Author Archive
Jeremiah 20-22: Failure to Thrive
Gee, talk about being “thick” in the head! How many times has God already indicated that He would bring serious judgment against Judah if they do not turn back to Him in full repentance? Many times since the opening pages of the book of Jeremiah and yet here we are again in these chapters, where Jeremiah has to proclaim similar things he’s already proclaimed (and the leadership and people rejected it), and King Zedekiah acts as though God has never said anything about any sort of judgment.
Sanctification: Anxiety’s Antidote
Jesus was never captivated and controlled by fear, worry or anxiety. He had a completely different perspective than we often do and He simply continued on, loving people by doing loving things for them in spite of how He might have been tempted to think and feel.
I’m quite sure that Jesus was tempted time and time again to give into the fear of many circumstances (real or imagined) as we are today, yet He never followed the urges to protect self (Hebrews 4:15) by giving into fear leading to worry and anxiety. As believers, we need to act in a way that shows our love for God and others. We cannot do that and engage in fear, worry or anxiety. The two – love and fear – are opposed to one another. We can do one or the other, but not both at the same time.
Jeremiah 18-19: It’s Unavoidable
Many in Israel wanted Jeremiah dead because of what he said. They wanted to kill him because of words which happened to be truth that they did not like. We see this happening today as well in and outside Christendom as people do not want to hear the truth. Moreover, truth is attacked and negated throughout society because it is inconvenient and people do not want to hear it.
In response, Jeremiah offers laments to God and asks that He rebuke the people strongly. Jeremiah was angry at the state of Israel and wanted God to act based on what He promised to do to that nation.
Changing Society?
For those Christians who believe that the Christian’s job is to change the tone of society by preaching the Gospel to people with the result being conversion, I’d like to respectfully ask that they think again. By being involved in transforming society, the focus shifts from the person of the unbeliever to the condition of society. While theoretically yes, people who become Christians can have a positive effect on society, there is no guarantee that this will happen.
Final Betrayal?
According to (Patrick M.) Wood, Trump’s Genesis Mission EO colludes with and gives tremendous power to the people behind artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, it’s on steroids and of course, the way it is highlighted by the White House[2], it sounds so beautiful and “America-First.” However, as Wood notes, it’s the furthest thing from actually being America First. It will usher in a tremendous amount of control over all of our lives. AI will have access to any information about us on the Internet and won’t even have to deal with getting approval first.
Continue Reading January 2, 2026 at 12:58 PM Leave a comment
Pray for Chinese Believers
Imagine living in an area or nation where it is forbidden to own or read the Bible, worship with other believers or be a pastor of a church. Imagine it. It is difficult for me to imagine, but understandably, thinking about the constraints placed on Christians in those areas of the world makes me want to reach out to them even more.
The tremendous censorship that is happening in many areas of the world today will at some point in the future, be the experience of all believers throughout the entire world during the upcoming Tribulation period of seven years, when God pours out His wrath onto this world due to rigid unbelief. During this upcoming campaign of terror, believers will be hemmed in and hard pressed from every side. Many will pay the ultimate price and lose their lives in martyrdom.
Terrifying Final Reality
Immediately after Rob and Michelle Reiner’s souls left their lifeless bodies, they instantly understood the things they had put stock in and believed wholeheartedly here in this life, were nothing but lies. The firm belief that there is no God and that man invented God, not that God created man, was immediately seen for what it was – a lying deception from Satan himself.
Imagine the unparalleled terrifying emotional trauma of understanding with near-precision accuracy the Truth that they now face. When they crossed over from this life to eternity, they instantly knew God lives and they were going to answer to Him and Him alone.
One Thing After Another…
It is difficult for us to admit we are needy, to admit that we need to go to God immediately, every time, instead of relying on Self, which is thoroughly opposed to God and His Word. Going to God is primary. Going to other believers asking for their help in prayer and support is secondary, but also important. Too often we refuse to do that because we don’t want to be seen as weak, ineffectual or lacking faith. In our Tuesday night Bible study group, we routinely share prayer requests and praises. It brings us together in reliance on others. Paul talks a great deal about this in his two letters to Corinthian believers.
Continue Reading December 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM Leave a comment
What To Do with Violence Unchecked?
But if it isn’t wars and rumors of wars mentioned by Jesus (Matthew 24:6; another form of violence), full-on deceit crafted by Satan and his angels, often using human wolves to deceive the true flock of Jesus exists (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15), false teachers leading to the one final man of lawlessness/Antichrist are clearly here (2 Thessalonians 2), there’s been a tremendous increase in natural disasters (Matthew 24:7b-8), like the typhoons that just hit the Philippines with some of the highest winds ever recorded, increasing persecution of Christians (Matthew 24:9), increasing lawlessness in general and apostatizing of those who have called themselves Christian (Matthew 24:10-12), and much more.
Continue Reading November 26, 2025 at 11:46 AM Leave a comment
Fiery Trials Can Create Despair
We Christians are not islands. Our lives touch other people. What happens to us and how we react to situations speaks to other people – both Christians and non. We need to remember that God ultimately wants to be glorified in and through us. In order for that to happen, things must come into our lives that do not seem palatable at first. Even though our fist inclination is to try to push away from those things, God has important plans for them. He wants us to grow in our faith and exhibit greater trust in Him. We cannot do that without the downward pressures of unpalatable situations and our response to them. Will we allow what is initially perplexing to create despair/depression within us or will we do as the three men in Daniel 3 did? If we fail to focus on the hope we have in Christ Jesus, we can easily become despairing/depressed.
Continue Reading November 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM Leave a comment
StudyGrowKnow 