The Bible

In the Light of His Word

Last week I was reading a story that contained a father figure that used the Bible as a weapon. The husband/father would shout Bible verses as he beat his wife and children. A few days later I watched the movie, Jane Eyre, and her school master was the exact same way. I am also currently reading the biography of a woman who was one of Brigham Young’s wives (Mormon leader). He, too– a wicked, wicked man–used the Bible to his own advantage, leaving a path of destruction and violence behind him.

All of these men used select Bible verses without context to scar people forever. Never mentioned by any of these men was the Gospel or any of the verses that talk about the love and joy found in the scriptures. Many men (and women, too), found in positions of leadership, have used and abused scripture for their own intentions and purposes throughout history. They are still doing this today.

I’ve been reflecting on this for awhile now. No wonder there are so many people unenamored with and disinterested in the whole of scripture. The religion that went by the name of Christianity for so many precious children was a religion of rules and laws devoid of love.

This is probably why so many adults, growing up in this kind of church or home, are prone to follow the false religion that goes by the same name that only focuses on the love of God. It is a swing in the opposite direction to the extreme. Some of them leave Christianity altogether, searching for peace in a different religion or even in denying God’s existence.

All false teaching that claims to be a branch of Christianity (Mormonism, Roman Catholicism, etc.) always stems from this ripping of verses out of context. Legalism (must do certain things in order to be saved) is no different.

Legalism is an EVIL false doctrine and its victims are countless.

But let’s remember this important fact: True salvation and wanting to follow Christ because we love Him leads to a desire to turn from the world and remove sin. It just does. It is part of the wonderful transformation in our lives. This is not legalism. This is being saved and becoming a “new creature”, just as we are promised (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Someone who professes to be a Christian and yet loves their sin and the world will always cry “legalism” if a fellow believer even hints at their desire to live a more pure and holy life. Because of this dynamic, I rather doubt that most Christians even understand what legalism really is.

How important that we realize that true legalism is ugly and God hates it. It puts the burden of being saved and staying saved on us. And what a heavy burden that is! I am so thankful for Ephesians 2:8-9 (some of my favorite verses in the whole Bible)–

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Works will not save us and they will not keep us saved. In fact, there is not even one thing we can do to save ourselves. Thank God we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and kept by Him for all eternity. Oh, how I love these verses I came across as I studied Revelation 1 a few weeks ago. Just read these incredible verses–

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

He loves us and He freed us from our sins by His blood. He has no intention of ever letting us go! (John 10:28-29)


I was talking with someone the other day about how the culture is so obsessed with the “new”. They always want something better and bigger and different. But the message of the Bible is timeless and never changes: We are dead in our sins BUT GOD (Ephesians 2:1-7), who sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. Satan has been trying to distort and twist this message forever, leading people into false religions, including the false religion of legalism. He will continue to do this as long as he is given free reign by God to do so.

Many of you have been reading this blog for a long time now. You have heard me just keep going back to the same truths of scripture over and over and over again. I am never going to give you some new doctrine or some new idea that propels me into greatness in the eyes of the world. I simply want to be faithful to the scriptures. It seems mundane and many readers grow bored with this. I get it. There is nothing exciting or innovative here.

But I hope what you will find here is a continual pointing to Jesus Christ and His Word. I hope you are encouraged to consider the whole Bible rather than just favorite parts. I hope that you are encouraged to find that balance that we find in scripture between the wrath of God and the love of God. Extremes are spiritually deadly because they are false religions.

I have not met many of you but my love for you compels me to keep writing and to keep encouraging you in the faith. I don’t do this because I am some echelon of spirituality. Quite the contrary. Often when I write I am struggling with some sin or worldly desire. I may be in my own depth of despair or be in the midst of an especially tough battle with my selfish, self-centered heart. Like you (if you are a redeemed child of God), the more I grow in Christ, the more I realize how far I have to go.

And so we continue on this path together, appreciating the heights of joy and happiness when they are given, but recognizing that most of life is made of ordinary days, some easy and some hard, where we are given the opportunity to simply trust and obey the Lord who saved us. Walking in the light of His Word, we trust and we obey. It’s not exciting or different or new. But it is what we are called to do.


When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Even the Smallest Choice

I was vacuuming before my guests would arrive for dinner when I saw the discarded band-aid lying on the floor. I hesitated for a brief moment before making the choice to sweep up that band-aid. That hesitation should have been the key to warn me. Just lean down to pick it up. But I was lazy and sweeping it up was just easier.

As soon as I did it, I knew I was in trouble. The vacuum started making a different noise. Somehow that band-aid had gotten caught in the tube somewhere. I stopped the vacuum, went and got a little tool, and tried to clear out the tubes to no avail at all. In fact, when I went to turn the vacuum back on it started to smell really hot. At that point, I handed it off to my “master-fixer” (my husband).

I thought about what an analogy this is for life when it comes to choices. I think so often we make choices that we know go against our better judgement but it’s just easier in the moment. But, in the long run, the choice leads to frustration and, sometimes, even heartache. The easier choice in the moment is rarely the better choice.

Even the smallest unwise choice can yield annoying and time-consuming consequences that affect both ourselves and perhaps those around us (as in the case of my choice affecting my husband and wasting his time.)

This is true about so many of our little choices, but as we approach the end of another year, I thought it might be good to turn our thoughts towards one specific choice that we Christians make every day: The choice to read and study our Bibles or to not read and study our Bibles.

What is the price we pay for making other things a priority, while ignoring the Bible? There are many but some of them are possibly: We grow comfortable in our habitual sins; our love for the world goes unchallenged; we are fearful and anxious as we face life’s circumstances; pride wells up in us; we lack discernment and accept anything that comes along and claims to be “Christian”. And–most importantly and almost epidemic in its proportions now–we just don’t really know our God which makes us so vulnerable to following a made-up (false) religion based on what we want God to be rather than Who He really is.

Studying our Bibles doesn’t mean that these things are automatically eliminated from our lives, for we will battle many of these things for much of our lives. No, rather, it is that the Bible consistently challenges us when we are tempted to fall into sin or into worldliness or into a status quo Christianity that isn’t pleasing to the Lord. The Bible sheds a brilliant light on false teaching and provides guidance for the small and large decisions we need to make as believers. And it provides comfort and peace through its many promises.

As you review your year, what does it look like in regards to Bible Study? Of course, we all have our challenges and trials that can make this harder at certain times of our lives (I’ll be the first to admit that operating as full-time caretaker for those first few weeks after my husband’s surgery exhausted me both physically and mentally.) But, taking these times into account, how did we do with the rest of the minutes, hours, and weeks we were given? Do we know God better than we did last year at this time? Do we know His Word more?

I know I’ve shared this so often but this has truly become why I write. I want to encourage my readers to study the Word of God for themselves. For most of my life I chose to read books and listen to people talk about the Bible. But a little over ten years ago, I started studying the Bible for myself. It was so life-changing that it has become my passion to encourage you, my reader, to start doing this for yourself.

Through simple Bible Study, in context and with a proper hermeneutic (method of interpretation) undisturbed by intellectual influence, we can get to know who God is and His plan for mankind. We see who we really are and what God has done for us personally. We begin to understand what we are called to as believers here in this life and become familiar with the many promises that God gives to His own dear children. Of course, we will come to passages that are puzzling. Not everything will make sense to our finite brains. God is God and there are things we can’t understand. But it is amazing how much we can understand, if we but give some of our time to this precious Book.

And, so as we approach the beginning of another year, I just want to encourage you to find some method of studying the Bible that you can stick with. Some approaches are overwhelming and so daunting that within a few weeks you just give up (I’ve started those!) I provide a plan for Bible study that might be helpful (find out more here) and I’d love to have you join me in reading the Bible this upcoming year. But there are many more options for Bible Study, as well.

The key is this: We take the time to consistently read and study our actual Bibles.

And, through our study, we will begin to know our God. Through His Word, He kindly reminds us of His many promises, gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) chastises and corrects us, and graciously provides all we need to live our lives for His glory.

There is no more important choice to make in the upcoming year as a Christian than this: Will we read and study our Bible?

If Jesus Really Came to Earth as a Tiny Baby, Then…

Christmas is “just around the corner”. For many, the holiday is purely secular, made up of family, gift-giving, and Santa Claus. But many people across the world still honor the birth of Christ, amidst their secular traditions.

A few weeks ago, my daughter mentioned that if you believe that Jesus came as a baby to this earth, then you must believe the rest of the Bible. You can’t have it both ways.

I would expand on this thought just a bit. If we believe that Jesus was miraculously conceived, that He was born in a stable in Bethlehem, that the angels sang to Shepherds in the fields at His birth, and that a special star guided wise men to His home, then we must also believe that–

-all people are born sinners; that there is nothing good in us and we are helpless and hopeless without God (Romans 3:10-11).
-Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins and to reconcile us with God (John 3:16; Romans 6:23, Titus 2:14; I John 1:7).
-we have no part in our salvation; there are no good works that contribute anything to our salvation and, in fact, salvation is a free gift from our loving Heavenly Father (Ephesians 2:8-9).
-Jesus rose victoriously and is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father (I Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 3:1).
-That Jesus will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15).

The Bible also teaches that a person who genuinely believes what the Bible tells us about Who Jesus is, all of it–from His lowly birth to His everlasting reign, is transformed from the inside out. They turn from self, sin, and the world (albeit not without a raging battle) as they seek to be more like Christ (Luke 9:23, Galatians 5:24-25; Colossians 3:9-10; 2 Peter 1:4).

It also tells us that God cares about the smallest details in the lives of His own dear children (Matthew 6:25-30; Romans 8:28-29).

You see, if we are going to be consistent, we can’t just believe in the story of Baby Jesus. If the story of Baby Jesus is true, then the whole Bible is true. And, yet, so many people love to rip this favorite story from the pages of the greatest Book ever written and grandly celebrate it, while just giving a passing nod–even completely ignoring– the rest.

For the believer, Christmas is about Jesus. Yes, I know all of the pagan history of many of the traditions. But for thousands of years, Christians have transformed a time that has been historically pagan and used it, instead, to celebrate the birth of the Savior. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But in doing this, we also need to remember that this beautiful story is not an isolated event but is just one part of God’s whole amazing plan, put in place so that we could be reconciled with God and spend eternity in heaven. Yes, Jesus came to earth as a baby but oh, there is so much more than that one Holy Night! May we search the scriptures so that we have context for what really happened that night, rather than just celebrate this baby’s birth because, well, it’s just what we have always done.

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season, as you contemplate the birth of Jesus and what it means for you personally and for the whole world. May we all remember to thank God this year for the greatest Gift ever given!


The 2024 Bible Reading Challenge Is Up!

Ten or more years ago now, God opened my blind eyes to the importance of reading His Word. I spent most of my life listening to what other people had to say about His Word, in sermons on Sunday, through devotionals, books, and through radio programs (which was what was available then; these days, people get their theology from podcasts and Instagram reels).

But then some painful circumstances entered my life and, through these, God showed me the importance for a believer to actually be reading and studying the Bible for themselves. And, while I still look at that particular time in my life and consider it difficult and painful, I praise God for the fruit that grew from it, for He used that time mightily in my life.

Through these past years of Bible study, my awe for it has grown and grown. God’s Word is so consistent, so cohesive, so amazing. I had no idea before I began to study it for myself what an absolutely incredible Book I was just leaving on my shelf to gather dust between Sundays.

This is why I offer the Bible Reading Challenge. I hope I can encourage at least one of you to stop leaving your Bible on your shelf and begin to read and study the Word for yourself.

About five years ago, I changed up the Bible Reading Challenge to only focusing on one chapter per week. This has been revolutionary in helping me understand the Bible so much better, giving me time to dig and search and compare. Participants have shared with me that they feel the same way. And so I am going to keep to this same schedule. We have been systematically going through the New Testament books, with some Old Testament books/character studies added, as well.

I am excited to share the 2024 Bible Reading Challenge with you today. The schedule is up on the blog and the links for the workbook and the facebook group are available on that page. You can find all the details here at this page.

I hope that you will consider joining me in studying your Bible in 2024!

Our Plan of Action for the Last Days

In 2 Timothy 3 we find out what the world will look like in the last days —

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (meaning: without restraint), fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

While the world has always been evil, the convergence of last days signs that evidence themselves as we study prophetical passages like this one, has overwhelmingly confirmed that the last days are upon us now. How long they will last, we have no way of knowing, so we can’t make predictions or set dates. But this passage, along with other passages that give descriptions of what the end of this current age will look like, would certainly seem to confirm that they have begun.

This chapter goes on to share some very important information regarding these days, which includes our expectation of persecution as we try to stand against the “form of godliness that denies the power thereof” (otherwise known as fake Christianity).

But at the end of this chapter, Paul gives our plan of action as true believers as we endeavor to stand strong against the tidal wave of wickedness and apostasy–

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Someone pointed out to me a year or two ago that this verse we are all so familiar with and many of us have memorized: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (verse 16 of 2 Timothy 4) was written specifically after the rest of the chapter. The verse, in its context, gives us our plan of action for such a time as this. Paul shows us what we must cling to as we endure these perilous last days.


In the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded, through a variety of events and conversations, of the danger of loving the world (and fostering our kids’ love for the world) while relegating God’s Word to the background or even to discount it completely. The world is eating Christians alive and, yet, those who call themselves Christians continue to feed on it and follow after worldly passions and dreams. Why is this?

I believe it is because God’s Word is not valued nor are those who call themselves Christians willing to follow the difficult parts that are within its pages.

In many churches and families, the Bible has become an afterthought, at best, and outdated and unnecessary, at worst. Many preachers insert a verse here or there to support their own opinions. Many parents care more about grades and sports than they do about the eternal destiny of their precious children. Throughout all walks of life, people who call themselves Christian live their lives without any love for God’s Holy Word.

This is leaving a generation (or perhaps two or three!) floating in a sea of non-absolutes, setting their hearts on worldly pursuits and passions… and utterly devoid of truth and completely severed from the anchor God has so kindly given us.

We cannot control the choices of others. While we can point people to God’s Word as He gives us opportunity, we cannot change hearts and minds. But we can choose, ourselves, this very day, to follow God’s plan of action and to ground ourselves in His Word. It’s a serious and urgent thing, this grounding ourselves in the Holy Scriptures. We are so susceptible to Satan’s subtle tricks and so vulnerable to worldly lusts without it.

I am so thankful God gave us the Bible and how He specifically reminds us in 2 Timothy 3 that our job is to continue strong in the faith and to remember the importance of His Word as we are blasted on every side with apostasy, deception, and wickedness. And as we do this, we can rest assured that–

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

So let’s not be discouraged and anxious but let’s keep ourselves immersed in God’s Word, remembering that it has the answers we need, no matter what challenge, trial, or conundrum we face today.

It’s All True or None of It Is

I remember talking to someone once who spent quite a bit of time with rather liberal Christians. The one thing this person told me is how much these people hate Paul. It’s pretty easy to guess why this is. While Paul gives us such encouragement regarding the love of Christ and His personal care for us (Romans 8) and encourages us to love one another (I Corinthians 13, Philippians 2), he also wrote quite a bit of what would be considered controversial in this modern day church era. He wrote about the role of women (I Timothy 2); he wrote about false teachers (Romans 16); he wrote about modesty (I Timothy 2); he told us about how those who practice and live in sin won’t inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5); he wrote about the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4); he wrote about having no fellowship with someone who claims Christ and yet lives in unrepentant sin (I Corinthians 5) and he set down very specific qualifications for church leaders (Titus 1). In fact, it is Paul who was charged by God to give much of the practical outworking of true faith to all believers throughout the ages.

But many of these truths are unwelcome to those who are looking to have their ears tickled. Rather than going to the Bible to find truth and words of life, they go to the Bible out of habit or duty…or perhaps they don’t study the Bible at all. And this lack of love for and trust in God’s inerrant, infallible Word leads to so many problems. One of them being the tendency to pick and choose what we like or don’t like.

As I have started studying I Timothy this week, I came across those unpopular verses about women and their role in the church. In the midst of a culture that has been feminized and crippled by the women’s liberation movement, there has been much effort to figure out a way to render these verses null and void.

Unfortunately, there is no possible way to do this unless we turn our backs on all that Paul has written, and therefore the entire Bible. Paul was either inspired or he wasn’t. We can’t say he was inspired to write the things we like but not inspired to write the things we don’t like. It just doesn’t work that way.

H.A. Ironside gave the account of a woman who was confused about this in his I Timothy commentary–

I remember years ago at a special series of meetings a servant of God was opening up many precious truths in connection with our calling in grace, our place in the body of Christ, our inheritance in Him, and other spiritual themes. One lady who attended the meetings was so stirred that she told how these truths had meant much to her and that she had received great blessing from them. Then in the course of the series of messages the preacher came to a certain passage in 1 Corinthians 14 that had to do with women’s behavior in the church of God. As he was reading—it was an open Bible class where people were free to ask questions—this same lady who had testified to having found such blessing through the precious Word spoke up and said, “I do not believe that. I think this is all nonsense. Paul was an old bachelor who hated women, and that is why he writes the way he does. We can’t depend upon what he says.”

The preacher said, “My dear sister, you have been rejoicing in the truth that nothing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom. 8:39), haven’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, “I do rejoice in that.”

“Well,” said the preacher, “I am pained to have to inform you that Paul said that, and Paul was an old bachelor, so you can’t depend upon what he says! I understand you have been rejoicing in the truth that there is ‘one body of which Christ is the head.’“

“Yes,” she said, “I rejoice in that too.” “Well, I am sorry to have to tell you that that is something made known to us by Paul, and Paul was an old bachelor, so you can’t depend upon what he says.” He went from one Scripture to another, pointing out the truths which were given to us by Paul, until that dear lady burst into tears and said, “May God forgive me. I see now that I have been trifling with the Word of God.”

One part of the Word is as truly inspired as another part. When you come across some things in God’s Word that you may think are perhaps questionable, remember that the Holy Spirit who presented Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit who showed how the way into the Holiest has been opened, is the same Holy Spirit of God who tells our sisters how they ought to behave, and how careful they ought to be to maintain feminine modesty.*

You see, we don’t get to choose. We don’t get to love and embrace what we like and toss away what we don’t. We must accept it all. But the beauty of it is that when we do…when we understand that all of God’s Word is the inspired, inerrant revelation of God to us and we accept it as the glorious gift it is, our hearts start to change. The rebellion in our hearts towards those things we hate starts to dissipate like the mist dissipates in the heat of the sun. When we ask God to change our hearts toward His Word, He does just that.

Does this mean we “like” every truth we read in the Word of God? I don’t think it does. This isn’t about liking or about feelings. But we accept them and we bow our knee to God, acknowledging that He knows best even if we don’t agree or understand.

If we don’t come to the Bible with this attitude then we may as well not come at all. It’s either all true or none of it is. We can’t have this middle ground that so many desire where we can embrace and apply all the comforting promises and words about loving others but then toss out God’s commands regarding women and false teachers and all of that other stuff that isn’t as palatable. We don’t have that right. If the Bible is God’s Word then it is all of His Word. We don’t get to pick and choose.

I am probably writing to the choir here as I know most of my readers would agree with me on this. But I do want to encourage you to be thinking about the conversations you have with others regarding this because much of the false teaching and wrong beliefs held by your family members, friends, and co-workers stem back to this one thing: They will not accept the Bible for what it is…the inspired, inerrant Word of God in its entirety given to us by our loving, holy God.

It’s either all true or none of it is. Oh, how important that we remember this as we read and study God’s Word and have conversations with others regarding what the Bible has to say about…well…everything.

*Ironside, Harry A.. Addresses on the First and Second epistles of Timothy (pp. 41-43). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

Can I Lose My Salvation?

There are a lot of teachers, preachers, authors, and ministries out there these days assuring you that you can lose your salvation. They use a variety of verses to back up this belief. And so–they say– we can never be sure if we are saved or not saved. They tell us we have the responsibility to not lose that golden ticket to heaven. This is a discouraging and disheartening view of Christianity, isn’t it?

Of course, the only question that matters is: Is this biblical? Are these verses being interpreted correctly? Are they in context and consistent with what the rest of scripture says?

I am wading into some deeper theological waters here–waters from which I generally shy away. But I wanted to share with you two reasons why I believe, without a doubt, that we can never lose our salvation.

First, it’s not consistent with God’s character. All through the Old Testament we see God’s faithfulness to Israel, despite their rebellion. All through scripture we read of His faithfulness to all His chosen and beloved children (Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Timothy 2:13; so many others)

Is this faithfulness dependent upon our goodness? Why, this even goes against the definition of the word faithful. You can’t be fickle and faithful at the same time.

Faithful: steadfast in affection or allegiance; firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty.

Second, it is totally out of character with the nature of salvation. If we can do nothing to win our salvation, why on earth would we be able to do anything to keep our salvation? Technically, this takes us back to a works-based religion; a religion that is based on our own efforts and what we can and must do for God in order to be (and stayed) saved. May it never be!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

There is nothing we can do to be saved or to keep our salvation. It is the gift of God.

Gift: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.

It wasn’t until I read and then memorized (and meditated upon) John 10:27-30 that I came to understand this concept more fully and with more confidence–

 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

No one can snatch us from our Father’s hand. And that would include our own selves. We can’t take ourselves out of the Father’s hand. We are literally unable to be removed from His hand once we are His! This should give us such great comfort.

So how do you explain all of those people that walk away from the faith and never come back? What is going on?

I think it’s clear from this passage that they were never saved at all. They, like Judas, were excellent pretenders. John talks about these people in I John 2:19–

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

They were not of us. They were not part of God’s family but just pretending to be for their own selfish reasons. True believers persevere to the end. True believers love God’s Word. True believers may backslide or struggle but they can never be removed from God’s family. God will not turn His back on us! Scripture says He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

I am dismayed at the popular false teaching that you can lose your salvation. I have only touched on this subject. There is so much more that could be said and I am sure theological reasons to cling to the truth that when we are saved we are saved forever of which I am unaware.

If you have been uncertain about this topic, may I encourage you to study your Bible instead of listening to what people say. Get to know Who God really IS through the Word and interpret all verses through what the Word says about God and about salvation. In doing this, we come to quickly understand that the Bible verses that talk about perseverance or works cannot mean that we need these things in order to be saved. Instead, they must mean that we will do these things because we are saved.

There is an enormous and infinite difference between these two beliefs, it there not?

Oh, friends, if you are one of God’s then you are His forever. If you aren’t sure that you are, then seek Him with all your heart.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

God delights in answering our humble prayers to know Him more. So open up the Word and pray for wisdom. Ask Him to show you the truth about yourself with ears willing to hear and a heart willing to obey. He is so very faithful to His Word and He will answer your cry.

Can I Survive on Desserts?

What do you do for devotions? Do you have a book written by an author who shares a verse or two and then gives a bit of thought and application about that verse? Devotional books are quite popular and can be a big encouragement in our walk with the Lord.

But devotional books should not be considered our “time” with the Lord, for they are not really time spent in the Word. How do we know if the devotional book is solid if we aren’t reading and studying the actual Bible?

We really can’t. Let’s take a look at an example…

The most popular devotional ever, Jesus Calling, is filled with false teaching and error about Jesus. And, yet, this is what so many use as a devotional. I understand why. If we aren’t in the Word, doing the hard work of mining the treasure, then it looks pretty good. It’s filled with comforting words that we like. It is only when we actually study the life of Jesus that we can see that many things said about Jesus in that devotional are in direct opposition to who Jesus actually is.

That’s just one example. But there are many others.

Devotionals are easy to get down. They are like dessert. Full of “yummy” encouragement and sugared words, they build us up. A good devotional also convicts and challenges us. But they are, after every consideration, only dessert.

And just like we would never be able to survive–or at least survive with good health– if we only ate things filled with sugar and fat so, too, we cannot be in good spiritual health if we don’t fill ourselves with the meat of the Word.

Of course, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that a big component of this is time and laziness. Devotionals are easy. They are a quick way for us to check off “quiet time” on our long to-do list. Most of us don’t really desire to do the hard work of digging into God’s Word. And some of us probably don’t really know how and have just never bothered to learn.

The interesting and rewarding thing is this: When we commit to studying the actual Bible and go about doing it despite our feelings of apathy or inadequacy, we will be filled with more and more desire to know God and His Word. As they so often do in all aspects of life, feelings tend to follow along after the choices we make in our minds. As a good friend once told me–feelings should never be the engine of our choices but always the caboose. With our mind, we make the choice to study God’s Word faithfully and then the feelings will come, just like a caboose follows the train.

At any rate, I just wanted to take a few moments this morning and encourage you to eat your spiritual meat and veggies before getting to the dessert. While dessert certainly makes life sweeter, it will not sustain us for the long haul. May we view our devotionals as an “extra” and not the main course of our time spent with God.

The Conditions We Must Consider

Have you ever heard someone say “God works all things out for good”? Or “He will give you peace”? We love to say and hear the promises of God. They are encouraging to our souls and they fill us with comfort.

But do we ever stop to consider the conditions that are in place for those promises to be fulfilled? I don’t think we do so intentionally, but perhaps we often just tend to sideline those conditions because they do not offer comfort and they require something of us—two things that aren’t all that attractive. But, of course, we can never just quote the promises without considering the conditions for those promises. God is so kind and faithful and He makes it so clear who His promises are for very specifically.

First and foremost, we must realize that the promises in God’s Word aren’t for everyone in the world but only for His own dear children. We dare not assure an unbeliever that all things will work out for good for them, as we will see the reason later on in this post. But, beyond that, there are some conditions even for us believers. Let’s take a look at some of the favorite verses to quote and see what conditions are attached to the promises, shall we?

Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
(Psalm 55:22)

This verse promises that God will sustain us and that we will never be moved. But only IF we choose to cast our burden on the Lord and IF we are righteous. Notice God did not use the word “anyone” but very specifically says He won’t permit the “righteous” to be moved.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Here we see that our paths will only be directed by Him when we stop trying to direct our own life. We can’t “have our cake and eat it, too”. We can’t expect His guidance while we continue to hold tightly to the reins of our own lives and demand our own way. His guidance is for those who have given up their own will in order to trust in God’s will for their lives. We can see that this will only be accomplished when we stop leaning on our own finite, short-sighted understanding and acknowledge God in all our ways—whether in small choices or huge decisions—THEN, and only then, can we be assured that He will guide us.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
(Isaiah 26:3)

Here, in this well-loved verse from Isaiah, we see that we will only be in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on God. Funny thing is…our mind can’t be focused on ourselves and on God at the same time. We have the opportunity to make a choice each time life doesn’t go our way. Will I trust God for all things or will I dwell on and complain about my unhappy circumstances? It’s a choice we Christians make multiple times each day. And, if you are like me, I, too often, make the wrong choice. No wonder peace is missing. I heard this quote the other day: Stress comes when we don’t yield to God. Yes, that’s true. Stress and anxiety come when we don’t yield our will to God’s. Of course, this all sounds great as I write but you and I both know that when the rubber meets the road, it’s downright hard to live. Thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit, Who moves and works in us to grow us to trust God more and more each day as we walk with Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Here is a promise that is perhaps the most quoted one from the Bible. But, here again, we see a condition. Things work together for good to those who love God. And this seems to beg the question—Do I love self more than I love God? If I want to live solely for God and strive to love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30), then I can rest assured knowing that He will work all things out for His glory and my good. If we think little of God and dwell on our own personal safety, comfort, dreams, and desires as we live this life then we can’t hold on to this promise. It’s not for us.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Here again, we have a promise that is so wonderfully appealing. But it, too, comes with a condition. We must let our requests be made known to God with thanksgiving. Then, and only then, can we expect that wonderful peace to guard our hearts and minds. You may think— how can I be thankful in the midst of such a heavy trial? But the redeemed child of God always has something to be thankful for…for we are saved from sin through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and now have the sure hope of eternity in heaven. If we can think of nothing else to be thankful for, may we start there.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

This is an interesting promise that assures us that the devil will flee from us. But what must we do to make sure this happens? Two things are given here: Submit to God and resist the devil. Submit to God’s will and give up our will (we saw this same idea in Proverbs, didn’t we? The Bible is SO consistent!). When we insist on our own will—fulfilling our personal desires and dreams—we open ourselves up very much to Satan’s subtle and not-so-subtle temptations… “Oh, just lie about this, compromise on this one tiny thing, …it won’t matter.” And because we want what we want, we will do so. We can do so much to resist the devil simply by submitting to God. For it is our lusts and idols that get us into so much trouble. When we submit to God, we can expect the devil to flee from us for his power over us is limited if he can’t tempt us by using our lusts and idols.


So these are just a few well-known promises of God and the conditions that accompany them. Whenever you hear someone quote a promise of God, look for the condition that goes with it. God’s love is everlasting, His kindness is overwhelming, and His promises are sure, but scripture makes it clear that these are not given indiscriminately but are rather given with very specific conditions.

And let me just reiterate as I conclude this post that, though it is easy to write about these conditions of God’s promises, it is so much harder to live them. Let me assure you that I do not write what is above from a place of “arrival” but from a place of striving, right along with you, at turning my eyes from self to God with each new trial. Every day is a new day that gives me opportunity to submit my will to God’s in both the little things of life and the big things.

But when we make the choice to submit to God and to keep our eyes on Him, we can be sure that, without a doubt, we will experience the fulfillment of God’s promises as we go through each new day. What a wonderful thing to consider! They are no empty promises, but given to God’s dear children as they walk through this troubled world. Great is His faithfulness!

Only Two Places

The other night, we were at a ballgame and my husband was sharing with our pastor about his severe back pain and the next step in trying to fix it. The man in front of him turned around and shared that God could heal him. This led to a bit of a theological conversation where it soon was made clear that this man was confused. Finally, our pastor asked: If you were to die tonight what reason would you give for God to let you into heaven?

His answer started with “I”. I did this, I have done that…He was following the rules he believed were going to merit his ticket to heaven.

But rules and good works won’t give you a ticket to heaven.

If you aren’t saved by faith alone in grace alone by Christ alone there are really only two places to land: Legalism or Licentiousness. Living by rules or self-seeking. While there are extremes in both places, all unsaved people land somewhere on the spectrum of one of these. And sometimes –perhaps often– they move from one to another. Because neither gives lasting satisfaction.

Have you ever watched someone leave legalism to living a self-seeking life? We wonder how can this be? How could they look so good and righteous and then turn their back on God so completely to live for self? I believe there are as many answers to that question as there are situations. Each person probably has their own personal reason as to why they gave up on legalism. And it’s probably a pretty good one.

But, honestly, is it that much different than seeing someone living for self turn to legalism in order to please God? We see that, too, don’t we? Someone who has lived a dissolute or worldly life turn to religion to make them happy? It can be any religion. But in that religious worldview, they are given a set of rules to follow in order to please God and reach heaven. This gives them some semblance of peace, although if they are honest, they don’t really know if they are going to heaven and they wonder if their good works will outweigh the bad. This person has simply gone from living in self-denial about eternity to trying really hard now to do something about it.

But both places are lost places. One is full of man-made rules and the other is full of self-seeking but neither leads anyone to peace with the One, True God. That is because God tells us in His Word that there is only one way. John 14:6 puts it this way–

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If you aren’t saved by faith alone in grace alone by Christ alone then there is no true faith. There is no true Holy Spirit; no eternity in heaven; no steadfast love or mercy; there is no “peace that passeth understanding”; nor is there true joy.

If you don’t believe this is true, then you may as well toss out the Bible. This is what true Christianity is. It is also TRUE for every person in the world. It is why so many have given their lives–sometimes even unto death–to share the Gospel through the years.

More and more, we hear of people who would call themselves Christians living licentious lives. They believe they can do whatever they want whenever they want and that God will approve. They love the world passionately and fully, filling themselves with the entertainment that God hates and by turning to vain and humanistic philosophies (most often fed to them by “Christian” therapists) rather than to the Bible.

Less often now we see the typical legalism based on rules (although it is still alive and well!). We also see a new legalism is rising. The one that says that in order to be close to God you must have visions, or speak in tongues, or hear from Him audibly.

But none of these things are to be found in the Word. Anywhere. It is all delusions and deceptions and man-made methods from the Father of Lies himself. I suggest that you take some time to read and study Romans 6, Colossians 3, James 4, and Jude to understand why both legalism and licentiousness are places of considerable spiritual danger.

These places can be tempting to lean towards, even for those of us who are genuinely saved. It is so much easier to just follow a set of rules than to be worried about my heart and my attitudes. And it’s a lot more fun to follow after my desires and chase my dreams.

I am reminded of two verses I am currently memorizing. They remind us of our need to lay aside those things that would trip us up and to look to Jesus as we run our race. I hope these encourage my fellow believers as they have encouraged me–

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

And, this morning, if you don’t know if you are going to heaven but would like to, then I encourage you to call upon the name of the Lord. Romans 10:13 tells us that all who call upon the Lord will be saved. No one will be turned away. No sin is too great, no past is too ugly. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine. And salvation is a free gift for all. I pray that you will turn to God today. (You can start by turning to the book of John in the Bible to get to know who Jesus really is. If I can help feel free to contact me. I’d love to talk with you about this.)

Life lived with Jesus may be hard but it is always worthwhile. And the message of the Bible may not be popular but it is true. May we be courageous and bold to point people to the truth and to share the hope that is within us in the midst of the great delusions of legalism and licentiousness.

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