I want to be on the other side…

I want to be on the other side. You know the other side of the current problem impacting my life. I want to feel the rejoicing that comes AFTER the pain and worry have subsided. I know what that is like.I’ve seen God be faithful before. But right now.I’m in the “not yet”. I’m inContinue reading “I want to be on the other side…”

If Jesus is Lord…He is to be Lord of all.

Revival seems to be sweeping our country! I have seen and heard of so many salvations lately! 🙌🏻 Jesus came for the messed up sinner. I am one of them. Yes, we love that He ran after the prodigal, ate with the tax collectors, and stepped in to prevent the stoning of the woman caughtContinue reading “If Jesus is Lord…He is to be Lord of all.”

We can’t call wrong things right because we love our kids.

I woke up early.Sad.And mad. Sad and mad that, once again, I’ve had a front row seat to watch parents encourage their children to go ahead and do an unholy thing because they, “deserve to be happy”. This is nothing new. For years, I watched as parents of my kids’ friends did this. They compromisedContinue reading “We can’t call wrong things right because we love our kids.”

Ignoring and Accepting Sin is Not Love.

We long for it.We desperately want it.Unconditional love. But the enemy, he’s twisted it. And so many are buying his lie, and the evil one is using this lie to separate people from those who truly love them. The father of all lies has whispered that if people don’t accept our sin, treat it asContinue reading “Ignoring and Accepting Sin is Not Love.”

When it doesn’t go as you expect

I snapped a picture as my daughter and I drove near Asheville a few years ago. I was traveling to speak nearby, and I wanted to show her where our family had lived when she and her brothers were little. How we had loved living there. As those glorious mountains spread out before us, treesContinue reading “When it doesn’t go as you expect”

A misunderstood verse.

This verse. So many have misunderstood and misused it. I know as a young believer I did. “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22) For a long time, I thought if I just do what GodContinue reading “A misunderstood verse.”

Are you raising kids who can stand in hard days?

This remains one of the most shared things I’ve ever written. In these hard days, I felt it important to share again. It’s hard truth, but there is HOPE! —- They are some of the most miserable people I know–young adults who haven’t really picked a side. They try to live in two worlds—the oneContinue reading “Are you raising kids who can stand in hard days?”

Faith over Feelings

We can’t let our feelings dictate our obedience. So many seem to want to only follow the Lord as long as their feelings don’t get in the way. They place incredible emphasis on what feels right to them and often end up justifying what God calls sin. But the faithful life isn’t one driven byContinue reading “Faith over Feelings”

Wait. What?

Do you need hope to face tomorrow? Then focus on your sin for a moment. Here’s why —If we don’t understand the depths of our sin, we won’t understand the great love of our Savior enough to be able to confidently trust Him with our tomorrows.Let me explain… Luke tells us, the Pharisees and lawyersContinue reading “Wait. What?”

Lord ? or just advisor?

Many, who like to think themselves progressive, and think that’s a good thing, suggest the New Testament is all about love not about rules or law. But in Matthew 5:17, Jesus made it clear that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He asserted that God’s laws should be followedContinue reading “Lord ? or just advisor?”

How many HAIRS are on your HEAD?

How many hairs are on your head? How many do you wipe off your bathroom counters every day? It’s crazy to think just how many hairs fall from our heads every, single day, while others grow in. This makes Luke 12:7 even more special: “but the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” Numbered.GodContinue reading “How many HAIRS are on your HEAD?”

Tuesday of Holy Week. All She Had.

Jesus spends most of Tuesday of Holy Week teaching and being questioned by the religious leaders in order that they might trap Him somehow. Were they jealous of His following? Did they feel threatened by the authority with which He taught? Or did they reason, if they could trip Him up, they might surely proveContinue reading “Tuesday of Holy Week. All She Had.”

A Sovereign Delay

I can only imagine the spiritual battle being waged in the heavenlies as Jesus headed toward Jerusalem and what we call the Triumphal Entry and Holy Week. Surely, the demons seethed and swarmed. And while we prepare our hearts to celebrate the fact that Satan and his minions were eternally defeated with the blood-bought, death-defeatingContinue reading “A Sovereign Delay”

After he came down out of that tree…

Before the Triumphal Entry and all that (we call) Easter week would bring, before the Parable of the Ten Minas (that we will discuss tomorrow), Jesus sees Zacchaeus up in that tree. If you grew up in church, you probably know that Sunday School song. If you’ve studied the passage, you probably remember Zacchaeus wasContinue reading “After he came down out of that tree…”

“Who said anything about safe?”

What an amazingly MERCIFUL God we serve! Indeed, He is so good and faithful to forgive our sins when we confess and turn from them. He even says, He remembers them no more (Heb 8:12) and that causes my heart to love Him even more. What RIVERS of grace! But as we remember His amazingContinue reading ““Who said anything about safe?””

Help to prepare our hearts for Easter

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Cor 3:16-17) If you are a Christian, you (fill in your name)Continue reading “Help to prepare our hearts for Easter”

Ridiculous Grace AND Hard Truth

He came for the messed up sinner. I think a lot about that as Easter approaches in just a couple of weeks. We love that He ran after the prodigal, ate with the tax collectors, and stepped in to prevent the stoning of the woman caught in adultery. We love that He left the 99Continue reading “Ridiculous Grace AND Hard Truth”

Hard days? Hold on…

Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a mountaintop to pray. And then this happens… “As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease whichContinue reading “Hard days? Hold on…”

He’s still good. Even in this uncomfortable thing to discuss.

Just after John writes about praying with confidence and believing God hears our prayers, John writes about seeing sin in the lives of other believers. Surely you’ve seen sin in others, and surely others have seen sin in us! When this happens, we have to resist the urge to talk to others about this beforeContinue reading “He’s still good. Even in this uncomfortable thing to discuss.”

You are an OVERCOMER if you BELIEVE this…

And YOU are an overcomer…if you are born of God, if you believe— “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5) InContinue reading “You are an OVERCOMER if you BELIEVE this…”