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

Our modern world is obsessed with convenience. Why cook a meal from scratch when you can microwave a frozen dinner? Why go visit friends when you can visit over video chat? Why walk when you can drive? Why study when you can ask an AI chat-bot? This level of ease can help in some situations, but it also has a number of drawbacks...

When we face various troubles in our lives, sometimes they are all we can think or talk about. It may feel like those troubles will never end. For many, this is when they stop making plans for the future, because they are focused only on the current troubles. Some start considering a drastic move like running away from their life, or even committing suicide. No one WANTS to get to that point – but it does happen. So, how can we avoid it?...

Life is full of distractions: They may be pleasant or unpleasant, but they are distractions never-the-less. Interestingly, what constitutes a distraction differs for people greatly since it is based on an individual’s goals. What a motivated, goal-oriented person sees as a distraction could be the perceived purpose in life for an unmotivated, aimless person. What a righteous person sees as a sinful distraction, an unrighteous person might see as the only thing worth pursuing.

When people go through hard times, they will often ask something like, “Why is God letting this happen to me?” They may even state it as an accusation: “How dare God put me through this?” These questions and the ideas behind them can easily shake or even topple a person’s faith. You may notice that these questions are phrased as though the person is a victim in the situation. The accusation is that God is acting unfairly against them...

“Anything that makes me this happy could not be bad for me.” “Surely, God wants me to be happy, right?” “It feels too good to be wrong.” From a humanistic point of view these comments sound accurate, and are common among people trying to justify sin. But, are these statements biblical and correct? To answer that question, let’s look at what John the apostle says...

The beginning of a new year is a fascinating time. Many people optimistically make plans and resolutions for the coming year, deciding what they want to accomplish and feeling excited about what the year may bring. Others might feel indifferent about the new year, anticipating another year of the same old grind. Some people may even dread the new year, fearing some unknown event or dreading challenges it may bring, and feeling concerned that they will not live up to some stan

It was the night before Christmas, when all through the house people were grumpy, even Aunt Gail. Uncle George brought up politics without any care, grandpa lost his temper right then and right there. Grandma hid in her room consumed with dread, while visions of disaster danced in her head. Aunt Jill and Uncle Tom were fuming that James brought that girl to dinner, and his sister was stoking the fire with her sarcastic ire...

While sin in general hinders the work of ministry, one specific sin will absolutely destroy a person’s effectiveness: the sin of pride. Pride is probably one of the hardest sins to overcome, because the prideful person doesn’t think they have anything to overcome. As the old saying goes, “Admitting you have a problem is the first step in recovery.” The Bible has a lot to say about how pride will hinder the work of ministry.

We live in a very negative and pessimistic society. Doom and gloom permeate every aspect of culture. Unfortunately, that pessimism has also permeated the church. Many Christians will only look at the negatives of any given situation. They see how hard it is to resist sin, so they despair of ever being able to overcome their bad habits. They see how difficult evangelism is, so they start to think that the church can never grow...

Most religious groups want to be holy. And God’s word teaches us how to be holy (c.f. 1 Peter 1:15-16). If those desiring to be holy simply did what God says to do, then the world would be a much better place. But for many, just “doing what the Bible says” seems oversimplified and they feel that there must be more to it than that.

Many people think that Bible reading and Bible study are the same. They are not. Simply reading the Bible is great for familiarizing ourselves with scripture, and for setting our minds on things above, rather than on things bellow. Bible study, however, goes deeper than Bible reading.

Sometimes the most impactful areas of ministry are the quietest...

We can take comfort in the soul saving ability of His word. God has kept and will always keep His promise to you. Will you do your best to keep your promise of obedience to Him?

To “abide,” in biblical context, most often refers to living or dwelling in a state of faith and obedience to God.

In Psalm 32:8, the psalmist pens God’s guidance: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go: I will counsel guide you with My eye upon you.” In this passage we should notice that our Creator loves us so that He would not leave us without attention and direction.

The Almighty God is ever present to faithfully honor His promises of covenant and mercy.