Most successful business people know how important it is to set goals. But to some sincere Christians I know, goal-setting isn’t spiritual. Yet I believe if we are to have a dynamic life in the Spirit, we must include this important concept.

Goals help us focus our efforts as we pursue God’s vision for our lives. This point is so important I included an entire chapter on it in my new book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, which releases May 16.

How can we do great things for the glory of God if we don’t have a vision of what that is? We must believe God for new mountains to climb and new visions to pursue. That is how we grow and develop our faith and move from “glory to glory.”

Once we have let God birth a vision into our spirits and have determined to implement it no matter the cost, then we must decide how we are going to accomplish it. This is where goal-setting becomes a critical tool. In fact, over the years I have found this has been key in seeing God’s vision unfold in my life.

Setting a goal is like focusing sunlight with a magnifying glass. When your life energy is shining on a pinpoint, you can start a fire. A goal poorly set is better than no goal because if you have a goal of any kind, you’re at least going somewhere, even if the destination is not carefully mapped out. Writing down spiritual, family, professional, self-improvement, or fitness goals often will set in motion the habits necessary to achieve them. The mind moves in the direction of its dominant thoughts, and what you measure and monitor improves.

When my late mentor Jamie Buckingham challenged me to think of what I would do if I knew I could not fail, I realized how small my dreams had been and how much I was limiting God. I made a decision to change. Now I consciously try not to limit God, even though I am sure His plans for my life go further than I imagine.

The apostle Paul had the vision of going to Jerusalem and then on to Rome. He didn’t consider that he would make those visits as a prisoner, but that’s how it came about. Often, God must delay the fulfilling of a vision or desire until He has prepared us to be people who can handle it with grace and humility. It is not God’s nature to give us greater visions and accomplishments if they will work to our destruction. Instead, God allows us to be hammered into the shape of a vessel that can gracefully contain the vision.

What God-inspired goals do you have for your life? Are you a scientist or doctor who can set a goal of finding a cure for a disease? Are you an entrepreneur who can pledge to give several million dollars to a credible mission organization? Are you a board member or pastor who can start a program for the poor in your city or network churches to meet the need? What would you do if there were no boundaries on your imagination or budget?

It’s as someone once said: “If you want to see miraculous fruit in your life, you must have faith as if it depends on God and work as if it depends on you.”

This is quite the opposite of the trends being set in today’s world. People are now encouraged to do the bare minimum at work, quit when things are not perfect and employers are encouraged to cater to the anger of workers who don’t want to work. But this trend neglects the importance of creating goals to reach the next level, not only at work, but in every area of life. This concept of throwing in the towel simply because we do not live in a perfect world is unbiblical. Colossians 3:17 tells us: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

If you haven’t had big goals and dreams before now, I pray you will learn to set goals and give them deadlines. Keep in mind that when you stand before the Lord, He will hold you accountable for the talents, resources, and dreams He bestowed upon you. Use what He gave you wisely. Do not throw gifts away because of challenges. You stand to lose nothing by going for God’s highest plan for you, and on that day when He says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” you will know that you attempted and accomplished much for your Savior.

Stephen E. Strang is the bestselling author of God and Donald Trump. The founder and CEO of Charisma Media, Strang was voted by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He has interviewed four U.S. presidents and has been featured on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBN, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, and in many Christian outlets.

For more information on my new book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, visit .

The earliest mention in Scripture of the gifts of the Spirit is when Isaiah prophesies of the Messiah: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He shall delight in the fear of the Lord, and he shall not judge by what his eyes see, nor reprove by what his ears hear” (Isa. 11:2-3).

It amazes me that so many Christians reject the gifts of the Spirit and say they are not for today. Yet when people are dramatically healed, prophecies come true, people are ignited by the Word of God as they learn about it, and specific prayers are prayed for people without previously knowing them or their circumstances, it’s puzzling as to why these gifts are not approved by the church.

However, an even better question we should ask is: What are the gifts of the Spirit, and why does God give them to us in the first place? It is a big focus of my new book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, which releases May 16.

The reason we receive these gifts, all embodied in Jesus, is so the body of Christ will function with diverse gifts, each “according to the grace that is given to us,” as Paul tells us, “if prophecy, according to the proportion of faith; if service, in serving; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Let’s take a look at these gifts and what they each mean for the body of Christ.

Word of Knowledge

According to the FireBible, a word of knowledge is “a statement inspired by the Holy Spirit that reveals knowledge about people, circumstances or Biblical truth that likely would not have been known or understood apart from God. Its aim is usually to provide guidance, to help confirm a decision or to expose something that is important for a person’s spiritual development.”

I remember seeing this in action when I attended one of Kathryn Kuhlman’s crusades in Lakeland, Florida, in 1975. I wrote about the experience in Florida magazine, the Sunday magazine of the SentinelStar (now called Orlando Sentinel), where I worked at the time.

Kathryn Kuhlman was well-known for “calling out” miracles with a word of knowledge, but I’d never personally seen her do it before attending that crusade. My article described what I saw:

Then, suddenly, she pointed toward the back of the arena. “Someone with varicose veins has just been healed.” Before that person can respond she says an ear has been healed, then that bursitis has been healed. Christians call this a “Word of Knowledge”—one of seven New Testament gifts given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said this gift gives knowledge to a person about something that has just happened. The announcements of healing in this manner continue off and on for an hour.

The Gift of Faith

What about the other gifts? One of the most powerful is the gift of faith. The Bible says every believer is given a “a measure of faith.” The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And Jesus told us that if we have faith as tiny as a mustard seed, we can speak to mountains and they will be removed and cast into the sea. This type of faith is available to all believers.

But the gift of faith is something more. It’s not saving grace but an extraordinary faith to see the impossible done.

The Gifts of Healings

Another spiritual gift is the gifts of healings. These gifts (plural) are given to the church to restore healing in a miraculous manner. Every believer may not operate in this gift, but it’s for the church as a whole.

The Working of Miracles

The gift of miracles is the gift to display signs and wonders that give credibility to God’s Word and the gospel message and overcome the work of Satan.

The gifts of healing and miracles often are almost interchangeable. If I’m sick and pray for healing, and then am healed, I give glory to God. But sometimes a healing is so enormous it can be explained only as a miracle.

Heidi Baker, who has ministered powerfully all over the world, has based her outreach in Mozambique, and in her book Birthing the Miraculous, she shares a powerful story of how she lived in the slums and worked with the poorest of the poor in that nation.

Because so many were sick and some were blind, she prayed for the gift of healing for many years and eventually received the Lord’s promise that the blind would see. For a year she prayed for every blind person she could find, but no one gained their sight. Then one day she was in a dark little mud-hut church in central Mozambique, laying hands on an old blind lady. Suddenly the woman said she could see.

The gifts of the Spirit aren’t reserved for a select few who are “super-anointed.” If we are filled with the Holy Spirit and being led by Him, the gifts should manifest in our lives. In fact, Paul tells us to “follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit.”

God wants His gifts flowing through you; all He needs is your availability. If you will surrender to Him, He will jumpstart His power in your life.

Stephen E. Strang is the bestselling author of God and Donald Trump. The founder and CEO of Charisma Media, Strang was voted by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He has interviewed four U.S. presidents and has been featured on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBN, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, and in many Christian outlets.

For more information on my new book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, visit .

OKLAHOMA CITY – A surprising surge of faith continues to spread among America’s young people. And this weekend, it led to what some are calling the largest campus outreach event ever.

On Saturday, more than 60,000 students filled the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium, coming together for a time of worship and evangelism.

The “Fill the Stadium” event all began when a graduating senior prayed a simple prayer: “God, what’s next?”

Students rallied to fill the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium for a time of worship with Christian music’s Kari Jobe and Chandler Moore, coupled with a concert from hip hop star “Chance the Rapper”.

Saturday’s event sold out within days of its announcement. CBN News traveled to Oklahoma City to hear the sound of spiritual awakening rising here in “The Cinderella City”.

Student organizer Joshua Robinson tells us, “It’s really cool that God continues to work through broken people.”

Robinson is a University of Oklahoma senior who got this idea for a massive Saturday service last summer, long before the Asbury awakening had happened.

He was just hanging out at a coffee shop, talking to God.

“I’m sitting there and I’m trying to figure out what I am going to do with my life. And I am asking God, ‘What’s next, what’s next?’ feeling the stress and weight of not knowing what’s next after college. And as I am doing that, I am trying to brainstorm and pray. And I am trying to find scripture to give me some sort of clarity and tell me what’s next. And to my great surprise, He’s like ‘fill the stadium’.”

“And I was like, ‘Alright, God, if You promise to show up and make it happen, then I guess that takes the pressure off,'” Robinson recalls.

After telling God “yes,” he asks his best friend and fellow senior Nathan Wong for help.

“Normally, I would have been like ‘you are crazy.’ And I will say there is still a little bit of that. But coming off a summer where I was poured into and encouraged to dream big, to set my goals so far above what I can obtain that they have to be met by the Lord, it was really easy to say, yes,” Wong says.

Consider this incredible timeline. Josh and Nathan and fellow students began meeting to plan this event back in September. They met every Wednesday to pray and plan. They didn’t get university approval until five months later. The exact date of that approval was February 8, which also marked the start of the Asbury Revival.

One week after tickets were made available, this stadium was indeed filled with more than 60,000 souls seeking God. {eoa}

To read the full article, visit our content partners at CBN News.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

Satan’s plan to hold the largest gathering of his followers “in history” did not go quite as he and the attendees imagined it would.

Amid the furor, spiritual warfare and media coverage, salvations took place during The Satanic Temple’s (TST) 10-year anniversary celebration.

According to TST’s own website, they claim to not believe “in the existence of Satan or the supernatural.” Which anyone with an ounce of discernment knows is not true, and is deceptive. Because that is what Satan does.

For a group that does not believe in Satan, there were a lot of “Hail Satan’s” going around the Boston Marriott Copley Place.

As convention goers dressed up as satanic deities and devils, they could not help themselves in directly attacking God and revealing that their true goal is to tear down what God has created, not the pursuit of knowledge and insight they list on their website.

The gathering opened with a renouncing of order, lawfulness and submission to authority, all principles God created and instilled in His creation.

Instead, the leadership of TST decried “symbols of oppression” and tore up a Bible and a “Thin Blue Line” flag associated with support for law enforcement.

“We stand here today in defiance of their siege and destroy their symbols of oppression,” a female leader was recorded saying before destroying the Bible.

Overplaying their hand even more, several of the keynote speakers for lectures on radical-left identity politics were hosted by university professors and members of the transgender community.

As reported by Fox News:

“‘Sins of the Flesh: Satanism and Self-Pleasure’ was taught by Eric Sprankle, a ‘sexuality studies’ professor at Minnesota State University-Mankato. ‘Reclaiming the Trans Body: A/theistic strategies for Self-Determination and Empowerment,’ was offered by Devi B. Dillard-Wright, a transgender woman who served as University of South Carolina-Aiken Associate Professor of Philosophy until July 2022.”

In case there are still parents who are unaware, these are the types of people teaching at universities across the nation.

For those calling themselves Christians that have embraced the cult of transgenderism within their churches, these lectures make it hard to use Scripture to justify the stance that accepting transgenderism is the will of God when satanists are pushing it so fiercely while denouncing the Word of God.

Yet amongst all the pomp, rebellion and dark spiritual oppression convention-goers placed upon themselves willingly, there were reports of people witnessing on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and leading others in the prayer of salvation at the event.

Worship leader and evangelist Sean Feucht tweeted out that even in the midst of the spiritual rebellion, God’s love was being poured out and releasing people from bondage:

While they were ripping up pages of the Bible to kick off the largest Satanic gathering ever (SatanCon in Boston), over 98 attendees surrendered their lives to Jesus (verified!) from covert evangelists infiltrating the crowd.#GodAlwaysWins

— Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) May 1, 2023

“While they were ripping up pages of the Bible to kick off the largest Satanic gathering ever (SatanCon in Boston), over 98 attendees surrendered their lives to Jesus (verified!) from covert evangelists infiltrating the crowd.”

As Satan continues to try and deceive people into believing he is some kind of tolerant, accepting, benevolent being that cares and wants to form a community that mirrors those traits, his lies are being exposed for the snares and traps that they are.

Jesus speaks life over those who follow Him, Satan can only offer them death. But for those who found the light in the middle of this dark event, they will know eternal life courtesy of the precious blood of Jesus. And that is something Satan can never take away. {eoa}

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbors continued coming up empty Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the governor put up $50,000 in reward money and the FBI appeared no closer to catching the killer after nearly two days of searching with a team that has grown to hundreds of people.

“I can tell you right now, we have zero leads,” James Smith, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters while again asking the public for tips in the rural town of Cleveland, where the shooting took place just before midnight Friday.

The search for the gunman near Houston has grown in scale: Authorities said that by Sunday evening more than 200 police from multiple jurisdictions were searching for Francisco Oropeza, many of them going door to door in hopes of any clues that would lead to the 38-year-old suspect. Local officials and the FBI also chipped in reward money, bringing the total to $80,000 for any information about Oropeza’s whereabouts.

Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday night, likely on foot. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities had widened the search area beyond the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect’s neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard late at night because a baby was trying to sleep.

At a Sunday vigil in Cleveland, Wilson Garcia, the father of the 1-month-old, described the terrifying efforts inside his home by friends and family that night to escape, hide and shield themselves and children after Oropeza walked up to the home and began firing, killing his wife first at the front door.

Another of Garcia’s children, 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso, was also killed. Garcia said he and two other people had gone to “respectfully” ask Oropeza to shoot his gun farther away from the house, which is on a street where residents say it is not uncommon for neighbors to unwind by firing off guns.

Garcia said he walked away and called the police when Oropeza refused. It was 10 to 20 minutes later when he said he saw Oropeza loading his AR-style rifle while running toward the house.

“I told my wife, ‘Get inside. This man has loaded his weapon,'” Garcia said. “My wife told me to go inside because, ‘He won’t fire at me. I’m a woman.'”

Authorities have said at least five other people who were in the house at the time were uninjured.

During the early hours of the search, investigators found clothes and a phone while combing an area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said.

Authorities were able to identify Oropeza by an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens who reside outside the country, as well as the doorbell camera footage. He said police have also interviewed the suspect’s wife multiple times.

Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that they said Oropeza used in the shootings. Authorities were not sure if Oropeza was carrying another weapon after others were found in his home.

Capers said he hoped the reward money would motivate people to provide information and that there were plans to put up billboards in Spanish to spread the word.

“We’re looking for closure for this family,” Capers said. {eoa}

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

Bryce Young, an Alabama football standout, is an elite combination of instincts, intelligence with a good arm and a creative playmaker who excels at buying time while seeing the entire field.

And on Thursday, April 27, at the 2023 NFL Draft, the poised leader became the number one draft pick finding a new home with the Carolina Panthers.

“It’s surreal. It’s a dream come true. I’m blessed,” Young said Thursday.

He added, “I want to thank God for allowing me to be here, for my parents and everyone who supported me. Although it was my name being called here, there’s so many people, that pushed me and allowed me to be here. As amazing as a moment this is, I’m going to try and live in this moment. I can’t wait to get to work and start building off of it.”

Carolina was originally slated to pick ninth, but made a few trades to secure the top spot, Fox News reports.

David Tepper, the team’s owner, believes that with Young on the roster the Panthers have a shot at the Super Bowl next year.

“We thought this guy has the best probability of winning us Super Bowls,” he told Sports Illustrated. “The way he throws the ball, the way he’s a point guard, how you can use the different players on the field, how you might not have to have as many elite receivers because he’s the point guard, right? So he distributes the ball to people with routes.”

Young had a promising message for the Panthers as he exited the stage last night.

“I can’t wait to get to work,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited and I’m blessed to be a Panther.”

The 21-year-old has never been shy about sharing his Christian faith.

Both his Instagram and Twitter profiles read, “Follower of Christ” and users also notice his Twitter banner photo, which displays a cross.

As CBN News previously reported, Young has consistently given all the glory to God throughout his football career, especially after he led the #1 Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship title in 2021.

“I work to be the best version of myself that I can be and to embody Christ in all that I do,” Young told the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “So, for me, regardless of how someone else views me, whatever award, accolade, what someone may say … at the end of the day, what motivates me and pushes me is to model myself after the Lord.”

Young’s faith was also on full display when he won the Heisman trophy in 2021.

“First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said at that time. “Without him, I couldn’t be here, and through him, all things are possible.” {eoa}

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

Check out the top stories from Charisma News:

Grandson of Charles Stanley Criticized for Auctioning Grandfather’s Belongings

In the wake of the legendary preacher Charles Stanley’s death, his grandson Matt Brodersen has received significant backlash from the Christian community for putting several items of his grandfather’s up for auction on eBay.

Brodersen is the youngest child of Stanley’s daughter Becky, and is an aspiring YouTuber, where the announcement of the auction was uploaded.

In the YouTube video, which has over 6,000 views, Brodersen explains that after the funeral he “got to take a couple epic photos with some of my favorite pastors and then it came time to go through my Grandpa’s house.”

Tens of Thousands to Rock the Stadium for Jesus in Historic University Outreach

A student-led evangelistic event based in Oklahoma quickly became one of the largest outreaches in the country after more than 80,000 people signed up for tickets within a matter of days.

Fill the Stadium (FTS) OU is a gospel outreach held at the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium this past Saturday, April 29.

The program, headlined by Chance The Rapper, Kari Jobe, Chandler Moore and Evangelist Nick Hall, sold out within a couple of days of its announcement making it the largest university outreach event ever.

Millions of Christians Unite in Prayer, Fasting for Israel Before Pentecost

This month, thousands of ministries worldwide will unite in prayer for Israel. Many believe this historic initiative couldn’t be happening at a better time.

Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, explains how this call to intercede began:

“We began a call on March 7, about six weeks ago, and the call—in essence—was to call 1 million people to pray for one hour a day for Jerusalem, for 21 days,” he said.

The call to pray begins May 7 and runs through May 28. Bickle says the response to this call has now gone viral—and global. {eoa}

Knowing the history, origins and meaning behind actions, words and events holds significant importance to God.

Throughout the Bible, God provides immaculate detail as to how and why He orders a thing to be done, and for these instructions to be carried on to future generations. Yet so few Americans, much less Christians these days, know the spiritual, social and political significance behind the May 1st event that has been celebrated across Europe for hundreds of years.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac:

“May Day started as a pre-Christian holiday celebrated throughout Europe, especially among the Gaelic people, who called it Beltane. It was a holiday that marked the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Beltane was also about fertility—people hoped that by observing the holiday, they could ensure that their livestock and crops were fruitful over the coming summer. Bonfires were the centerpiece of Beltane celebrations, with people dancing around them and feasting long into the night.”

These celebrations were performed by mostly Euro-centric cultures in the Northern hemisphere, as people living below the Equator in the Southern Hemisphere were getting ready for their winter months. Rituals included dancing around a “maypole,” lighting bonfires and passing cattle through fire.

It is believed that Beltane, meaning “the fires of Bel,” were referring to the Celtic sun god, Belenus.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, many of the pagan rituals and holidays were done away with or became secular holidays that Christians would adapt for the purpose of glorifying God.

It was not until the latter half of the 1800s that May Day became an international symbol for worker’s rights after the Haymarket Riot saw several police officers and protesters killed in the conflict. May Day was then picked up by communist and socialist movements across Europe as an guise in support of workers.

Sadly, it was those very workers who suffered under the heavy-handed regimes of countries like the communist USSR and Nazi Germany.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica:

“With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the fall of communist governments in eastern Europe in the late 20th century, large-scale May Day celebrations in that region declined in importance. In dozens of countries around the world, however, May Day has been recognized as a public holiday, and it continues to be celebrated with picnics and parties while serving as the occasion for demonstrations and rallies in support of workers.”

Knowing the pagan roots of a holiday that are now coming back into social prominence is essential for Christians.

As people are drawn to the floral displays, creations of God meant for human enjoyment, there are spiritual doors being opened to the pagan gods of old that had been shut by the light of the gospel. The maypole itself is a fertility symbol that is prominently shown with women dancing around it and “worshipping” it in the hope of being fertile.

Spring is a wonderful season and time to celebrate that with which the Lord has blessed the earth. God is to be praised for the sustenance of His creation, not a false god Belenus.

The apostle John wrote in the Revelation that he heard “every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that are in them, saying: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!'” (Rev. 5:13).

Christians have been warned about the growing paganism spreading throughout America, and the world, but too few are taking up prayer and fasting against it.

For Christ to remain at the head of a culture, His followers must act against the spiritual forces looking to deceive and eventually destroy those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Let this May Day be a call to action. To pray and fast for the world, and that those who have yet to accept the saving truth and knowledge of Jesus do so, foiling the plans of the enemy while growing the kingdom of God. {eoa}

To learn more about how paganism is infiltrating America today, get your copy of Jonathan Cahn’s New York Times best-selling book, “The Return of the Gods.”

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

It is doubtful that anyone, no matter what their theological or political beliefs, would argue with the statement that our world today is filled with hatred. One only needs to look at any of our media platforms to see that people are spreading hatred and division of every kind. It also seems as if the finger of the accusation of hatred is being pointed at an alarming rate at those who believe in the Bible.

Bible believers are often accused of being intolerant, a word which has been redefined to be synonymous with hate. These allegations of hatred are often followed up by those condemning Bible believers with a biblical quotation, such as these words of Yeshua (Jesus) found in Mark 12:28-31:

“One of the Torah scholars came and heard them debating. Seeing that Yeshua had answered them well, he asked Him, ‘Which commandment is first of all?’ Yeshua answered, ‘The first is, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.'”

Or John 13:34-35:

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Those who accuse Bible believers often quote Yeshua’s words with an air of authority and the mannerisms of a prosecutor who has just pointed out evidence that would surely convict the accused. However, the problem with using a biblical quote to accuse a person of hating their neighbor is that the accuser first must understand how the Bible defines hatred. Thankfully, the Bible provides a clear statement of the definition of what hatred of a neighbor is, in Leviticus. (a book that Yeshua was familiar with and a book Yeshua directly said He didn’t come to abolish in Matt. 5:17).

Leviticus 19:17 (TLV): “You are not to hate your brother in your heart. Instead, you are to firmly rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.”

Notice that the Bible tells us that if we do not firmly rebuke our neighbor, we are hating them in our hearts. It has been said before that the most loving thing possible for a human to do is to share the Good News of Yeshua with someone. By extension, the most hateful thing possible for a human to do is to not share the Good News of Yeshua with someone.

When we understand what the Bible actually defines as an act of hatred, we also understand that when a Bible believer confronts someone who is in sin, in a loving manner, the believer is not being hateful at all. Rather, that Bible believer is actually demonstrating biblical love.

It is with this type of biblical love that Yeshua confronted not only sinners like the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:16-19), but also some of the Pharisees and scribes (Matt. 23:15-36). These are only two of the many examples of Yeshua fulfilling the words of Leviticus 19 by truly demonstrating love to His neighbors.

Unfortunately, because of false Bible teachers who are teaching the lies of the adversary, a growing number of people who claim to believe in the Bible have actually been deceived into hating their neighbors. Today, many keep silent in the midst of sin because they have been duped into believing that confronting sinful actions of those around them is unloving or hateful.

The truth is that the most biblically loving way in which we can respond to sin is by firmly rebuking our neighbor. For us to do anything less is to hate our neighbors in our hearts, which is the complete opposite of loving G-D and loving our neighbor.

But, Leviticus 19:17 doesn’t stop with the words about firmly rebuking our neighbor. The verse continues with the words “and not bear sin because of him.” These words of warning tell us that when we do not demonstrate love by rebuking our neighbor, we will bear sin because of them. These words “bear sin” teach us that if we do not firmly rebuke our neighbor concerning their sin, we become participants in that sin.

It is because Yeshua understood the truth about love and hatred shown in Leviticus 19:17 that He taught His disciples what we read in Matthew 18:15-17:

“Now if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault while you’re with him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.’ But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to Messiah’s community. And if he refuses to listen even to Messiah’s community, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.”

Eric Tokajer is the author of “Overcoming Fearlessness,” “What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?,” “With Me in Paradise,” “Transient Singularity,” “OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry,” “#ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer,” “Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians” and “Galatians in Context.”

Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories on :

Stephen Strang: Tucker Carlson’s Prophetic Voice Will Be Heard Again 

The firing of Tucker Carlson from Fox News earlier this week will have major implications for the news media industry, Charisma Founder and CEO Stephen Strang says.

It may have come as a surprise to some people, but conservative leaders like Strang say it was probably inevitable considering the direction that Fox Corporation owner Rupert Murdoch has been heading the past few years—more and more to the left.

Some media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, say that Carlson was let go because of his commentaries on the Dominion voting system and the controversial election of 2020. That might have had something to do with it, but Strang says Carlson continued to speak truth on the air, even when pressured from the network to back off.

Is God Raising You Up to Be a King Solomon?   

We are in a worldwide financial wilderness. It is going to get more bleak before it gets better for many countries, banks, industries and communities.

In David’s day, countries were at war in every neighboring part of Israel, but in Solomon’s day, a time of peace and prosperity came to Israel that affected nations. David had the ark of the covenant and the tent of meeting, but Solomon was anointed to use these to build the kingdom of God on the Earth in a way that no one else had ever done. It was also a messianic prototype and many Jewish people still believe their Messiah is going to come like Solomon and transform the cultures of the world as a king.

There is an anointing in the same way God worked through Solomon that is available through our Christian faith today.

Biblical Secrets to Having a Perfect Heart   

Your heart is the most important part of you. It’s not only a physical organ that keeps your blood pumping, but when the Bible refers to the heart, it’s talking about who you really are. Each person has an inner and an outer life. There’s the person we show to everybody around us and the part of us that only God can see, the part He really cares about.

The Bible tells us to have a perfect heart. Matthew 5:48 (NIV) says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” If you’re a perfectionist, this is a scary verse, because it’s a struggle to always try to be perfect. But this is not what it means to be perfect, according to Scripture.

The Amplified Bible translation of Matthew 5:48b says, “Be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.” A person with a perfect heart is someone who loves God and always wants to grow.