Posts with the category “the-front-room”

Life provides opportunities to make decisions - to glorify God or to make a futile effort to glorify self.  If we live according to the Scriptures and practice the teachings of Jesus, we can affect the lives of others and be at peace with the Lord and with ourselves.   In John 15 (ESV), Jesus taught His disciples:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will b...  Read More

Salvation comes to us in a moment.  Certainly there is a process through which the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to bring us into a saving knowledge of Jesus - it comes through the faithful witness of Christian believers and the planting of the seed of the Word in our hearts.  But, salvation comes to us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are born-again. Then, we enter a process of d...  Read More

Everyone has a moral code - there are certain behaviors that some deem to be right and others deem to be wrong.  And, in a morally relativistic culture, we have seen where people will make up their own morality, without any sort of objective standards.  I would say that few embrace an "anything goes" philosophy, and there artificial, personal lines that some will not cross.But, what are the standa...  Read More

There are enormous pressures that people are facing across our world today.  We see an increased emphasis on mental health, something that the Church should rightly be addressing.  September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a chance to place our attention on challenges people are encountering.  When the pressures of life invade us, we can either choose to draw closer to Christ or, as some unf...  Read More

One of the 10 Commandments is that we should have no other gods before the One True God.  With so many false "gods" - idols - vying for our attention and our allegiance, we must recognize that we must surrender to the principles of Scripture and submit our decisions and our associations to our Creator, who sent His Son to save us.  The Bible says in Exodus 20, in a passage containing the first two...  Read More

There is a spiritual tug-of-war that is occurring in our world today.  Yes, we know that the enemy has been challenging the authority of God for quite some time, and the Bible shows us what his end will be.  But, there is a contest for the hearts and minds of especially young adults, those who are referred to as "Generation Z."  And, we can be thankful that the gospel is winning: that people are b...  Read More

The apostle Paul reminds us that we are to be consistent in our Christian life and we should always be growing and maturing in Him.  We are not to rest on past laurels and we can be devoted to finishing strong.  In 2nd Timothy 4 (ESV), Paul writes:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.Phillippians chapter 3 states:12 Not that I have already obtained this o...  Read More

This is the 24th anniversary of the dreadful day in American history where some 3000 people perished at the hands of people who sold out to religious ideology and committed a heinous act of terror.  It was, plain and simple, pure evil.  We remember those who lost their lives that day, the families and friends who were affected, and we cannot forget that on that day, evil was on display in a unbeli...  Read More

It is imperative as believers in Christ that we protect the credibiilty of our witness, that we are watchful of our associations - we don't want anything or anyone to damage our witness, and should always be cognizant of factors in our orbit that could cause people to think less of usand by extension, our Savior.   The Bible talks about maintaining that good witness in 1st Peter chapter 2 (ESV):9 ...  Read More

We can be confident that Jesus is preparing a place for us - that we will live forever in a place called heaven.  The Bible describes it as a glorious place, a place where we will be in the presence of the Lord.   When we leave this earth, we are promised that we will be with Him. 2nd Corinthians 5 (ESV) states:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we ar...  Read More

Jesus taught on the subject of heaven, saying that He would go to prepare a place for us.  He also said that He was the resurrection and the life, the way to the Father - the Bible is clear, He is the only way through which we can experience eternal life in heaven with Him.  And, it's not by doing enough good works to outweigh our bad - and certainly not based on our own righteousness.  We can be ...  Read More

While we are not saved by church attendance - certainly there are those who go to church who don't know Jesus - we see that it is an advantageous component for the body of Christ to function as God intends.  And, in order for us to maintain our connection with one another, it's important that we are spending time in the presence of God together.  Hebrews 10 (ESV) states:23 Let us hold fast the con...  Read More

Because Jesus is our Savior, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit lives within us. We are His respresentatives, His ambassadors, and we are empowered to share the love and truth of Jesus, taking His presence wherever we go.  The Bible says in Colossians 4 (ESV):2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us...  Read More

No matter where we might work, or attend school, or take part in sporting activities, or even watch children's sporting events, we take the presence of Jesus with us.  So we should act accordingly.  It's not enough to be a Christian where it's easy to behave like one, i.e., in a church setting or a Bible study.  We have been dispatched into the world to be the hands and feet of Christ, and we can ...  Read More

There is a hymn composed by Willam Cowper that is entitled, "God Moves in Mysterious Ways."  While those words are not found directly in Scripture, we can know that He is at work - as a more recent song suggests, "...even when you can't see Him, He's working..."  We may have our own preconceived ideas about what is occurring in a situation, one that has a seemingly negative outcome for us, but we ...  Read More

There is a tremendously special group that serves among us in the body of Christ - those who shepherd various congregations, who preach, teach, and live the Word of God, standing ready to minister to the needs of the people under his care.  Full-time, part-time, bivocational, whatever the case - it really is a 24/7 call, and we should seek to pray for and encourage those who serve in the position ...  Read More

Because of our deeply held convictions as Christians, we should ideally want our associations to be driven by our Biblical beliefs.  That includes the decisions we make in a variety of spheres of life, and I think could even be applicable to the people with whom we do business. Colossians 3 (ESV) instructs us:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in al...  Read More

Certainly, the enemy has ways in which he can get his message across.  And, we have to make sure that we are contending for the faith in all the avenues and venues where there are ideas that are contrary to Christianity that are being related. We can recognize the resources that God has given us through which we can share truth and counteract the enemy's lies. Ephesians 2 states (ESV) tells us:1 A...  Read More

We are invited to participate in acts of generosity, which bring glory to our Savior. And, we are called and equipped to be inviting, looking for opportunities to show the love of Jesus, even to those who cannot necessarily repay our kindness.  Jesus teaches we should give, asking nothing in return. He shared in Luke 14 (ESV):12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner ...  Read More

There has been an emphasis on violent crime in American cities recently, with the announcement that the federal government would step in to take control of the police force in the nation's capital, with other cities perhaps on the list. Crime is a pervasive problem across the board, in cities large, small, and everything in-between, as well a rural areas.  Crime is an outward expression of inward ...  Read More

God has an tremendous intent for marriage - not only is it a gift that He has given to couples, but it is an essential building block of a healthy society.  God's intent is that children are born to married couples so that they might populate the earth.  Now, it appears fewer individuals are participating, leading to fewer births and even some births to non-married couples, which is not part of Hi...  Read More

God is our Creator, and He has created two sexes, or genders.  Despite the attempt to say that "sex" is biological and "gender" is based on feeling, God's word is sure and absolute.  When we allow confusion and not biological and Biblical reality to set in regarding sexuality, the consequences are not good.  Jesus, in responding to yet another attempt to trap Him from the Pharisees, stated in Matt...  Read More

With so much criminal behavior that is occurring these days, we have to consider what individual citizens and the Church can do.  Obviously, we can be careful to watch out for our neighbors - we should be aware of what is taking place around our neighborhoods. But, when you consider that crime is an expression of the evil of a human heart, we can embrace our spiritual authority in Christ and pray ...  Read More

In our times of travail, when life can seem overwhelming, our hearts and minds can be boosted and encouraged by the presence of song.  Music - especially songs of worship - can bring peace to our soul and draw us into the presence of God.  In Psalm 42, we can read these words:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my sal...  Read More

In our path of following Christ, we will experience what we think to be failure.  We can become discouraged and even condemn ourselves.  And, yes, we may make sinful mistakes, for which we can receive forgiveness.  Along the way, we can realize that with every failure, we have the opportunity to trust God, to learn more about Him, and grow just a little bit closer to Him. 2nd Corinthians 2 (ESV) r...  Read More

The numbers are certainly not impressive regarding the percentage of adults in America who possess a Biblical worldview - but that varies from state to state. And, the degree to which a person is engaged with the Scriptures and growing in the Lord is proportional to the worldview that he or she possesses.  2nd Peter chapter 3 (ESV) offers this insight:(14) be diligent to be found by him without sp...  Read More

I believe that worship is such a key component of a vibrant Christian life.  Worship enables us to enter into the presence of God, to tell Him how much we love Him, to exalt Him for who He is and what He does.  Worship can assure us that God goes before us and is involved in fighting our battles, giving us strength and wisdom.  As Jehoshophat prepared to fight a battle, as we see in 2nd Chronicles...  Read More

There are those who adhere to the theory of evolution that expect you believe that something came from nothing - that out of what has been termed a "primordial soup," complex forms of life, from plants to animals to human beings, have arisen.  And, many do not believe that a Creator God, as the Bible says, spoke creation into being.  In Romans chapter 4, we can read these words (ESV) regarding God...  Read More

In order to live and experience the truth of Christianity, we have to recognize that true identity of Jesus.  There are those who want to pick and choose what they want to believe about our Savior - by eliminating, for instance, the resurrection, you reduce Jesus to some sort of social activist or moral teacher.  By saying Jesus is a "good teacher," but don't follow His commands, then He is no mor...  Read More

There are certain institutions that have been ordained by God for His glory.  One is marriage, as we see in Genesis chapter 2.  We can also say that the nuclear family is a God-ordained institution.  There's government.  And, there's the Church, endowed with power and mission by the Lord to be his witness in the earth.  We read about an exchange between Jesus and His disciples in Matthew chapter 1...  Read More

Life is not static, certainly.  And, even though our circumstances may change, we can rely on an unchanging God whose love for us does not change.  His Word is true, and no matter what we do or where we go, we can trust the Lord.  The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have ...  Read More

The Bible cautions us to make sure that we make wise choices regarding what we place into our minds.  What we see or hear, what we encounter with our physical senses, can have a bearing on the state of our soul.  And, this is especially important when it comes to protecting the hearts and minds of our young people.  Psalm 101 states:2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come t...  Read More

There are powerful people, who are aligned with the agenda of the powers of darkness, who are seemingly out to destroy the lives of people of all ages.  By playing off base human lust, even the very young are being entrapped by the deceptive thief of pornography.  And, we must, as the Church, be a voice for purity and godliness.  One of the most hard-hitting chapters in the Bible about sexual immo...  Read More

When we face crises in our lives, God can bring help to us - from a variety of sources. The Bible tells us that we can ask for wisdom, and that wisdom can come through the illumination of Scripture to our minds, perhaps a program or song on Faith Radio, or through people close to us. But, the fact is, God does not hide His wisdom from us. James 1 states:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of...  Read More

The Bible instructs us to pray for our leaders, and I am thankful for lawmakers who apply their faith and rely on Godly wisdom to make solid decisions in accordance with Scripture. We should certainly bring our faith to work!  And, we are called to pray for our leaders, so that, in essence, according to 1st Timothy 2, we can actually do that.  The Scriptures say:1 Therefore I exhort first of all t...  Read More

We serve a loving God, a God who provides principles for us to live by.  After Israel fled Egypt, God gave His people a system of laws, some of which have even inspired elements of American Law, so that people may live in peace and order and ultimately know and follow Him.  He also divided Israel into tribes and gave them allotted portions in the Promised Land to which He led them.  Acts 17 provid...  Read More

The Bible offers us a roadmap not only regarding how to be saved and enter into a relationship with Jesus, but provides principles on which we can build our lives. It is the instruction manual that can provide direction and motivate us to be bold and courageous in our Christian walk.  The Lord spoke to Joshua, someone whom He had appointed to leadership over the people of Israel, in Joshua chapter...  Read More

In many cases, you could say there is a difference between our calling and our vocation.  For instance, God has called me to speak His truth, to be a communicator.  And, I have been blessed to be able to do that for well over three decades at Faith Radio.  In whatever occupation, you can use your skills and talents to glorify God and seek His purpose.  But, there may be something outside of that j...  Read More

Because we know Jesus, we have His Spirit who resides in our hearts - giving us the power to live a vibrant Christian life, a life of obedience in which we testify to His presence within us - He enables us togives us authority over the enemy and to display the victory that Jesus has won for us.  Colossians 3 describes how our lives can look:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put ...  Read More

Each generation has its choice - to follow the ways of God or to depart from His principles. Not long after the Israelites came into the promised land, a new generation arose that did not know the Lord.  And, they paid the consequences - they did, as the Bible says, what was right in their own eyes.  It's important that we transmit our Christian faith principles to the next generation.  1st John 2...  Read More