The Bible, as with so many things, gives us a framework to help us manage our anxiety. The anxious person often finds themselves in a particular state of mind, one in which it feels imperative to have control or know ALL the possible outcomes. They cling to control whatever they can because they often feel their world is out of control. They may become hyper-aware of every possible and imagined danger because of past trauma, so they cling to control in order to prevent future

Confidence is a funny thing. Some people confuse confidence with arrogance, so they think it is wrong to cultivate confidence. Others believe that confidence comes from looks, so they become hyper-focused on their physical appearance. Others feel that confidence can only come from higher education, so they put all their trust in higher degrees. Interestingly, none of these assumptions are correct... So where does true confidence come from?

There are a number of places throughout the New Testament where Paul writes about individuals by name. Sometimes he is praising their faith and willingness to serve; other times he condemns people by name as false teachers or selfish. This got me thinking: if Paul mentioned you or me in a letter, what would he say?...

Have you ever thought about how we all live in circumstances? That may sound rather obvious, but so often we blame circumstances for our attitude, our sin, or our lack of involvement with the church. We could fill a book with the circumstance-based excuses people make. However, the plain fact is that we all live in circumstances, and everyone’s circumstances are challenging in their own way. If we all used our challenging circumstances as excuses, then the church would...

We all have preferences, opinions, and desires. Sometimes we are very passionate about our preferences on topics such as the order of the worship service, personal dress, features of a new church building, and many more. While strong preferences are fine, problems arise when we treat opposing opinions as personal affronts. This happens when someone allows their ego to dictate their attitude...

Numerous lessons, articles, books, and classes focus on how the world’s view of love differs from God’s view of love. We know the world’s definition of love does not match God’s definition. Yet we live life constantly bombarded with worldly viewpoints. It is no wonder that we will sometimes fall back on the world’s view of love. One topic in which this often happens is “loving sinners.” In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those who pers

Most of us have come upon situations where a person has done something (or many things) that are simply evil. Take abusers, murderers, and those who swindle the elderly, for example. In our righteous indignation, or simple anger, we might wish that those people were dead so that they could not hurt anyone else. Or maybe we wish that someone would inflict on them the same suffering they have caused others... ...is it the way God’s people should conduct themselves?...

Few healthy things in life are “one-and-done.” Consistency is needed in nearly everything! Do you want to have healthy teeth? You cannot just brush them occasionally. You must brush and floss every day, twice a day, for the rest of your life. Do you want to have a healthy relationship with your spouse? You cannot just put effort in randomly. You must put effort into your marriage day-in and day-out for the rest of your life. Similarly, if you want to have a healthy spiritua

People-pleasing is often confused with showing Christian love. Christian love intentionally puts the needs of others above one’s own selfish desires. Christian love serves a person’s NEED; however, it does not obey every whim or request that someone might make. By contrast, a people-pleaser feels an inability to say “no” to any request. A people-pleaser is...

Living in New Hampshire, Christians often end up feeling very isolated. After all, few congregations of the Lord’s church exist here, so it is hard to have much fellowship with other congregations. On top of that, because of the intense winters, many people become hermits through the winter months. That level of isolation appeals to some. However, there are serious dangers in succumbing to the temptation of indulging isolationism...

A particular young man made it his life’s goal to make more money than his father. Another young man made it his life’s goal to be the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Yet another young man made it his life’s goal to become so famous that his name was known throughout the world. Each one thought that when they reached their goal, they would be at the pinnacle of human existence - they would be satisfied and happy. However, each one was sorely disappointed...

Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician and physicist, is quoted as saying, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." With this statement, he was discussing the physical advantage of proper leverage. In many ways, when dealing with people, patience is like Archimedes’ lever. Proverbs 25:15 teaches us that “By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.” To understand this, let’s build some an

Some days just don’t go your way. Maybe you don’t sleep well, so you start the day tired. Everyone in the family seems to be extra annoying. You burn breakfast. Your car will not start. Traffic is heavy. Someone insults you. Your kid gets in trouble at school. That difficult coworker will not leave you alone. A customer loses their temper at you. Whatever it may be. The day is simply FRUSTRATING! Let’s see what the Proverbs have to say on this topic...

This year we have examined joyful endurance, and for obvious reasons we have spent a lot of time examining joy. But the question arises: are there times when joy is not preferable? Are there times where joy is inappropriate or not helpful? To examine this, let’s look at Ecclesiastes 7:1-6...

Proverbs 23:23 states, “Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.” The truth is important enough that we are told to acquire it, even if it costs us something valuable. Right there we see an important principle. The truth is worth it!..

Lying as a form of kindness is a very old idea. Some believe that if the truth can hurt a person’s feelings or lead to uncomfortable situations, it should be avoided. If telling a “little white lie” means uncomfortable situations are averted and everyone is happy, this is obviously best. This way of thinking comes from the idea that hurt feelings and discomfort are the absolute worst things ever, and must be avoided at any cost. But, does that hold up to scrutiny?

A comfort zone is where you feel safe and unchallenged. We all have comfort zones in which things feel familiar and safe: certain people and social situations, certain jobs, preferred topics, etc. We get comfortable with a certain academic depth (or shallowness). While there is nothing wrong or sinful about having comfort zones, exclusively staying within our comfort zone naturally leads to stagnation...

Buzzwords and catchphrases are rampant in the religious world. People often repeat common phrases without understanding them, simply because they have heard them over and over. “Obey the gospel.” “Believe in Jesus.” “Pray Jesus into your heart.” The list goes on. Now, there is nothing wrong with repeated phrases; repetition helps us remember facts. But, if we are repeating phrases without understanding what those phrases mean, then we may be unintentionally promoting false

In a perfect world, everyone would always do the right thing simply because it is right. Sadly, that is not what generally happens. Many people will push the boundaries between right and wrong as often as possible. Some will even default to doing what is wrong as soon as they think they can get away with it, thinking, “If no one knows, and I am not hurting anyone, then what does it matter?” From a purely humanistic perspective, that logic makes some sort of sense. But...

We all know how important it is to be obedient to God and follow His word. These facts should not be news to any off us. Yet, sometimes obedience feels difficult. Sometimes we try to find every excuse we can to avoid obedience to God and His word. Why is that? You would think that if we know how important obedience is, then actually obeying would be easy. But it often is not easy. For many, the reason obedience is difficult is because of their attitude about the concept of ob