The Holy Spirit helps us understand the things of God. It took me awhile to get over my nonsensical thinking that the Holy Spirit was some kind of complicated and daunting presence. But it all came together for me when God illuminated his truth that no believer ever earned his or her salvation, and no one can ever lose it.    That Christianity offers a sense of security that is unavailable...

When our life’s “boat” hits rocky seas, many of us speed up, slow down, turn around, or douse the bright light illuminating our movement. We try anything and everything BUT dropping God’s anchor right there, right then.    That was ME until one day sharks encircled my boat during the biggest trial I have ever experienced. God screamed, “DROP THE ANCHOR!” and thankfully I listened.     It...

WHY do we need to understand the reason God has us on earth and in his family? Of course it’s for our spiritual fulfillment, joy, and destiny. And it produces eternal perspective and practical direction to life. But there’s more! Understanding our purpose is the gateway to serve others.    I think of it as the IN-ORDER-TO rule. We are in God’s family in order to intentionally seek out (HUNT)...

“Enjoying” our life’s trials is obviously a stretch. Even so, we are indeed fortunate to have trials and afflictions because they are the best way for us to learn what makes us complete in Christ. I call it “joyful pain.” I know, it sounds crazy but stick with me here. We don’t revel in the trials of life or look forward to tribulation; we seek other, more pleasant things. But when...

Early in my faith walk the last thing I wanted to do was say the word JESUS to anyone. I figured you could get away with talking about GOD…but, Jesus, no way. This misguided line of thinking emanated from my spiritual immaturity. I had no relationship with Christ and was not even vaguely familiar with the Word of God. No wonder I didn’t want to say the word Jesus—I didn’t know him.    What...

Yes, you’re going to heaven if you believe that Christ has taken away your sins, and then receive Him into your heart and life. That’s the promise God has for us. “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 But there’s more to the story—God wants us to grow up! I know from first-hand experience early in my faith walk that it...

Early in my faith walk I used to think that keeping the “right things” in my mind would chase the negative voices away. I thought it was possible ON MY OWN. I was wrong. Really wrong. Looking back on it now, it’s clear that I was trying to make up for the multitude of “un-Christian” thoughts racing around my head and deal with the guilt they produced.    I had no time for parades or zoos...

Our Initiative Will NEVER Be Enough! Receiving and responding to God’s direction for our faith walk—from the small decisions to the life-changing choices–takes INITIATIVE, of course. But it takes more than that…much more—it is IMPERATIVE that we connect with God on a regular basis. Missing that step means we will be forced to find perspective and direction from somewhere else—friends, television,...

Learning this discipline took me far too long, but a new and strong rhythm has finally emerged in my walk with God because my decisions got better when I stopped making them on my own. I had no idea that God wants us to run all of our decisions through him. But he clearly does and will honor it by transforming moments, days, and even a lifetime.    I know that to be true because it happened...

Once I developed spiritual rhythm and was growing as a Christian, I started to sense God’s purpose in my life and how that would be manifest through my gifts and passions. It was great! But it turns out that this growth was just the starting point.      It wasn’t long before God started to use my spiritual momentum to teach me about another FAITH IMPERATIVE—emulating Christ is EVERY...