Pro 9:10   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom Why is fearing the Lord the beginning of all wisdom? On the surface, fear seems like such a negative emotion, but in this case, it most definitely isn’t. Having reverence for our Creator shows at least a certain level of humility and comprehension of our plight. If you ask many people whether they consider themselves to be good people’, I’d bet the majority would say yes with little hesitation. Yet, at the same time, the bible says exactly the opposite: Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.    Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?    How is it then possible for a Christian to hold the new-agey belief that people are generally good? It all comes down to subjectivism, and the scale we use to measure our ‘goodness...

There are endless variations of belief on freewill vs predestination, but I'll leave those weeds for the theologians to explore. In general: you have Arminianism, which teaches that humanity is depraved, but not to the point that we can't use our own freewill to choose God. In turn, being omniscient, God can look forward and know who will choose Him and who will reject Him, with the former becoming His 'elect' and being rewarded with eternal life. In this school of thought, because of his freewill, which God won't violate, a person can fall away and ultimately lose salvation. Then you have what is referred to as Calvinism (though these beliefs certainly predate John Calvin,) which teaches that: courtesy of original sin, all humans are totally depraved, dead in sin, and unable to use their freewill to choose God. Instead, God is sovereign in the entire process, giving His elect the ability to choose Him; God first chooses us, so that we may be empowered to ultimately...

  This sounds absolutely awful, I know, but it’s the truth. To clarify though, first let me describe what I’m not saying: since we can’t possibly live up to God’s perfect moral standards, we should just throw in the towel and quit trying. Since we aren’t ever going to be good enough anyway, why not go all-in on sin, and enjoy the ride? This would be a very easy way to justify the sinning that we all love so much, but would obviously be a very self-defeating moral philosophy. No, instead what I’m saying is that in the eyes of a Holy God, fallen sinners will never, can never, please Him. We humans love to believe that we are ‘generally good’ – and we may well be – when judging by low human standards. But we can’t compare human standards to God’s standards. As an example: suppose a person spent every day of his life, from morning ‘til night, helping little old ladies across the street. By human standards, this person would be described as ‘saintly’ and ‘selfless’, and there would b...

Below are a handful of powerful verses which offer us biblical assurance that, no matter what kind of challenge we face in this life, our Creator is always by our side: WHEN FACING TEMPTATION : 1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   WHEN FEELING FE AR : Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. WHEN EXPERIENCING TRIBULATION : Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.    Rom 8:28  And w...

No matter who you are, at some point, if you live long enough, life will bring you to your knees. Doubt will flood through your mind, tears will flood from your eyes, and you may even feel disconnected from God and struggle with holding on to your faith. THAT'S OK! We are all in the same boat. To live in this world is to experience tribulation, and during those times when our spiritual heads feel like they are on the verge of dropping beneath the water's surface, a powerful helping hand is always there, waiting to pull us from the water. Persistence and mental toughness are wonderful traits, and certainly necessary for surviving this world. That said, with the right variables, even the mentally toughest among us can be brough to their knees in the blink of an eye. It may be a crippling or terminal illness; the death of a loved one; addiction, or just an inexplicable feeling of melancholy that won't seem to go away.  It's so easy to feel smug in our own self-sufficiency ...

In these times, it is very in vogue to reject the existence of God and instead embrace secular humanist views. From the time children enter school, they are constantly bombarded with propaganda meant to lead them down the path of atheism and ultimately, spiritual death. The long-time pushing of macroevolution in the classroom as a scientific fact is at the top of that list.  The belief that life originated from absolutely nothing and came about purely arbitrarily is about as far from provable science as one could go, and yet those who arrogantly reject the Creator of all things portray themselves as being on the intellectual high ground. They flippantly dismiss the best-preserved historical documents in antiquity - the bible (particularly the New Testament) - as just a bunch of made-up fairy tales and lies and  will criticize anyone who observes creation and concludes that it could've only come from a Creator. All the while, embracing the ridiculous notion that life came about...

 Over the last few years, societal emotional stability has been replaced by uncertainty and chaos. Every direction you look, historical norms once considered black and white, are being replaced by endless shades of grey. While it feels like much of this has come out of left field, that certainly isn't the case. The wicked intent has been there all along, but only recently has the evil become confident enough to step out of the shadows and into the light. One of the best examples is the attempt being made is the constant pushing of transgenderism by government; the educational/indoctrinational system; corporate America, and the propaganda machine, better known as media. Make no mistake, this is a coordinated systemic effort, with the ultimate goal of eradicating gender norms to defy God - something the psuedo-gods of this world absolutely love to do. The bible is very clear on the fact that we are created male and female:   Gen 5:2  Male and female created he them; an...

Society, particularly through print and broadcast media, places a lot of pressure on women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. There's good news though: you are free to reject these standards, accept yourself as God made you, and reject this perversion of the word 'beauty'.  Every time a television is turned on or a magazine is opened, the genetically average woman (don't resent the word 'average', as it's the category the vast majority of us fall into!), is reminded of her physical shortcomings. The model looking back at her is typically physically stunning and doesn't have an ounce of extra body fat or cellulite to be found. And of course, no wrinkles or grey hair!  Though women definitely have the greater challenge, in the world of the average male, the equivalent situation would be opening a bodybuilding magazine and comparing yourself to some 260-pound behemoth at 5% body fat. In this case, the first thing that needs to understand is that ...

  Though few of us truly heed them, the bible is full of warning about lusting after wealth and possessions:   Luk 12:15  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”   Ecc 5:10  He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.  Ecc 5:11  When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?  Ecc 5:12  Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.    Mat 6:24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.     1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which...

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. I've always loved this verse. Christians are constantly emphasizing the latter part about being peaceful and gentle (which is terrific,) but equally necessary is the ability to understand and comprehend the schemes of the wicked, lest you fall into their traps.  To achieve this, as awful as it may sound, you need to be able to think like the sociopaths of the world. You need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of someone with no remorse or compassion and ponder questions like: 'how would I rob someone if I were a criminal?' Or 'how would I deceive someone to steal his money?'. As an example, I've heard people express amazement when someone like a pastor, scout leader, counselor, or school teacher turns out to be a pedophile. "He seemed like such a nice guy, who would've ever thought he'd be capable of something like this?...

 Today, there are many churches far more concerned about alienating potential donors, than they are about rightly interpreting the word of God. Behaviors which were once universally considered sinful, are now being celebrated and encouraged. This isn't based on any change in the bible or God's definition of morality. It's instead trying to replace God's objective morality, with human-determined subjective morality and political correctness. This typically isn't done overtly. A person or church isn't likely to come straight out and say: 'this is what God says, but I/we say otherwise'. They will instead use Satan's very effective 'Hath God said?' technique, and reinterpret biblical passages to suit the behavior they are trying to legitimize. This is why I've mentioned previously the importance of having at least one good classic bible commentary, such as Matthew Henry's. Over hundreds of years, things get lost in translation or meanings...

Whether it's a religious figure; a politician (I can't even type those words without laughing); businessman; celebrity; musician; athlete, or anyone else, it's easy to fall into the trap of worshipping at the alters of charisma, intelligence and worldly success. That isn't to say there's anything wrong with admiring a person's positive individual attributes. I'm talking instead about elevating the entire person to an obsessive point, which borders on worship. It's very dangerous to hold anyone in such high esteem, because that person can then harness this false perception and weaponize it against you.  This influence is the exact reason companies pay celebrities millions of dollars to endorse products. People admire and idolize them to the point they are almost viewed as being beyond human. This emotional impulsivity can easily cloud one's judgement and override  logic and common sense.  Of course, the public images of celebrities are nothing more t...