Soul Talks with PB

We cannot live out the Christian life in a victorious way unless we are secure in our identity in Christ. This is the reason why Satan will always attack us in this very area of our spiritual lives. He will do everything in his power to make us doubt or question who we are and whose we are. If he can succeed in this attack, he will be able to defeat us. Our spiritual lives actually depend on our s...

Information is readily available today because of technology. Ideas are passed on from one person to another or sometimes to whole groups of people without proper evaluation or discernment. When they are religious in nature, they are even more destructive. Our ideas about God affect how we relate to Him. If we have wrong ideas, it will lead us into the wrong path. What we think we know or don't kn...

Politics is a hot topic these days. Should we even talk about it in church? Some believe that politics is of the world and the church should not waste its time talking about it. Others are very zealous about politics. They are very engaged and vocal about it. We can see it all over social media. But where do we strike the balance? We believe God is present everywhere. Politics is not off-limits to...

To be a Christian is to be a follower or disciple of Christ. It's not about going through rituals or religious activities as an end in themselves. Unless our whole lives are centered in Him, we will always be tempted to meet our needs elsewhere. Those who live their lives in Christ have centered their lives in Him and they have common characteristics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcaster...

The body of Christ is a place of grace where believers can find help for their spiritual needs. That is why it is so important to raise up faithful spiritual leaders. Without them, believers would be lost and they wouldn't know how to overcome the challenges of life. Faithful spiritual leaders are there to come alongside and help every believer grow in their faith in Christ. --- Send in a voice me...

Whether large or small, every local church is composed of members. If every member of a local church will serve the Lord faithfully, the work of the Lord will truly prosper. The Great Commission will be fulfilled. Many will come to Christ, be saved, and be helped to become faithful and fruitful disciples also. Sadly, this is not the case. Not everyone wants to serve the Lord. Those who do serve, h...

After committing our life to Christ for the first time, we experience great joy, and we are excited to follow Him together with others. We see initial transformation in our lives also, and that encourages us. But soon, reality tempts us. Our minds get diverted. Through willful neglect or, because of social influences, we no longer continue trusting Christ. We lose faith. The result is the ongoing...

As the election draws near, people are divided because each one wants to promote their candidate as the only one who can and who will solve all our country's problems. They imagine that once their candidate is elected to power, he or she will bring salvation to this nation. Of course, this is just an illusion. No one is capable of doing that except one person. His name is Jesus. He is the only One...

Obedience is not the only barometer for knowing whether a person has a heart after God's own heart. Like David, worship is another way we can show our devotion to God. Unfortunately, many today are not interested in prioritizing the worship of God in their lives. Worship is not merely singing or listening to worship songs. It has to do with a heart that is fully devoted to God. How can we develop...

Not all Christians are growing. In fact, some are obviously stagnating. But the problem is that they are not at all concerned about it. As Christians, it must be our aim to grow in our faith in Christ. Our lack of growth and maturity is the root cause of our ineffectiveness as God's people. We fail to fulfill God's purpose because our attention is elsewhere rather than on seeking first the kingdom...

We all want to see some evidence that what we are doing is truly worth all the effort. This is especially true in ministry. It's discouraging if we don't see any evidence that our work is making any difference in people's lives. It may take some time and we are willing to wait. But, eventually, we want to know and see if we are making any progress. So, how do we measure true success in ministry? -...

Some people today do not see the church as important in their relationship with God. In fact, some believe they don't need to commit themselves to any local church to pursue an authentic relationship with God. To be sure, if what we mean by church is a building, then it's true we don't need a building to pursue an authentic relationship with God. But if what we mean by church is the people of God,...

The unity of any local church is crucial to its effectiveness and success. Without unity, a church will fail in its mission. This is the reason why Satan wants to divide a local church. He uses various means to do that. If he can get the members of a church to fight one another, instead of uniting with each other, that church will surely fail. But God's grace is far more powerful than Satan's sche...

Some people have a hard time practicing giving because they see giving as a burden, not as a blessing. They are burdened with the idea that they have to give or else suffer negative consequences from the Lord or from other people. They do not see the positive results of growing in the grace of giving. They do not see it as an opportunity to be blessed abundantly. It's time we learn the true blessi...

We all sin in many different ways and at different times. Perhaps this is the reason why most of us cannot really claim that our hearts are after the Lord's heart. We are very much aware of our frailty. But, like David, we must all acknowledge that our moral failures are also occasions where our hearts are tested. How should we respond when we fail morally? When God rebukes us of our sins, whether...

A typical dictionary will define contentment as that mental state wherein we are happy or satisfied regardless of the situation. Based on that simple definition, we can say that a lot of people are not content. They are not happy with their situation. They are thinking that something else should be there or should be happening. Or maybe they are thinking of the past. Things were better in the past...

We all desire to experience God's presence each and every day of our lives, not just occasionally. Often we think God's presence is found in certain places or events. But God's presence is not tied to any special place or event, no matter how spiritual it might be. It is the result of integrity in one's life before God. This is what we need to learn as followers of Christ. We can experience the pr...

A lot of people are anxious these days. Aside from the ongoing pandemic, people are concerned about the economy. Prices of basic goods and services continue to rise. The future remains uncertain. Politicians are making all sorts of promises but most people don't trust them. A lot of churches have already closed. Others are unsure whether it's time to start in-person gatherings or not. In times lik...

Conflict is inevitable in any Christian community. We are bound to disagree one way or the other. Because of our differences, we will encounter situations where one party wants one thing and the other party wants another thing. Before long, it becomes an all-out division. Our problem is not with conflicts per se. Our problem is that we often allow them to worsen until they become unmanageable and...

Many people start well in the Christian life but later on, they lose interest in continuing on in the faith. They may be active at first but later on, they may become inactive and disinterested in following Christ. Previously, they may be busy serving God in the ministry but later on, they may become too busy to even participate in church activities. Why do these things happen? More importantly, h...

Character is not the basis of our calling. We are called because of God's grace and mercy alone. But our character is important in fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. We can shipwreck our faith if we do not take care of our character. It's possible that we will not finish well in the race called life if we do not pursue a heart after God's own heart. In this second sermon in our series, we wan...

The signs of spiritual immaturity are everywhere. Those who are spiritually immature tend to be prideful and judgmental of others. They see the sins of others but not their own. They are distracted and scattered in their daily activities. They don't know God's will for their lives and so they make choices that are foolish and unwise. They listen to sermons and bible studies endlessly but they neve...

Living with a false sense of self will rob you of true joy. It will also hinder you from experiencing transformation. But discovering your true self in Christ will enable you to experience true joy in the Holy Spirit. You will be able to overcome the challenges of life because you will have a strong anchor that can give you stability. You will be able to overcome temptations of various kinds becau...

What triggers your negative emotions? What makes you upset so easily? Usually, it is because you are clinging to your false self -- the self that you have tried so hard to build and protect all your life. It is the self that you believe is worthy of respect from others. It is also the self that you try to bring before God, thinking that it is the kind of self that would impress God the most. Howev...

It's natural for people to give more honor to pastors who are upfront, who speak and teach the word of God, and who are more visible than other types of leaders. But there are many other leaders who work behind the scenes, who serve in the ministry even though others may not see or know them personally except for a few. They are called lay leaders. Without them, the real ministry will not be possi...