How Can We Pray More Effectively?

Matthew 6.8 observes, your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. So why pray?

Knowing everything is an integral character quality for being God. Since God knows everything why should I pray? The God-Man, Jesus the Savior, makes this observation. So why pray?

We really can’t help but pray. We will pray. Everyone prays. We don’t have to live long on this earth before realizing we need someone greater than ourselves to be in control and to gain control of this world. In our darkest hours all people pray. (more…)

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What We Do Proves What We Believe

Matthew 3.8 commands. produce fruit that proves your repentance.

To the religious, to those who think they are approved by God, to those who know they are ‘right’ theologically; God says, ‘produce fruit that proves your repentance.’ This command is offensive because we like to be measured on our knowledge and intentions rather than the result of our actions.

Indeed, this command was offensive to the religious leaders who first heard it. (more…)

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Striving to be Successful

Isaiah 48.15 I have spoken – yes, I have summoned him; I lead him and he will succeed.

Everyone wants to be successful. It comes from our being created in the image of God, Who described His pleasure in making the universe and all it contains as being very good. After every thing God made He would step back and say to Himself, ‘that is good.’ When He made humanity He was even more pleased, stating, ‘this is very good.’ (more…)

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God’s Marketing Department

Deuteronomy 18.18 promises, I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command.

This promise has already been literally fulfilled. It is one of more than 300 promises Jesus fulfilled making Him the unequivocal option for Messiah the Jews have always longed for. However, what this promise communicates and what Jesus communicated, is that God is committed to using people for marketing His Personal reality and His ultimate destiny for humanity. (more…)

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The Purpose of Our Faith

John 20.21 observes, just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Jesus' first appearance to the disciples has Him restating His purpose for not taking them with…

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What Does God Want? LOVE

Deuteronomy 10.12 declares, what does the LORD your God require of you except to revere Him, to obey all His commandments, to love Him, to serve Him with all your mind and being.

Repeatedly the Bible makes clear what we must do if we are to pass successfully the judgement to come. So many assume they will argue with God about His standards upon meeting Him face to face in order to justify their behavior while they lived upon the earth. How ludicrous. God holds all of the cards. Why should He change His standards upon meeting us? (more…)

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Is God Negative?

John 7.7 observes, the world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil. No one likes a negative person.

Who is the negative person? The person who tells us we are wrong or the things we like are wrong. Modern parenting and education has and is going to great extremes to remove all negativity from the ears of the next generation. Most recently universities have begun creating ‘safe places’ where students can retreat from any discussion that conflicts with their point of view. Jesus, God Who lived on earth, claims to be a negative person. (more…)

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What Faith Really Looks Like

Numbers 26.64 observes, there was not a man among these who had been among those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai.

Why did the group of adult Israelites whom God had miraculously freed from slavery in Egypt fail to enter the Promised Land? The reason for God’s deliverance was to bring them into the land He had promised their forefathers as an inheritance for His people. So why did they fail to receive God’s promise, the purpose of His activity in their lives? (more…)

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Sharing God’s Word With Others

Isaiah 6.10 commands, make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind! Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.

In an age when we espouse, God wants all people saved, it is interesting to hear Him say, keep people from repenting. While some will ask, saved from what? Saved from the punishment that follows the judgement to come when all people stand before God and are weighed and measured according to His will and ways as recorded in His word, the Scriptures. (more…)

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Christianity is a Marathon and not a Sprint

Hebrews 10.36 encourages, you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.

Endurance is one of those qualities we admire in others but struggle to manifest in ourselves. We see the marathon runner and we marvel at their endurance then say they are crazy to train then run that kind of distance. We hear the testimony from the mountain climber and wonder what it would be like to stand on the top of the world only to hear of the cost and dismiss it as too hard.

Endurance is modeled by the few but desired by the many. (more…)

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