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Setting Goals
My mother always stressed the importance of setting goals, aiming high for desired results, and then striving to achieve them. As I was praying and asking God to help me set goals to think on those things that are pure and righteous; speak what edifies; do those...
Roots that Run Deep
On February 13, 2019, the sound of chain saws and wood chippers awakened me out of a much-needed sleep. The snowstorm of December 9, 2018, had deposited as much as nine inches of heavy, wet snow on parts of East Tennessee and various parts of the Carolinas....
Powerful and Effective Prayers
When studying (James 5:13-17), the last line stood out like a flashing, neon sign: "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." The Holy Spirit then directed me to focus on one word—righteous. We all want our prayers to be powerful and effective. What...
A Faith that Takes Risks
By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith, he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob,...
HIDDEN IDOLS
God loves us so much that He will show us those things that take first place in our hearts, if we are open to His revelations. Several years ago, He led me on a journey of self-discovery—one that revealed a startling truth about hidden idols that control and...
The Deceitfulness of Sin
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 One of the most difficult parts of my job as a pastor is to watch people walk down paths of sin when you would think they knew...
A Life Redeemed
Have you ever seen or known a person whom you believed was completely irredeemable. Their sins appeared to be too great and their heart too hard for them to change their ways? Saul, before he became the Apostle Paul, was such a person. Saul was born to a Jewish...
Detecting Self-Righteousness
Most of us could tell stories of meeting someone who is self-righteous. Who could calculate the damage caused to the reputation of Christ and His Church due to the arrogance of self-righteous people who claim to be Christians? But before we point our fingers as those...
Yes & Amen
Romans 4 causes my faith to soar as Paul uses beautiful and vivid language to describe the faith of Abraham. For me, the best part of Paul’s description of Abraham’s amazing faith is that the Bible invites us to experience the same kind of faith in our own lives. As...
Circumcision of the Heart
How many of us made a New Year's Resolution for 2019? Maybe it was to lose weight, start an exercise program, eat healthy foods, be a better spouse, a better parent, etc. Aside from those noble resolutions, how many of us resolved to seek God more this year and allow...
Afraid to Hope
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 You would be surprised how many people are afraid to hope in God. For many, trust has been broken. You may have been someone who prayed, yet God did not respond, at least in...
Royal Robes Don’t Make A King
Humans have the propensity to judge by outward appearances. We clearly see that in Israel's rejection of the LORD and their demand for an earthly king. God then directed the prophet Samuel to go to the family of Jesse and select God's choice for a king. Samuel saw the...