Blog
Your trust will be tested in the coming days. Some of those you thought would remain faithful will not. You don't need to pray for protection from your betrayers. Pray for your heart's attitude when you experience the pain of betrayal. This time of testing will...
When we slowly eliminate the truth of God's word from our lives and accept human opinion as truth, we will experience a form of self-induced torture that resembles something called lingchi. Lingchi is a form of Chinese torture, meaning "death by a thousand cuts." The...
Every nation has its problems. Scripture is filled with examples of Israel’s failures, just as it is with the United States. These failures are the result of those we have chosen to lead our respective nations. The difference is that the United States is not mentioned...
The book of Jonah captures vivid images of a man running from God and being swallowed by a large fish. But there is another image not always noticed. The message Jonah was told to deliver was one of judgment. The Lord instructed Jonah, “Get up and go to the...
We are living in a wide untested place of human opinion about God and His Kingdom. Some of those opinions have not been measured according to the measurement of God. In some instances, lesser and misaligned concepts of what is true and straight are being used creating...
When weakness and incompetence rule and the prospect of strength and competence is on the near horizon, hell will enter that place to seize a deeper grip on control while it still has time to exercise its will. This is not only true for a nation. It's true in our...
On a walk through our town, I kept seeing bare branches of the trees holding water droplets. I felt impressed to take a photo to capture the image. When I got home, I looked at the photo. All the drops were out of focus, but the flag of the United States was a clear...
In all seasons of life, but especially at this time, we need to hear the voice of the Lord. All other voices will fail to provide the intimate instructions we need to navigate into an uncertain future. The Lord spoke these words through the prophet Amos, “Can two...
A few days ago, at about 6:00 am, I was driving to an out-of-town grocery store to do some shopping. As I drove through town, I noticed a truck parked in the parking lot of a local business with its bright beams on. I thought it was odd but went on to the market....
While one studies through the Old Testament, in the middle of all the texts that can offend our sensitivities in an isolated 21st-century representation of our faith, the more we will see the love of God. Some cannot move through the difficult sections of Scripture...
In this confused world, when we don’t know what to do in a confusing situation, it is always the wisest choice to do what is right in God’s eyes and then allow His truth to work out the details. Hosea told Israel in their time of confusion that led them to disobey...
Today, Jan and I will end a multi-day fast. It is a fast like the one I entered after the Lord first came to me in a Damascus Road experience in the middle of the night 45 years ago. In that encounter, He called me to serve Him. That original fast set the course of my...
Our disobedience to God and His word can take us into dark places. None of those dark places are so dark and hopeless that they can overcome God’s great love for us. His love will always prevail. The Lord asked the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. The...
As we enter an election year in America a lot of issues are on the table. The most important issues are not the ones we are being told are important. Something yet undefined lurks behind the issues that are causing our unease. People are fearful and nervous about the...
When we become hopeless before God because of our disobedience, the Lord will make a way for the restoration of our relationship with Him by demonstrating the depths of His love. There is never a time when recapturing our hope is not possible for those who are distant...