Have you ever struggled with how you should go to others with the gospel of full surrender to Christ? When a person is caught in his sin, desiring life apart from God, we tend to go to him in one of two extremes: we are either condemning or careless. These are rooted in the two […]
Go Connectedly (Part 1)
Do Discover Security (Part 2)
Would you like to achieve financial security? How much money would it take for you to have it? Security means that we don’t have to worry. It means that we can trust in one resource to be true all of the time. This desire for security came from God providing man every seed-bearing plant and […]
Do Discover Security (Part 1)
Would you like to achieve financial security? How much money would it take for you to have it? Security means that we don’t have to worry. It means that we can trust in one resource to be true all of the time. This desire for security came from God providing man every seed-bearing plant and […]
Do Discover Control
Do you desire money for the control that it brings? Control literally means “to roll against.” It is the extension of our will over another person or object. We attempt to control others, our own lives, or even God. The desire for control came from man being empowered by God to rule over the earth, […]
Do Discover Contentment
Who is more content, the person with a million dollars or the person with ten children? You probably guessed the person with ten children, and you are correct. He is more content because he doesn’t want any more. That’s the definition of contentment: being in a state or a situation where you are not wanting […]
Do Discover Significance
Would a little extra money satisfy any of your desires? Do you want to decrease your liabilities? Perhaps you desire to reduce your mortgage, pay off your car, or eliminate credit card debt. Do you want to increase your assets? Maybe you would like to buy a new car, a new boat, a new house, […]
Do Fast
Why do you fast? During trials or times of weighty decisions, do you leverage fasting as a magic wand with God as your object? Do you fast with the motive that others will see your plight and comfort you? Fasting literally means, “to abstain from food or drink;” however, in the Bible it is accompanied […]
Be A Person Who Prays
Jesus taught each of us how to be a person who PRAYS (Matthew 6:9-15). Prayer is being online with God when our hearts are connected with His. In this connection, we upload our requests, and He downloads His presence, shaping our hearts and transforming our desires to be like His (Psalm 37:4). Consequently, God’s design […]
Do Pray
What, why, and how do you pray? Do you pray solely for your personal comfort and abundance? Do you ever pray in a public restaurant, hoping that people seated near you will see you? Do your nighttime prayers sound like broken records saying the same selfish things in the same selfish ways for the same […]
Do Give
Why do you give? Do you ever do good deeds to be recognized and honored by others? When we give, we often want to let others see our acts of righteousness in order to be rewarded for our efforts. Our names are placed on buildings, printed in church bulletins, and presented in prominent periodicals. Two […]
Be Hate Free
Do you hate someone? Is there a person or people group that you simply don’t love? It might be someone with a different sexual orientation or religion, someone who is addicted, unsaved, rude, late, or disorganized. It could be someone who is introverted or extroverted, rich or poor, conservative or liberal, irreligious or religious, attractive […]
Be Retaliation Free
Have you been harmed by another person? Has someone insulted you, taken something from you, or abused your time? In our humanness, our first inclination is to retaliate by harming the offender in the same way that he harmed us. Retaliation means “to repay” — evil for evil. Jesus offered a different way. In His […]
Be Falsehood Free
Have you ever broken your word? When we do so, we say one thing and do another. Our walk doesn’t match our talk. In His fourth of six examples of inside out righteousness, Jesus taught His disciples to be falsehood free. He said that a disciple’s walk should match his talk. The Old Testament Command: […]
Be Divorce Free
Have you or anyone in your immediate family been divorced? Divorce means “to go separate ways.” A couple cannot divorce unless they have first been married. God designed marriage for the man to leave his family, cleave to his wife, and weave his life with hers (Genesis 2:24). Consequently, God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). In […]
Be Adultery Free
How many times have you committed adultery? Jesus said that it might be more than you think. With the invention of Internet pornography, adultery in our world might be at an all-time high. In His second of six examples of inside out righteousness, Jesus taught his disciples to be adultery free. The Old Testament command: […]
Be Anger Free
Have you ever been angry…today? Anger is an emotion that moves us to a physiological response. It is possible to be angry and not sin (Ephesians 4:26). Anger is a secondary emotion that follows a combination of three primary emotions: hurt, fear, or frustration. Usually, it works like this. Our emotions are stuck in […]
Be Obedient
Did your parents ever say, “Do as I say, not as I do?” Our parents knew what was right and yet realized that they would fall short. Aware that we would not only listen to their words, but also watch their behavior, they couched their inevitable disparity in word and deed with “Do as I […]
Service that Leads to Surrender
Do you love good service? Maybe you enjoy being served at your favorite restaurant or resort, but have you ever thought about why? The answer will compel you to serve others. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described service that leads to surrender (Matthew 5:13-16). In essence, Jesus said that who we are to […]
Satisfied are the Persecuted
When you are insulted, persecuted, or slandered for your full surrender to Christ, do you endure or give up? The source of the insults might be a spouse, co-worker, friend, or foe. In any event, he is threatened by full surrender to Christ because he doesn’t want to surrender something. When this hardship for our […]
Satisfied are the Peacemakers
Do you have unreconciled, relational conflict? Conflict is defined as two objects attempting to occupy the same space at the same time. God designed peace for our relationships (Genesis 1:28). With sin came negative conflict (Genesis 3). Negative conflict includes at least one foolish option. It is internal — our sinful nature and the Spirit […]