"Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." - Isaiah 7:9 There are so many "unless..." verses in the Bible. It seems that a walk of faith doesn't just encompass God's movement in our lives - it encompasses our movement that activates God's movement. I've heard it said before, "God isn't moved by need; He is moved by faith." Faith is always the prere

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." -Matthew 18:18 "You... shall... not... PASS!!!" - Gandolf, The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Rings A pastor came into town to speak at our church for our annual summer conference. He told a story in which he was having a conversation with God, and God asked him a question. "Bob," (not his real name), "Why do you think you get attacked by

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:34&35 Life can get stressful at times. The bills need paying, the job is stressful or isn't quite what we hoped for; the kids are running around crazy, or we've gotten a cold. During these times of pressure is when we're pushed to our limits - and our true colors show. Whatever is in us comes o

"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." -Psalm 33:3 Did you know that God made us like instruments? He is always singing a song over our lives (Zephaniah 3:17). He made us as "instruments" of His glory, to dispense His "music" (His nature & life) into the world. We don't have to play gospel or Christian music to be truly inspired by Him, or any type of music from real instruments for that matter. Music occurs as we play to our strengths and talents in Hi

"For you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world?" -1 Corinthians 3:3 Have you ever been short or ill-tempered with somebody? I know I have, and I am not proud of it. We can say we are Christians but we still have bad days - days where we're tired or stressed out, days where it doesn't seem like anything is goi

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16 What does the world need now? We could brainstorm all day about what we think the world needs: Less war, more peace, less poverty, less sickness, and certainly less problems. But how on earth can we solve all of them? You've probably heard the above verse at one time or another, if not a hundred million times. But instead of reading t

"The LORD says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'" -Psalm 32:8 Did you know that when we develop habits or thought patterns, we actually begin to create a "rut" in our brains?* That's why habits can become so hard to undo! It's also the reason addictions can be so difficult to break free from. But, when we chose to live for God, He promises to lead us along the best pathways for our lives. All of this involves learn

"Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." -Matthew 6:18 Have you ever thought about what heaven will be like? I have heard many stories about people visiting heaven, and it is all very cool to think about! One thing I often think about is how much our actions here on earth make a difference, and what they mean in terms of eternity. Though we don't know for

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." -Romans 2:12 I love the movie Alice in Wonderland. Yes, the Tim Burton version is a little on the strange side, but the story is great and the design, costumes, graphics, and set are so creative! There is one point in the movie and in the book where Alice is trapped in a room filled with doors. She can't seem to open any of them. Then, she notices a really small door on

"My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck." -Proverbs 3:22 Wisdom is valuable. The Bible says it's worth more that rubies (Proverbs 3:15). True wisdom is mostly caught versus taught. It is thought to come with age, but in reality, wisdom doesn't necessarily have to do with age. (Job 32:7&8) In Eastern cultures, wisdom is highly sought after, and those who ar