LEFTOVERS (AND OTHER OBSESSIONS)

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION is not behavior modification. It’s not gritting your teeth and pushing ahead until you finally measure up. Such an approach eventually leaves us exhausted and ashamed when we fall short again. Moreover, spiritual transformation is not a single dramatic moment. Rather, it is an inside job that only God can do. Real spiritual growth begins when we shift our focus from how…

FATHER HUNGER is an emotional and psychological condition caused by the physical absence or emotional unavailability of a father during a child’s formative years. Lack of emotional intimacy between a child and his father will cause that child to be ill-prepared for adulthood.1 It is through this interaction that a child feels loved and is able to develop a sense of identity or purpose, and when…

ONE OF THE MOST demanding and challenging verses in Scripture comes from Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount. He had just turned the world upside down, telling His followers it is blessed to be poor in spirit, meek and gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker. In fact, some theologians and biblical scholars refer to the Beatitudes as a call to grace, the “inward gospel.” Near the end of…

WE HAVE A tendency to think the cross saves us from past sin, only to decide after we are “saved” that we are still responsible for continuing our growth by working on and cleaning ourselves up. Not only is this dangerous thinking, it is a false gospel. It makes us vulnerable to the lies and misdirection of the enemy. Trust me, Satan is always at the ready to convince us we are still too depraved…

He stood, sweating, gazing over the vastnessof what looked like nothingness; hot, glaring,monochromatic landscape, broken only by anoccasional dune. His eyes batted against thestinging bits of sand encircling his head as Hetried to catch His breath. He was, after all, Jesusin a mortal body. He was hungry. He had not eaten for the pastforty days. He caught sight of an approachingfigure surrounded…

GOING AWOL is when a member of the military leaves his or her post or fails to report for duty without official leave. Regardless of circumstances, this is paramount to a betrayal of appointed duties, and it speaks loudly to one’s loyalty. An absence of 30 days or longer typically upgrades the charge to desertion, a more severe offense. Sometimes, maybe in the interest of survival, a deserter…

JAMES IS TEACHING us the elements of living a complete and mature life in Christ. We learned in the Book of Acts that he was a key leader of the church at Jerusalem. We also know he was Jesus’ half-brother. Jesus personally visited James after the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7). According to Acts 1:4, James was present at Pentecost. In this epistle, James is discussing the double-mindedness of…

CAN AN EMOTION install itself as an idol in your life? That is what happens when you allow a feeling to become more important than your core beliefs. Emotion begins to dictate your reality and behavior rather than truth or your beliefs. It can even negatively impact your faith in Jesus Christ. At this point, your emotions have become a “substitute-savior.” Something you turn to instead of God. It…

When I was young, time seemed to stand still on Christmas Eve. Starting at six o’clock on WNEP 16 out of Scranton, PA up-to-the-minute tracking of Santa Claus on radar would begin. It always felt like bedtime would never get here. And when it did, I would never be able to get to sleep. It’s Christmastime, I would think. Santa’s coming. If I go to bed. If I close my eyes and give in to slumber.…

IT HAD BEEN a rough eighteen months. The days were long and the nights were empty and shadowy. All I wanted to do was eat, sleep, and watch Jeopardy! Most likely, if you tried calling my cell phone I would not answer. Spiritual depression had me by the throat and my soul was heavy. With each new “crisis,” I cried out, Why, God?! No doubt I drove some friends nuts with my constant complaining. I…

THE FLESH WANTS WHAT it wants. It’s that simple. It craves. Many needs of the flesh are acceptable, even critical to our survival. We crave water, food, warmth, air. The flesh needs to be “sustained.” It is a vessel. It can be used as a tool for God for a weapon in Satan’s hands. The apostle Paul understood wrestling with the flesh, and his lesson in Romans 7 is critical to understanding our own…

IS IT WRONG to want to “feel good?” After all, we have by design an innate desire for happiness and well-being. Moreover, “feeling good” does wonders for our health. It promotes better sleep, lowers stress, and can even add years to our lives. But just how badly do you need to “feel good” to get through your day? We are quite good at legitimizing our feelings, and we strive to protect them at any…

HAVE YOU EVER FELT completely stuck? Like a “deer in the headlights?” Nagged by the sensation that nothing you do matters; nothing makes sense. You feel lost, adrift, tossed to and fro. Perhaps you begin to question whether there is any purpose to your life. Slowly, you drift away from fellowship with your usual community of believers. Now, severed from spiritual anchors, self-doubt grabs you by…

THE BOOK OF ACTS gives us a detailed narrative of how the Christian church began, picking up where Luke’s Gospel ends―with the ascension of Jesus forty days after His resurrection. A critical factor in the early church was the coming of the Holy Spirit. The same pillar of fire that led Israel through forty years of wilderness became individual pillars of fire appearing over the heads of those…

EGO IS OUR SENSE of self, our “identity” or individuality, impacted throughout life by what we experience, think, believe in, and value: inputs from family, relatives, school teachers, coaches, peers, society, and culture. All of this influences how we view the world and our place in it. In fact, from both a psychological and a spiritual perspective, ego is what builds and maintains individual…

SOME TIME AGO I was standing in line at a pharmacy when I noticed a tiny kiosk of “inspirational” books next to the counter. I picked up a book titled The Bait of Satan by John Bevere and started skimming its contents. Robert Read, a dear friend and brother in Christ, was waiting with me in the store. He’d been gracious in providing a ride. Bob says, “That’s a really great book.” He was right! In…