Ring of Truth

The best chess players can see several moves ahead. Every movement of every piece serves a purpose in the overall strategy of the game. And when the time is right, the checkmate is delivered. All throughout history, God has been moving pieces into place. Generation after generation, everything came into alignment until the time was right to send Jesus into the world. Today Pastor Dan shows you tha...

A tapestry makes no sense from the back. It's just a mess of thread and knots, with no indication of what is being depicted. It looks chaotic, and it may even seem like the weaver messed up their work. But when viewed from the front side, it all makes sense. Every thread and knot is placed in exactly the right place, coming together just the way the weaver intended. This world may seem like a mist...

When you are just a small part of a big plan, it can be difficult to see how your work matters. What does one life matter in the span of all human life? How can one person's 70, 80, or 90 years of life make a difference for eternity? It's easy to become discouraged when you have a short-term vision. But today Pastor Dan encourages you: the work you do for the Lord does matter. Every day is an oppo...

Have you ever been on the receiving end of an insincere apology? An apology for show or to appease someone else doesn't really mean much. In fact, it may have been better if the offender never offered any apology at all. In today's teaching, Pastor Dan shows us that Israel gave God an insincere apology. They put on a good show, fasting and lamenting for 70 years. But ultimately, they weren't sorry...

Jesus’ work on the cross was so profound. Most of us are members of that “far off” group – Gentiles unfamiliar with Judaism and God’s chosen nation. We don’t quite fathom just how big of a deal it was for Jesus to do what He did. His death on the cross was a sacrifice for all people – He made way for Jews and Gentiles to be rescued from sin and made righteous. As Pastor Dan will point out in today...

Jesus’ work on the cross was so profound. Most of us are members of that “far off” group – Gentiles unfamiliar with Judaism and God’s chosen nation. We don’t quite fathom just how big of a deal it was for Jesus to do what He did. His death on the cross was a sacrifice for all people – He made way for Jews and Gentiles to be rescued from sin and made righteous. As Pastor Dan will point out in today...

A lamp, powered by oil, gas, or electricity, requires fuel. Without the oil, the plug in the wall, or some power source, it serves little purpose other than decoration. In today’s message, Pastor Dan will draw our attention to this illustration in the book of Zechariah. As believers, we are lampstands – designed to project light in a dark and lost world. But, we need fuel. As hard as we try, witho...

As a believer, you aren’t saved, filled with the Spirit, then left to just coast on the power of that one event till you join Jesus in Heaven. When you accept Jesus, you’re stepping into a life of nearly constant repentance and renewal. As Pastor Dan continues our study of the book of Zechariah in today’s message, he’ll explain that filling the Holy Spirit is something we need daily. It’s not a on...

We all want to earn our place. This desire is rooted in our pride. Our culture highly values the drive and ambition in individuals. You can likely think of a few examples of influential, famous people who have a rags-to-riches story – people who “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.” Pastor Dan will explain in today’s message that this isn’t a value in God’s Kingdom. In His Kingdom, we must r...

Building a complete, livable house is far too big a project for one person. It can be done… but it’ll take a long time, and most likely, several things will not be done correctly. Trying to live a righteous life in your own strength is an even more daunting and impossible task. You may be able to establish an upright life, but as Pastor Dan will point out in today’s message, you can never achieve...

God works in mysterious ways. He’s over and above human reason and authority. It can be challenging for us to identify from our point of view. Still, as Pastor Dan will explain in today’s message, God has the vantage point of eternity, and He’s ultimately in control of the outcomes we see throughout history and everything that’ll happen in the future. The enemy tries to subvert Him and cause destr...

That’s a truth that all of us need to hear at times. Like most believers, you’ve probably prayed for God to draw near you. The heart of that prayer is good, but in reality, God is as near to us as we let Him be. When you open your heart in humility and honesty, He’ll rush in and fill you to the deepest part. As Pastor Dan will explain in today’s message, when you feel far from God, it’s you who’s...

How much of an influence do people have on you? Pastor Dan talks about the influence Christians have within the world in today's edition of Ring of Truth. You cannot give someone salvation; the only way someone can be saved is through putting their trust in the Lord. But is your influence causing someone to stray away from Christ? Attitudes are as infectious as smiles are. As Christians, we are ca...

Do you sometimes feel like your work for the Lord is insignificant? In today’s edition of Ring of Truth, Pastor Dan talks about the significance of working toward the Lord’s Will. It can sometimes feel like our work is unseen when pursuing the Lord. But, when the Lord is present, the fruits of your work are significant. The devil will try to deceive us into becoming discouraged, but when we pursue...

Like any family, God's household also requires work on the part of every family member. Today, Pastor Dan brings the words of the Old Testament prophet Haggai to life in his insistence on returning to God's plan. Maybe you feel like it's too late for you. God's not asking for an extravagant assignment before you can return to his good graces. Scriptures say that God throws our transgressions as fa...

Israelites are always getting a bad rap for their weak faith. Pastor Dan shows us in Haggai that the children of Israel were so passionate about returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple. Yet, the fire burned out as quickly as they arrived – they had more important things to do, right? Today as followers of Jesus, we may also experience this departure from doing the tasks for which God has...

What does true worship look like? You may have an idea, but it gets better after Jesus' return. Zephaniah, and even the book of Revelations, signifies a time on the Earth when God will reign over the Earth, and people that love him will TRULY worship Him. It's unlike our hearts today, which are stretched in every other direction as we try to focus on worshipping God in our daily lives. Today, Past...

Have you ever heard the phrase - “I'll believe it when I see it.” - often promising the completion of something? For example, as a Christian, a follower of Jesus' commandments, are we just giving lip service? Or are we believers in word AND deed? Today, Pastor Dan brings forth the urgency of Zephaniah's words that God will know his people by their actions. It can be a hard pill to swallow but a si...

Did you know as Christians that there is a joy of expectation when Jesus returns for the ones that love him - it's called the blessed hope? God knows exactly the day and the hour that he will come back for his people in this world. He also gave wisdom to prophets in foretelling this return. Pastor Dan outlines and brings a prelude to this coming in the book of Zephaniah. In today's message, the pr...

The saying goes that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But sometimes those covers can tell you a lot about the book. In today’s study, you’ll find that the Israelites had given up what made them distinct from the cultures around them. They stopped following God and worshipped idols. They even started dressing in the same styles as their neighbors. Pastor Dan urges you to stay alert so that...

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. He called them His own when they weren’t anything special. They had the privilege of hearing from Him and watching Him intercede on their behalf in miraculous ways. God treasured them and brought them into the land He promised them. But, as you’ll see today, that wasn’t enough to keep their hearts tied to the Lord. Pastor Dan walks you through how the Israe...

Today, Pastor Dan invites you to join in on this new study in the book of Zephaniah, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Zephaniah begins by setting the stage, letting the reader know who he is and what’s going on at the time he’s writing. Pastor Dan points out that God wants to use each of us to do His work. It doesn’t matter if you’re royalty like Zephaniah or a farmhand like David....

Most people make lists to help them remember what they need to do. Lists encourage you to focus on what’s important at that moment. They help orient you. Well, in today’s passage, you’ll see that Habakkuk is making a list. But it’s not about the day’s activities. It’s actually a list of the ways that God has come through for His people in the past. Pastor Dan shares that remembering God’s great fa...

When you’re running a race, you’re aware of your footing and what’s going on around you, but you focus ahead, further down the course. You run with the end in mind, pacing yourself so that you can finish well. Well, today, Pastor Dan encourages you to live your life with the end in mind, setting your heart on things above, not on earthly things. You’ll be reminded that since you can’t take anythin...

It always seems to happen. Your kiddo asked and asked for that certain something and they’re finally going to get it. They open their present, thrilled with what’s inside. They play with it for a while, but quickly lose interest over the next few days. Today, Pastor Dan shares that this is a picture of the human condition. Like the rest of us, you have an emptiness in you that you try to fill on y...