Faith (Page 12)

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.” – Titus 2:1-2 We are in the middle of a discussion on sound doctrine, and the first three pieces of advice were covered in my last post. Being sober, being grave, and being temperate mean that we are serious about bringing mercy and grace into another person’s life. It does not mean we can’t ever be…

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.” – Titus 2:1-2 [KJV] Sound doctrine. Boy, do we need this today! We have talked quite a bit about sound doctrine, truth, pure and undefiled lives, and such things already in this study. Seeing these admonishments from Paul over and over again shows us that this is not a problem that is new to society. This…

We love hearing someone who’s loud, funny, exhilarating, entertaining, and admittedly oftentimes offensive and provocative, don’t we? People like former U.S. President Trump, comedian Dave Chappelle, or former pastor Mark Driscoll are beloved for their crude language and edgy personalities. Christians can often get caught up in a person’s charisma and personality and simply gloss over their character flaws. A lot of preachers can say stuff off the rails, and Christians don’t hold them accountable. We can enjoy how someone…

One thing that attracts people to Jesus is how you live. The World (or at least here in the United States) knows how we talk, but how we live can make a much bigger difference. The World is naturally going to turn off when they hear the Gospel, but when we focus on what we are for instead of what we are against then more people will listen to us. I don’t say this as a means to water down…

A few months ago I got evicted and was forced to move back to North Carolina with my cousin. It was very heartbreaking having to leave my church in Jacksonville Florida, but I didn’t have a choice. Now fast forward over four months later, and I really been focusing on building skills that will put me in a position to win. Before leaving Jacksonville, I was very big into watching a lot of videos regarding politics and theology. I became…

We all should strive to be more Christ-like, but some people are more mature in their spiritual walk than others. I have been walking with The Lord for over a decade and still am growing as a believer. We know we’re not going to reach moral perfection on this Earth, but what makes an ideal Christian? What makes a Christian attractive to a non-believer? “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with…

Christians like to put God in a box, but when you look at the Scriptures, God did many things that went against the norm. Jesus turned water into wine; God made bread fall out of the sky; God used a boy to feed 5,000 men, etc. God is the furthest thing from a dull and predictable Deity. A lot of Christians don’t get to experience the supernatural from God because they are stuck in their view on what God can…

Hard times are unavoidable, we have to endure this life just like everyone else. It’s easy to quit when things get tough. Some people’s lives are harder than others but we all go through hardships. What us going? How do we stay at peace when our world is upside down? A verse that keeps me at peace is Matthew 11:28-30. It talks about Jesus carrying our burdens. When life brings us down, Jesus will always bring us up. “Then Jesus…

God wants you to be joyful! It says in Nehemiah 8:10, “And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!’” [NLT] I love this Scripture because it implies that God is joyous! Don’t you think if God is up in Heaven…

We all have regrets in life. Many of us wish we can go back in time and fix those mistakes. The truth is that we can’t do that, and we don’t have to do that because God is so merciful that we don’t need to undo our mistakes. He died on the cross so we can live a life of redemption. I look back on my life and reflect on all the mistakes I’ve made and get pretty sad, but…

I was watching a video from a Christian Youtuber named Ruslan. He made a reaction video to comedian Dave Chappelle’s comments on the transgender community. Dave Chappelle is a well-known American comedian who’s been under fire for his recent Netflix special, The Closer, during which he said some quite politically incorrect statements about transgender people. He believes gender is biological, and he also believes in freedom of speech. Dave doesn’t identify as a Christian or even a conservative, but Christians…

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk…

In the 1950s, Professor Curt Richter of Johns Hopkins University conducted a morbid but still interesting lab experiment with domesticated and wild rats to test how long they could tread water. He first took a dozen domesticated rats, put them into jars half-filled with water, and watched them drown. The idea was to measure the amount of time they swam before they gave up and drowned. Richter noted that the first rat swam around excitedly on the surface for a…

We can be hopeful in Christ! It says in Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” [NLT]. Our job isn’t the source of our hope. Our family members aren’t the source of our hope. Our confidence in ourselves isn’t our source of hope. But God is our hope! I can’t…

We’re in a day and age where adulthood is delayed, and a life of responsibility is replaced with a life of pleasure and ease. Millions of young adults put off marriage in favor of casual dating,  avoid having children as an excuse to live self-centered lives. As a result of this, many young adults struggle to find purpose in life. In today’s culture, many young people are pressured into going to college after high school due to social expectations from…

We all, at some point, have done things that are cringe-inducing and disastrous. Regret is what holds many Christians back from doing what God has called them to do. We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). God is faithful and just to forgive us when we do mess up. We don’t have to be stuck in regret mode. It’s good to feel a sense of remorse for sin, but we shouldn’t let our past mistakes…

Technology is ever-evolving. My iPhone 8 Plus 3 years later is now considered “old” amongst the latest iPhone 12. And it’s also not functional anymore. The SIM card is failing every 5 minutes. It starts working again when I turn it off and on again, but it only lasts for another 5 minutes until I reboot it. Is this done purposely by the phone companies? I don’t know, but I can say this, the phone companies are eager to give…

Toxicity can be found anywhere. You will find toxic people at work, school, or even church. No place is safe from people who will try to bring you down. God gives us discernment to let us know who is for us and who is not. Good people are with you through thick and then and expect nothing in return. Sadly in our culture, people who give without expectation are rare. “The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.…

It’s okay to mourn. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4 NIV). It also says, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Psalm 16:5 NIV). These are promises in Scripture that we can bank on. It doesn’t say we won’t cry tears, but it does say we will overcome and even have “songs of joy.” I know this life is filled with unfair things. People who to jail…

Life isn’t a straight line. It certainly hasn’t been for me, at least. I have already been talking about how I have moved from house to house in a two-year period. I’m starting to see that God is using my setback, to set me up for my big breakthrough. I have been back in North Carolina for over two weeks, and I have already been making ten times the money I was making in Florida as a freelancer, and I’ve…