Faith (Page 5)

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…

“For David said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.’ So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.” – 1 Chronicles 22:5 [ESV] It’s a blessing to desire to do things for God. Christendom is full of Christians content with sitting back and waiting for God to do great…

Everyone is going to be tested. We all have had battles we had to overcome to get to where we are now, and the onslaught will persist in the foreseeable future. God allows trials to come into our lives to build our character and to help other Christians in their struggles. We may not like what we have to go through, but there is a silver lining in how God can bring us through hard times. I think about everything…

We are in a new year! To those who felt like 2022 wasn’t your year, you can start fresh in 2023. For me personally, 2022 wasn’t the best year. In fact, it was arguably the worst year of my life. I didn’t accomplish anything I wanted last year and ended up living in a trailer with no water, heat, A/C, or electricity. I was at a low point in my life financially and spiritually. 2022 did end on a high…

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:17 [KJV] If we’re not careful, we can fall into the habit of judging things, life, and situations by our feelings. There’s a degree of comfort in governing things by what we think we know; however, for Christians, this is problematic. The prohibition of not leaning to one’s understanding is keen if we admit there’s a tendency to do so. As rational beings and emotive creatures, we have a…

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed Thanksgiving with an amazing family from church. It was a short but sweet time at their house. There was a great meal, I met some really wonderful people, and got to fellowship with other believers. I didn’t get to be with my blood family this year, but that experience more than made up for it. Having a community of people that love and support me as a Christian is something I’ve been desperately seeking…

“Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.” – Malachi 3:6 [HCSB] Some of us have seen the image of the “Self-Made Man.” An artistic depiction of accomplishment in the form of a sculpture that shows a man forging his image from an indistinguishable mass of shapeless stone. A person can easily get lost in the carvings of this beautiful display of art and forget to question where or who gave this “self-made man”…

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” – Psalm 37:7 [KJV] “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” – Psalm 32:7 [KJV] Upon reading these two verses yesterday, it made me think of my life. For months, I have been trying to find…