It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in English Literature to observe that God offers us a gift in salvation. The gift is eternal life, which is directly connected to His Son. Now let’s be clear and cautious. Becoming a member of a church is not the way to salvation.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Sin
The Downward Spiral of Defiance
Talk about going from bad to worse. Defiance is the classic illustration. First, defiance begins with carnal attitudes. Long before there are carnal actions, there are carnal attitudes. It can happen to adults just as quickly as it can to teens or kids. Perhaps it would help if I spelled out a few of the attitudes by describing some actual thoughts in the minds of the defiant.
Read MoreGod Takes Action in Response to Defiance
King Solomon planted seeds of willfulness and independence that reaped a harvest of rebellion in his heart. God’s first reaction to Solomon’s defiance was a strong statement of divine anger (1 Kings 11:9). Okay, what else does the Lord do? After stating His anger, He raises up human adversaries. Look at how He does this—it’s intriguing. Read carefully 1 Kings 11:14 and then verse 23.
Read MoreGod’s Attitude toward Defiance
Solomon planted seeds of willfulness and independence that reaped a harvest of age-old rebellion in his heart. Let’s see what God did in response to Solomon’s defiance. Read 1 Kings 11:9–11. His very first reaction was a strong statement of divine anger. Right off the bat: “Now the LORD was angry with Solomon” (v. 9). What a refreshing balance, what a clean breath of air! Of course God was angry!
Read MoreDefiance: A Biblical Warning
When it comes to the topic of rebellion, King Solomon’s story is pretty incredible. Although bright, rich, capable, and the son of a famous father, Solomon became an insolent, carnal man. We need to see how God dealt with him—the epitome of defiance. The part of Solomon’s biography that interests us today is recorded in 1 Kings 11.
Read MoreThe Tailor’s Name Is Change, Part Two
As I mentioned yesterday, as stimulating and invigorating as change may be—it is never easy. And when it comes to certain habits that haunt and harm us, change can be excruciating. But it isn’t impossible. I warn you, the number one enemy of change is the hard-core, self-satisfied sin nature within you. Like a spoiled child, it has been gratified and indulged for years, so it will not give up without a violent temper tantrum.
Read MoreHealing, Part One
“Have you heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?” That question, found in a small booklet, has been asked and answered thousands—perhaps millions—of times in our generation. These “laws” have been used by God to introduce His plan of love and forgiveness to countless numbers of people who had no idea how to have a meaningful relationship with Him. I have a similar question.
Read MoreWitch Hunting, Part One
Flip Wilson’s line, “The Devil made me do it,” was designed to be funny, not phony. Whether the comedian believed in an actual Satan is, for the moment, immaterial. All he was interested in was getting a laugh. But the thing that made it so effective was the real-to-life scenario the guy was acting out. Here’s this character who has done something bad. No one can deny it, it is wrong.
Read MoreJealousy
Like an anger-blind, half-starved rat prowling in the foul-smelling sewers below street level, so is the person caged within the suffocating radius of selfish jealousy. Trapped by resentment and diseased by rage, he feeds on the filth of his own imagination. “Jealousy,” says Proverbs 6:34, “enrages a man.”
Read MoreCan’t . . . or Won’t? Part Two
If you haven’t read yesterday’s reading, I’d like to ask you to do that. It’s crucial that you understand that God has given Christians an extra inner reservoir of power that is more than a match for the stuff life throws at us. In the verses we studied yesterday (Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 3:14, 16; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13), it’s called several things: strength, power, divine nature, ability.
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