I'll Be Honest

There is a subjective element to the Christian life. There are seasons when Christ will draw near to the believer in an experiential way. We ought to pray for more of the subjective power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians.

Forgiveness is not a small issue in the Christian life. A person's response to being wronged is a good test to see if they've really been forgiven or not. Failure to forgive is failure to see the enormity of our own sin before a holy God.

[Craig is a member at GCCSATX, and also serves as an email counselor with I'll Be Honest.]

Original question, "I am 28 and married with two toddlers. Sometimes the demands of the kids and stresses of everyday life cause me extreme frustration. My wife says that I have anger issues and I believe she is right because I even try to watch against its rise but sometimes it still gets the best of me. It never gets physical and I acknowledge it is a problem but I am really desperate for some wisdom and practical advice on overcoming anger. I have been following Christ for almost 10 years now, I don't want these issues to get worse. I want to have victory over this and flourish as a Godly husband and father. Thank you for all you do."

"A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back." - Proverbs 29:11

Why do people smoke marijuana? For some it is for medical purposes; and for many young kids it is due to peer pressure from their “friends”. However, for most, it is to intentionally get high and buzzed. Pot brings your mind into a state where you feel better than normal. That is why it is called getting “high” and not getting “low”. In this Bible study, Tim discusses some Biblical principles regarding the Christian’s view on recreationally smoking marijuana.

When sharing the gospel, all we need to do is proclaim what we know from the Word of God. We may feel very inefficient and incompetent, but the power is in God's Word; not in our abilities, persuasive arguments, and debating skills. It's not the vessel proclaiming the Word, but the Scriptures themselves that have power.

There are many people who talk about "the presence of God". Is this biblical or is it mysticism? Anytime we're dealing with experiences in the Christian life, we need to be careful and we need to look at what the Bible says. We need to make sure that we're not looking for something more than what's revealed in the Bible; but we also need to be careful that we're not satisfied with something less than what we see in the Bible.

Many times people set out on a course to glorify God and do His will. But they get frustrated when it doesn't go as they planned or it doesn't seem to prosper. They get left in a place to where they feel like they don't even know if they can trust the Lord or not. But the problem many times is that what they set out to do wasn't actually God's will. Deep down inside they were really seeking their own will and hoping that God would jump on their agenda. If we're going to walk in the will of God and be blessed in what we do, we need to be sure that our wills are sincerely surrendered to God no matter what He calls us to.

What does it mean to walk by faith? We want to know what the Bible says about it. But we also want to see if the Bible describes what the opposite of what walking by faith is. The Bible says that the opposite of walking by faith is walking by sight. Faith is living your life based on invisible realities that your physical senses can’t apprehend. The Bible not only defines faith for us, but also gives real examples of men and women (a cloud of witnesses who are beckoning us on) who had to walk by faith and not by sight.

A great part of walking with God is surrendering to His way in your life. A life surrendered to God’s way is a life built on His Word. A life built on His Word is one that takes refuge in Him.

This God-- his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. - Psalm 18:30

Don't let the cheapening of the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" take your eyes away from the reality and truth of that statement. We should live and measure our lives by seeking to imitate Jesus Christ who was perfectly pleasing to the Father.