Fire in My Bones
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5 Red Flags That Warn Us of False Teachers
Last week I wrote about how grieved I was that so many Christians naively swallowed the teachings of Nigerian prophet T.B. Joshua—in spite of repeated warnings from Nigerian pastors who knew of his occult origins. Sadly, even after evidence surfaced proving that Joshua practiced juju rituals and sexually abused women, some of his followers still …
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Why Were So Many Christians Deceived by TB Joshua?
Twenty years ago, as I was preparing for my first ministry trip to Nigeria, a friend asked me if I had plans to visit a famous Nigerian minister named T.B. Joshua. I had never heard of the guy, so I did a bit of research before I flew to Lagos. I learned that thousands of …
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Are You Worried Sick? Jesus Has the Answer for Anxiety
Americans are stressed out. The problem was bad enough before the pandemic, but statistics skyrocketed during and after that crisis. Today, more than 42 million people in this country suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America, and we spend more than $18 billion annually on medications for anxiety and depression. Why are …
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One Leader’s Failure Isn’t an Excuse to Leave the Faith
I started seriously following Jesus in the 1970s. From those early days until now, I’ve watched many leaders fail. During the days of the Jesus Movement, we learned that Lonnie Frisbee—the hippie evangelist portrayed in the movie “Jesus Revolution”—got divorced because of sexual immorality and had to break ties with Calvary Chapel pastor Chuck Smith. …
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How to ‘Number Your Days’ as You Enter a New Year
At the end of every year, I set aside time to reflect and evaluate. I look at photos from the past year, savor the good memories, grieve for the sad moments and celebrate the victories. I also carefully consider any mistakes I made and how I can grow spiritually in the coming year. I see …
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7 Awesome Christmas Miracles We Should Celebrate
Dec. 25 is just a blip on the screen for some people. But for me it takes at least a month to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is why Christmas is referred to as a “season.” The miracle of the incarnation is simply too wondrous to be limited to one day. When we study …
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12 Ways to Overcome the Spiritual Blahs
A holy fire was ignited in your heart when you first met Jesus. You discovered true joy, peace and love. God sparked a spiritual hunger in you, which awakened a desire to pursue Him. You probably sensed an insatiable appetite for the Bible, you wanted to pray and you looked for every chance to fellowship …
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How Can You Cope When Trials Overwhelm You?
Have you ever reached a point where life was too hard? Have you ever prayed, “Lord, I want to be more like You,” and then all hell broke loose? I have a friend in another state who is feeling overwhelmed like this right now. Life is just too difficult for him. First there was a …
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Why Do Some People Think the Israelis Are the Bad Guys?
Earlier this week a high school teacher in Queens, New York, was forced to hide in her office because rampaging students threatened to attack her. What made the students so angry? The woman, who has been a teacher for 23 years, had posted a picture of herself on social media. She was holding a sign …
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God Adjusted My Ungratefulness in a Garbage Dump in India
Last month I accompanied my friend Prasanna to a huge garbage dump on the edge of the city where he lives in Andhra Pradesh in southeast India. For the past few years Prasanna, his older brother, Raja, and their ministry team have been taking food, medicines, clothes and other aid to a growing group of …
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The Spiritual Force Choking the Life Out of the Church
Earlier this week I spoke at a leadership conference for a group of pastors in El Salvador. These pastors face a lot of spiritual challenges in their culture: Drug addiction among youth, alcoholism, idolatry and rampant witchcraft. But I had to tell these pastors that the biggest challenge to their churches is not something outside—it …
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Carlton Pearson’s Tragic Journey to Deception
Carlton Pearson, the Pentecostal bishop who was labeled a heretic by his peers because he rejected the authority of the Bible, is now “at death’s door” according to a video he posted last week from his hospital bed. The 70-year-old preacher, who has battled prostate cancer off and on for years, was put under hospice …
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Matthew Perry Made Us Laugh, But He Was a Tortured Soul
Matthew Perry died way too young. The beloved actor who played Chandler Bing on the hit sit-com “Friends” for 10 seasons—from 1994 to 2004—was found dead in a hot tub in his Los Angeles home last weekend. So far investigators haven’t determined the cause of his death. He was 54. Perry was a really funny …
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In India, Book of Acts-Style Miracles Still Happen
It has become common for Reformed and fundamentalist Christians to deny the miracle-working power of God. Known as cessationists, these people insist that the gifts of the Holy Spirit immediately stopped after the Bible was canonized. They believe God pulled the plug on New Testament miracles. Cessationists proclaim that Christians only need the Bible, not supernatural …
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When You Pray for Israel, Don’t Forget Palestinian Christians
Oct. 7, 2023, will be etched forever in Israel’s collective memory. On that day, near the end of the Jewish festival known as Sukkot, Hamas terrorists crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip to inflict unimaginable horror on Jews—and on other innocent people from 43 countries. The Hamas militants arrived by boat to attack …
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