How many times a day do we use the words “me,” “myself,” or “I”? I tried keeping track once and finally gave up because I lost count. Have we considered just how powerful that “I” is? Our mind’s eye, personalities, and core existence. Let’s look at exactly what we’re up against when we pit our human mind against the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ and the apostles were on a boat after He delivered the Sermon on the Mount. As they crossed the Sea of Galilee, a great windstorm blew in. The … [Read more...] about The Holy Spirit Versus “I”
Seeing Self
Are You Listening?
How many times have we thought in our minds, “Why doesn’t God just tell me what to do?” If He’s not verbally communicating with us, how do we hear His voice? Sometimes God literally directs our physical path. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6). When we ask for an answer from God it must be according to His principles. For God’s Spirit to work in us, we have to have the right attitude and live according to God’s way. Looking and listening for … [Read more...] about Are You Listening?
Following the Crowd
A common practice amongst government departments is that of lobbying. Lobbyists put pressure on individuals in government to persuade them to do something. We are also familiar with terms like group pressure, peer pressure and social pressure. The idea is to influence someone to conform to those who are doing the pressuring. This can, of course, be positive or negative. Scripture warns us to be wary of group think. “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil” (Exodus 23:2). It is rare in … [Read more...] about Following the Crowd
Character: Our #1 Goal
God created mankind in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). The Bible makes it clear that the basis of God's character is love, so developing Godly love is to be our primary focus in life as followers of Christ. The entire universe has been finely tuned to facilitate a life that can choose to develop this character trait. There are 4 main forces at play in the universe. Two of them are gravity and electromagnetism. It is obvious that a lot of thought and effort has gone into balancing … [Read more...] about Character: Our #1 Goal
Honesty Begins with Self
In a recently released survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, people who claimed to have no religious affiliation were asked what it means to be a moral person. For this group, the top answer was honesty – to be honest at all times. Given the group involved, this is an interesting response. What do non-religious people mean by honesty? The bible informs us that when people are separated from God by iniquity the mind lacks this moral quality. “No one calls for justice. Nor does any plead … [Read more...] about Honesty Begins with Self
Character Is All That’s Left
It’s worth taking some time to look at what we know about the creation and what the Bible tells us about where it’s going. What really is real and what is not. What is lasting and what is temporary. In the beginning God created a physical infrastructure in order to create a family in His image and likeness. That creation is 13.8 billion years old, and two of the four main forces at work are gravity and electromagnetism. Gravity is very weak and needs a lot of mass, rocks, molten iron, etc., … [Read more...] about Character Is All That’s Left
Thankfulness: Antidote for Dissatisfaction
There is one subject where practically everyone in the world is in agreement. That is the idea that “everybody else has it better than I do!” Who doesn’t know someone for whom things are not going “better” than for me? Even though, in the western world, we live in one of the most prosperous societies that has ever existed on the face of the earth, many people still have a problem with greed – not only greed but also with being envious of what other people have. There is a huge problem in … [Read more...] about Thankfulness: Antidote for Dissatisfaction