know this because every time I play golf, I doubt that I will do well. But in this current age we find … [Read more...] about The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox
Knowing God
True Character
One take away we could observe from the recent U.S. mid-term elections is that character was a major factor. To clarify, there are two types of character. One is the way the world looks at character, and the other is from God’s point of view. We need to be clear about the difference.The world looks at character more in the realm of personality which means that character has no real boundaries. It is just the way someone is. The Britannica Dictionary defines character as: The way someone thinks, … [Read more...] about True Character
The Value of Scripture
Recently we have been trying to provide a balanced view towards the things that are happening in the world and all of the commentary that goes along with that. And the need to be looking into the word of God a great deal more than perhaps we have been doing. The words that proceed from the mouth of God are critically important; they are not abstract. Notice in Deuteronomy 30: “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in … [Read more...] about The Value of Scripture
Relationships within the Body of Christ
How important are relationships within the Body of Christ? This question is prompted by the state of affairs in what we broadly refer to as “the world.” The world is a generic term for planet earth and all life on it, including human civilization. We use it generally to address our environment. Currently, much press is devoted to the subject of the rise of nationalism. Remember how globalization once held out the carrot of the world coming together in one big homogenization of nations and … [Read more...] about Relationships within the Body of Christ
Our Life – A Means to the End
We know that our physical life is designed to end. So, it is helpful to realize that our physical lives are simply a means to an end. “Means” is the action or path one takes to reach a goal. “End” is the goal distinct from what one does to reach the goal. Understanding what these are and being able to distinguish which is the “means” and which is the “end” is important as it helps all of us reach our intended goal. But what is the goal of human physical life? What goal … [Read more...] about Our Life – A Means to the End
The Age of Uncertainty
The Centennial Edition of the Foreign Affairs Journal was a very interesting edition. The cover was absolutely black. And down on the bottom in a smaller space there was an individual holding what looked like a lantern, but it was the globe of the earth, giving off a very faint light and showing up very dimly around the ground that this individual was standing on indicating of course not very much light in a very dark world. The title of this edition at the bottom, underneath all of this was … [Read more...] about The Age of Uncertainty
Ways to Measure Spiritual Growth
As followers of God, we have chosen to grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. There are two main ways for us to measure our spiritual growth – motivation and action. Motivation is the internal desire to grow, to change, to accept God’s perspectives and motivations in all aspects of our lives. Action is a literal external behavioral change - the evidence of that motivation. It is a change that can be perceived and observed in our daily lives. All motivation and actions are … [Read more...] about Ways to Measure Spiritual Growth