I'll Be Honest

Do you believe God can make you happier than anything else in the world? Do you believe that God can strip of you something dear, and yet fill you with more joy from Himself?

We often find ourselves needing to awaken the lost to the coming judgment and their need for a Savior. But are there times when we ourselves need to be awakened? May God keep us from falling asleep and letting our light go dim in this dark world.

One of the hardest decisions we have to daily face as Christians is how to best use our time. We have so many choices to sort through and wrestle with. How can we make the best use of our short time?

As ambassadors of Christ, we need to be balanced; we must not dare compromise the message, but we must also be respectful and compassionate to those we are sent to. In this excerpt, Mark shares how he sought to be faithful to Christ while sharing at the funeral of a lost person.

The world is not going to be drawn to Christ by seeing Christians live just as worldly as they can. They'll be drawn to Christ by seeing a new life and radical change that Christ has so wonderfully worked in us.

If we wish to see where the character of Christ has been displayed in amazing ways, we don't need to look much further than in the history of missions in the Church. The Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of missions. May He breathe upon us in a fresh way to carry out this impossible task of reaching all the nations for Christ. (Used by permission from Banner of Truth and David Vaughn.)

How often are you looking up and beholding Christ as you go about your day? Do you look to Christ in all that you do? There are some Christians in the innermost circle who keep their eyes on the life-giving rays of their Savior in all that they do, and cannot bear to look away from Him. Which circle are we in?

In all your Christian activities, don't lose sight of the loving example of Christ as the primary motive. If we have a Savior who so loved us by dying for us, how can we not imitate that same love to others?

Most of us would never want to go through fiery trials and testing of faith but if we could see what God is going to work in and through us, as a result, we would count the trials all joy and embrace them. May God give us eyes to see the eternal weight of glory that the suffering is preparing for us.

Hardness of heart is a very fearful thing, and the Bible gives terrifying warnings against it. However, is it possible for a Christian to go through a season of hardening?

Should a Christian man marry a woman who has different views on whether or not she should homeschool the children instead of pursuing a career?

When the Bible tells us to make the best use of our time, what comes to your mind as practical ways to do that? Paul's focus is not primarily on us reading our Bible and praying more, but it is on us reaching others and serving them.

Does the reality of salvation by grace apart from works mean that we don't have to endure to the end? We can't allow our theological systems and preconceived ideas to cause us to not hear what Scripture is clearly telling us. Jesus says in Matthew 10:22, "The one who endures to the end will be saved."

You may have started the Christian race incredibly well, but Jesus teaches that you must endure to the end to be saved. You must keep looking to Christ and not throw away your confidence in Him. Don't rely on past experiences. People can have amazing experiences and end up falling away in the end. Keep looking to Christ, following Him, loving Him, trusting Him...all the way to the end.

A big issue that can cause debate within churches is the topic of music and singing. Is singing a spiritual gift or a natural talent? How should singing be used and exercised in the church?

What is essential for us to have Christ's joy in us? When we look to Christ we see that He had joy as He obeyed His Father's commandments. The path to joy for Jesus is the same path to joy for us. We too can flourish in the delights of the Father's love as we obey Him. And as 1 John 5:3 tells us, to obey His commands is no longer a burden because we have been born again. We are now yoked to Him wh...

Those outside of Christ are prisoners who are condemned and sitting on death row. Yet God in His love has sent Jesus Christ to rescue condemned sinners. What about your sentence of condemnation? Have you trusted in Christ to save you?

Not everyone has the language abilities to translate the Bible into another language, but there are many common people who know another language proficiently enough to translate a sermon into their native language. This translated video can then be sent forward as a digital tract onto the Internet. Do you know multiple languages for such a time as this?

We desperately need to keep our focus on redeeming our time by doing that with which has eternal value. Yet our minds are often distracted by noise. How should we fight distraction in a distracted age?

When you wake up in the morning what do you do first: read the Bible and pray, or check your smartphone? What do you seek first: The Living God...or who messaged you the night before?

There are many people who think that the main aspect of being a Christian is going to conferences, sharpening their theology, and having famous authors on their shelves. But isn't it interesting that Jesus doesn't mention any of these things as commendations on Judgment Day? We need to be people who have theology that actually impacts their lives to where they reach this dark world with the light...

How should we understand the fear of God and the warnings in the Bible about falling away?

As we currently face the Coronavirus outbreak we should ask ourselves, “What is the worst pandemic in history?” And how did it spread? Was it stopped? What was, and is the treatment?

It is easy to stand in the days that are pleasant, but how many Christians are able to stand in the evil day? Each of us will face the evil day when we experience overwhelming assaults from the devil. We'll only be able to stand if we have the whole armor of God on with no pieces missing.

One of the ways the devil tries to tear Christians apart is by trying to convince them that God has abandoned them. You may go through seasons of wondering if God is even real and you have no reality in prayer. You may feel like God has forsaken you. But take courage; God has not abandoned those who seek Him (Psalm 9:10).