Do We Still Believe in Backsliding?

If a Christian fails to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and if he fails to attach himself to the Lord Jesus Christ gaining an intimate relationship with Him, He opens the door for what we use to call “Backsliding.” Without their thinking about it and sometimes even realizing it, the door…

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Living in a Hostile World

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11-12 The text…

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Holiness Living

We hear a lot about grace living but not as much about holiness living. God is love and God is holy. This is God’s truth from which we cannot escape. I wrote an article called “we need to live by God’s promises and not his explanations.” The main point I wanted to convey was that…

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When A Ministry Is Being Maligned

(A Right Response to Rancor in the Ranks) The Psalmist sang, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes!” (Ps. 118:23) When God’s work is made evident by the gathering together of likeminded constituents, the construction of facilities, and lives being changed, God’s people ought to say, “This is the Lord’s doing;…

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Enduring to the End: Five Keys

Jesus said, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved (Matt.10:22). One of the keys to enduring to the end is found in the root word of “endure” (hupomeno) which is to “abide” (meno). We must have an abiding relationship with…

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Tips for Getting Out of a Devotional Rut

Do you ever chafe at the routine things you have to do? Some days I am irked at having to take a shower. I know, I know, people didn’t always bathe every day, and I don’t have to. But if I don’t, I won’t be able to stand myself before the day is over. Then…

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Filled with the Spirit

Have you ever wondered how you could be full of wisdom when the world is full of folly? It just never seems to end, does it? Recently, a foolhardy group of artists posed as construction workers to hang a giant banner on a statue of Christ in Arkansas. The banner read, “God Bless Abortions.”1 Talk…

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A Concern about the Doldrums

In the days when ocean vessels were driven by wind and sail, nothing was so feared by seamen as the doldrums. The “doldrums” is a popular nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters. Known to sailors around the world as…

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Whose Quotes Litter Your Conversations?

Who said it? Can you match these quotes to their source? (answers at the end) “I can do this all day.” “I shall return.” “Inconceivable!” “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” “You are a lioness.” “I’m lovin’ it.” “You shall not pass!” How often do you find yourself quoting snippets like…

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Immaturity in American Evangelical Churches

Has it struck you in recent years that there seems to be a growing trend of spiritual immaturity in churches today? I know that is a rather broad-brush stroke, but I just want to pose this idea for consideration from a few angles. Immature Beliefs Consider the various views about God:  God is the “big…

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