Archive for November, 2025
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
God Limits Jeremiah
In this section, God warns that those who trust other men are cursed. Those who trust God are blessed. God says we cannot know our hearts (v9) because it is so deceitful, yet we are too often led by it. God knows each heart – He sees the truth. The Judahites continued to ask “Where is the fulfillment of God’s Word? (v15). Jeremiah asks God to bring shame to those who persecute him (v18).
Continue Reading November 18, 2025 at 4:40 PM Leave a comment
Job’s Aha Moment
Doesn’t this remind you of Jesus’ words when He said, “…whoever hates his life will keep it for eternal life,” (John 12:25). It’s the same thing. Job came to the point of hating his own life because he saw such sin in it when compared to God and His holiness. This is what each and every authentic Christian needs to realize. Understanding the weight of our sin has a wonderful effect. It helps us realize just how much God gave that we might have life eternally. Without this growing realization, we will continue to cater to Self continually. With this growing understanding, humility will replace our self-centered satisfaction.
Jonah’s Character Development
However, in Jonah 4, we see that Jonah did not take kindly to the Ninevites’ repentance and became angry again. Jonah even prays to God after the people of Nineveh repented, “I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” (v2b) Then he wants God to take his life! Once again, Jonah’s values are seen in how he reacts to God’s graciousness. Jonah was not Godward focused, but self-focused still. God wants every child of His to become like Him – full of love, grace and mercy and forgiving toward others.
Continue Reading November 7, 2025 at 12:41 PM Leave a comment
Sanctification: Memorizing Scripture
Paul is so good about getting to the heart of the issue, isn’t he? We can all relate to what he is stating. We want to do what is right, what pleases God, but we are too often bound by our sin nature. It seems to control us way too often. Yet, Paul, while pointing out how bad things can be for him within, looks to Jesus as the only true Redeemer. Jesus, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, will create within us truly clean hearts, hearts given to serving God, not our sin natures. But of course, our job is to actually go to Him during those times when we are torn and being dragged toward fulfilling the desires of our sin nature. It truly is a battle and the battle is won in our minds when we deliberately turn our backs on our sin natures and the temptations promoted by it, instead, looking to Jesus as our true Source of strength. He will overcome in our lives if we deliberately turn to Him. Sometimes, all we can do is plead with Him to help us and He will follow through.
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