How can we be more effective in spiritual warfare? Proverbs 21:32 says: 'One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.' So, wisdom is a key to pulling down strongholds - even big 'uns ones that influence cities. Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment in 2 Chronicles 1:10, and mentioned them together several [...]
I sometimes pray for people who are stuck in their faith. They can't move on, no matter what they do. Prayer, praise and counselling don't help. Why? Ecclesiastes 9:12 says: '... people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.' This verse refers to physical death. But 'evil times' can kill also our faith when they happen suddenly. The Hebrew text describes 'evil times' as calamities that [...]
Jesus faced his toughest test in Gethsemane. So how did he cope? We can see his crisis management plan in Mark 14: 32-42. Get your closest friends alongside you Jesus only asked Peter, James and John to support him in Gethsemane. The other eight disciples had a passive role. ‘Sit here,’ Jesus told them. Sometimes, it helps, just having people sitting with you. Get alone with [...]
I've seen God instantly heal addicts many times over the years. But sometimes he doesn't. And during these dark times, people need reassuring that he has not forgotten them. That he loves them just the same. And that he never abandons them, even if others do. These scriptures are also vital on the path to freedom. Titus 2:12 says: 'The grace of God teaches us to say [...]
I think God laughs at our efforts to live longer. So many Christians use faddy diets, relentless fitness regimes and expensive supplements. It often comes from worry. But Jesus said in Luke 12:25: 'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?' People say: 'Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit' (1 Cor 6:19). But Paul was referring to sexual immorality, [...]
People who go on expensive self improvement courses usually come back full of Self. They want to 'take control', which usually means treading on other people to get their own way. They also feel entitled to more 'me time', to add to their selfish lives. Christians need to beware 'self improvement'. If it worked, we wouldn't need Jesus to save us, or the Holy Spirit to [...]
God didn't create us to grieve, because he didn't create us to die. We're not wired to cope. So, grief can be unbearable. Meanwhile, well-meaning friends and family urge us to 'find closure'. Find closure? What a foolish term. It's based on worldly wisdom. God doesn't use it. Instead, he invites us to join him on a healing journey. He knows what it's like, as he [...]
Some people go through their Christian lives trying to find their ministries. I knew a bloke who was a gifted evangelist. But he didn't reach his potential because he was convinced he was a leader - even though no-one followed him. Finding your ministry is simple. God placed Adam in a garden, and then said: 'Work the garden, and look after it.' Adam didn't have to [...]
Churches should carry a health warning: Getting hurt is guaranteed. Disagreements and misunderstandings are inevitable. Every member is a work in progress. But remember, the person who rubs you up the wrong way is God's sandpaper, working on your character on his behalf. Having said that, we must protect our hearts. It's easily to trust people you hardly know and then get wounded when they let [...]
God’s training programme usually involves the Silent Years. He removes us from the crowd, strips us of our props and pretences, and puts us in a crucible of rigorous reality. Just us and him. Scary? It can be. The stonemasons who built the temple in 1 Kings 6:7 worked on the stones away from the building site. God does the same with us. He take us [...]
