difficulties

God of Armies

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14 One of the most commonly used names for God in the Bible is Yahweh Tsebaoth, which literally means “Lord of Armies,” “Lord of Soldiers,” or “Lord of War.” In fact, this interesting depiction of our Heavenly Father is used over 250 times in the Scriptures, and yet very few people are familiar with it. This is because Bible translators have often inserted their own theology and made it “Lord of Hosts.” Even though most people don’t know what a host is (other than someone who entertains people in their home), they do it because they’re reluctant to connect God with something as ugly as war. However, this becomes less of a concern when we understand the context. When Yahweh speaks of being the “Lord of Armies,” He’s actually referring to a spiritual battle. He wants

October 23, 2021 1 Comment

Something New

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” – Matthew 27:7,8 There’s been much talk recently about the end times, because there’s a lot happening in the world around us. And whether Jesus is coming back next week or in another 500 years, the truth is that He often births new seasons through discomfort. This will certainly be true when history comes to a close and Creation endures a time of tribulation, but it’s equally as true in our lives right now. As those made in the image of God and born again through the blood of Christ, He beckons us to press on and move forward, becoming more like Him in the process. However, it’s important to remember that He often uses pain to loosen our grip on one season so

October 20, 2021 2 Comments

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

“In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’” – John 5:17 Unfortunately, a lot of us Christians are myopic or nearsighted. In other words, we get so wrapped up in our daily circumstances that we forget we serve a Savior who is constantly working behind the scenes. God is infinite, and He has the ultimate “big-picture” perspective, but our minds are finite and only able to conceive of situations in linear time. That said, it’s important to remember that when life seems to be “closing in on us,” what we’re perceiving is only a microscopic blip on the radar of eternity. We can’t begin to conceive of how masterfully and marvelously everything fits together from His standpoint, but we can train ourselves to acknowledge the wonder that it does. No matter how uncertain or daunting

October 17, 2021 No Comments

Heavenly Groanings

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” – Romans 8:26,27 There sure is a lot going on these days. When we look at our world, including the recent violence in Afghanistan, some major natural disasters, and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 virus, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. And while our hearts should be heavy for the state of this hurting sphere, my hope is that our grief leads us to a place of prayer. Our Lord has given us the privilege of sharing in the sufferings of others by coming before His throne any time of the day or

August 31, 2021 No Comments

Unfinished Symphonies

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) A symphony is an elaborate musical work that’s written for a full orchestra. It’s typically divided into four movements, and all of them are distinctly different but woven together by similar themes. Since composing such a complex piece of music is no easy task, there are several famous composers who started them but never finished. Perhaps the most famous is Franz Schubert and his Symphony #8, of which he completed only two movements. Though speculation by some is that he never intended to finish it, the reality is that he probably didn’t get to it, either because he lacked inspiration or didn’t receive adequate support. Thankfully for us, God doesn’t author any unfinished symphonies. Though our lives are complex and

August 2, 2021 No Comments

He Makes the Broken Brave

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” – Psalm 23:6 Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Along these lines, when we think about courage, we tend to imagine that it means taking a big leap of faith or a giant step in the right direction, but when we’re working hard for something, progress happens gradually and sometimes imperceptibly. Though we may feel like we’re “spinning our wheels” and find ourselves tempted to give up before we get there, we’re usually closer to the finish line than we realize. In fact, when we persist in doing the hard things, there are great rewards for staying the course. Take Mandy Pursley, for example. Mandy was an interview guest on Hour

April 7, 2021 No Comments

Resurrection, Redemption, and Restoration

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’” – John 11:25 Happy Easter! This is the day we embrace the promise that because Jesus rose from the grave, He makes everything come alive! In this long-awaited spring season — after we’ve lived through one of the most challenging years in recent history — we can look around and see the fruit of restoration pointing us directly to our Lord’s resurrection power. Though the world has grieved much since the start of the pandemic, these losses have yielded clarified perspective and new hope. And while we will never be quite the same as we were pre-COVID, we can see how our Heavenly Father has worked in and through difficulties to bring us back to the center of His heart. As we’ve been forced to let go

April 4, 2021 No Comments

The God of Seasons

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 Today is the first day of spring, and if you’re like me, you’re joyfully anticipating the new life that it brings. Especially after the extended impact of COVID-19 and the unprecedented challenges we’ve faced over the past year, we’re ready for a page to turn. However, to put things into perspective, it’s important to remember that springtime is only possible because of the falling leaves of autumn and the barren cold of winter. We serve a God of seasons, and no matter how difficult each one is, they all have distinct beauty and a divinely-appointed purpose. Today, we see evidence of vibrancy and hope, but the fruits of this time have only come

March 20, 2021 2 Comments

Stand on His Promises

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” – Psalm 18:32 Well, 2021 has gotten off to a bit of a rough start. As the COVID pandemic continues to rage and political strife runs rampant, it’s important to remember and consistently focus on the source of our strength. The events of this troubling time can be an energy drain since it seems as if everything is more difficult than it used to be. It’s easy to get bogged down and pulled under by the “bad news” of the day, but thankfully, Jesus offers us a much better alternative! In fact, the Bible says that He arms us with strength. That’s an interesting way of saying it because it infers that our spiritual toughness is a weapon, which further implies that our spirits are under attack. We are not our own worst enemies — Satan is,

January 19, 2021 No Comments

As Long as It Is Called Today

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13 Happy New Year! And congratulations, you made it to 2021. I think many of us are breathing a sigh of relief today, but the truth is that we are much stronger, wiser, and all-around better people than we were this time last year. Walking through the fire and enduring the difficulties of 2020 offered us a precious gift, and I pray that we won’t lose sight of it in the days ahead. As we look forward to resuming life as normal (whenever and whatever it is), let’s not forget how precious it was to be reminded of what’s most important. As we’ve brought our focus closer to home in the past ten months, God has used a trying time to align our hearts with

January 1, 2021 2 Comments

God of Armies

Something New

A Behind-the-Scenes Savior

Heavenly Groanings

Unfinished Symphonies

He Makes the Broken Brave

Resurrection, Redemption, and Restoration

The God of Seasons

Stand on His Promises

As Long as It Is Called Today

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