"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." —Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV)Mother Theresa once said, “The world’s greatest tragedy is unwantedness; the world’s greatest disease is loneliness.”[1]Philip Zimbardo, writing in Psychology Today, has said, “There is no more destructive influence on ...  Read More

"The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?" — Psalm 27:1 (NIV) Sometimes, despite our best efforts, fear doesn't completely disappear before we need to act. In these moments, we can learn from Elizabeth Elliot, whose husband, Jim, was murdered by the very people he was trying to reach with the Gospel. She shared about ...  Read More

"The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe." - Proverbs 29:25One of the most common fears that holds believers back is the fear of what others will think or do. This fear of man can prevent us from following God's direction, speaking truth, or stepping out in faith. Proverbs directly addresses this, warning that the fear of man is a snare - a trap that catches us...  Read More

Ephesians 4:13–15 (NKJV)13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,15 but, speaking the truth in love, ma...  Read More

"And He [Jesus] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-12Christians are not just forgiven, not just set free, not just heaven-bound, praise the Lord. The Bible also describes that we have been given a gift. Jesus gave gifts to ...  Read More

In Ephesians 4:8, Paul quotes from the Psalms: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." Then he adds this question: if He ascended, what does that imply? That He first descended. He descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.This is the God who came down. In ...  Read More

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) - Ephes...  Read More

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." — Psalm 56:3 (ESV)The dictionary lists about 700 kinds of phobias:Acrophobia: fear of high places.Claustrophobia: fear of closed places.Agoraphobia: fear of open places.Pathophobia: fear of disease.Ergophobia: fear of work.Photophobia: fear of light.Phobophobia: fear of fear. You don’t have to be a weak person to be a fearful person. Strong people are, so...  Read More

In 1 Peter 3:1-6, we see God’s guidance for how a godly wife can influence her husband for Christ. Someone once described marriage as being like a dance. In a dance, there is a leader and a follower. The leader guides and sets the direction, and the follower complements that leadership, creating beauty and harmony in motion. There was a story about a championship dance team - a man and a woman - w...  Read More

Christians today are living in a culture that is moving in a completely different direction than the one God calls us to. The culture says to go one way, but we, as God’s people, live under the lordship of Jesus Christ, following the truths found in His Word. If Jesus Christ is truly Lord, that truth should be demonstrated in how we treat His Word and how we live our lives. As Christians, we are g...  Read More

Ephesians 4:7-8 (NKJV) "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.'"My dad was a carpenter. He loved all kinds of woodworking, like building custom cabinets. The smell of sawdust reminds me of him and the time I spent in his shop growing up. The sound of an electric ...  Read More

1 Peter 2:11 says “…abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” The word “war”, in the Greek language, implies an ongoing engagement, not a single battle. The fleshly lusts will maintain an ongoing war inside of your mind, emotions and will that no one can see. It is invisible, but significant.We come to church and smile at one another. Someone asks, "How's it going?" We say, “Great!” ...  Read More