Not only does God call us to stop talking long enough to listen and accept his Word in our heart, he wants us to put it into action. Merely nodding our heads at God’s Word is not enough—we need to do what it tells us to do. We need to figure out which way God wants us to go, and then actually go that way.    “Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it...

Early in my faith walk I had no time to even think about others let alone speak up for them. I was too busy thinking about myself and sticking up for me in the dog-eat-dog race to succeed, acquire, and seek pleasure. Thinking about standing up for the poor and oppressed wasn’t even a possibility because it never flashed across my radar screen. How could I stand up for someone else when I only thought...

That sounds crazy, right? Of course it does. But that is exactly what tormented my mind as a young Christian.    And then God radically transformed my thinking–and my life–with this wisdom from Solomon:    “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.” Proverbs 28:13 GNT    There...

God wants us to be thankful for our enemies? C’mon, man. Really? Yes, it’s true. After all, if nobody ever wronged us, the opportunity to reflect God’s character and grace would pass right by us.    In this way, our enemy’s hurtful actions are a blessing because they move us closer to Jesus.    Being thankful for those who wrong us begins with one of God’s foundational truths ....

There are two rules that create a significant fork in the road our faith journey takes in life. We either move toward the light or descend into the dark: #1: The “Golden Rule” says: Treat others as you want to be treated.    #2: The evil one has his own rule that’s no so golden: Treat others as they have treated you.    God’s fork is crystal clear:    “Don’t say...

   The headline above–“Fear God? I Thought I Was Supposed To Love God”–is a verbatim thought that circulated through my mind just after accepting Christ as a 22-year old college student.     The notion of “fearing God” has always been, and still is now, one of the most misunderstood parts of walking with Christ.    But here’s the bottom line...

God’s tower is my new fort because it provides safety when the turbulence of life starts to spin out of control. And that tower of refuge is always open! It cannot be breached and there is no other place of safety anywhere. It’s just like cities in the days of the early church which were fortified with towers housing watchmen who guarded the people inside. And that is exactly what God is to us today...

When we commit our work to the Lord, we offer every part of our life to him so he can “establish and approve” our plans on his rock-firm foundation. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3 NIV    The first part—COMMITTING—is on us. The other part—ESTABLISHING (“cause to happen”)—is for God.    We must do part one if we...

Wisdom can be found—and lives forever–between the covers of a Bible. But there isn’t anything about it that is even remotely automatic. In fact, it’s the opposite. We learn in Proverbs that wisdom comes to us when we park by God’s door every day. “Those who listen to me will be happy—those who stay at my door every day, waiting at the entrance to my home.” Proverbs 8:34 GNT    What...

I was cruising along this morning on my month-long jaunt through the book of Proverbs when God tossed this truth my way: “A sensible person gathers the crops when they are ready; it is a disgrace to sleep through the time of harvest.” Proverbs 10:5 (GNT)    That verse arrived at my door in the context of OPPORTUNITY…a wonderful opportunity for every believer to harvest souls for God’s Kingdom....