As Christians, we’re engaged in a war being waged all day, every day in different ways. Ephesians 3:19 says our…

You don’t have to arrange your life around what’s unreliableThere are some people in this world who are extremely reliable.…

Is your attitude causing you to journey in the wilderness longer than you should?If you are facing a struggle in…

Following the Holy Spirit’s leading can break the tyranny of people-pleasing

Do you make your own decisions? Or are you a people pleaser, allowing others to make decisions for you?

When I started in ministry, I had to decide if I was going to follow my heart or give in to the resistance and discouragement coming at me from other people who didn’t think I should do that. By God’s grace, I decided to step out in faith and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. But it wasn’t easy. A lot of my family turned against me, I lost most of my friends, I was asked to leave my church … it was a terrible time!

It was also a confusing time. I was just trying to do what I believed God was telling me to do and be what He was calling me to be—that was my sole motive.

It was a tough beginning, and there have been other challenges along the way, but I’ve never regretted being obedient to God. See, it would have been harder to miss God’s will and live an unfulfilled life than to face the struggles and live with the peace and joy I have now.

Think serving God is complicated? Here’s how easy it really is—and why that simplicity matters.Someone I know who’s gone to…

Why you should stop trying to change yourself … and instead accept the gift of conviction

I used to be a very frustrated Christian, trying to be “good,” trying to have some sense of worthiness and righteousness in my relationship with Christ.

But then I found out the good news: I was put in right standing with God by His grace, because He loves me. I am made the righteousness of God through Christ and not by anything I do myself. However, for me to become all that God created me to be in Christ and really experience His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, obedience to His will is important. But we can’t be obedient in our own strength. Let me explain …

Religious hypocrisy is toxic to your spiritual health. If you have it, take God’s cure.Every year when I go in…

Someone once said, “When
you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Change is a part of life.
It’s also uncomfortable and can be scary. Here are a few facts about
change:

It’s a process. And it’s often a lengthy one that requires long-term commitment.

It’s frightening. Even
though we usually want change, we also like to be in control. But we
have to be willing to let go of something to move toward something
new—without knowing exactly what the new thing will be like.

It takes action. It comes when we confront our fears.

How would you like to live every day like you were on  vacation, as if it were a day away from work? You can, if you’ll learn how to really enter God’s rest.

My life used to be one big struggle. I was unhappy about almost everything and difficult to get along with because of the abuse I endured during my childhood.

In the early years of my marriage, I wanted Dave to be miserable because I was miserable. And it just about drove me crazy when he stayed happy while I was unhappy. He refused to join my pity parties and accept my negative perspective of life, and it made me mad.

Have you ever spent weeks—even years—praying about one specific thing and still found yourself wondering, When is God going to answer this prayer? If so, I know exactly how you feel.

When I pray, I really want my prayers to be answered. I know faith, patience and timing all are in the mix, but sooner or later I need to hear from God.

The fact is, He gives us some pretty outrageous promises in His Word about prayer. If you’re not seeing the fruit of those promises and if you’re still in the waiting period, I encourage you to simply ask why.

At several times in my life I’ve had to get honest with myself and say: “OK, God, I see what the Word says. Why isn’t it working for me?” 

Each time, God has led me to ask myself three very direct questions. I believe they can also help you to find the answers you’ve been seeking.

Psst … need a clue? Check your heart.

Are you a content, satisfied, joyful Christian? If you are, can you say that you are consistently content, satisfied and joyful? I know few Christians who are consistently content. I used to be one of the discontent.

I grew up in an abusive situation and experienced a lot of disappointment, discouragement and discontentment because of it. For many years I believed good things wouldn’t happen to me and that it was better to expect nothing so I wouldn’t be disappointed. Well, it didn’t work, and I was still miserable anyway. See, I was expecting nothing, and nothing is what I got.

It was a breakthrough for me when I realized that God truly loves me unconditionally and has good plans for my life. He wants to bless me and be good to me. But He also wants me to trust Him and put my expectation in Him so He can do great things in my life.

How to avoid the traps of religion and enjoy a real relationship with God

As a teacher of God’s Word, I have a great responsibility to equip people with the knowledge of how to live a holy life and not be legalistic. It’s part of addressing the age-old issue in the church of liberty versus legalism—by helping believers understand how to be free in Christ instead of “holier than thou.” But in our quest for freedom, we can’t forget that God is a holy God, and He does want us to live holy lives.

A good place to start is by simply understanding the difference between what real holiness actually means and what legalism looks like.

“Holy” means being separate and set apart for God’s use. It’s about belonging to God, not the world, and pleasing God, not man. The focus is on God’s love and grace—God’s power, given to us free of charge, to enable us to do with ease what we could never do with any amount of struggle or effort. It’s having a heart that desires to do what’s right because you love God, not because you want to try to earn something from God or impress anybody.