The Christian life is a fight, a struggle, a warfare. And our opponent is Satan. He is the adversary of God’s people. While he has succeeded in making some people question his existence, he is definitely alive and well on planet Earth today.
As Christians we are not to be ignorant of his techniques lest he should get the advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan has used four tactics...
When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, Moses tried to excuse himself by saying that he didn’t know enough to do the job adequately (Exodus 3:13). He pled ignorance in the first degree.
Moses was afraid to undertake the challenge God gave to him because he was afraid someone would ask him a question that he couldn’t answer. Isn’t it amazing how we w...
Every day we read about another step in the gradual disintegration of the religious and moral foundation of our nation. My concern is not for God. He can stand it. But I’m not sure our nation can stand it. There are two basic truths about morals and our nation that we seem to have forgotten. The first is that an immoral nation cannot long stand. Former President Eisenhower once said that “The p...
A little boy wrote a four-sentence essay on Socrates. “Socrates was a Greek. Socrates was a great man. Socrates told people how to live their lives. They poisoned Socrates.” Telling other people how to live is hazardous work. Yet this is precisely the task of every minister.
The true pastor is a God-appointed man to proclaim a God-given message to the world. He is not supposed to tell p...
George E. Jones, former deputy editor of U.S. News, once raised the question, “Whatever became of belief in America?” He went on to point out that belief in America is being replaced by pessimism, distrust of leaders, and laxity in standards. The old certainties are passing away and skepticism and cynicism abound everywhere. Then he called belief “the energizer of progress” and the “ce...
Headlines in newspapers repeatedly tell of student revolts that are rocking college campuses. It would be serious if these occurrences were only in the United States. But they are not. They are a worldwide phenomenon. In light of these vocal, aggressive, visionary, and impatient youth who are creating so much chaos, one wonders why must evil have a corner on boldness, commitment, and dedication...
One of the towering questions of our day is “Are the gospels true?” Without them we would know little more than that Christ existed. Their validity is imperative in the Christian life. How can we be sure they are true?
1. They have the ring of truth. A careful study of the four gospels reveals their amazing nature. Strictly speaking, the gospels are not biographies at a...
When I read about yet another official in a place of public trust being found guilty of wrongdoing, my first inclination is to despair. I think, “People are worse than ever before.” Then I get it all back in perspective. It’s not that people are worse—the news coverage is just better.
One writer said about youth, “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authori...
Religion, the wrong kind of religion, is at the root of many of the problems in our world today. It has always been true that the wrong kind of religion does more harm than good. Even Jesus warned us about this. In fact, Jesus gave us three marks of the wrong kind of religion in Mark 12:38-40.
First, it is wrong for people to use the church to promote themselves. It wa...
Once we buried a young lady who was only 21 years old. She was killed in a head-on collision while on her way to church. The night before the funeral, my daughter asked why God allows things like this to happen.
I wish I knew. Things like this have puzzled saints, wise men, and philosophers since the world began.
There is simply no one easy answer as to why tragedies like this happen. The answer may lie in the fact that God made us free. He created us with the ability to make our own choices, and choices always involve consequences. If we are careless or foolish in our choices, or if others are, we may suffer because of them. If God did not allow us freedom, we’d be less than people. We’d be robots.
This may be the only explanation we will ever have for some suffering. However, we do not have to know why things happen in order to be victorious over them. On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) But the heavens were as brass. God was silent. He didn’t even answer his own Son. Jesus might have despaired and become bitter against God. But instead he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend [entrust, hand over] my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
This kind of faith is far more important than any answer we might receive. In our lives, as in the life of Jesus, it is faith that makes the difference between victory and defeat.
So keep believing in God no matter what. Commit your life to him and regardless of what happens, God will help you.