By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, Prayer and Devotions

“ I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:1-2) God is strong to carry us through any storm, a firm foundation to withstand any shaking, a hiding place where we are protected from the enemy of our souls. He is able to shield us and protect us and save us from all the wiles of the evil one. Let us not be ashamed.  Let us not run from God today, but to God. Lord,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, Lament

“But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.” (Psalm 59:16) For the full impact of this verse, we need to place it in context. In the first seven verses of Pslam 59, David is lamenting. He opens with a prayer for deliverance, while decrying Saul and his men, who are lying in wait for David to kill him and stirng up strife against him even though he has done no wrong. In verses six and seven, he complains,: EachRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Idols

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) Is God first in your heart? What is your deepest desire? What do you hunger for? What drives you? Are you willing to let him tell you the answers? What do you treasure on this earth? If he asked you to give it up in a clear voice, would you be willing? Lord, forgive us not giving you all of our hearts. If we’ve been holding anything back from you, weRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, God's Character, Prayer and Devotions

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5) Read this verse and then read it again. Do we believe it? Do we believe God will forgive us when we repent and turn from sin? Do we believe God is good and constant in his love, even when our circumstances are evil? Do we trust Him to see us through it and redeem this for good? Philippians 2 tells us we are to have the same mind in Christ Jesus and we know he is the same God this passage tells us about. Are weRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Fear and Anxiety, Legalism, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) Lately, I’ve been using the Verse of the Day for this column (M-F), and I groaned a bit when this came up. In the conservative circles that have heavily influenced me in my walk with Christ, this verse is most often mentioned in the context of disapproving of the media our brother chooses to consume.  We would generally be wiser to take heed to what media we feed ourselves, asRead More →