What makes God's truth so powerful? In the Scriptures, God refers to Himself as the God of truth. Also, Christ says that He is the way...and the truth. And likewise, Godâs Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth! But what can the truth do for us? âThen Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,â' (John 8:31-32). Godâs truth can set us freeâif we continue steadfastly in … [Read more...] about A Spirit of Truth
Practical Christain Living
Garments, Wineskins and Fasting
Parading their self-righteousness, the Pharisees, the religious elite of Christâs time, and their followers fasted twice a week. Yet the disciples of Christ did not. The religious leaders demanded to know from Christ why his followers didnât fast. Jesus answered with a parable about wineskins and garments. âThen He spoke a parable to them: 'No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the … [Read more...] about Garments, Wineskins and Fasting
Remaining Steadfast
Godâs Church is central to His plan of salvation for all mankind as a precursor of the âpouring outâ of His Holy Spirit on all humanity. But that profound impact is difficult to grasp because the Churches are mostly ignored by the world today. What can we do now to ensure that we stay strong and donât fall prey to discouragement? There is a process to help us succeed. The beginning of the book of James gets right to it: âMy brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, … [Read more...] about Remaining Steadfast
Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
We are subjected to all kinds of tests throughout our lifetime. Some are routine, but others are unavoidable, deeply personal tests: peer pressure, emotional suffering, financial upheaval, and temptation. With a fear of failure, we usually donât consider these as positive experiences. However, with good preparation we can face self-examination confidently. âTest yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is … [Read more...] about Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
Survivalism
Remember when it seemed as if everyone was planning for the coming zombie apocalypse? It highlighted for me the fascination people have with the collapse of society and prepping for survival. There are serious prophecies about the dark days ahead for the world, but should we be focused on preparing physically? Prepping has, for some, become a false religion called âsurvivalismâ. Itâs fueled by apocalyptic movies, survivalist TV shows, and violent video games. These are especially … [Read more...] about Survivalism
Staying Awake
Are we awake spiritually? Or are we too caught up in our daily tasks? Letâs consider the periods of slumbering and awakening in our lives, and how we can learn to stay awake. Godâs Holy Spirit is active, but our human spirit, the âspirit in manâ (Job 32.8), which makes us each a unique individual, can slumber if we prevent Godâs Spirit from working in us. Just like when we are driving along, mind wandering, and find that weâve lost track of how we got to where we are, so a slumbering spirit … [Read more...] about Staying Awake
Sneaking Suspicion
It all started when Satan and his angelic followers allowed a sliver of suspicion to enter their minds. It ended in defiant rebellion against the family of God. Satan then planted the seed of suspicion that God was holding something back from Adam and Eve, leading them into disobedience. Cain became suspicious that God preferred Abelâs offering. His anger precipitated murder. Suspicion is a primal fear that someone will take what we think should be ours. And suspicious mistrust has challenged … [Read more...] about Sneaking Suspicion