Faith over fear

Sometimes the Lord's provision comes through wisdom, knowledge, abilities, and skill to do specific tasks. In Exodus 35:31-33 God chose a man named Bezalel and Oholiab to be an artisan to help build the tabernacle. Other times, the Lord provides day-by-day, as He did to the Israelites as they were in the desert. Deuteronomy 8:1-6 encapsulates God's provisions by reminding the Israelites that He pr...

I want my life to make sense and be ordered and arranged, with my day running according to my own plans. If there is to be a twist, hurdle, or anything unforeseen, I would like to see it coming a mile away to have adequate time to prepare myself. After all, complications are less frustrating or upsetting when we can manage them away. Am I alone in this? You may have noticed life doesn’t work this...

Though you and I don’t know one another, we and many others living in America likely share a similar fear, especially today. One of the most relatable fears known to man is not having enough money. While Scripture admonishes us not to love money, the world reminds us how much we need it. The love of money is the root of many evils, but the lack thereof is the cause of much anxiety. Money keeps the...

Intimacy is something that each of our souls deeply desires. Intimacy is defined as close familiarity or friendship; closeness. Intimacy in marriage includes physical acts of intimacy, but we yearn for intimacy in every close relationship we have in our lives. Our longing for closeness is a part of our design. In Psalm 63 it is articulated this way, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my...

What defines your life? How do others see you? What sets you apart in the world? How would others describe your witness in the world? Do those around you know you’re a Christian? Sadly many Christians carry their Salvation in their heart, holding it silently within, not saying or doing anything to reveal God’s love to others. Content on loving God themselves, they find it difficult to love those a...

What if loving others isn’t about covering those we’re loving sins but rather more about covering our own sins? Perhaps in choosing to love each other, our own sins are being covered and washed away by the love of God. Revelations 1:5 describes, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has fre...

Compassion is not just one to restore civility to the dinner table or our conversations at work and online. Compassion is how we go about living our daily lives in a way that honors and emulates Christ. What a perfect lesson as we start this new year.

People are God’s work of art. Our lives either tell the story of what happens when we disregard His call to truth, or they tell the story of His redemption and its power to transform us. I love that no matter the current stage of becoming we are in, we display the workmanship, the qualifications, and the worthiness of our worship of our creator God. Just like a painting at every stage, the beautif...

People’s lives are constantly changing. Just because someone feels stuck now does not mean that they will always remain in their current situation. As believers, we need to base our contentment and hope is something more reliable and solid than fluctuating circumstances and emotions. When we feel stuck, we can find hope and joy in Jesus. He is working in our lives even if we do not understand or “...

The next time you find yourself struggling with anger, remember Jonah. Let him be an example of how not to respond. Jonah appreciated God’s compassion for himself, but he grew angry when God showed compassion to people he felt did not deserve it. God’s compassion extends to all. Lean into it and encourage others to lean into it as well. As you do, you will experience God’s grace, mercy, steadfast...

Can you imagine carrying the cross behind the man who was about to save the world? Think about how Simon must have felt or what thoughts were going through his mind. He was pulled into this mess of a scene of a crowd crucifying an innocent man. He was forced to carry a heavy cross up to Golgotha. He was probably thinking, “Why me?” We do not have any other context provided other than this, so we w...

Love is the key to forgiveness. Recognizing God’s forgiveness in our lives releases His love into our hearts. As 1 John 4:8 explains, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Grace is powerful and active in our lives. Grace is never given to the perfect or faultless, for if someone is perfect why would they need grace? Instead, grace meets us in the thick of life, in the place of our need. It is grace that defines who we are, not our accomplishments or deeds, our mistakes or sins. So, instead of viewing our weakness as a place of rejection, let us recognize it as the p...

You can take a man—dress him up, put him in the front row in church, and he almost looks like a saint. He may fool even his best friends for a while, but then put him in his office, or in the club on Saturday night, and you will see his true nature come out again. Why does he act that way? Because his nature has not been changed. He has not been born again.

Take time today to ask yourself the following question, does my behavior match my beliefs? Take inventory of your answer, and call on the Holy Spirit to help you as you seek to offer yourself as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

Scripture calls us in Romans to celebrate and empathize with those around us. People are celebrating exciting news, and we join in the rejoicing. However, not every day is going to be a walk in the park. When others come to us in mourning, the response of a believer in Christ should be to mourn with them.

There is a reason lust makes the list as one of the seven deadly sins. Much of humanity has succumbed to the forbidden woman at one time or another, and just about all of us have heard her call. Whether we are talking about sirens from Greek mythology or Instagram models today, lust is always looming on the corner, beckoning whoever will listen. Those who answer waste time, and themselves, chasing...

The truth is that there are people around us every day who will not be in heaven without the saving grace of Jesus. We can ask God for hearts of compassion to share the gospel with them. When they ask us why we do certain things or say certain things pertaining to Christ, these are open doors to sharing the hope that we have in Jesus. We so often shy away from “controversial” topics when in realit...

The Lord’s house is the place where the Lord lovingly dwells, and that is around us and within us. Jesus promises to reside within the heart of those committed to him. “Those who love me will keep my word,” Jesus says, “and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). Like Jacob, the one who created us also sustains us. There is no place in our live...

If you continue in sin, it is going to kill something in your life. It may not cost you your life immediately, though it could, it will cost something. Sin can kill families, it can kill relationships, it can kill visions, it can kill dreams, it can kill reputations, it can kill ministries, and it can kill careers. There is nothing positive that will ever result from indulging in sin because that...

Has chatter of possible future food shortages caused you to feel anxious, stressed out, and worried? Are headlines causing you to store up staples, basic supplies, and favorite foods to help get you and your family through possible lean times? If so, it’s okay to create a storehouse but make sure it isn’t motivated by fear but led by God’s wisdom because “The Lord does not let the righteous go hun...

When you stop and think about how you need to specifically be on your guard right now, what comes to mind? In what ways is the enemy attacking you, your family, your friendships, your workplace, and your church? Just as God is active, the Devil is active too. He is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for people to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Being on our guard works best when we are not reliant...

Your kingdom come is a prayer for the Lord to move and work and make a way for people to get to Him. Jesus is literally the answer to His prayer. He was going to die and be raised so that people can join the kingdom of heaven. God wishes that none perish, but all would come to repentance.

God refines us by putting tests of faith before us for His glory. Has your faith ever been tested? Have you ever wondered why? Tests of faith come to develop our character. They drive you to a better commitment and a different level of obedience to God. They drive you to pray differently, fervently. They build your trust in Him.

Since the Fall of Man in the Book of Genesis, our world has become replete with all kinds of foul and evil deeds. The limits of sin are only the limits of human imagination. And with our propensity to do wrong comes temptation, the temptation to commit new sins or to return to something familiar.