“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). Love the Word When conflict arises, do you respond wisely? Would those closest to you characterize you as an understanding person? The Bible offers us wisdom for managing conflict, including understanding that only our loving […]
Love, Learn, Live the Word (Proverbs 9:10)
Love, Learn, Live the Word (Psalm 139:23-24)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Love the Word Is your heart in need of restoration? David, a man after God’s own heart, penned his prayer of renewal […]
Love, Learn, Live the Word (2 Samuel 14:14)
“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him” (2 Samuel 14:14). Love the Word Do you devise ways for those outside Christ to find life with God […]
FOCUS (Part 2)
We were designed to be satisfied through an intimate relationship with Christ. He is the satisfying focal point of our desires. As with a magnifying glass, the focal point of our eyes is magnified, and all that surrounds it is fuzzy. When temptation of the eyes comes, we stand at a 180-degree pivot-point to either […]
FOCUS
What is the focal point of your eyes? With the advent of summer comes girls who wear less clothes and guys who do more looking. The apostle John referred to this when he described the three ways that we desire life apart from God. He called it sin, namely the lust of the eyes, wanting […]
The When, Why, and How of Wise Confrontation
When should you wisely confront someone during interpersonal conflict? Timing is everything, so your confronting should not take place too early, too late, or in the heat of the battle. Solomon penned: “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply, and how good is a timely word” (Proverbs 15:23). The wise king warned of […]
Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of Wise Confrontation
During interpersonal conflict, do you struggle with confrontation? Confront literally means “face to face.” Only after first taking your conflict to God, ignoring insults, turning the other cheek, and overlooking an offense, can you wisely and lovingly confront another person. Who should you confront? Examine the relationship you have with the person involved in your […]
Desires Are For Our Transformation – Live a Holy Life in the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8)
How can we honor God with our longing for sexual intimacy? Paul taught that desires are for our transformation: “And that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God […]
Desires Are Not For Our Elimination – Control Your Body (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5)
The electrical current of sexual temptation travels from our world’s images straight to our desires, equipped with enough voltage to kill. However, this is nothing new. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, the Greek sex culture was perverted, especially in Thessalonica, even at its religious sites. Marriages were arranged between girls 13 to 14 years-old […]
Desires Are Not For Our Gratification: Avoid Sexual Immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3)
The apostle Paul likened marriage to the relationship between Christ and the church, teaching that a husband desires respect from his wife, and a wife desires to be loved by her husband (see Ephesians 5:31-33). Still, our culture is performing an all-out assault on this covenant, exploiting the desires of both genders. Since a man […]
The RSVP (Matthew 22:11-14)
In Jesus’ Parable of the Wedding Banquet, during the celebration, the king observed the guests who had jammed the wedding hall. To his dismay, he had found someone without proper wedding clothes. The king treated him in similar fashion to those who had rejected his invitations by ordering his death sentence. At first glance, the […]
The Invitation (Matthew 22:1-10)
What have you done with your invitation to the biggest celebration on earth? In a discussion with the religious, self-righteous leaders of His day, Jesus addressed this question in The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (see Matthew 22:1-14). The Invitation Rejected (Matthew 22:1-7) Jesus began the story by setting the scene. He described a king’s […]
Solomon’s Secrets to Leading Leaders – Develop Our Skills (Proverbs 22:29)
To lead leaders, we must develop our skills. Solomon invited: “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank” (Proverbs 22:29). So, how do we become skilled in leading leaders? First, we work hard. Solomon observed: “Lazy hands make for poverty, but […]
Solomon’s Secrets to Leading Leaders – Speak with Grace (Proverbs 22:11)
In order to lead leaders, we must speak with grace. This is held at a premium in our world today. When the heat of interpersonal conflict rises, we have a tendency to speak with a harsh tone, one that demands what we want. Wisdom offers a different way. Solomon counseled: “One who speaks with grace […]
Solomon’s Secrets to Leading Leaders – Love a Pure Heart (Proverbs 22:11, 29)
Have you ever struggled with influencing your boss? Are you unable to effectively communicate with your spouse? Does the coach of your team seem immovable? In our sinful nature, we have a tendency to respond to conflict with other leaders in three foolish patterns. First, we act with an impure heart, one with mixed motives, […]
Thermometer or Thermostat (Romans 12:2)
Do you ever ask God what His will for your life is? Often, we wonder about the source of the temperature in our life. We ask ourselves, “Is this desire merely from me or is it from God? How can I know if this is really God’s will?” The answer comes from whether we are […]
Comparison, the Thief of Joy (Psalm 37:4)
Do you find yourself continually wanting to be first, right, best, richest, or highest? Each of those traits has one thing in common: comparison. When we compare ourselves to others in order to determine where we rate, we are, most likely, experiencing pride of life, which is a heart issue (see 1 John 2:16-17). President […]
Three Habits of Highly Destructive People – Pride of Life (1 John 2:15-17)
How do you keep score in life? We all select some sort of measurement of success that drives our behavior. It might be money, accolades, assets, degrees, vacations, or even our good works. When we keep score of our successes by standards diametrically opposed to God’s, we focus on measuring our record of achievement by […]
Three Habits of Highly Destructive People – Worldly Power vs. Godly Power (John 19:30)
Have you pursued control apart from God, this week? Herod the Great learned firsthand the results of lusting for power apart from our Creator. After a lifelong pursuit of the lust of his eyes, Herod died out of control, lying in the darkness of his Jericho palace in 4 BC. Historians say that he passed […]
Three Habits of Highly Destructive People – Lust of the Eyes and the Light of Christ (John 8:12)
Are you locked in the darkness of the lust of the eyes? Are you desiring power apart from God? The light of Christ will set you free. Jesus searched to humbly unlock and gently restore the spiritual inner beings of everyone. He spent 90 percent of His life in Nazareth, a city nestled on ten […]