I don’t know about you, but I hate failing. There’s something so final about it, even if I know I’ll just get up and keep going (what else is there to do besides give up?) Fear of failure is rooted…
Practical Ways to Overcome Fear of Men
Fear in general is rooted in perceived lack. “I’m worried that if I don’t work hard enough, I’ll lose my job, and my family won’t have anything to eat.” “What if the right people don’t get into office? I could…
Laziness or Rest?
God is always working (John 5:17), but God is also the author and participant in rest. For example, God rested from His work of creating the world on the seventh day; Jesus called His disciples to come away from ministry…
60 Questions to Ask God while Journaling or Hearing God’s Voice
Some time ago, I wrote about 10 exercises you can perform to help you grow in hearing God’s voice. One of those exercises was simply to ask God questions – for whatever reason, specific questions seem to be easier to…
Unafraid of Those Who Would Destroy Us
This morning, I was reading the second half of Matthew 10 (which is a gem of a passage). One of the verses that stood out to me is a well-known metaphor: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet…
Boundaries vs. Walls
As we enter the new year, I see a lot of New Year’s resolutions going by on my social media pages. Some are funny or interesting; others, you just hope it will last beyond January 5th. Within many of these…
10 Practical Ways to Grow in Favor with God and Man
‘Tis the season for the beginning of the book of Luke. It’s a beautiful story of the birth of Christ. Most churches end the story with the last verse of Luke 2: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and…
To Boycott or not to Boycott?
It’s a fairly typical response today, whenever someone doesn’t like what some government or company has done, for people to call for a boycott. Movie content. Governments at war. Bathroom rules. An unpopular change in policy. I could go on…
Do Not Be Afraid of Scorn
I ran across a really cool verse in Isaiah this morning: Listen to me, you who know right from wrong, you who cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people’s scorn, nor fear their insults. Isaiah…
Practical Ways to Refresh and Encourage Others
This morning, the verse that popped up in my Bible app was “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). Or perhaps a more literal translation, “The liberal soul shall be made fat; And…