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Hope Overcomes Despair

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God (Psalms 42:11 NAS95). There are seasons in life that prove most difficult. Sometimes you can lose hope if you only look through mortal eyes. However, it is important to remember, while your flesh is mortal, your soul is eternal. The psalmist teaches you and me a very good lesson here. His focus does not remain on his bad circumstances, but on His God. Instead of wallowing in his anguish, he turns his eyes upward. It is best not to decry “Oh this is the worst day of my life!” Do as the palmist and remember your blessed position in Christ. Very often, the trials you and I face are there to improve our relationship with God. James says this very thing. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that y...
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Ask God To Examine Your Heart

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way (Psalms 139:23-24 NAS95). How willing are you to have God search your heart? Of course God knows all of your thoughts, emotions and motives without your permission. You can’t shut God out as He knows all things. However, the question is are you willing to let God expose your inner thoughts? We love ourselves and hate to have our egos damaged. We don’t like to see the evil intentions of our heart exposed to the light of truth. However, there is nothing more important than looking into the perfect law of liberty to see who we really are (James 1:25) One mark of an unbeliever is an unwillingness to acknowledge God in their mind (Romans 1:28). It is a gracious act of the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you. We are commanded not to be conformed to this world. The means to that end is the transformation of your mind (Romans 12:2). Exposure to G...
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Life-Long Evangelism

Introduction During my years as a Director of Education, Minister of Education, and Senior Pastor, there is one thing I have learned without question. There is no end to the books, programs, classes, techniques, and tools meant to improve or garner evangelism in the local church. Unfortunately, all of them that I have seen could focus more on a fundamental need.  I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it seems, the goal of these resources is, without them stating such, to embolden terrified, sin-laden-Christians to participate in outreach through the use of humanistic means without first dealing with the witness himself. Let me give a disclaimer before I give you an example of which I speak. Most of the tools, I won’t say all, have a proper Gospel included in their methodologies. Also, no matter the messenger, the Word of God can and will accomplish what God desires (Isaiah 55:11). However, humanistic goals and a lack of spirituality cannot sustain a lasting evangelistic effort. Evangeli...
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Blessed Are the Merciful

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7) As believers we have received so much mercy already. Let us be thankful for the rich blessing God has poured out on us. However, there seems to be something more here. If not more, then at least a correlation. The correlation is mercy will be met with mercy. Those who are merciful shall obtain mercy. How does this play out in our lives? Well, the implication is believers should have and cultivate a spirit of mercy and forgiveness.  Mercy is an intrinsic quality of the Holy Spirit.  For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:16-17).  Having the Holy Spirit in our heart, we have the capacity and duty to be merciful. Believers will never come under a judgment of condemnation, but we are told to deal w...
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Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

One might think the filling promised to those who hunger and thirst is the imputation of Christ righteousness. Clearly, those who seek after Christ in faith trusting His atoning work, will be imputed with Christ righteousness. However, this understanding seems to be outside the context. Christ is speaking to His disciples at this point. He left the multitude and went up on a mountain and sat down to teach them. Most would agree He is describing the ideal attitudes believers should demonstrate.  Ideally, we should hunger and thirst for righteousness. This craving is at its greatest when we have immersed ourselves in the Scriptures. The Word of God is a lamp, and it provides reproofs and instruction (Pr. 6:23). For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). As we consider our lives we will see many s...
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Blessed are the Meek

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). NKJV There is no better example of meekness than our Savior. When facing the cruel world leaders He restrain the use of His power in order fulfill His ministry to save His elect.  Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him, "It is as you say." The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!" But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed. (Mark 15:1-5) NKJV Why was Pilate amazed? Wasn't it because the response he received was much different than expected? Pilate expected excuses and pleading. Of course, he received neither excuses nor pleading. Jesus co...
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Finding Grace and Peace

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2Pet. 1:2-3) Sometimes we make the Christian life more difficult than it need be. We complicate it by interjecting human reason into our walk that robs us of grace and peace. We unconsciously look to works in hope of  a means of grace. We employ asceticism thinking we need to appease God or prove to Him we are worthy to be granted a blessing. These misguided efforts will only lead to despair. Peter tells us plainly that God has granted everything we need pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of God. It’s not complicated. If you want grace and peace in your life you need to increase your knowledge of God. That increase of knowledge is not to be interpreted as knowledge only in an academic sense. While raw fa...
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