Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

On the western shore of the Red Sea Israel could still be considered a band of runaway slaves. It’s true Egypt had “driven them out” to prevent any more plagues, but their army remained powerful enough to recapture their former slaves and bring them back to Egypt in chains. On that side of the sea, Israel’s freedom depended on Egypt’s good will, which of course didn’t last long. But on the eastern...

You’ll notice God didn’t give Israel a map of the wilderness and say, “I’ll meet you again when you get to Mt. Sinai.” He personally led them day-by-day: 1) He protected them: revealing hidden things that would cause them to stumble; 2) He sheltered them: shading them from the glare of the scorching sun; 3) He guided them: leading them with direction and purpose; 4) He comforted them: showing them...

It’s one thing to be delivered from bondage, but it’s another to inherit our promises. It seems there are always obstacles standing in our way—powerful forces determined to prevent us from possessing those promises. In this case it was the Philistine army who stood between Israel and their promised land. God had the power to give them their inheritance immediately, but He knew they didn’t have the...

As Israel prepared to leave Egypt God wanted to make sure they would never forget the important lessons they were learning about Him. He knew human nature tends to quickly forget spiritual lessons and ceases to be thankful. And when this happens people are forced to keep relearning painful lessons, and those who fall into that cycle are prevented from maturing. Forgetting also leads to thanklessne...

Though God’s salvation is a free gift which cannot be earned or deserved, it does leave those who are saved with a great moral debt. We realize we now owe our lives to God. It’s impossible to look at all He has done for us and not feel deep gratitude. Somehow our hearts understand that our only proper response is to give ourselves back to Him. This is the lesson the Lord meant to teach His people...

One of the most fundamental barriers to serving God is our apparent lack of resources. We fear that if we follow where He leads, we will end up destitute. Like Israel we stand on the borders of Egypt and gaze into the wilderness and we see in that barren wasteland no possible way of surviving. We find ourselves caught between God’s call to follow and our own logic which says this is impossible. Bu...

As our nation and the world move toward what the Bible refers to as the “last days” we see disturbing trends around us which leave us feeling confused and alienated. Why are people so committed to tearing down God’s moral standards? Why such hostility toward Jesus Christ? Who in their right mind could be so hateful as to bomb innocent people and then celebrate as if they had done something heroic?...

Every time we deliberately say “no” to God we harden our own hearts, and every time we say “yes” to Him we become softer. By making us in His own image, God has given us the power to choose and that ability means we are responsible for the choices we make. This passage in Exodus concludes with the statement, “But when Pharaoh saw there was relief he hardened his own heart and did not listen to the...

This passage raises a subject which has been debated for centuries. Does the statement that God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart mean He actually prevents some people from repenting and being saved. Throughout the next five chapters there are repeated references to hardening Pharaoh’s heart along with statements to the effect that Pharaoh then refused to submit to God’s demand to release the Hebrew slav...

There are different levels at which people tend to relate to God: There are those who call on God only when they need help. There are those who recognize their sinfulness and call on God for forgiveness (confess and repent; trust and submit) There are those who regularly meet God personally and fall in love with Him (worship and pray) There are those who let God’s presence transform them until the...

One of the key ingredients for true discipleship is learning how to be part of a family—whether that be our natural family or the family of God. Learning to live in a committed way with people is a tremendous challenge for all of us. Nothing confronts our character so much as living with other people. Our weaknesses are exposed, our selfishness confronted and our love is tested. But as ironic as i...

If we’re going to be free and inherit our promises we’re going to have to learn to fight. Just because something is God’s will for us doesn’t mean it will come easily or without opposition. In fact, there are always forces which oppose the advancement of God’s kingdom. Whenever God’s power is breaking into darkness with salvation, healing, restoration, deliverance, love, guidance or provision, we...

Definition of Thanks: 1) Sees the good; 2) Sees the grace: acknowledges the reception of something undeserved; I don’t need to thank someone for what I deserve or pay for; 3) Sees the source: this is generated by someone other than me; I was given this, I didn’t produce this; 4) Sees the need to speak: I need to communicate to the person who provided it   Life always seems to offer us a mixture of...

Last week we learned: God uses people to deliver people; a “deliverer” is someone who: sets free from restraint, rescues from evil or unburdens the oppressed; God uses suffering, failure and frustration to prepare deliverers. This week we’ll learn that God calls those who are His deliverers: In chapters three and four we’ll see God call Moses to his role in delivering Israel from Egypt.   There ar...

What does it mean to “deliver” someone? set free from restraint; rescue from evil; lift off a burden.

God knew Israel would not leave Egypt just because He asked them to. They would have to undergo a deep attitude-change before He could give them the promised land. After all, they had lived in Egypt for 400 years. It had become home to many generations and they had prospered there. Their families grew large, their livestock flourished and they built fine houses to live in. Yet, God did not want th...

The first step on the road to freedom is that a person must desire to be free. This may sound like an unnecessary statement because we assume everyone must want to be free. After all, who in their right mind would want to remain in any sort of bondage if they had an opportunity to escape. Yet, when we actually look more closely at the human heart we frequently find just the opposite. Since freedom...

The book of Exodus is a model of the Christian life. It starts with people being set free from slavery (salvation). Next, we see God put them in situations where they will learn to grow in faith (Ex 13:17). Then, once their faith reaches the point where they have the courage to follow God, He leads them to possess the blessings He has promised. Becoming free is a process, not an event, because rea...

  What is the relationship between speaking in tongues and the baptism with the Holy Spirit? When we observe people being baptized with the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts the gifts often mentioned as immediately accompanying this experience are speaking in tongues and prophecy (Ac 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). When these early Christians encountered the power of the Spirit they burst out in inspired speech...

  The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a blessing from God which causes ordinary people to become extraordinarily effective as witnesses for Jesus Christ (Ac 1:5, 8). By it God equips believers today with the same power we read about in the New Testament. Since the Day of Pentecost (Ac 2) God’s plan has been to supernaturally equip every believer so that the ministry of Jesus Christ may continue th...

1 - How to be Born-Again A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading a Person to Salvation   Being born-again is more than simply chang-ing one’s attitude toward God. A person may have positive feelings toward God, His Son Jesus, and the Bible, and may even attend church regularly but have never received the inner miracle called the “new birth.” This is because it only occurs when the Spirit of God comes ins...

Why be baptized? The most important reason for a believer to be baptized in water is because Jesus commanded it. In His “Great Commission” Jesus instructed that all who became His disciples are to be baptized (Mt 28:19). Since every true believer chooses to obey Jesus as “Lord” no better reason can be given. If He wants me to be baptized then I will gladly be baptized.  

The death of a relationship can bring on depression. Times when friendships and families are broken or loved ones die seriously  affects us. Pastor Steve discusses this type of depression and teaches how to go to the Lord for comfort.

Pastor Steve offers practical steps to help depression like worshipping often, watching nutrition and sleep, and quitting the masking of symptoms with caffeine, sugar and pain relievers. 

A lot of healing from depression comes from healing in the soul. Pastor Steve discusses soul ties, a term that describes an inappropriate bond to another person at the emotional, psychological level.