“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”  -1 Peter 5:8 Sometimes when I think about the state of our culture, I feel burdened.  When I see or hear about music video with lots of sex and violence and all of

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Hebrews 13:5b Have you ever seen the sun shine when it’s raining? It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The rain pours down, with big grey drops, and showers the earth with its downpour. But, as the sun peeks through, the raindrops that

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” -2 Corinthians 13:14 In many organizations, the driving force is fear. Workers are afraid of losing their job, so they work themselves to the bone. Perhaps there is a fear of

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” -Ephesians 6:16 Have you ever played a video game when your immunity shield went down? All of a sudden, you get hit. Out of nowhere. And you had gotten so far too!

“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.” -Luke 10: 31 & 32 We often hear

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” -Ephesians 4:15 What does it mean to be mature in Christ? The Bible says Jesus is coming back for a “spotless” bride. (Ephesians 5:27) But, what does that mean?

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” – Romans 8:15 Enric Siva is a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. He and his family lived on a

“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” -Matthew 10:7-9 Have you ever been given a new job description? Sometimes when we’ve been doing the same thing over and over

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” -Matthew 17:20 Isn’t it amazing that just one degree warmer or

“…and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.” -Matthew 4:22 There is a lot to be said for the word “immediately.” Nothing defines us more than our actions right now, or our lack thereof. Our actions determine the content of our hearts, and the course of our lives. Sometimes it’s difficult

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ” -1 John 1:9 I have a friend named Kathy. She is amazing! The day I met her, Kathy told me the most incredible story. Her story was not only engaging but also

“But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, ‘Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.’” -John 5:14 Have you ever had a moment when you were really afraid of God? Not afraid as in being afraid of the dark… but knowing that God was

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” -1 John 4:1 Do you agree with God? This may seem funny to say, but each of us comes to Christ with a different perception of God,

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” -Romans 12:21 What does it mean to overcome evil with good? Many days it may seem as though we are being overcome by negativity. But, how do we get out of the mire? What did God have in mind for the way we should

“But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.” -Matthew 5:39, 40 More than we’d like we are faced with situations where someone may have

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes,

“God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty, and firm in His purpose.” -Job 36:5 Each of us has a call, an assignment from heaven for our lives. We may or may not know what it is, but all of us have one thing in common. We have time – a finite amount

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” -Proverbs 22:6 Do you have a child? I do not have children yet, but I have served in kids ministry long enough to know that children are both a blessing and a huge responsibility!  The

“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” -Proverbs 3:6 It was Monday morning, during our staff Bible study time. My dad asked, “How do you hear God?” Out came a myriad of responses. “A thought pops into my mind of someone, and

“But Balaam replied, ‘I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.’” -Numbers 23:12 How many times are we faced with a decision to please the crowd, or to please God? In these types of situations, it can be stressful. But God calls us as believers to speak his words and

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” -Matthew 7:11 I didn’t have the best relationship with my dad growing up. He seemed cold, aloof, and distant. When I asked for

“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:35 What must it like to be famous, or to be known for something? Oprah is known for her talk show, and for overcoming many obstacles to make her life a success. Lady Gaga is known for being bizarre.

“No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love.” -Psalm 147:11 There was a girl in one of my college classes who expressed her concern about the future. She was pretty honest. She said, “I’m just afraid about the future. Afraid about not getting a

“But He said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” -Luke 4:43 Do you know your purpose? Do you know that God made you with a specific idea in mind? There is no doubt that each of us is

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” -Matthew 9:17 Occasionally God will bring us to a place where he squeezes the life out of us.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” -Luke 6:45 What are you filled up with? The Bible says, “out of the

“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” -Ephesians 2:20-21 It seems there is a lot of confusion today about what is the church and what isn’t.

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” -Romans 12:10 I love seeing how Asian cultures treat their elders. Honor in their culture is a big part of respecting someone who has lived life longer than you, (and hopefully has more wisdom, too!) That may be why they have the highest

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your

“May He equip you he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” -Hebrews 13:21 Seth Godin, the well-known marketing guru, wrote a book called, The

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.” -Luke 6:37 Have you ever felt judged? It’s not the best feeling. Sometimes, with even the best of intentions, we fall short in being Christ-like in this area. We feel