The word “conviction” is a powerful word in our language. It conjures up ideas of not only a guilty verdict from a courtroom setting, but also a solid or firmly held belief, as in the idea that people should be convicted of what they believe. Vocabulary.com explains this word: “A conviction is something certain: a judgment of guilty in court and a strong belief are both convictions. In the legal world, when a judge or jury convicts someone of a crime — finding them guilty — … [Read more...] about The Path From Belief to Conviction
Self-Control
Overcome Evil With Good
Life’s difficulties, as many have experienced, arise from various possible angles. Sometimes we cause our own difficulties through poor decisions. However, trials also come through other people. Not necessarily from something we did to deserve it. But, wham! We get hit hard because of what somebody else does to us, often because their way of life is in opposition to ours. It becomes a tangled web, a path of carnage. People get caught in the middle and have profound effects on … [Read more...] about Overcome Evil With Good
Staying Awake
Are we awake spiritually? Or are we too caught up in our daily tasks? Let’s consider the periods of slumbering and awakening in our lives, and how we can learn to stay awake. God’s Holy Spirit is active, but our human spirit, the “spirit in man” (Job 32.8), which makes us each a unique individual, can slumber if we prevent God’s Spirit from working in us. Just like when we are driving along, mind wandering, and find that we’ve lost track of how we got to where we are, so a slumbering spirit … [Read more...] about Staying Awake
The Holy Spirit Versus “I”
How many times a day do we use the words “me,” “myself,” or “I”? I tried keeping track once and finally gave up because I lost count. Have we considered just how powerful that “I” is? Our mind’s eye, personalities, and core existence. Let’s look at exactly what we’re up against when we pit our human mind against the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ and the apostles were on a boat after He delivered the Sermon on the Mount. As they crossed the Sea of Galilee, a great windstorm blew in. The … [Read more...] about The Holy Spirit Versus “I”
Husbands – A New Creation
John 1.1 states: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." These two beings decided to make humankind similar to Them: And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27). So human beings are made in the image of the God family. Not just physically or in cognitive capacity, but in … [Read more...] about Husbands – A New Creation
Are You Listening?
How many times have we thought in our minds, “Why doesn’t God just tell me what to do?” If He’s not verbally communicating with us, how do we hear His voice? Sometimes God literally directs our physical path. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6). When we ask for an answer from God it must be according to His principles. For God’s Spirit to work in us, we have to have the right attitude and live according to God’s way. Looking and listening for … [Read more...] about Are You Listening?
Blessings Will Come
I told someone once, “God is going to bless you with the opportunity to develop into the best kind of character you can have. He may bless you physically, but mostly He’s going to give you the blessings of learning, and growing, and overcoming.” As man looks to God in faith, He will bless us to accomplish His purpose, and not necessarily our own. Yet, it is tempting to think of the blessings of God as merely physical. The remnant of Judah that returned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem … [Read more...] about Blessings Will Come