Posts from 2023 (Page 4)

Living in today’s world can be overwhelming, with the constant barrage of negative news, financial stresses, and personal problems that can all weigh heavily on our minds. It is easy to get caught up in our worries and fears and become consumed by them. However, as Christians, we have a unique opportunity to replace our cares with the cares of the Kingdom. What does it mean to replace our cares with the cares of the Kingdom? It means that we…

“The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.” – Habakkuk 1:1 [NKJV] “The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” – Nahum 1:1 [NKJV] “The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.” – Malachi 1:1 [NKJV] On the subject of prayer, I’m moved to remind myself and others that prayer is a two-way street. Through the spiritual avenue of prayer, we connect with our Heavenly Father. We bequeath to His care and…

“Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” – Matthew 26:46 [ESV] I understand everyone isn’t blessed to work with a coworker who’s a believer. Working alongside someone who understands the Christian struggle and can provide fellowship throughout an otherwise hectic work schedule is refreshing. They’re like a fresh breeze in sweltering heat and water in a drought. I was conversing with my coworker, whom I shall call “Brother E,” and he mentioned how disconnected people could…

The Bible is filled with stories of people who accomplished incredible feats through faith in the almighty power of God. However, there are also cautionary tales of those who thought small and limited themselves to what they believed was possible. One such story can be found in Numbers 13:33, which tells the story of the Israelite spies who were sent to explore the Promised Land. In Numbers 13, Moses dispersed twelve spies, one from each tribe of Israel, to freshly…

“In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.” – Psalm 78:32 [ESV] God’s dealings with the children of Israel in the wilderness is a well of constant inspiration from which I frequently draw. I’m amazed by the miracles performed by God on behalf of His people and His continuous care of their sojourns and wanderings. To tell the truth, I envy them. I’m jealous of what their eyes saw, and their ears heard.…

I was watching a sermon from Pastor Craig Groeschel titled Why Do I Always Worry? One of the things he mentioned was the difference between concern and worry. As humans, it’s natural to be concerned about things. We must be concerned to show that we care about something that must be done. What God doesn’t want us to be is worried, and there’s a difference. “Concern” is seeing a challenge and taking action towards that challenge, while “worry” is often…

The growth of megachurches and multi-site churches has been a significant trend in the Christian church in recent years. They have garnered loads of attention from every corner of the church world, and have had positive, mixed, neutral, and negative responses from people for all sorts of reasons. I personally attended a non-denominational church for many years that in certain ways could be considered both a megachurch and a multi-site church. You know what? I had some good experiences with…

“Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me…

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:8 [KJV] Being a double-minded Christian can be a dangerous thing. It means being uncertain or wavering in one’s faith, leading to a lack of spiritual growth and effectiveness in spreading the Word of God. One example of a double-minded Christian is rapper Kanye West, who has publicly professed his faith in Jesus Christ, but whose actions and words often seem to contradict that faith. Kanye West’s public…

When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he easily could have become bitter and thought to himself, “Well, I am dealt a bad hand.” But what did he say when he met his brother when he was second in command in Egypt? “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” – Genesis 50:20 [NKJV] Joseph…

The concept of selective sovereignty, or the belief that God only intervenes in certain situations and not others, is a struggle for many Christians. One recent example of this struggle can be seen in the reaction of some Christians to the 2020 presidential election, in which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. Many Trump supporters, who also identify as Christians, had the belief that God had put Trump in office for a specific purpose and that his loss was therefore…

As I stroll over to the orchard bench, I notice sunlight setting on a hill nearby. It creates a shadow with a red hue. It’s a subtle beauty. It briefly reminds me to forget all my recent unfortunate occurrences. The cascading shadow is a promise taking shape — lights and shadows blend harmoniously. As humans, we get stuck on the little things that no longer serve us. We forget to look inward instead of outward when we get stuck in…

I was just watching a Christian Youtuber talk about the manosphere community and how it’s rooted in insecurity. To those unfamiliar with the manosphere community, it’s a community of men who are big on self-improvement and complementarianism (which can be good things) but mask it with disdain for women. Men in this community come in looking for meaning with the baggage of insecurity. Throughout history, we see men who stepped up to be leaders and men who cowered away. Adam…

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 16:21 [NIV] “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” – Proverbs 16:3 [NIV] “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” – Proverbs 15:22 [NIV] “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5 [NIV] In a previous blog post of mine, I…