You may never be called upon to suffer physically because you are a believer in Jesus Christ. However, there is more to suffering than physical pain; there is more to persecution than being put in chains. If we are followers of Jesus Christ, who are not compromising with the sinful ways of the world,…
The Place of Prayer in Suffering
When we look for the supreme model of a person devoted to prayer, we need only to look at the life of our Lord. Jesus was constantly in an attitude of prayer, and never more urgently than in the face of suffering. The night He was arrested, He was praying in the Garden of…
Personal Armageddons
Suffering Is Universal We don’t deliberately look for trouble in life. It comes. Suffering is a universal fact; no one can escape its claws. The rain falls upon the just and the unjust. We all face personal armageddons. Some people have the mistaken idea that becoming a Christian will be a shelter from the…
God Owns It All
The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. — Psalm 24:1 Consider for a moment your possessions. Actually, we can possess nothing — no property and no person — along the way. It is God who owns everything, and we are but stewards of His property…
Don’t Doubt the Devil
The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. — Romans 16:20 Who is responsible for the infamy, terror, and agony that we see all around us? How can we account for the sufferings that we all experience if evil is not a potent force? Education has, in truth, impeded our minds.…
Growing Strong
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us. — 2 Peter 1:3 How can we develop a faith strong enough to see us throughout our lives? The key is this: God wants us to be spiritually strong and has…
Thanksgiving and the Path to Peace
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. James 1:2 NIV God promises no easy life or days without troubles, trials, difficulties, and temptations. He never promises that life will be perfect. He does not call His children to a playground, but to a battleground. Some people have a…
What to Do in Despair or Fear
Deflect Despair [God] gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV There is a story about Martin Luther going through a period of discouragement and depression. For days his long face graced the family table and dampened the family’s home life. One day his wife came to the breakfast…
Rebuilding Relationships
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy. — Hebrews 12:14 Is there a relationship you need to rebuild? Too often people are filled with regret and guilt because they failed to reach out to someone with whom they were at odds — and then death intervenes and it’s…
Heaven and Earth Rejoice
Imagine the scene in Bethlehem. It was the night of nights, and yet it had begun as every other night had before it. In Bethlehem’s houses mothers lay their children down to sleep. In the courtyards of the inn some camels lay down to rest. In the fields the sheep lay down while the shepherds sat near their fires. In the heavens…