A Moment of Hope

" We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces  endurance , and endurance produces  character , and character produces  hope " ( Romans 5:3-4 ). If I was delivered once, I can be delivered again. Hope is one of the strongest forces in the universe. Without it, it's hard to continue to live. Consider this illustration. An experiment was once done on rats. They were placed in a vat...

NFL quarterback Carson Wentz created AO1 as a reminder of how to live out his faith in every area of his life - especially with the cruel critics in the NFL. It was his way of making sure he kept God at the center of his life,  not  the fickle opinions of  others . What does AO1 mean? Audience of One and that one is Jesus. Wentz came to realize that he was playing to an audience of one: God. Seeki...

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus cautions his disciples to beware of the leaven of Herod ( 8:15 ). In biblical times, leaven was a symbol of evil or corruption. And King Herod was the poster child of this  leaven —an egotistical political figure widely known as a tyrannical ruler. What exactly was Jesus warning his disciples about? He was warning people of the danger of cozying up to political powers...

How would your life change if you heard God say to you, " I've got this! "? He does. It's true. God oversees every area of your life. " The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it " ( Psalm 24:1, NIV ). God takes hold of your right hand and says to you, " For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you...

My college basketball coach, Dean Smith, had a rule he implemented from day one. At the end of the game, holding a lead and being fouled by the opposition to shoot free throws, he would repeatedly say to us, "Sprint to the other end of the court!" Why would he do this? He wanted our energy level to say to our opponent, "We aren't tired. We will win this game!" This "sprinting" mentality should be...

Do you believe God is the restorer of the broken places in your life? He is. The Bible says so. " For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord,  when I will restore  the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah " ( Jeremiah 30:3 ). God promises the Israelites that he will restore them to the land after they had been removed from it for 70 years. Plus, God restored the Temple that had been destroy...

Rust out or burn out? It's an important question we all need to ask ourselves. Especially as we consider how we want to live out our last decades on earth. Everyone who competes in games trains to win a prize ( 1 Corinthians 9:25 ). Winning requires focus, purpose and discipline. As Christians, we are running toward our heavenly  reward. Our prize is awarded by Jesus at the end of our lives, for o...

The word "enthusiasm" comes from the Greek word "entheos" which means "the God within." When God is within us - through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - how then can we not be enthusiastic? Joyful? Cheerful? Light-hearted? Enthusiasm is a key for success in the lives of Christ-followers. Scripture exhorts us to be " zealous " for what is good ( 1 Peter 3:13 ). To " not be slothful in zeal, but...

If you've experienced success in your life, then there are people around you who've helped you along the way. It's a requisite for success. Why? Because we all stand on the shoulders of other people. Those who've contributed to our achievement in some way. Through their words. Encouragement. Example. Wisdom. Time. Money. Faith. Prayers. Think of some of those people in your life. Ones who guided y...

Here's what I consider to be a fundamental key to life: Seek to understand more than be understood. How do we do this? By practicing empathy. By listening carefully to what someone is saying. Trying to see life as they see it. Trying to walk in their shoes. Considering how others' life experiences - including their wounding - have shaped their opinions and ideologies. Once we understand the plight...

" My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry " ( James 1:19 ). Take a moment to let that profound truth sink in. Quick  to listen.  Slow  to speak.  Slow  to anger. Said another way, there's a reason God gave you one mouth and two ears. Here's what James knew. When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicat...

Are you looking for a way to change your spouse? To make him or her be more like you desire? Then choose to serve  your spouse and not be served ( Mark 10:45 ). Do it even if you don't feel like it. Ask Jesus to change your heart. Desire to live and act more like Jesus. Desire to serve, not be served. Then you may see your spouse become the person you desire him/her to be. Here's a great example....

I have come to this deeply held conviction: Everything that happens on this earth must first be  Father -filtered. If we are God the Father's children, and he owns us and oversees all we do, then nothing can come to us unless our Father in heaven gives permission. Look at Job ( Job 1-2 ). Satan had to first ask for permission from God before he did anything with Job. Also, examine Peter at the Las...

Every successful marriage demands divorce. "What?" you say. Have I lost my mind? Fallen prey to culture's lies? Of course not. Here's what I mean: Every successful marriage needs a divorce from self-love . Or said another way, the " me first " mentality. In over 40 years of pastoral ministry, I've done a study. I've examined why spouses get divorced. Here is the major reason: Selfishness . Either...

I have three proven words of wisdom for you. Words that will fuel your prayer life and grow your faith:  How much more . Jesus taught it. In fact, he looked to nature to make his point. Especially to teach us about the futility of worry. " Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them " ( Matthew 6:26 ). Birds can't grow thei...

Why do we act the way we act, and do the things we do? Here's the answer: first belief, then feelings, then behavior. The order is biblical. We act on what we believe. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind " ( Romans 12:2 ). It is our mind - where our beliefs reside - that informs our feelings. Feelings then bring about our behavior. It's why we must fi...

If there was one mantra that my college basketball coach, Dean Smith, repeated over and over again, it is this: Play  hard , play  smart , and play  together . Coach Smith believed playing these three ways - hard, smart, and together - was an absolute requisite for a winning team. Do you think Coach Smith knew he was developing his team using a biblical framework? He was. Hard work. " Whatever you...

Isn't it wonderful when God supernaturally delivers us from hardship? Gives us a miracle of faith? A giant problem we've had suddenly disappears? Supernatural delivery - the painless way through a life's circumstance - may seem like the "best" or "easiest" way to deal with adversity. But I've discovered that most of the time, God wants us to go through  the problem. The water. The fire. Not over i...

Sexual purity requires self-discipline. Yesterday, we examined why sexual purity is so important to God. I shared with you one safeguard phrase Marilynn and I taught our children: Nothing below the neck. Here's another: Stay vertical. Nothing horizontal. In today's culture, many teens would laugh at the thought of staying vertical in dating relationships. It's evidence of the decaying and dark cul...

" For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality " ( 1 Thessalonians 4:3 ). God desires sexual purity in his people. His commands for purity are found throughout his Word. What is sexual purity from Jesus and his Word? Sex only within the parameters of a relationship between a married man and woman. Why is sexual purity so important to God? Our bodies are...

You can almost hear the sound of someone drinking a slurpee. The classic, large drink many love to "slurp" down. In big, slushy gulps. With the last gulp bringing the loudest slurp! A slurpee is delicious as a drink. But it's disastrous in a marriage. What is a "slurpee" marriage? It's when one person in a marriage continues drinking from the other. Until the end, when the large "slurp" shows that...

Whatever you fuel  grows . Whatever you starve  dies . With what are you fueling your mind? Thoughts of faith fuel God's peace. Think of faith as fertilizer, promoting the growth of peace in your heart. " The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus " ( Philippians 4:7 ). Faith precedes peace. What's the polar opposite of peace? Fear. W...

It's a memory engraved on my brain from my college coach, Dean Smith. He said it regularly, sometimes even right before our games: Read your jersey. Coach Smith wanted us to consider the full meaning of what our jerseys displayed: the University of North Carolina. He was reminding us that when we played, we were representing every fan, former student, present student, and indeed the entire state....

Today, I want to give you this simple but profound statement that we should remind ourselves of repeatedly. God is in control. Of everything. If one atom is outside his sovereign control, then every atom is outside his sovereign control. We must discipline ourselves to continually believe and speak this truth. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. God is in control. " No plan of God's can be thwart...

Which do you think matters most? Ability or availability? To the world, ability matters most. But to a holy, sovereign God, it's availability that truly matters. There is a significant biblical example of this truth, found in the story of Samuel. As a young child, Samuel heard a voice repeatedly calling out to him. He asked Eli, his mentor, for guidance. Eli finally encouraged Samuel to open his h...