Posts with the tag “worship”

What is faith? Faith is confidence in what God says then acting upon it. It is not seeing what I can do or get God to do. Suffering, like it or not, is a key to Christian growth. Life’s humbling, humiliations, and our humanity burn away foolish notions about God and ourselves leaving us with a purer faith. We learn more about faith in suffering than study. Study produces doctrine, suffering produces depth: It’s a call to worship. Study teaches us truth about Jesus, suffering teaches us to trust Jesus. As faith matures, we gave God our Lot’s & Ismael’s (baggage/burdens/problems), now he wants our Isaacs (blessings/promises). Giving God the carnal things gives ways to giving Him everything...  Read More

In America, one in ten people have diabetes, turn to social media instead of their doctor for health information, don’t care at all about politics, and during the pandemic considered suicide. Yet there is another troubling stat Jesus gives that should also challenge us. Only one in ten helped by Jesus give God praise and thanks. Nine out of ten are ungrateful! For some, the power of the gospel is within grasp. Jesus makes it visible and accessible. Religion is enough for nine out of ten, yet they walk away outwardly changed but no closer to Christ...  Read More

Have you ever broken something to get someone’s attention? My mom broke an ashtray when I was young to break up a fight between my older brothers! She got our attention! God breaks things too. And when He does it should get our attention. He does so to help, to hinder a bad choice, or to stop us from continuing in a bad decision or direction. (Background: King Jehoshaphat was a great leader but gave in to a bad decision under pressure in the heat of the moment). Ever do that yourself? So, God broke his ships to help without regard for the time, effort, or expense invested! (From 2 Chr. 20:35-37) Consider some “ships” that God might be breaking or showing you that you need to break. Now is a good time to consider each “ship” in your life, find out what God expects, and act wisely:  Read More

Why does God allow such pain and problems in our lives? Why does He give us those mountain top experiences only to take us to the valley of the shadow of death? To truly understand the hardships and losses of life, we must understand the gives and takes of God. He asks a question in the hard things; Will you worship me here? Remember, when it cannot get any worse, don't curse. Worship (instead). I’m going to remind you how God also allows you to suffer, often by a ruthless and relentless foe called the Devil. God allows the attacks of Satan to prove and prepare you for His purposes. So, arm yourself. Satan attacks five things to force you to curse (no longer worship) God. The order is instructive and in each we can hear God ask, will you worship me here? It’s part of why He gives and takes (From Job 1-2): How do we fight the foe and faithfully reveal Jesus and His gospel in the give and takes of God? (5 Thoughts)...   Read More