By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Faith, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

Christians like to argue over the nature of the thorn in the flesh, whether it’s physical disease or a demonic assault. My response: who says we can only have one thorn in our flesh? I have several of the chronic illness sort. Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is a hormone problem that can cause depressive moods. On top of that, I have inattentive-type ADD, which can cause meltdowns, especially if I get over-stimulated, and I have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which again has triggers that can cause me to regress back to the way I thought as a child. When that happens, I’m stuck thinking like an ADD child/teen inRead More →

By:
On:
In: Addictions, Fear and Anxiety, God's promises, Gospel, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6 Sometimes, when God has began a good work in us,  it seems to take forever, especially with emotional healing and overcoming all sorts of life challenges. We want an instant miracle, not a painful spiritual growth process that can have such a slow pace that it makes rush hour traffic look like its racing on a NASCAR track. We may feel like we’re getting no where and wonder if we’ve misunderstood what God wanted to do in our lives, or ifRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Grace, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” — Romans 12:15 Most of us immediately will recognize and acknowledge that the Bible says envying those who rejoice is sinful rather than godly behavior, but most of us honestly believe they’re doing what the Bible tells them to do when they rebuke those who mourn for mourning. We think they’ve cried long enough, that it’s time for them to pull up their bootstraps, stop “dwelling” on that, and move on. I’ve even heard well-educated pastors who ought to know better say that we should rebuke brothers and sisters who mourn longer than we think isRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Faith, God's Character, God's promises, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Whether Faith and Doubt are in mortal combat depends on what definitions of both words we have in mind. Faith, according to M-W.com, means: 1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyaltyb (1) : fidelity to one’s promises (2) : sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religionb (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction;especially: a system of religious beliefs <the Protestantfaith> Doubt, according to m-w.com, means: a : uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-makingb : a deliberateRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Faith, Fear and Anxiety, Gospel, Grace, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, (Psalm 102:18-21 ESV) Before you were ever born, before Christ died and the Church was created and became the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, the words of scripture were recorded with you on the heart and mind of our God. FromRead More →