Some sins feel like they stick around for decades. This is especially true for those who deal with a quick temper and outbursts of anger. You see one or both parents struggle with it, you struggle with it, and it seems like a family trait you just have to endure for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, the progress seems so slow in fighting it that you face the temptation to give up and say it’s just the way you… Read more

Every Christian knows the feeling. You know you need to pray, but the words don’t come to you. Then you finally begin grunting out a few words, but God feels distant and you suspect your prayers stopped at the ceiling. Then you feel guilty because you struggle to pray and it quenches your prayers even further leading to a vicious cycle of guilt, shame, and confusion. We don’t have to be stuck in this position. Here are four basic truths… Read more

Early in my Christian life, I heard the famous quote from the English pastor and theologian John Owen, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” While that quote may sound a little radical, for any person who truly knows himself, he understands that his sin can kill him. He feels in his bones the havoc that sin reeks on his joy, his walk with the Lord, his relationships and his witness. Dealing with our own personal sin also… Read more

For the better part of two decades, Christians have appealed to emotion and enthusiasm as the driving force behind our spiritual growth. I often think about my senior year of college in the late ‘90s, when one of our campus ministries adopted the slogan “Are you excited?” to motivate Christians throughout the year. There are many ways to motivate me to follow Jesus, but loudly asking me “Are you excited?” before I have finished breakfast is not one of them…. Read more