At the beginning of each new year, it is the same old thing: So many of us want to improve some area of our life. Everywhere we look, from gyms to retail stores and restaurants, there are promotions for a new outlook on life. Yet, with all of these means in place to assist us,…
Category: Victory Over Wrongdoing
Sugarcoating the Truth About Sin Is Dangerous
For most people, the reality of sin and truth fall into the category of being unpalatable. Both have been, and still are, a problem to everyone on Earth. We don’t like to be told the truth about sin. We don’t want to be told it’s wrong, or that there will be eternal punishment if we…
Delivered by a Savior or Swine?
We have a two-sided situation here. One side leads to being delivered, having victory, and receiving a new life. The other leads to lust for material gain, bondage, and death for all eternity. Looking at the narrative in this manner can alter our overall viewpoint. “…they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is…
The Ultimate Temptation of Christ
Jesus was tried, tempted, and tested throughout His ministry here on earth. In order for Old Testament prophecy and all of God’s laws to be fulfilled, His Son had to go through the most awful agony and torture anyone in history has every known. Jesus, as man, could not dodge or skip anything that was…
The Bitter Made Sweet
“So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they [the Israelites] went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it…
You Can’t Drown by Just Falling into Water
Did you know that if you were to fall into a large body of water, such as a pond or lake, you wouldn’t drown? It’s true; you could fall into significant depths of water and still be alive. (Of course, I’m talking about ordinary liquid water, not solid frozen or near-freezing water.) The drowning occurs…
Overcoming the Spiritual Struggle with Our Flesh
The Apostle Paul had discovered that he had no strength of his own to carry out the good that he wanted or willed to do in his life. He said, “…how to perform that which is good, I find not…” (Romans 7:18). After wrestling with this knowledge of an internal spiritual struggle for a while,…
The Trap of Thinking You Know Jesus
Numerous polls and surveys taken frequently throughout the U.S. report a high number of respondents declaring themselves to be Christians. Inquire at a local church on a Sunday morning and the results will likely be that they all consider themselves to be Christians (perhaps with some indignation that such an inquiry was even made!). Or…
Sin and Yeast—a Corrupt Correlation
I recently found myself thinking about the yeast used in bread and ultimately its parallel with sin in our lives. It is a key ingredient in many popular types of bread because it is essential to make them rise. Without yeast in bread of this kind, you would have a thick and rather tough lump…
Like Exit Signs Jesus is the Way Out
Have you ever thought about the “EXIT” signs that many buildings have placed inside rooms over the doors that lead the way out of the building? On the ones very often seen, the word EXIT is in red letters, lit from behind. Studies have found that red is the color most recognizable in a smoky,…
Impulsive Anger Can Destroy the Soul
God’s view of quick and impulsive anger has always been negative. “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). While it is not wrong to be angry at certain things on appropriate occasions, as seen in the following examples, we can’t be quick to…
An Assault on the Cross of Christ over a Plus Sign
A magazine I recently read had a humorous list with three strange requests on it that graphic designers have heard from their clients. One was a client who wanted his designer to use something besides the plus (+) sign, because he considered it too ‘religious’! While this is somewhat amusing, it also reflects the current…
