(Mark 14:36a NASB) “And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me …”” “Abba” is an affectionate Aramaic word like the English “Daddy” or “Papa.” It is a word of intimate relationship. A word of familiarity. There was nothing wrong with the relationship between the Father and the Son. They had a good relationship. Sometimes I think we get into the false idea that if were closer to God, God would do whatever we want. On the contrary, I think it is more true that the closer you are to God the more He asks us to bring our will in line with His. The c ..read more

(Malachi 3:6 NASB) “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Hebrews 13:8 NASB) “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and today and forever.” God is unchanging and unchangeable. Nothing about God changes. He is immutable in His; being, desires, purposes, attributes, and morals. Everything we see around us changes and is changing, and we ourselves are constantly changing. God is the only totally consistent being in the universe. The other attributes of God are inherently linked to His immutability. God is absolutely perfect, and as such canno ..read more

(Galatians 6:8 NIV) “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” One of the most basic principles of agriculture is that if you want something, you have to plant it. If you plant nothing you will get nothing. Whatever you plant is what you will get. If you plant wheat you will not get barley. If you want wheat you have to plant wheat. If you want corn you have to plant corn. If you want tomatoes you have to plant tomatoes. This same truth is applicable to spiritual things as well ..read more

A good song on demonology and spiritual warfare. There is a wonderful emphasis on the Lord’s strength and ability. All victory begins with trusting in Him. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God 1 A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. 2 Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. You ask who th ..read more

(Luke 17:7-10 NASB) “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'” How do you think about yours ..read more

(Mark 14:38 RSV) “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” For me these are some pretty powerful words. Like a lot of young guys I used to struggle with wanting to look at women in inappropriate ways. Looking at stuff online I had no business seeing. I struggled with that for a number of years. Some people helped me, I prayed a lot, worked at it, and by God’s grace it is not such a struggle any more. One of the verses that really helped me at one point was this one right here. My spirit was willing, but my flesh was so ver ..read more

(Joshua 1:8 NIV) “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV) “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Hermeneutics is the study of how we study the text of the Bible. What rules do we have when reading the text ..read more

(John 10:35b NKJV) “… (and the Scripture cannot be broken),” (Psalm 119:160 NKJV) “The entirety of Your word [is] truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments [endures] forever.” The reliability of the Bible has to do with its truthfulness and accuracy. There have been a great many scholars and atheists who have repeatedly attacked the accuracy of scripture. These people try to argue that portions of the text are false or that it makes false claims. One thing you will often hear from unbelievers is “how can you believe the Bible when there are so many mistakes in it.” My first answer ..read more

(Philippians 1:23 NKJV) “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, [which is] far better.” Could we say these words honestly? We need to serve God here and now. We need to be concerned about social justice. We need to care for the poor. These are important things and should flow out of our love for God and for others. This is good. We all have many blessings here as well. We have family, friends, and passions that bring us great joy. This is also good. But we need to be careful to remember that our hope is in heaven. To depart and be with Christ i ..read more

(Isaiah 45:1a ESV) “Thus says the LORD…” (Mark 1:22 ESV) “And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” The authority of the Bible is based on its authorship. Because the Bible is God’s word, it is therefore authoritative. God is the ultimate sovereign of all, whether we accept Him as such or not. He created us and all that we see around us. He has the absolute authority to command and teach us. If God is the author of scripture, then its authority is assured. We must therefore approach the Bible differently than we a ..read more