Every believer knows what it is like to struggle in his or her prayer life. You know you need to pray and feel guilty for not praying more, so you kneel down, fold your hands, close your eyes, and then have no idea what to say. Then once words start coming out you don’t know if you are praying for the right thing or if your prayers are even being heard. If this is your experience, here are a few... Read more
“Six Reasons Why Adultery is Very Serious” Hardly a day passes without us hearing the story of another home torn apart by the foolishness of adultery. This sin breaks the marriage covenant, scars our conscience, and sends confusing messages about who Jesus is. Tim Challies helps us understand how serious this sin and its consequences can be. “Adultery is inherently secretive, inherently dishonest. It has to be because no one wants to trumpet that they are breaking a promise. Adultery... Read more
I regret the foolish things I’ve said more than the foolish things I’ve done. The longer I have lived and read my Bible, the more I realized how much damage thoughtless and malicious words can do to people. These words belong in the same category for a simple reason- they come from the same place. Thoughtless words may not have the same piercing intention as malicious speech, but they proceed from a heart that is just as sick. Too often... Read more
“Andy Stanley’s Statements about the Bible are not Cutting Edge—They’re Old Liberalism” Andy Stanley has caused no small amount of controversy in the last few weeks over his new sermon series. “Who Needs God” is designed to address those who grew up in church but later abandoned the faith. Stanley’s desire to bring folks who walked away from the church back into the fold is laudable, but the message he has been preaching goes astray. David Prince helpfully walks through... Read more
We live in a world of pain, and we hate it. God created the world and declared that it was good, but from the minute sin entered the world we have experienced trouble, pain, and difficulty. Our struggles take many forms: physical pain, fear, doubt, betrayal, temptations, mistreatment, and a host of others. We should never ask if we will walk through trouble in this life, but when we will and what form it will take. Since pain is certain,... Read more
“I Overlooked the Rural Poor– Then Donald Trump Came Along“ 2016 will be remembered for many things, but the most interesting trend I have seen is a refocus on rural America. J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy highlighted the struggles and chaos facing many in these forgotten regions of our nation. The church’s attention has been refocused on these areas as well, thanks to books like Donnie Griggs’ Small Town Jesus and Aaron Morrow’s Small Town Mission. Here, Tish Harrison Warren shares... Read more
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,... Read more
“30 Life Skills Every Functioning Adult Should Master” Unfortunately, I disregarded the advice of my parents when I was growing up and refused to listen to most of what they tried to teach me. My adult years have been marked by a struggle to catch up with the things I should have learned in the early 1990’s, so I appreciated this list of things an adult should be able to do. “We can’t promise we’ve outlined every skill you might need, but... Read more
Most days I check the Facebook trending topics because I’m interested to see what people are talking about. Saturday morning I looked and saw the name of San Fransisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick. I assumed he had been injured in a preseason game, but I was wrong. The story told how he refused to stand for the National Anthem and said he did so as a protest for the injustice black people face in America. The reactions to Kaepernick’s protest... Read more
“Can the Devil Read My Mind?” There are few areas of theology Christians struggle with more than their understanding of Satan. There are so many unanswered questions about his origins and what he is able to do. Here R.C. Sproul answers whether or not the devil can read our minds. His answer is short, but shows how we can think through these kinds of issues. “I know that Satan has more power than one would normally find among human beings.... Read more
One Degree to Another
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