To give thanks is an action and rejoice is a verb and these things are not mere pulsing emotions. While I may not always feel joy, God asks me to give thanks in all things, because He knows that the feeling of joy begins in the action of thanksgiving. —Ann Voskamp1 Through the Lens of Thanksgiving We enjoy clearer vision when we look at life through the lens of … [Read more...] about In Everything Give Thanks
Learn about God’s grace and forgiveness available through Jesus Christ while finding encouragement in Scripture. Discover principles for godly living.
Christian Living
20 Verses for Taming Temptation
Temptation is a fork in the road. It’s choosing which road to travel: the high one or the low one. Wouldn’t life be easier if there were no forks, no decisions to make—if the road were simply a straight and narrow path? But the Bible gives us no magic formulas for that kind of life. It assures us that we’ll come to those forks regularly, and we must choose where to step. Some … [Read more...] about 20 Verses for Taming Temptation
How to Change Your Life From the Inside Out
There's more to revolutions than meets the eye. Journalist Barbara von der Heydt, a television correspondent in Germany in 1991, reported on the peaceful revolution that undermined the Soviet Union. As she interviewed people throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, she came to a startling conclusion. The most overlooked part of the story, she realized, was the nature of the … [Read more...] about How to Change Your Life From the Inside Out
4 Steps to Reviving Your Faith From John’s Letter to the Church of Sardis
Relying on past success is a recipe for destruction—just ask the city of Sardis. Strategically located on the banks of the gold-laden Pactolus River, Sardis was once the prosperous capital of Lydia’s empire. At its peak, history suggests Sardis’s king Croesus financed construction of the Temple of Artemis—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Croesus’s father, King … [Read more...] about 4 Steps to Reviving Your Faith From John’s Letter to the Church of Sardis
4 Signs of Faithfulness From John’s Letter to the Church of Philadelphia
Modern church life is quite different than life in the early Church, but believers today should emulate the faithfulness of the church at Philadelphia. Christ commended the believers for four principles that are often lost among the practices and programs of modern church culture. Although Christ addressed Revelation 3:7-13 to the church in Philadelphia as a body, His words … [Read more...] about 4 Signs of Faithfulness From John’s Letter to the Church of Philadelphia
3 Ways to Read Your Bible
The American philosopher Mortimer Adler (d. 2001) wrote and edited scores of books, including the 60-volume Great Books of the Western World series. So no one questioned his qualifications when he wrote one of his most popular volumes, How to Read a Book—a guide to getting the most out of any book. If it helps to have a plan for reading books written by human authors, how … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Read Your Bible
How to Study the Bible
Some students of God’s Word have been reading and studying the Bible as long as I have or longer — more than six decades now. If so, you’ve noticed the same thing I have: Bibles have changed. Not the text of Scripture, but what’s included along with the text has changed. A Ribbon Runs Through It When I was young, everybody pretty much had the same Bible: a large, black, … [Read more...] about How to Study the Bible
How to Defeat Satan
6 Strategies For Safeguarding Your Mind The original video games that appeared in the seventies and eighties weren't rocket science. They required some hand-eye skills, yes. But intellectually speaking, they were marketed to young people, not Ph.D.s (though plenty of Ph.D.s played them at night after their children were in bed!). Pong (1971) was a black-and-white game of … [Read more...] about How to Defeat Satan
How to Become a Christian
You Cannot Sin Away the Grace of God "God's grace is available to rescue you from whatever you've done. I have people say to me, 'Dr. Jeremiah, if you knew what I've done in my life...' It does not make any difference what you've done. It doesn't make any difference how far you feel you're away from God. God's arms of grace are long and reach out to all. You cannot … [Read more...] about How to Become a Christian
“God Loves You” Download this Free Coloring Sheet
No subject has occupied the minds and pens of poets, authors, songwriters, and novelists more than the subject of love. But our culture is confused about the nature of true love—and Christians also oftentimes confuse the true nature of God’s love. The Bible states that God is love (1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16). Not only that but love is mentioned in the Bible about five hundred … [Read more...] about “God Loves You” Download this Free Coloring Sheet
13 Scriptures for Understanding and Finding Peace
If you feel discouraged, hold fast to this: real peace is possible! Of that the Bible assures us. Here are 13 verses for understanding and finding peace that steadies us in all circumstances. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2:14 “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and … [Read more...] about 13 Scriptures for Understanding and Finding Peace
An Assurance of Salvation Verse to Know by Heart
1 John 5:11 Have you ever doubted your salvation? Perhaps your faults or failures have made you wonder if God has changed His mind about you. The good news is eternal life is a gift from God, not contingent who we are, but on our believing in who Christ is. So how do we stand steadfast in this knowledge? One of the greatest ways to remain assured of salvation is by … [Read more...] about An Assurance of Salvation Verse to Know by Heart
What Does the Bible Say About Fear of the End Times?
Know how to survive a dirty bomb? How to start a fire using a glass bottle? How to preserve food? Have you stockpiled cans of beans and tins of meat? Do you own a solar-powered flashlight? How about your contact list—do you have a hard copy in case our electronics crash? What about a first aid kit and toolbox? Have you studied wild mushrooms and edible insects? Know how to … [Read more...] about What Does the Bible Say About Fear of the End Times?
4 Answers Revealing How to Wait on the Lord
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? To wait means to pause, to soberly consider our own inadequacies and the Lord's all sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord and to hope in Him. Waiting involves submission to the Word of God, the will of God, and the ways of God. Waiting is saying, “I’m not going to do this on my own. I’m going to do this in the strength … [Read more...] about 4 Answers Revealing How to Wait on the Lord
4 Answers to Your Questions About Salvation
Can a saved person ever be lost? Can you lose your salvation after you’ve become a Christian? No. But you can lose the joy of it, can't you? You can lose the productiveness of it. If you aren't living for the Lord, your salvation is "like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames" (1 Corinthians 3:15 NLT). Who would want to do that? Let's go on. Let's be the people God … [Read more...] about 4 Answers to Your Questions About Salvation
The Reminder’s You Need to Remember the Lavish Love of God
The husbands and wives who gave their all to the founding of the fledgling republic called the United States of America paid a dear price for their service— especially those among the leaders of the first Continental Congress. John Adams was one who endured long months of separation from his wife, Abigail, and their children. Massachusetts was their home, but the demands of … [Read more...] about The Reminder’s You Need to Remember the Lavish Love of God
Practical Encouragement for Proclaiming God’s Word
Minnesota is famously known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and the staggering beauty of Minnesota’s vast northern terrain thrills visitors. But all that beauty comes with danger. Reverend S. B. Shaw tells of a farmer who lived on the edge of one of those lakes. One evening after sunset he was on the water when a sudden gust capsized his sailboat. The man tried to swim for shore; … [Read more...] about Practical Encouragement for Proclaiming God’s Word
The 4 Reasons You Feel Spiritually Drained and How You Can Avoid Them
I don’t see this as often as I used to, but it still happens. I’m talking about the occasional sighting of a car pulled off the side of the road with its hood up, steam billowing from the engine compartment. Besides the obvious embarrassment associated with such an event, there’s the resulting hassle of getting our car towed to the shop and having the problem repaired. What … [Read more...] about The 4 Reasons You Feel Spiritually Drained and How You Can Avoid Them
Why Your Circumstances Don’t Define Your Spiritual Growth
What advice would you give these people? SITUATION 1: In World War II, a patrol of Soviet soldiers captures a German woman who was foraging for food for her three children. Her husband is already in a POW camp in England, and she is taken to a POW camp in Russia. When her husband returns to Germany, he locates their children but is unable to find his wife. The wife, interred … [Read more...] about Why Your Circumstances Don’t Define Your Spiritual Growth
The Unexpected Way to Transform Your Life for the Better
If you like “The Amazing Race” or “Survivor,” you might be interested to know that so-called reality TV had its beginnings in old black-and-white programs like “Candid Camera.” These were unscripted shows with hidden cameras and microphones designed to show people reacting to practical jokes. One episode showed a new secretary at a desk with drawers that kept popping open. … [Read more...] about The Unexpected Way to Transform Your Life for the Better
The Power Of The Tongue: How To Keep Yourself From Saying Something You’ll Regret
The respected author, Gordon MacDonald, tells how a rebuke from a friend saved him—thousands of times over—from hurting others and making a fool of himself. He was in Japan on (ironically) a speaking tour with a close personal friend of his, a man several years his senior. As he and his friend were walking down a street in Yokohama, the name of one of their mutual friends came … [Read more...] about The Power Of The Tongue: How To Keep Yourself From Saying Something You’ll Regret
Understanding the Difference Between Righteous and Sinful Anger
On March 16, 2012 (I’m withholding names and places to protect the already embarrassed and guilty parties!), a boyfriend (age 24) and girlfriend (17) sped out of the downtown area where they lived. They were in separate cars, driving at a high rate of speed, and weaving in and out of traffic—obviously chasing, or trying to elude, one another. The young woman had a male … [Read more...] about Understanding the Difference Between Righteous and Sinful Anger
What It Means To Be Clay In The Hands Of The Potter
A lot of the early “Jesus People”—think California, late sixties—looked like the hippies they had been. Their dress and appearance was “countercultural”—sandals, patched bell bottoms, peasant shirts, beads, flowers, and long hair. They were “Jesus Freaks,” a label they wore proudly. They brought their hippie, contrarian lifestyle with them into the body of Christ. Many in … [Read more...] about What It Means To Be Clay In The Hands Of The Potter
How To Prevent Spiritual “Earthquakes” In Your Life
Let’s do a little geology to get started: The surface of the earth is made of giant plates (the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate, the South American Plate, the African, Arabian, Eurasian, Indian Plates—and so on). These plates that form the earth’s crust sit atop the mantle, which is semi-molten—a thick liquid, if you will. Hard plates, sitting atop a molten foundation, … [Read more...] about How To Prevent Spiritual “Earthquakes” In Your Life
What It Really Means to Bear Fruit and How to Produce It in Your Life
Can I interest you in something Ugly? Oh, wait, I meant to say Ugli. That’s the name of a delicious Jamaican fruit, so-called because of its wrinkled skin and pock-marked texture. It looks like it is rotting. As a cross between a grapefruit, an orange, and a tangerine, Ugli fruit has a sweet and juicy pulp that’s winning fans every day. It was discovered growing wild in Jamaica … [Read more...] about What It Really Means to Bear Fruit and How to Produce It in Your Life