The key to finishing your faith-marathon in victory is endurance. The secret ingredient to your endurance is to keep your eyes on the finish line. Every day could potentially be the day we run our final leg of this race for Christ. Living in a commitment to honor Him in every way reveals that we are truly His own. In Paul’s closing words to the church at Thessalonica, we find an apostolic exhortation that equips us to win the race set before us. Casual runners will fail. Distracted runners will stumble. Lazy runners will quit. For those who live as determined runners, however, these traits charged to us by Paul will empower us to cross the finish line in utter victory for the glory of Christ. 

Where To Find God

The warnings in the Bible about false prophets are not subtle. They are not inconspicuous. They are not infrequent. Both Old and New Testaments hold for us multiple cautions about the existence and activities of people who claim to speak on behalf of God but do not. No other passage of Scripture has more intensity on this crucial issue than Jeremiah chapter 23. God Himself is doing all the talking as He pulls back the curtain on false prophets in the ancient Israel. From what God says then about the false prophets, we are greatly equipped to mark false prophets in our own generation and to avoid ever coming under their dangerous influence.

The person and work of the Holy Spirit has always contained some level of mystery and even controversy for Christians. God the Father is made plainly known to us in the Old Testament. God the Son is the sole focus of all four Gospels, most of the epistles, and the entire Book of Revelation. Yet, to learn who God the Spirit is, and what is His role, we sometimes find ourselves having to slow down and carefully search the Scriptures for answers that are not obvious. One thing is clear: Holy Spirit made a thunderous entrance into the Church in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost. What is this Pentecost baptizing of the Spirit? What doe sit mean to us today? Have all Christians experienced the fulness of what Jesus described as being “clothed with power from on high”? Is the fire that Jesus mentioned flowing from our own life? Pentecost Sunday is a great time to take a detailed and helpful look at the Baptism of Holy Spirit & Fire.

What if you heard that it is impossible to become a disciple of Jesus Christ while remaining immune from suffering? Would you still want to be His follower, knowing that He would lead you into life experiences that produced temporary pain? Many Christians protest this type of teaching, wrongly believing that God has obligated himself to protect us from all pain and suffering. the Bible actually teaches us the opposite. God will DELIVER us out of all pain and suffering, but He has not pledged to prevent it from ever finding us. This Truth Shot unpacks the benefits of a life which endures suffering for the glory of Jesus. There is holy profit in our temporary struggles. Who will endure suffering long enough to discover the treasure within it?

When conflicts arise in a family, in a church, in a community or simply between two children of God, the Bible provides clear instructions about how we are to respond as followers of Christ. It is inevitable that believers will eventually run into sticky places with one another. There is a way that non-believers respond, and that is to fight for self, have the final word, and to put down the person who opposes them. This is not the way of Christ. He calls us higher in the Spirit to reveal His character when Christians clash with one another.

Every preacher knows that how a sermon is concluded can have a major impact on the listeners. Many books have been written that instruct the preacher how to "draw the net" so that the listener knows what to do with what they have heard. Jesus finishes up His most famous and longest sermon with a crystal-clear illustration that enables His audience to understand just how much is riding on their response to the Sermon on the Mount. Each one of us has the call to examine our own heart and to discern how our lives are presently aligned with what Jesus has said throughout this sermon. His final words serve as both an invitation and a warning to us, because storms are coming. It is no small matter what we decide. Jesus is telling us that how we respond is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. He brings the entire sermon on the mount to a pointed end when He calls us to examine the foundation upon which we are presently building our lives. He asks us if we are prepped for the storms.

The term “Spirit-filled” is used often but seldom examined. Is the Spirit-filled Christian merely one who speaks in tongues or is there more to it? In fact, if a Christian does not speak in tongues, can they be Spirit-filled? What does it mean to truly walk by the Spirit. Perhaps we should examine the gifts of the Spirit less often and the FRUIT more closely when wondering if we ourselves or someone else is a Spirit-filled believer. We are to live a life that reflects God’s love, joy, and peace. This Truth Shot will challenge and inspire you to align your heart with the Holy Spirit, cultivating a faith that transforms your daily walk - perfect for anyone seeking to deepen their spiritual journey and live out God’s calling with purpose.

Can A Christian Be Demonized?

One of the most difficult issues for Christians is to personally understand and to communicate to others why a good, loving God allows suffering. This is a huge stumbling block for many people. There is no denying the truth that suffering impacts both the believer and non-believer, and learning what Scripture says about suffering is a key to us enduring it. God is not on trial when we suffer, but it is helpful to learn that there is divine purpose in our temporary pain. This episode of Truth Shots brings context to us for those times when suffering pierces our lives.