Did anyone else spend years doubting their salvation? Wondering if they were really good enough to be saved?
The other night, I was reading in Scripture about the men from Judea who were teaching new believers that, “Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” And I realized that’s how a religious spirit works.
Continue reading “A Religious Spirit”
“I want to know Jesus, and I want to break my addictions, but Christianity sounds kind of boring. I don’t know if I want to give up everything that makes me happy, and I’m not sure I can make myself read the Bible all the time. I don’t know if I can do this.”
That was my thought process when I heard the altar call:
I don’t know if I can do this.
And, as it turns out, I couldn’t.
But Jesus said:
Just come to Me.
How do you dress for a spiritual battle? By putting on the armor of God. Let’s look at the clothes Paul laid out for us in Ephesians 6:
Our ability to use any of our other pieces of armor depends on our belt. That’s where we attach our shield and hang our sword. It’s what keeps our breastplates from flapping in the wind. Our armor literally comes apart, piece by piece, if we don’t have the belt around our waist, which means it’s essential. When we are firmly established in the truth of the Gospel, we can be assured that all the other pieces of our equipment are going to stay in place, allowing us to fight confidently in battle. If we are armed with truth, then we can withstand the father of lies.
Continue reading “Putting On the Armor of God”
When I was in college, I helped chaperone a youth trip to a Christian conference.
During a night of worship, one of the girls on the trip burst into tears. I walked with her outside of the room so that we could talk and, as she began telling me some of the heavy things she was struggling with, I asked, “Lord, what do I say?”
I remember the response vividly.
Dear God,
You say that all I have to do is call to you and you will tell me things I do not know, so tell me this: Where are you? Continue reading “Dear God: Where Are You?”
Grace Waves 