Identity Security

Why did Nicodemus visit Jesus at night? Fear of what his peers would do if they found out. He wasn’t alone in this; John says that “many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42). They chose job security over Jesus. This fear is a mighty powerful force. The fear of man. Peer pressure. What will others think? This can get deadly. This…

The Lord heard Sarah’s skeptical laughter a year earlier when He promised her husband Abraham that they would have a child. Believing such a thing must have seemed to her like too much of a stretch. But then, this elderly woman’s uncertainty was turned into joy with the miraculous birth of her son. The baby was given the name Isaac, just as God had instructed Abraham in Genesis 17:19. Isaac’s name means “one who laughs.” Sarah’s earlier…

Your wounds brought messages with them. Lots of messages. Somehow they all usually land in the same place. They had a similar theme. “You’re worthless.” “You’re not a woman.” “You’re too much ... and not enough.” “You’re a disappointment.” “You are repulsive.” On and on they go. Because they were delivered with such pain, they felt true. They pierced our hearts, and they seemed so true. So…

Doing hard things requires us to be lion-like – bold, steely and courageous. Doing things the right way means being like a lamb – gentle, meek and submissive. We are supposed to be a godly mixture of the qualities of both the lion and the lamb. But how can one person be both ‘the Lion’ and ‘the Lamb’? In C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, the lion, Aslan, represents Jesus. In the most famous of these books, The Lion, the Witch and the,…

Satan calls God's intentions and character into question. Doubt is a common human experience, and giving our doubts and fears to God can be a great way to worship Him.Question: Imagine you were nearby in the garden, and you overheard this conversation. What would you say to the serpent and the woman? Have you heard the enemy say, "Did God really say...." about things in your own life? Did you doubt what God had spoken to you because you heard this doubtful?…

God makes Himself known to everyone but lets us decide whether to pursue a relationship with Him. Unfortunately, those who don’t choose God ultimately end up feeling restless and empty. And the reason is because He has “set eternity in [our] heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). By God’s design, true satisfaction is found only in a relationship with Him. Without the Lord, people continuously seek new ways to temporarily fill their hearts. And that quest often…

It’s been a rough few weeks for Colleen and me. Between extended travel, fatigue, illness, a new puppy to care for, a car that broke down and needs thousands of dollars of repair (first world problem), and the most taxing of all – spiritual warfare. When we committed to placing the security of a paycheck in the rear-view mirror, we knew it would be no panacea. We also knew the enemy would hassle us at every turn. Making the decision to finish strong and be all…

Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God’s having flesh and blood. Scripture says that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adam’s body did mirror the life of God insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.The image of God (Latin, imago dei) refers to…

So, we bit the fruit . . . then what? We were thrust into a world at war. Paradise was lost. But not forever. Genesis 3: 21-24 describes it in this way: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—' 23 therefore the Lord God…