Introduction Over the years, people have accumulated all kinds of ideas about what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, and what was its purpose. The traditional interpretation is that God gave Paul some sort of sickness, possibly an eye disease, to keep him humble. Paul prayed three times to ask that it be taken away […]
Hearing from God Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. God leads His sons. The Greek is huios – meaning mature sons. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the mature sons of God. We are sons of
Listening to the Lord Read More »
Under Law 1 John 1:8-9 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 2:1-2 1 My little children, these things
Agree with your Advocate Read More »
There is plenty of adversity to go around in the world today. Adversity means a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. You can also relate it to the word adversary, which is someone opposed or against us. In fact, the Hebrew word for adversary is satan. John 10:10 The thief does
Rejoicing in Adversity Read More »
Note: this is a piece I wrote for our church newsletter when I was pastoring waaaay back in 1994. At the time, my boys were 12, 9, 6, 3, and 2. I realize there is a difference in opinion on what to do with the secularization of Christmas and Santa Claus. But here is how
The Christian and Santa Claus Read More »
Some of the key points from Part One The Conscience My definition of conscience is the mental and spiritual faculty of man which bears witness within him as to what is right and wrong. We experience the effects of our conscience when we try to go against its dictates; then it warns us by producing
How to Handle Temptation – Part Two Read More »
Temptation is Inevitable What is temptation? The dictionary defines it as enticement to sin or do wrong. It involves some sort of pull or influence on you to act or do something. It almost always has a negative connotation – we don’t think of ourselves as being tempted to do good. Matthew 18:7 NIV “Woe
How to Handle Temptation – Part One Read More »
The Principal of Identification The principal of Identification is that Christ was our substitute, and God counts the things that He did as if we did them. Let’s look at an example. Romans 6:1-12 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?2 Certainly not! How shall we who
Look in the Mirror Read More »
Note: I originally wrote this in 2020 right after the election. See the update in 2024 after the election. The word for 2020 can be found in 1 Chronicles 20:20 2 Chronicles 20:15-20 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord
Believe His Prophets Read More »
This is a study that was inspired by a conversation with my wife about a scripture she saw something new in. So I “stole” her revelation and studied it out. There are several places in the scripture where Jesus used leaven to illustrate spiritual truths. It is also used in the Old Testament. Characteristics of
Leaven – the Political and Religious Spirits Read More »
