Character Archives - Christian Questions Bible Podcast

The biblical definition for sin is “to miss the mark.” To illustrate the point, let’s think about shooting an arrow at a target. As you aim for the bullseye, you shoot. You hit the target but missed the bullseye. Because your shot did not hit the mark, it fits the definition of sin. You can […] The post Will God Forgive Me? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast .

In the book of Proverbs, it says a friend loves at all times. So, what does that really mean? Jesus called his followers “friends.” This should give us a sense of its importance. Marriage can and should be between friends. Brotherhood in Christ should be fertile ground for forging deep and powerful friendships. It turns […] The post What Is True Friendship According to the Bible?...

What is the status of promises these days? Has the making of a promise become a simple figure of speech? When we say, “I promise,” are we really saying, “I’m going to try,” or “I really do intend to accomplish what I said I would do”? Have we lost our connection between our promises and […] The post Does God Punish Us When We Break a Promise? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible...

Many know the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel. When we just drop in on the account and read what happened, there are many unanswered questions. Why would you pick a fight with an angel anyway? Why would an angel even let you fight? Couldn’t the angel have overwhelmingly defeated Jacob even before the […] The post What Happens When We Wrestle With God? appeared first on Christian...

We have all heard the saying, “Life is what you make it!” It is usually at the approach of a new year or a birthday or some landmark life event when we turn our focus inward. We think about changes we would like to make. Normally, these changes are aimed at finding a greater measure […] The post How Will I Choose to Live the Life That’s Ahead of Me? appeared first on Christian Questions Bibl...

Life is forever busy. Whether it’s a holiday season or tax season or baseball season or following this, that and the other influencers on social media, we always have too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it. With all of this being said, how often do we stop and think […] The post How Generous Should We Be? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast .

By definition, being a Christian is all about following in Jesus’ footsteps. It’s all about learning how to walk the walk and talk the talk that he himself lived. Of course, this is no easy task, as we are challenged with applying the life lessons he taught us 2,000 years ago to the very different […] The post What Does It Mean to Have Christ in You? appeared first on Christian Questions Bib...

“Tell the truth!” For many of us, we can recall that strongly stated advice as coming from our parents when we were caught doing or saying something that we shouldn’t have. The immediate dilemma was obvious. If I tell the truth, then I’m going to get in trouble. If I lie or just tell a […] The post Is It Ever Okay for Christians to Lie? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast .

Everyone wants to be heard. Being heard is not only an acknowledgment of our existence but also confirms our value. Being listened to helps us find a place of significance in whatever social order we happen to be engaging in. To be heard – to be truly paid attention to – is to be recognized […] The post How Can I Get People to Listen When I Speak? appeared first on Christian Ques...

Habits are BIG! In many ways, habits – whether they are good or bad for us – dominate our lives. The odd thing is we are not even generally aware of how deeply rooted they are and how much control they really have. In Part I of our 2-part habits series, we looked into the […] The post Do My Habits Glorify God? (Part II) Social Habits appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Po...

Human beings are undeniably creatures of habit. Let me dramatically oversimplify the whole habit thing for a moment to make a point. Habits are formed as tools to bring us comfort, reward and what we believe we want in life. Little kids test this all the time. A child with a very focused mind wants […] The post Do My Habits Glorify God? (Part I) Personal Habits appeared first on Christian Qu...

As human beings, we all know what it’s like to get fired up about something. We see a circumstance unfold or read about something controversial, or our team wins the game no one thought they could. And we react! We become passionate or energized and feel that adrenaline rush. Suddenly there is no mountain too […] The post Is My Life on Fire for Christ? appeared first on Christian Quest...

Most of us are likely familiar with what shame feels like. We know all too well that it has the capacity to be a debilitating weight that can cut us off from others and reduce our lives to a cycle of hiding and self-contempt. Such a cycle can bring us to a living space where […] The post How Do We Cope With Feeling Shame? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast .

Fasting is a practice that has endured for thousands of years and appears often in the Bible. Among other things, it is used as a tool of focus, an expression of grief and a sign of humility. What seemed to have been a common occurrence in ancient days has now become far less mainstream. So, […] The post Should Christians Fast? appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Podcast .

Our world is such a cynical place. Sometimes it feels like every time you turn a corner, you’re met with frustration, unrest and a lack of trust. Because we have so many platforms through which we can speak, we do. When we speak, our words and sentiments are often full of accusation and vitriol. We […] The post Am I Too Cynical or Not Cynical Enough? appeared first on Christian Questions Bib...

In Part I of our two-part conversation about influence, we began to uncover just how broadly and how deeply the power of influence runs. In our world today, influence has taken on a new – and in some ways even more significant meaning – than ever before. Now because we have social media, we have […] The post How Can We Become Influencers? (Part II) appeared first on Christian Que...

Influence. We are all touched by it in countless ways and countless times each and every day of our lives. Influence comes from all corners of life. If we are partial to someone, we generally accept their influence positively. If we are at odds with someone, we generally look down upon their influence. Either way, […] The post How Can We Become Influencers? (Part I) appeared first on Christi...

Everyone experiences loss in their lives in one way or another. How we attempt to cope with those losses depends upon several things. First, the kind of loss we are facing can dictate whether our response to it is mild, strong or severe. Second, our cultural environment offers up expectations as to how our mild […] The post Is Mourning Out Loud Over Our Losses Good for Us? appeared first on...

Honor and respect. These seem like simple enough words but try and find them actively functioning in everyday life and you will find that they are surprisingly rare. As we speculate about why this is, we may conclude that we as a social order simply don’t perceive a need for them. The further we go […] The post Have We Lost Our Ability to Honor One Another? (Part II) appeared first on Christ...

Our society is in trouble. In many ways, it seems that we have lost our way, and we no longer have a general sense of societal respect. Maybe it’s just me, but when I was a kid, I was clearly shown the importance of valuing others. We were taught to respect those in charge, and […] The post Have We Lost Our Ability to Honor One Another? (Part I) appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Po...

It would seem that most entering into marriage do so with high expectations of a life of happiness, fulfillment and companionship. Unfortunately for far too many, these expectations are foreign to their reality. Excluding marriages that end in divorce, how many are truly happy and fulfilled, and how many are simply going along to get […] The post Can My Marriage Be a “Happily Ever After”? ap...

Let’s face it. We all know that each and every one of us can be better. We can be better human beings, better friends, co-workers, spouses, cousins and certainly better Christians. The challenge here is obvious. Being “better” requires change. Significant change. To be better in whatever area we are focusing on requires a different […] The post It’s Time to Change, but How Much Is Enough? ap...

We all have heard of the biblical account of Jonah and the whale. Because it is so unique and dramatic, it has been an often-repeated story with many lessons – and rightfully so. What many don’t realize is the magnitude of the events and teachings surrounding this amazing circumstance. First, one point of clarification: it […] The post Do I Show Up When God Calls, or Do I Run and Hide?...

Way back in the 1980’s Bobby McFerrin recorded and released his very popular song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s a simple and upbeat perspective on living. When you think about it, the title is a profound instruction for life. Don’t worry; instead, be happy! About 100 years before this catchy song, Hannah Whitall Smith wrote […] The post Is There a Christian Secret to a Happy Life? app...

In our last episode, we talked about doubt as a permanent fixture in our present world and experiences and how this can be both a positive thing as well as a negative thing. There are many ways the seeds of doubt are planted. It might be as a result of misinformation or misunderstanding. Or when […] The post How Can I Doubt My Doubts? (Part II) appeared first on Christian Questions Bible Pod...